Dog Living The dog-friendly lifestyle
Luna still leads the pack, but beyond the most popular pet names, new trends and new realities in pet care took shape in 2025. New data from Embrace Pet Insurance shows how Americans named their pets, which breeds they chose, and what sent dogs and cats to the veterinarian most often over the past year.
Placed in a five-year context, Embrace’s 2025 data shows which trends have proven consistent and where gradual shifts are taking place. Pets continue to be named like family members, veterinary care is becoming more advanced and specialized, and costs are rising in ways that are changing how pet parents plan for care.
Pet Names: Old Favorites, New Faces
Luna once again ranked as the most popular pet name for both dogs and cats, holding the top spot for at least five consecutive years. Bella, Charlie, Lucy, Milo, Leo and Oliver also continued their long run near the top, showing how slowly naming habits tend to change.
Most Common Dog Names of 2025
- Luna
- Bella
- Charlie
- Daisy
- Lucy
- Milo
- Cooper
- Bailey
- Max
- Teddy
Compared with 2021, Teddy was the only new name to break into the Top 10 for dogs, replacing Coco. The change points to a growing preference for softer, nickname-style names that feel increasingly human.
Fastest-Rising Pet Names of 2025
The fastest-rising pet names year over year included:
- Azula, up 24.8 percent
- Miso, up 24.7 percent
- Stormi, up 24.6 percent
- Cinnamon, up 19.2 percent
- Tofu, up 18.5 percent
Human baby names also continued to gain traction. In 2025, pets were frequently named Olivia, Amelia, Emma, Charlotte, Ellie, Mia, Oliver, Levi and Luca, mirroring national baby name trends.
Claims: More Care, More Complexity
In 2025, Embrace processed 1.09 million claims, continuing a multi-year rise in veterinary care usage. Of those claims, 93 percent were covered, showing how often pet insurance now plays a role in helping families afford care.
Most Common Claims of 2025 (average cost per claim)
- Diarrhea: $247
- Vomiting: $593
- Otitis externa (ear infection): $218
- Dermatitis (allergies): $217
- Lameness: $449
These conditions have ranked among the most common reasons pets visit the veterinarian for years and often recur over a pet’s lifetime.
Fastest-Growing Claims
The diagnoses with the largest increases included:
- Pancreatic mass, up 330 percent
- Malaise (a general feeling of discomfort or illness), up 299 percent
- Fibrocartilaginous embolism of the spinal cord (a spinal cord injury caused by an interruption of blood supply), up 296 percent
- Gastric motility disorders (an issue with the stomach’s muscle contractions that control how food moves), up 279 percent
- Meningioma (a benign tumor on the brain or spinal cord), up 277 percent
“These increases don’t mean pets are suddenly sicker,” said Dr. Liza Cahn, veterinary consultant at Embrace. “What we’re seeing is more advanced diagnostics, more referrals to specialty care, and earlier identification of complex conditions. As veterinary medicine continues to evolve, pets are receiving the same level of care we would expect for any family member.”
Highest Individual Claims of 2025
- $40,392 covered for a 12-year-old Maine coon treated for gastrointestinal obstruction and constipation
- $37,797 covered for a 5-year-old Bernese mountain dog treated for pneumothorax (collapsed lung)
- $35,755 covered for a 4-year-old mixed-breed dog treated for diskospondylitis, a bacterial or fungal infection of the intervertebral disks
A New Reality for Pet Parents
“Over the past five years, we’ve watched pet care change in real time,” said Scott Stice, President of Embrace Pet Insurance. “Pets are living longer, care is more advanced and costs continue to rise. Pet insurance has become less about preparing for the unexpected and more about making everyday care possible. For many families, it’s now part of how they plan for their pet’s life from day one.”
To learn more about Embrace Pet Insurance, visit embracepetinsurance.com or call (800) EMBRACE.
