Popular Poodle-cross pups outpacing purebred parents

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- If you think you're seeing more Goldendoodles, Labradoodles and other Poodle-cross dogs these days, it's not your imagination. There are indeed oodles of Doodles.

Not only are Goldendoodles, Labradoodles and other Poodle-cross dogs increasingly popular, but they're also far less likely to have claims for cancer than the breeds used to create them, according to analyses of policy and claims for 1.61 million dogs by Nationwide, the nation's largest provider of pet health insurance.

Among the findings:

Doodle popularity seems to have come at the expense of purebreds. From 2013 to 2021, Goldendoodles alone have more than tripled their percentage among Nationwide's policies, while the percentage of Poodles and Labrador Retrievers dropped by nearly a third.

Some parts of the country have gone especially big for these curly-coated crossbreds, most notably the metro areas of Miami (up 466%), Houston (up 464%), Orlando and Tampa/St. Pete (both up 337%) and Los Angeles (up 302%).

"Veterinary practices have definitely been noticing how many more Doodles they were seeing, and since we track purebreds, crossbreds and mixed-breeds in our policy data, we thought it would be interesting to see just how strong the trend is," said Dr. Jules Benson, Nationwide's Chief Veterinary Officer. "Those results may not be surprising, but the significant difference in the relative rate of cancer claims in purebred Labs, Goldens and Poodles and their crossbred offspring is definitely a surprise."

Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles are significantly more likely to have a claim for cancer diagnosis and treatment than Labradoodles and Goldendoodles. Nationwide's veterinary analytics team studied cancer claims for 1.61 million dogs over a six-year period, 2015 to 2021. The result of that analysis showed that the combined relative risk for parent breeds of Goldendoodles to have submitted a cancer claim is four times that of their crossbred offspring and, for the parent breeds of Labradoodles, it is 2.6 times.

Among Nationwide-insured dogs:

• Golden Retrievers and Standard Poodles, which are the parent breeds of Godlendoodles, are 3.8 times more likely to have a claim for cancer than Goldendoodles.
• Compared to all other dogs, Goldendoodles are almost half as likely (47.4%) to have a claim for cancer.
• Labrador Retrievers and Standard Poodles, which are the parent breeds of Labradoodles, are 2.5 times more likely to have a claim submitted for cancer than Labradoodles.
• Compared to all other dogs, Labradoodles are a little more than half as likely (61.9%) to have a claim for cancer.

The analysis also showed that relative risk for a cancer claim in all purebreds is approximately double (188.5%) that for all non-purebreds (mixed-breeds and crossbreds combined).

To read more about Nationwide's findings on the popularity of Doodles compared to their contributing breeds, and relative cancer claims rates for these popular crossbreds, visit www.PetInsurance.com/veterinarians/research.

With Nationwide pet health insurance, many veterinary expenses associated with cancer diagnoses and treatments are eligible for reimbursement based on the member's chosen coverage. To explore pet health insurance coverage for Doodles or any kind of dog, cat and many avian or exotic pets, visit PetInsurance.com.

About Nationwide pet insurance
With more than one million insured pets, Nationwide is the first and largest provider of pet health insurance in the United States. Nationwide pet health insurance plans cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries. Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Products underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company (CA), Columbus, OH; National Casualty Company (all other states), Columbus, OH. Agency of Record: DVM Insurance Agency. All are subsidiaries of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Pet owners can find Nationwide pet insurance on Facebook or follow on Twitter. For more information about Nationwide pet insurance, call 800-USA-PETS (800-872-7387) or visit petinsurance.com.

About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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CONTACT:
Karen Davis
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SOURCE Nationwide