Hereditary risks, breed-specific cover considerations, and the NZ pet insurers offering dog cover.
Small long-lived breed with moderate brachycephalic/orthopedic burden. Eye care and respiratory monitoring important; verify patellar luxation surgery coverage and chronic otitis coverage (breed susceptible).
Sourced from UK Kennel Club Breed Health & Conservation Plans, Royal Veterinary College VetCompass, and peer-reviewed veterinary literature. Every condition cited; pop-vet sources excluded.
Moderate brachycephalic burden; respiratory issues secondary to flat muzzle and soft tissue excess.
Source: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/health/for-owners/brachycephalic-health/
Corneal inflammation; secondary to ocular irritation and brachycephalic anatomy.
Knee ligament/patella instability; common in small breeds.
All 8 NZ pet insurers in our wording index offer dog cover. Wordings differ on hereditary conditions, waiting periods, age caps, and excess. Snapshot generated 2026-05-20.
AA Pet Insurance
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Cove Pet Insurance
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PD Insurance
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Petcover (Petplan NZ)
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PetNSur
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Southern Cross Pet Insurance
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SPCA Pet Insurance
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Tower Pet Insurance
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60-second scenario matcher — filter by hereditary cover, waiting period, age caps and what you can afford. Sourced from real insurer wordings, not marketing pages.
Find my top 3 policies →Shih Tzus are most commonly screened for: Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), Pigmentary keratitis, Patellar luxation. Each condition has a different prevalence and a different impact on pet insurance cover — see the sources cited above for the underlying veterinary literature.
It depends on the wording. Some NZ pet insurance policies cover hereditary and congenital conditions after a waiting period; some exclude them entirely; some cover with breed-specific exceptions. The condition must not have been pre-existing at the time you took out the policy. Use our policy match to filter by hereditary cover.
Shih Tzus are Small dog (≤10 kg). Typical lifespan is 10–18 years.
As early as possible — ideally as a puppy before any hereditary or congenital conditions develop or are diagnosed. Once a condition has been observed, treated, or even noted in vet records, NZ pet insurers will treat it as pre-existing and exclude it from future cover. This matters most for breeds with strong hereditary risk profiles.
Not personalised advice. Editorial overview only. NZ pet insurance wordings change — read your policy document and quote with the insurer for binding terms.
Hereditary-condition data sourced from UK Kennel Club, RVC VetCompass, OFA, and peer-reviewed veterinary research. Insurer roster snapshot from 2026-05-20. Page generated 2026-07-05.