Many pet owners can’t afford an unexpected pet emergency, which can cost upwards of $5,000 to $10,000 for a major surgery or hospitalization. Pet insurance can help cover these costs, making it a worthwhile investment for your furry pal’s health and your peace of mind. However, for pets over 10 years old or those with a history of frequent health issues, pet insurance may not offer as much value for the cost.
Read on for advice from veterinary experts, details on when pet insurance is worth it and alternative methods to pay for veterinary care.
Why Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
Owning a pet can be a life-changing experience, but the cost of caring for a four-legged family member is rising. According to a study from Care Credit, veterinary expenses make up the largest portion of a pet’s lifetime care costs. While many routine veterinary expenses are predictable, you cannot plan for emergencies, chronic diseases or acute illnesses. If you want peace of mind while caring for your pet, pet insurance may be worth it for you.
“Having health insurance ensures you can provide the necessary treatment [for your pet] without worrying about the cost. It gives you peace of mind and allows you to focus on your pet’s well-being rather than the financial burden.”
Our team surveyed 1,000 pet insurance policyholders nationwide and found that 51% of respondents do not have savings set aside for their pets. If this describes your financial situation, you could find yourself unable to pay an unexpected veterinary bill, which could impact the level of care your pet receives. Pet insurance could offset these costs, ensuring pets have access to the veterinary care they need.
According to our 2025 survey of 1,000 pet owners, 82% of respondents with pet insurance said the policy was worth it.
Pet health insurance provides financial protection when something goes wrong. If your pet needs life-saving surgery, a specialist visit, lifelong medications or chemotherapy, you likely will find having an insurance policy is worth the price.
Can help cover unexpected and ongoing veterinary bills
Provides peace of mind in the event of a pet emergency
Helps spread out costs with predictable monthly premiums
Resets reimbursement limits each year that your pet’s policy renews
Allows pet owners to choose veterinary care based on need instead of price
Requires a monthly premium payment
Most providers operate on a reimbursement model, meaning owners will have to pay pet bills upfront and file a claim later
Customers are subject to coverage limitations and rules, which may vary by insurer
Pet parents can pay more in insurance premiums than the total cost of veterinary services without insurance
More Pet Owners Are Getting Pet Insurance
The number of insured pets has increased 12.2% since 2023, meaning that approximately 7.03 million pets are currently insured, according to the 2025 State of the Industry report by the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. Reasons for this increase likely include a rise in veterinary visit costs, economic changes, and a growing insurance marketplace.
Our team’s research found the average cost of owning a dog is $1,811 per year. In addition, the average annual cost of owning an adult cat ranges from $710 to $2,865 per year. These prices highlight the growing importance of insurance for pet owners, as it can help manage rising ownership costs and ensure pets receive necessary veterinary care.
What Does Pet Insurance Cost?
On average, pet insurance costs $40 per month or $480 annually across the U.S. Our research team broke down this average to $52 per month for dogs and $28 for cats. While we collected thousands of sample pet insurance quotes to determine how much a typical policy costs, your exact pricing will depend on where you live and your pet’s age and breed.
Note that policy parameters also affect monthly costs. When you enroll in a plan, you can usually select a deductible, reimbursement rate and an annual limit. Your choices will decrease or increase the plan’s monthly rate and impact the amount you have to pay out of pocket if your pet experiences an accident or illness.
The deductible is the amount you pay before pet insurance coverage kicks in, whereas the reimbursement rate is the percentage of each covered bill an insurer pays out. The annual limit is the maximum amount a policy will reimburse you for covered services each term.
Learn more about average monthly pet insurance rates from our top pet insurance picks below.
| Company | Average Monthly Pet Insurance Rate |
|---|---|
| Lemonade | $33 |
| Pets Best | $32 |
| Figo | $30 |
| Embrace | $36 |
| Fetch | $36 |
| ASPCA Pet Health Insurance | $35 |
| Spot | $37 |
| Healthy Paws | $44 |
| Trupanion | $100 |
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
Pet insurance coverage depends on the plan you buy, the provider and the annual coverage limit. Pet owners can choose from an accident-only plan, which offers limited yet affordable coverage, or a more comprehensive accident and illness plan. Standard pet policies offer financial protection against unexpected veterinary expenses, such as a broken bone. However, some insurance providers have add-ons to offset routine wellness costs.
What Do Basic Accident and Illness Plans Cover?
As the name suggests, accident and illness plans cover expenses related to pet accidents and illnesses. Each plan is different, but most pet insurance policies cover the following treatments and services:
- Acute illnesses
- Chronic diseases
- Diagnostic tests
- Emergency care
- Imaging tests
- Injuries
- Medically necessary procedures and surgeries
- Prescription medications
- Specialty care
Some accident and illness plans extend coverage to more extensive or unique services. For example, Fetch offers a standard accident and illness policy that pays for alternative healthcare and holistic treatments. Other examples of more unique coverage options include:
- Alternative and holistic therapies
- Behavioral treatments
- Congenital and hereditary disorders
- Dental accidents or illnesses
- Exam fees
- Microchipping
- Rehabilitation
We recommend choosing a company with dental coverage if you think your pet could experience dental health issues. Dental-related accidents and illnesses, such as root canals, can cost upwards of $3,000.
What Do Wellness Plans Cover?
Wellness plans provide partial reimbursements for preventive medical care services based on a set fee or benefits schedule. Typical coverage includes:
- Blood and urine tests
- Deworming
- Parasite screening tests
- Parasite preventives
- Dental cleanings
- Vaccinations
- Wellness exams
What Add-Ons Do Insurers Commonly Offer?
Some companies offer a standard accident and illness policy, while others provide cheaper coverage and a range of optional add-ons. Lemonade offers a cheaper base plan that you can customize with additional coverages, for example. Typical add-ons offered by pet insurance companies include:
- Breeding and pregnancy care
- Dental illness
- End-of-life care
- Rehabilitation
- Wellness and preventive care
What Is Not Covered by Pet Insurance?
Each pet insurance policy has a list of specified limitations and exclusions that depend on the provider, but common exclusions across the industry include:
- Conditions that occur during a waiting period
- Cosmetic and elective procedures
- Experimental procedures
- Grooming, training and other non-veterinary expenses
- Injuries caused by working, racing, fighting or intentional harm
- Pre-existing conditions
- Prescription food
- Supplements
- Vaccine-preventable diseases
When Should You Get Pet Insurance?
The best time to buy pet insurance is before significant medical expenses arise or when your pet is young. For example, pet insurance can help cover a diabetes condition if your pet gets diagnosed after enrolling in insurance, but not the other way around. This distinction could save you hundreds to thousands in treatment costs over its lifetime.
“In my professional opinion, yes [pet insurance] is worth it. When someone has insurance, veterinarians can deliver necessary care without compromises,” says Katy Nelson, DVM and Senior Veterinarian at Chewy.
Monthly costs may increase as pets approach senior status and need more medical attention. To save on premiums, some pet owners may wait to insure their pet until it’s older. However, any health conditions your pet develops before the plan begins is excluded from future coverage, reducing the policy’s overall value.
Therefore, your timing for purchasing a pet insurance plan can influence whether or not it offers a positive or negative return on your investment.
You should not wait too long to insure your pet. As pets age, premiums can increase and insurers can exclude more conditions. In the survey where 85% of 1,000 pet owners said purchasing pet insurance was worth it, 79% of respondents reported buying coverage before their pet turned 2 years old.
After gathering quotes for medium, mixed-breed dogs of different ages, we found that pet insurance prices generally increase as animals get older. Many pet insurers enforce age limits when enrolling new pets, as the older your dog is, the higher the risk of illness or injury. However, insuring your dog as early as possible may offer protection beyond an age limit if you stay enrolled in coverage.
See the table below for a look at how average dog insurance premiums increase with age.
| Dog’s Age | Average Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| 2-month-old | $54 |
| 6-month-old | $51 |
| 1-year-old | $53 |
| 3-year-old | $55 |
| 5-year-old | $74 |
| 8-year-old | $107 |
| 10-year-old | $156 |
| 15-year-old | $298 |
We found that the cost of cat insurance also increases with age. Buying pet insurance when your cat is young helps ensure it is protected for life. Our research has found that many pet insurance providers enforce maximum age limits when enrolling new cats.
The table below highlights average cat insurance costs by age.
| Cat’s Age | Average Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| 2-month-old | $23 |
| 6-month-old | $19 |
| 1-year-old | $19 |
| 3-year-old | $21 |
| 5-year-old | $26 |
| 8-year-old | $28 |
| 10-year-old | $65 |
| 15-year-old | $102 |
Covering Unexpected Emergency Vet Bills
Emergency veterinary care, while often necessarily for saving your pet’s life, is typically specialized, and appointments are not cheap. The average cost of an emergency vet bill ranges from $300 to $10,000 or more for dogs and $300 to $8,000 or more for cats.
The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that emergencies that require immediate care can include difficulty breathing, fractured bones, heatstroke, severe vomiting, diarrhea and more. You can’t predict when your pet may need emergency care, and pet insurance could help you avoid paying out-of-pocket for unexpected and potentially pricey emergency vet bills.
The Average Costs of Emergency Veterinary Bills
Here are the average costs for common pet procedures and the amount you could save with pet insurance based on a plan with a $250 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate.
| Condition | Cost | Out-of-Pocket Cost | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer | $3,200 to $8,000 | $1,800 | $6,200 |
| Diabetes | $1,600 to $2,900 | $780 | $2,120 |
| Eye conditions | $200 to $2,000 | $600 | $1,400 |
| GI conditions (inflammation, infections, chronic disease and foreign object emergency surgery) | $1,600 to $5,000 | $1,200 | $3,800 |
| Broken bone | $2,200 to $2,400 | $680 | $1,720 |
| Arthritis | $500 to $750 | $350 | $400 |
| Dental disease | $500 to $800 | $360 | $440 |
| Urinary tract infection | $400 to $1,050 | $410 | $640 |
| Feline kidney disease | $1,300 | $460 | $840 |
| Heart murmur or disease | $1,100 to $2,500 | $700 | $1,800 |
| Skin disease, allergies or allergy testing | $200 to $2,500 | $700 | $1,800 |
| Ear infections | $850 | $370 | $480 |
| Cruciate ligament tear (i.e., surgery) | $2,000 to $5,000 | $600 | $1,400 |
| Growth or tumors | $300 to $1,600 | $520 | $1,080 |
| Seizures | $200 to $500 | $300 | $200 |
| X-ray | $100 to $380 | $276 | $104 |
| Overnight hospitalization | $600 to $3,500 | $900 | $2,600 |
According to a survey from the American Pet Products Association, pet owners spent roughly $39.8 billion on veterinary care in 2024. Determining how much you could potentially spend on medical bills without insurance is an important step in deciding if pet insurance is worth it.
Average Routine Care Costs
When your pets are young, they will need to go to the vet more frequently to receive their first round of vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, parasite prevention and microchipping. After that, your pet will likely only need to see the vet once or twice per year for checkups and vaccine boosters. Still, these routine care visits can add up throughout your pet’s life.
Traditional pet insurance does not cover routine care services, but you can get a wellness plan from your insurer to get coverage for checkups and vaccinations for an extra fee.
We compiled data from multiple pet care sources, including the American Kennel Club, ASPCA and PetCareRx, and determined the following cost ranges for the most common routine care vet visits.
- Annual exam: $45 to $55
- Blood test: $200 to $300
- Dental cleaning: $70 to $400
- Fecal exam: $45 to $55
- Microchipping: $25 to $65
- Spay or neuter surgery: $55 to $300
- Vaccinations: $95 to $120 for the first round and $18 to $25 for boosters
- X-rays: $103 to $383
What Pet Insurance Policy Owners Are Saying
Our team surveyed 1,000 people with pet insurance in February 2025 to understand the experiences of pet owners nationwide. When asked about what pet owners have spent the most money on in the last year, 17% of respondents said emergency veterinary care.
Emergency veterinarian care can get expensive, often costing thousands of dollars. Based on their experiences with pet insurance, 82% of participants in our survey feel that pet insurance is worth it.
What Veterinarians Are Saying
Many veterinarians advocate for the benefits pet insurance can provide dog and cat owners.
“Any form of saving toward pet health and medical bills is important,” said Gene Pavolovsky, DVM, and instructor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Pet insurance can provide an affordable and structured way to do so.”
Kristi Flynn, DVM, a veterinary clinical sciences professor at the University of Minnesota, echoes these sentiments.
“The hope with insurance is always that you will not need to use it. But it can make all the difference if something expensive comes up [and] provides peace of mind that you will have options in the case of an emergency,” said Flynn.
The AVMA notes that as veterinary medicine continues to become more technologically advanced, the cost of care will continue to increase. The organization encourages you to talk pet insurance over with your veterinarian and research your options to determine whether or not a plan would benefit you and your pet.
Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
For many pet owners, especially for those who don’t have money set aside for veterinary expenses, pet insurance is a good investment. It can help you avoid the stress of high-cost emergency pet care.
We encourage you to research insurers, available policies and add-ons. Also, gather quotes from multiple providers to find a pet insurance policy that suits your pet’s needs before an emergency arises.
When Pet Insurance May Not Be Worth It
Purchasing a pet insurance policy may not seem worth it for every pet or every situation. Senior pets and those with a complex medical history may not be good candidates as pet insurance will not cover pre-existing conditions, and the cost of insuring pets increases with age.
Additionally, pet owners with sufficient savings or monthly income to cover veterinary bills as needed or those looking only for wellness coverage may find a comprehensive policy unnecessary. Consider your unique circumstances and budget before deciding whether or not to purchase a pet insurance policy.
Not Interested in Pet Insurance? Alternatives to Paying for Vet Care
Pet insurance is one of several options that can help you pay for your pet’s veterinary care. If you are not interested in pet insurance, our team recommends the following alternatives to pay for unexpected vet bills. You can also use these options to cover expenses upfront while you wait for pet insurance reimbursements.
Set aside money each month to pay for ongoing pet expenses or a major emergency. To properly maintain an emergency fund, you must replenish the savings each time you use it.
A dedicated pet credit card, such as a deferred interest option from CareCredit, allows you to spread out pet care costs. However, you would have to qualify for the card and potentially accrue debt with interest. If you pay for services with a standard credit card, you may also face interest charges.
Some veterinary hospitals provide in-house payment plans or third-party options, such as ScratchPay, which operate similarly to a loan. These plans can spread out the cost of care over a set period but also means you will owe an outstanding balance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Insurance
Pet insurance generally pays for expenses related to accidents and illnesses but excludes coverage for pre-existing conditions, elective procedures and routine wellness care. Check your policy documents for a full list of coverage and exclusions.
The main disadvantages of pet insurance include the monthly cost, which rises as pets age, and coverage rules and regulations, which can limit coverage in certain situations. Policyholders should read the plan’s fine print, which outlines procedures, limitations and exclusions, to learn more.
Pet insurance is designed to help policyholders cover veterinary bills related to pet accidents and illnesses. When your pet gets sick, a pet insurance policy can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Standard pet insurance does not help with routine annual expenses, such as vaccines or wellness screening tests, unless you purchase an add-on policy.
Pet care is expensive in the U.S. because it involves costly medications, treatments and diagnostic testing that may require specialized, expensive equipment, such as a digital X-ray unit, automated blood analyzers or a CT or MRI machine. Cost of living in your area can also contribute to an overall high cost of veterinary care.
