Which health problems is the Labrador Retriever prone to?

Cranial cruciate ligament disease

What it is. The main stabilising ligament of the knee degenerates over time, so the joint becomes unstable and painful and arthritis follows. ACVS's page lists the Labrador Retriever alongside 6 other breeds: Rottweiler, Newfoundland, Mastiff, Akita, Saint Bernard, Chesapeake Bay Retriever. ACVS says a genetic mode of inheritance has been shown for Newfoundlands and Labrador Retrievers.

Treatments ACVS describes: tplo (tibial plateau leveling osteotomy), tta (tibial tuberosity advancement), suture-based (extracapsular) repair and non-surgical care: pain relief, activity restriction, rehabilitation, bracing or injections.

What it costs. Trupanion's published average claim for cruciate ligament tear is $5,439, and Healthy Paws reports paying an average of $1,056 per cruciate ligament claim in 2025, 15.7% more than in 2020 (a reimbursement after deductible and co-pay, not the whole bill). That claim equals 85.6 months of the $63.52 premium. With a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement the policy would pay $4,151, leaving $1,288 plus $762 of premiums, $2,050 for the year against $5,439 uninsured, provided the policy covers the condition at all.

Intervertebral disc disease

What it is. Spinal discs swell or rupture and press on the spinal cord, causing pain, wobbliness and, in severe cases, paralysis. ACVS's page lists the Labrador Retriever alongside 5 other breeds: Dachshund, Pekingese, Beagle, Lhasa Apso, German Shepherd. ACVS names the Dachshund as accounting for 45 to 70% of all cases; Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherd Dogs are its examples of non-chondrodystrophoid breeds that are also affected.

Treatments ACVS describes: conservative care: strict rest, confinement and pain medication, decompressive surgery, often a hemilaminectomy and aftercare: bladder expression, rehabilitation, exercise restriction.

What it costs. None of the insurer claim pages checked for this site (Trupanion, Healthy Paws, Fetch) publishes an average for intervertebral disc disease, so no figure is shown. A treatment estimate from a veterinary hospital for the pet in question is the only reliable number.

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 Labrador Retriever alongside 8 other breeds: Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Irish Wolfhound, Cairn Terrier, Maltese, Australian Cattle Dog, Golden Retriever, Old English Sheepdog.

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 98.7 months of the $63.52 premium. With a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement the policy would pay $4,814, leaving $1,453 plus $762 of premiums, $2,216 for the year against $6,267 uninsured, provided the policy covers the condition at all.

Premiums for the Labrador Retriever

Pawlicy Advisor publishes $63.52 a month for the Labrador Retriever (median monthly premium), $762 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 Labrador Retriever insurance cost page.

Among the 82 dog breeds Pawlicy Advisor prices, the Labrador Retriever is the 34th most expensive, in the middle half of the list, and 39% more than a mixed-breed dog. A quarter of its quotes were above $80.33 a month; even at that level, the liver shunt claim average equals 78 months of premiums.

On a policy with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement, the year's covered bills have to reach $1,203 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

• Akita: cruciate ligament (knee), kneecap luxation
• Australian Cattle Dog: liver shunt
• Beagle: spinal disc disease
• Cairn Terrier: liver shunt
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever: cruciate ligament (knee)

Sources: ACVS, Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease (updated July 22, 2026), ACVS, Intervertebral Disc Disease (updated December 28, 2023), 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.