Maltese Insurance in Australia 2026

By Jay Fan · Pet Insurance Analyst · Updated July 5, 2026 · About the author

Why dental cover matters for Maltese owners

Maltese are prone to dental disease. Periodontal issues affect nearly 80% of small breed dogs by age 3. For Maltese it is even worse because their mouths are small and teeth crowd together, trapping food and bacteria. Dental cleaning is not the problem — actual dental illness coverage is.

Many Aussie pet insurance policies exclude dental illness or cap it low. Bow Wow Meow and Trupanion include dental illness coverage in their standard plans. This matters because a single tooth extraction can cost $200 to $600, and a Maltese with advanced periodontitis may need multiple extractions over its lifetime. If your policy excludes dental illness, you are paying out of pocket for something your breed is almost guaranteed to need.

Common Maltese health issues

White Shaker Syndrome: A neurological condition causing full-body tremors, seen almost exclusively in small white dogs. Managed with corticosteroids. Not life-threatening but treatment costs add up.

Luxating Patella: Kneecap dislocation is extremely common in Maltese. Mild cases may not require surgery but severe cases do — cost is $1,500 to $3,000 per knee.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA): Gradual vision loss leading to blindness. No cure, but managing a blind dog requires home adjustments and regular checkups.

Collapsed Trachea: The cartilage rings in the trachea weaken, causing a honking cough. Weight management and harness use help, but advanced cases need surgery ($2,000 to $5,000).

Portosystemic Shunt: A liver bypass that prevents detoxification. Requires surgery ($4,000 to $8,000) and lifelong diet management.

How much does Maltese insurance cost?

Maltese are one of the cheapest breeds to insure. Expect $20 to $35 per month for comprehensive cover with a $12,000+ annual limit. For accident-only cover you could pay as little as $10 to $15 per month. Compare that to $80-$110 for a French Bulldog.

Why are Maltese cheap to insure? Low body weight means lower medication and anesthesia costs. Fewer catastrophic conditions compared to large breeds. Long lifespan means more premium-paying years for insurers. But the trade-off is that you need dental cover, which many budget policies lack.

The cheapest policy is not the best value for a Maltese. A policy that costs $25/month with dental illness coverage is better than one costing $18/month without it.

Best insurers for small breed dogs

What to look for in a Maltese policy

Dental illness coverage. Annual limit that will realistically last — $10,000 minimum but $15,000+ is better if you want coverage for serious conditions like a portosystemic shunt.

A reasonable waiting period for conditions like luxating patella. Some insurers impose 6-month waiting periods for hereditary conditions — check this before buying.

Accident cover for eye injuries. Maltese have large, prominent eyes that are susceptible to corneal ulcers and scratches. Emergency eye vet visits are not cheap.

Grooming, skin care, and related insurance claims

Maltese dogs have a single-layer coat of long, silky hair that grows continuously — more like human hair than typical dog fur. This means they need frequent grooming, typically every four to six weeks at $50 to $80 per session. Their coat also makes them prone to skin issues that can trigger legitimate insurance claims. Tear staining is common in Maltese and can lead to dermatitis around the eyes if not managed. Skin fold infections, hot spots, and allergic reactions to grooming products all fall under illness cover if they require veterinary treatment.

White dogs in general have more sensitive skin than darker-coated breeds, and Maltese are no exception. Contact allergies to grass, cleaning products, and certain fabrics can cause persistent itching, hair loss, and secondary skin infections. A single dermatology workup with skin scrapings, allergy testing, and a treatment plan can cost $400 to $800. Ongoing immunotherapy or prescription diets for allergic dogs cost $80 to $150 per month. Comprehensive insurance that covers dermatological conditions is worth prioritising for Maltese owners.

Regular grooming at home — including wiping around the eyes daily, brushing teeth, and checking ears — reduces the frequency of vet visits and keeps your claims history clean. A lower claims history helps keep renewal premiums in check, which is especially valuable for a breed that lives 12 to 15 years.

Senior Maltese: what changes with age

As Maltese dogs enter their senior years around age 8 to 10, the health risks shift. Dental disease becomes more advanced and may require multiple extractions under anaesthesia. Heart murmurs, common in small breeds, may progress to congestive heart failure requiring daily medication and regular cardiology checkups. Collapsed trachea, if it develops, worsens with age and may eventually require surgical intervention. Each of these conditions represents thousands of dollars in lifetime treatment costs.

The challenge with insuring a senior Maltese is that most of these age-related conditions will be classed as pre-existing if you try to get a new policy after symptoms appear. This is why continuity of cover matters so much for this breed. A Maltese insured on a lifetime policy from puppyhood will have its arthritis, heart disease, and dental issues covered as they develop. A Maltese whose owner let the policy lapse at age 7 and tries to re-insure at age 9 will find most of those conditions permanently excluded.

If you have a senior Maltese and are looking for new insurance, focus on policies with high annual limits for accident cover. Even if illness cover is limited by pre-existing exclusions, accident protection remains valuable. Senior dogs can still break bones, eat things they should not, and get attacked by other animals. Accident-only cover for a senior Maltese costs $15 to $25 per month and provides a financial safety net for unexpected injuries.

Multi-pet discounts and Maltese households

Maltese owners often have more than one small dog, and this creates an opportunity to save on insurance through multi-pet discounts. Most Australian insurers offer 10% to 15% off when you insure two or more pets on the same policy. For two Maltese dogs at $25 per month each, a 15% multi-pet discount saves $90 per year. Over a 12-year lifespan, that is over $1,000 in savings.

However, the multi-pet discount should not be the only factor in your decision. Sometimes insuring each pet with a different provider — one that specialises in dental cover for the Maltese with advanced dental needs, and another with lower base rates for the healthier dog — works out cheaper even without the discount. Get quotes both ways before committing. And remember that multi-pet policies typically share an annual limit, so two dogs drawing from a single $30,000 limit means each effectively has less coverage than if they had separate $30,000 limits.