What is pet insurance?
Pet insurance is a kind of health insurance policy that reimburses you for a portion of your pet’s medical bills. There are several types of pet insurance, and the best one for you depends on your pet’s needs and your budget.
The most popular type of pet insurance plan is accident and illness, which often comes with the option to add a wellness plan. Cheaper accident-only plans are also available.
Key points:
- Pet insurance has a monthly premium, a deductible, a reimbursement level and an annual maximum coverage amount.
- Not all insurance policies cover hereditary conditions, so it’s important to check for this if you have a breed that’s susceptible to serious genetic illnesses.
- Pet insurance typically does not cover wellness checks and preventive care, but many plans offer an optional wellness add-on.
Pet insurance can help offset some of the costs associated with your pet’s health care, but some plans offer more comprehensive coverage than others.
Learn more about what pet insurance covers, how much it costs and how much you can expect to be reimbursed for claims.
Annual coverage – $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500
Annual coverage – Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%
Deductible choices – $500, $750
Annual coverage -$5,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500
Annual coverage – $2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices -$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000
Annual coverage – $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500
What pet insurance covers
Pet insurance coverage will depend on the plan you purchase. If you buy a comprehensive pet insurance plan, here’s what is typically covered.
Accidents and injuries
Coverage for accidents and injuries is one of the main reasons to get pet insurance. You might have a very playful and rambunctious pup who loves to wrestle at the dog park but winds up with a torn ACL or a dog bite. Pet insurance typically covers things such as poisonings, car accidents, sprains or bites from other animals.
Illnesses
If your pet gets sick, pet insurance will likely cover a portion of the treatment. Pet insurance can help pay for curing common ailments like ear infections, diarrhea and vomiting. It may also pay for treatment for more serious illnesses, such as cancer or heart disease.
Testing
Your pet insurance can help pay for the cost of diagnostic tests like blood draws, CT scans or ultrasounds, which can add up quickly if you’re paying out of pocket.
Hereditary conditions
Some dog and cat breeds are more susceptible to certain hereditary conditions than others. Your pet insurance may help cover treatment for conditions like hip dysplasia, eye disorders and blood disorders.
Not all insurance policies cover hereditary conditions, so it’s important to check for this if you have a breed that’s susceptible to serious genetic illnesses. You might pay more out of pocket to cover hereditary conditions, but it can be worth it if there’s a high chance of your pet developing a condition during its lifetime.
Prescription medication
If your pet is prescribed medicine, your pet insurance may help cover the cost. That could be for a temporary medication to treat an infection or a more long-term prescription for something like diabetes, a thyroid condition or anxiety.
Microchipping
Some pets are great at escaping, and one of the best ways to bring them home safely is to microchip them. Microchipping may be covered by your pet insurance.
Many animal shelters and rescues require their pets to be microchipped before they’re adopted, so if you have a rescue animal, they are likely already microchipped.
Holistic treatments
Some pets respond well to holistic or alternative treatments that your regular vet may not offer. Your pet insurance may help foot the bill for things like acupuncture or chiropractic care for your dog or cat.
This may not be covered by all insurance providers, so double-check policies before you buy if holistic treatments for your pet are important to you.
What isn’t covered by pet insurance
While coverage exclusions vary by plan and carrier, the following generally isn’t covered by pet insurance.
Pre-existing conditions
If your pet’s medical history shows a pre-existing condition — or even symptoms of a condition that was not yet diagnosed — your pet insurance will likely not cover any related illnesses or treatments.
That’s why it’s important to take out a pet insurance policy when your pet is young and healthy, so if it does develop any major conditions the insurance will help pay for treatment.
Experimental treatment
As medicine advances for humans and animals alike, you may seek out experimental treatments if your pet is seriously ill and not responding to regular treatment.
But if you do, you’ll be on your own when it comes to paying the bill, as pet insurance generally won’t cover any treatment considered experimental or investigational.
Breeding
If you choose to breed your dog, your insurance won’t cover the associated costs.
Cosmetic surgeries
Some dog breeds traditionally have their ears or tails docked for cosmetic purposes. If you choose to do this, or to declaw a cat, your pet insurance won’t cover it.
Wellness care
Wellness checks and preventive care are typically not covered by accident and illness plans, but you can often purchase pet wellness coverage as an add-on that will help pay for those expenses.
Food and supplements
Accident and illness plans won’t cover the cost of pet food, but some wellness plans will reimburse for prescription diet food and nutritional supplements like probiotics or vitamins.
Grooming and bathing
Everyone loves a clean pet, but accident and illness plans won’t cover things like nail trims and baths — not even flea baths. If this is important to you, some wellness plan add-ons do reimburse for grooming, medicated shampoos and toenail trimming.
Training
Most pet insurance plans don’t cover training, but there are exceptions. ASPCA will cover certain behavioral therapy programs if it’s recommended by your vet.
If your dog needs obedience training, you can also look for wellness plans that include this coverage. The Embrace pet wellness plan, for instance, is an optional add-on that reimburses for training.
How much does pet insurance cost?
Pet insurance costs about $55 per month for an unlimited accident and illness plan for dogs, according to our analysis of rates. The average cost of pet insurance for a cat for the same plan is about $47 per month.
How much you pay for pet insurance will depend on the type of pet insurance plan and coverage levels you choose, your ZIP code and your pet’s breed, age and gender.
Average monthly cost of pet insurance
We analyzed rates from Petinsurer.com to find the average monthly cost for top pet insurance companies’ accident and illness plans with unlimited reimbursement (or the highest level offered by that company), a $500 deductible and a 90% reimbursement level.
Pet insurance deductible
Your deductible is the amount you’re required to pay before your pet insurance coverage starts.
Here’s an example:
- You pay $2,000 for your pet’s emergency surgery.
- You file a claim for $2,000.
- Your pet insurance plan has a $200 deductible with a reimbursement rate of 70%.
- If you have not yet met your deductible, you will be reimbursed for $1,260 (70% of the $1,800 remaining after your deductible is subtracted from the claim amount).
- If you’ve already met your deductible, you will be reimbursed $1,400 (70% of $2,000).
Pet insurance coverage limits
Pet insurance policies may have one or all of the following caps or limits.
- Maximum incident benefit cap determines the most money you will be reimbursed for a certain type of incident.
- Maximum annual benefit is the most you can be reimbursed in a year for your pet. Some companies offer plans with unlimited annual coverage.
- Lifetime limit cap is the total amount of money you can be reimbursed over your pet’s lifetime.
Annual coverage – $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500
Annual coverage – Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%
Deductible choices – $500, $750
Annual coverage -$5,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500
Annual coverage – $2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%
Deductible choices -$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000
Annual coverage – $5,000, $10,000, Unlimited
Reimbursement choices – 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%
Deductible choices – $100, $250, $500