A breed known for BOAS warning, plus a second, separate risk area to know about: eye conditions linked to the same flat-face.
Pugs are named in the New Zealand Veterinary Association's public warning about BOAS (alongside other flat-faced breeds like French and English Bulldogs) as increasingly popular flat-faced breeds seeing more of the condition. NZVA describes even non-severe BOAS as causing noisy breathing, snorting and snoring. Surgery is priced at $5,000 – $6,000, and NZVA states plainly that the underlying condition is not curable, only manageable.
The breed's characteristic prominent, shallow eye sockets separately raise the risk of eye conditions, something to factor in alongside airway risk when comparing how broadly a policy covers standard versus specialist treatment.
These are the conditions FurWise flags when you select Pug in the comparison tool, so you can check whether each policy covers them. When 2 or more high-severity conditions apply, we highlight hereditary & congenital coverage and exclusions breadth for your comparison.
Hereditary and congenital conditions are handled very differently across NZ insurers Some treat them favourably (coverable if asymptomatic before the policy started), others use a flat age-of-pet cutoff, and a few don't address them as a defined term at all. See FurWise's hereditary conditions and congenital conditions explainers.
Any information shown on FurWise is not financial advice. FurWise is a features comparison tool. It's a helpful starting point so you can understand how pet insurance policies in New Zealand work. If you are still unsure about what might be right for you after using FurWise, we strongly recommend you seek independent advice from a financial adviser about your specific situation.