Your guide to what pet insurance covers

Vet visits tin truly claw into your budget, particularly if your favored suffers from a superior unwellness oregon injury. Whether it’s an X-ray oregon a much analyzable process similar surgery, exigency attraction for a favored tin outgo anyplace from $150 to good implicit $5,000. Pet security tin assistance screen those costs.

But favored security policies tin alteration importantly successful what they screen and what tin beryllium added on. It’s important to recognize what’s included truthful you tin take the champion favored security sum for your furry friend.

Learn more: How does favored security work? A implicit guide.

Pet security helps wage for portion of your pet’s vet bills for medically indispensable care. A emblematic mishap and unwellness favored security program volition screen the following:

Accidents and injuries

• Broken bones

• Swallowing a overseas entity oregon thing toxic

• Bite wounds

• Being deed by a car

• Cuts and scrapes

• Diarrhea

• Skin oregon receptor infections

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

• Vomiting

• Blood-related conditions

• Eye problems similar cherry eye

• Hip issues, including hep dysplasia

• Intervertebral disk illness (IVDD)

• Allergies

• Arthritis

• Stomach problems

• Seizures

• Cancer

• Diabetes

• Heart problems

• Parasites

• Parvo

• Lyme disease

Procedures and exigency care

• Hospitalization

• Surgery

• Chemotherapy

• Endoscopies

• Antibiotics

• Steroids

• Insulin

• Eye drops

• Infections

• Medications for pain

• Biopsies

• X-rays

• MRIs

• Ultrasounds

Learn more: The champion favored security companies of 2025

Other conditions and treatments

Based connected Yahoo Finance’s investigation of what favored security covers, the much robust favored security policies volition besides wage for the following:

Alternative care. Specifics volition alteration by policies but tin see acupuncture, chiropractic care, hydrotherapy, carnal therapy, laser therapy, and massage.

Behavioral therapy. When prescribed by a veterinarian for issues specified arsenic anxiety, changeless licking, pulling retired fur, repetitive pacing, and destructive behaviour (like chewing oregon scratching furniture).

Dental illnesses. Dental issues similar extractions, gingivitis, and gum disease.

Euthanasia. When medically necessary, specified arsenic for humane reasons.

A tiny fig of favored security companies volition reimburse for costs not related to a pet’s unwellness oregon injury. For example, Fetch and Prudent Pet volition screen the pursuing issues up to definite limits:

• Kennel costs for the favored portion you’re hospitalized.

• A mortality payment if the favored dies (Prudent Pet) oregon reimbursement for the terms you paid for the favored (Fetch).

• Vacation cancellation costs if you person to cancel a travel due to the fact that the favored is sick oregon injured.

• Advertising and reward for a mislaid oregon stolen pet.

Learn more: Pets Best favored security reappraisal 2025

Pet security falls into 2 types of policies:

1. Accident and unwellness plan

2. Accident-only plan

Pet wellness plans are often disposable arsenic add-ons, but technically aren’t insurance.

Accident and unwellness plans

Accident and unwellness plans are a communal prime among favored parents. This benignant of sum gives you the astir broad sum for injuries and illnesses. Whether your feline swallows thing it shouldn’t person oregon your puppy comes down with kennel cough, mishap and unwellness plans tin assistance screen attraction and medicine costs (up to your argumentation limits).

Routine vet expenses — similar wellness checkups and preventive attraction — aren’t paid for by mishap and unwellness plans.

Like the sanction suggests, accident-only plans screen injuries, not illnesses. So, if your canine gets into a scuffle with different pup, this benignant of program tin assistance wage for treatment, hospitalization, surgery, and medication. But if your favored gets sick, it won’t screen your vet costs.

Since immoderate mishap and unwellness plans travel with property limits, accident-only plans tin beryllium a bully acceptable for folks with older pets who whitethorn not suffice for afloat coverage. Plus, they're easier connected the wallet since sum is limited, making them a bully enactment if you're connected a choky fund but privation immoderate sum without the higher terms tag.

Routine wellness oregon preventive attraction plans screen vet costs similar checkups, vaccines, and dental cleanings — usually up to a definite magnitude each year. This benignant of program is typically offered arsenic an add-on to an mishap and unwellness policy.

• The champion favored security companies of 2025

  ---

• How does favored security work? A implicit guide.

  ---

• Pets Best favored security reappraisal 2025

Pet security usually won’t screen preexisting conditions — meaning immoderate unwellness oregon wounded your favored had earlier you signed up for sum oregon that started during the favored security waiting period. So, if your canine was already diagnosed with allergies, the costs for allergy-related attraction apt won’t beryllium covered.

That said, not each favored security policies regularisation retired preexisting conditions forever. Some volition screen definite curable conditions — similar receptor infections, diarrhea, oregon vomiting — if your favored hasn’t shown symptoms oregon needed attraction for a acceptable magnitude of time. For example, ASPCA and Spot volition screen a curable information if your favored has been symptom-free for 180 days. (These rules usually don’t use to genu oregon ligament issues.)

Expert tip: Buying favored security sum aboriginal connected is simply a bully idea. That way, you tin fastener successful sum earlier caller conditions start.

How overmuch your favored security covers mostly depends connected 3 factors:

1. Annual limit. This is the full magnitude your favored security volition reimburse you for during the argumentation term. Depending connected the policy, choices tin commencement arsenic debased arsenic $2,000 and spell up to unlimited yearly coverage.

2. Deductible. This is what you wage retired of pouch earlier your security starts covering immoderate of the vet costs. Most plans person an yearly deductible, which tin scope from $50 to $1,000.

3. Reimbursement level. After you’ve paid your deductible, your security volition screen a information of the remaining costs (up to the policy’s yearly limit). Reimbursement levels are usually 70%, 80%, oregon 90%, though immoderate policies, similar Figo, connection a 100% reimbursement option.

Pet security policies person waiting periods, which is the clip you person to hold aft enrolling earlier your sum kicks in. Each supplier sets its ain timelines, but waiting periods typically scope from a mates days to 14 days for accidents and 14 to 30 days for illnesses, depending connected the insurer.

Some insurers besides necessitate longer waiting periods for orthopedic issues, specified arsenic associated oregon ligament problems. For example, Lemonade and Pets Best person six-month waiting periods for cruciate ligament conditions.

Some communal favored security exclusions are:

• Preexisting conditions

• Breeding, pregnancy, oregon giving birth

• Genetic investigating oregon cloning

• Illnesses oregon injuries caused by fighting, racing, abuse, oregon neglect

• Cosmetic oregon elective procedures similar receptor cropping, process docking, oregon dewclaw removal

• Routine attraction similar wellness checkups (unless you adhd a wellness plan)

Whether oregon not you tin alteration your favored security sum during the argumentation word depends connected the insurer. Some let you to summation your pet’s sum astatine immoderate time, portion others whitethorn necessitate you to hold until your argumentation renews. For example, Embrace favored security lets you summation coverage, though the waiting play and preexisting conditions besides reset arsenic of the day the sum changes.

Conversely, astir favored insurers let you to trim your coverage. Details volition alteration by provider. For example, Figo lets you trim your yearly maximum, deductible, and reimbursement astatine immoderate time.

Pet security tin screen aggregate pets. Most favored insurers volition necessitate each favored to person their ain policy, but you whitethorn get a discount of 5% oregon 10% per favored by buying aggregate policies.

MetLife has a unsocial mode to insure aggregate pets: Its Family Plan covers up to 3 pets nether 1 argumentation with a shared deductible and yearly bounds (and a discount). Or take abstracted MetLife policies with a multi-pet discount that lets you customize sum for each pet.

Many favored parents successful the U.S. attraction for animals different than cats and dogs, but it’s hard to find favored security that covers exotic pets. “Exotic” usually includes animals similar birds, reptiles, amphibians, and tiny mammals similar ferrets. MetLife and Nationwide merchantability exotic favored insurance.

The mean outgo of broad favored security (an mishap and unwellness argumentation with a wellness plan) is astir $54 per period for cats and $110 per period for dogs. For accident-only plans, the outgo is overmuch little — astir $9 per period for cats and $17 for dogs, according to a 2025 study from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.

The outgo of favored security volition mostly beryllium connected these cardinal factors:

• Your yearly limit, deductible, and reimbursement level

• The pet’s age, gender, and breed

• Where you live

Deciding connected whether you request favored security volition beryllium connected your pet’s needs and your budget. To determine if favored security is worthy it, marque definite to comparison the monthly premium with what you mightiness walk connected vet attraction if thing goes wrong. Pet security tin springiness you immoderate bid of caput that an unexpected vet measure won’t origin excessively overmuch fiscal disruption.

Pet security tin beryllium particularly adjuvant for older pets, high-energy animals, oregon breeds with known wellness risks. Bulldogs, for example, person unsocial carnal features that often pb to issues with breathing, teeth, eyes, and more.

As an example, let’s accidental you person a favored security argumentation with the pursuing terms:

• Unlimited yearly coverage

• 90% reimbursement

• $250 yearly deductible

• $500 yearly premium

If your canine has an exigency vet sojourn that costs $7,500, you’d archetypal wage your $250 deductible toward vet bills. After that, your security would screen 90% of the remaining $6,525 bill. That leaves you with conscionable $975 to wage retired of pouch alternatively of the afloat $7,500. In this case, your security could prevention you implicit $6,000, which tin marque the $500 yearly premium consciousness worthwhile.

There is nary one-size-fits-all solution erstwhile it comes to favored security policies, since sum and rates vary. That’s wherefore it’s important to comparison akin policies. You'll privation to look astatine things similar the scope of problems covered, yearly sum limits, deductibles, and reimbursement levels. Consider these factors:

• Check what’s covered. Coverage volition alteration from program to plan, truthful absorption connected what matters astir to you — similar medicine medications, dental illness, alternate therapies, oregon behavioral treatments.

• See if vet exam fees are included. Not each policies screen the outgo of simply visiting the vet for an wounded oregon illness, truthful double-check that the argumentation includes this.

• Watch for longer waiting periods. Some conditions, similar associated oregon ligament problems, mightiness person a longer waiting play earlier sum kicks in.

• Compare other benefits. Many policies spell beyond vet bills and connection perks similar 24/7 favored telemedicine. Pet insurers similar ASPCA, Healthy Paws, and Trupanion besides springiness the enactment to wage the vet directly, truthful you don’t person to hold for reimbursement.

• Ask astir discounts. Many favored security companies connection savings, specified arsenic multi-pet and subject discounts.

Pet security plans typically don’t screen regular attraction similar vaccinations oregon checkups. But galore favored insurers connection wellness add-ons you tin bargain to assistance wage for these types of expenses.

Does favored security screen spaying and neutering?

Pet security policies mostly bash not screen spaying oregon neutering. You tin usually adhd this sum with a wellness plan.

Yes, astir favored security policies screen attraction for dental accidents. However, not each policies see sum for dental illnesses, specified arsenic attraction for gingivitis. Make definite to cheque the argumentation details to spot if dental unwellness attraction is included.

Amy Danise and Tim Manni edited this article.