Which health problems is the Australian Cattle Dog prone to?

Portosystemic shunt (liver shunt)

What it is. An abnormal blood vessel carries blood around the liver instead of through it, so toxins are not filtered; ACVS calls it congenital in dogs. ACVS's page lists the Australian Cattle Dog alongside 8 other breeds: Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Irish Wolfhound, Cairn Terrier, Maltese, Golden Retriever, Old English Sheepdog, Labrador Retriever.

Treatments ACVS describes: medical management: low-protein diet, antibiotics, lactulose, gradual surgical closure (ameroid constrictor, cellophane band, hydraulic occluder) and trans-venous coiling for larger intrahepatic shunts.

What it costs. Trupanion's published average claim for portacaval shunt is $6,267. That claim equals 137 months of the $45.74 premium. With a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement the policy would pay $4,814, leaving $1,453 plus $549 of premiums, $2,002 for the year against $6,267 uninsured, provided the policy covers the condition at all.

Premiums for the Australian Cattle Dog

Pawlicy Advisor publishes $45.74 a month for the Australian Cattle Dog (median monthly premium), $549 a year. NAPHIA's 2025 average for all insured dogs is $69.67 a month. Every published figure for the breed, with dates, is on the Australian Cattle Dog insurance cost page.

Among the 82 dog breeds Pawlicy Advisor prices, the Australian Cattle Dog is the 65th most expensive, in the cheapest quarter of the list, despite the conditions above, and the same as a mixed-breed dog. A quarter of its quotes were above $63.64 a month; even at that level, the liver shunt claim average equals 98.5 months of premiums.

On a policy with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement, the year's covered bills have to reach $936 before the policy has paid back the premiums. Most claims are much smaller than the conditions above: NAPHIA's 2025 list of the most common dog claims starts with gastrointestinal, ear infection (otitis), skin conditions, anxiety, behavioral or neurological, allergies and growth or mass.

Hereditary conditions and policy terms

Breed-linked conditions are where policy wording matters most. Under the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act, an insurer must disclose before sale whether it excludes pre-existing, hereditary, congenital or chronic conditions (Section 4A). A condition counts as pre-existing if a vet advised on it, treated it or recorded signs of it before cover began or during a waiting period (Section 3F), and illness and orthopedic waiting periods are capped at 30 days (Section 5B). States adopt the model on their own timetable, so the policy and the state insurance department are the authority. The guides on pre-existing conditions and waiting periods go further.

Other breeds with the same conditions

• Cairn Terrier: liver shunt
• Golden Retriever: liver shunt
• Labrador Retriever: cruciate ligament (knee), spinal disc disease, liver shunt
• Maltese: liver shunt
• Miniature Schnauzer: liver shunt

Sources: ACVS, Portosystemic Shunts (updated January 13, 2025), Trupanion claims examples, Healthy Paws 2025 reimbursements, Pawlicy Advisor, NAIC model #633. Last checked October 20, 2026. This page summarises veterinary references; it is not veterinary advice.