5+ years in auto insurance and personal finance writing
Featured in top personal finance publications
Lindsay is a widely published creator of auto insurance content. She also specializes in real estate, banking, credit cards, and other personal finance topics.
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
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When your pet faces an accident or illness — whether a swallowed sock or a seizure — the veterinary costs may be steep. While an emergency vet exam costs between $150 and $250, diagnostic tests and treatments can add up. If your pet requires surgery, you may face a vet bill of up to $10,000.
But if you have emergency pet insurance, your pet insurance company may reimburse you for up to 100% of your pet’s eligible emergency care costs, depending on your deductible and reimbursement rate. What your policy covers will depend on the plan you choose and your pet’s pre-existing health conditions.
Since most pet insurance policies come with waiting periods or processing times, your policy won’t cover the cost of your pet’s veterinary care if you wait to sign up for a policy until your pet faces a medical emergency.
An emergency vet visit can cost thousands of dollars if your pet needs surgery, hospitalization, or other expensive treatments.[1]
An affordable pet insurance policy may allow you to pay for emergency care for your pet that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford.
Does pet insurance cover emergency visits?
Most pet insurance policies offer some coverage for emergency visits. Accident-only plans only cover emergency treatment for an accident, like accidental poisoning or a car accident, while accident and illness policies also cover diseases or infections that require emergency care. Most pet insurance plans have some coverage exclusions, such as pre-existing injuries.
Some pet insurance policies don’t cover the initial vet exam or may charge extra for exam fee coverage. If your plan has a deductible, you’ll need to pay that amount before your coverage kicks in. You may also pay a copay based on your plan’s reimbursement rate, and there may be annual or per-incident caps on coverage. Plans that offer more comprehensive coverage tend to have higher monthly premiums.
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Best emergency pet insurance companies
To give you an idea of emergency pet insurance costs, here’s how the best emergency pet insurance companies compare based on monthly premiums for cats and dogs and deductible options.
ManyPets offers the best value of the insurers Insurify reviewed. The company covers exams, diagnostics, treatments, alternative therapies, and prescription medications for a variety of accidents and illnesses, including congenital and hereditary conditions and dental illnesses. You can use the policy with any licensed vet, but the insurer doesn’t offer direct pay.
ManyPets doesn’t place annual limits on reimbursement like some companies, but it only reimburses up to 80% of eligible veterinary costs after your deductible. Still, the company offers broader coverage than other pet insurers for a low monthly premium. While Lemonade’s base plan is cheaper, it’s more expensive if you add the coverages included with a ManyPets policy.
Pros
Lowest premiums when including coverage for veterinary exams
Unlimited annual payouts for eligible claims
Excellent customer reviews on Trustpilot
Cons
18-month waiting period for curable pre-existing conditions
May not cover cruciate ligament injuries or hip dysplasia, depending on your pet’s health history and age
Only offers up to 80% reimbursement
Best for low out-of-pocket costs: Figo
Unlike many other pet insurance companies, Figo offers up to 100% reimbursement and deductibles as low as $100, making the company a great choice for pet parents who want to avoid surprise bills in an emergency. Premiums are affordable as well, especially for cats, although exam-fee coverage costs extra.
Figo offers broad coverage for diagnosing and treating a wide range of accidents and illnesses, similar to ManyPets. The company also boasts quick claims processing, access to a pet cloud for your pet’s data, and free 24/7 pet telehealth. Figo covers cured pre-existing conditions after 12 months, and you can use your customized policy at any licensed vet.
Pros
Offers plans with no copays and a low deductible
Variety of digital tools can help you manage your pet’s health
Affordable premiums, particularly for cats
Cons
Exam-fee coverage costs extra
Doesn’t offer direct vet pay
Doesn’t cover preventable conditions and requires annual wellness exams
Most comprehensive coverage: Embrace
While Embrace charges higher monthly premiums than some other insurers, its policies exclude few conditions from coverage. Embrace has fewer preventative-care requirements than most pet insurers. But exam fees and prescription drugs cost extra.
The company offers up to 90% reimbursement, an unlimited annual option, and deductibles as low as $100. Policies also include access to a 24/7 vet helpline, and the company offers a generous 10% multi-pet discount.
Embrace covers most cured pre-existing conditions after a 12-month waiting period, but it won’t cover bilateral conditions that occurred on the other side before coverage went into effect.
Pros
Comprehensive coverage with few requirements and restrictions
Many customizable policy options
Offers an affordable accident-only plan
Cons
Doesn’t cover pre-existing bilateral conditions on the other side
$1,000 annual cap on reimbursement for dental illness treatment
Doesn’t cover prescription foods or supplements
Best for direct vet pay: Pets Best
In addition to offering low cat and dog insurance premiums, Pets Best is one of the few companies that will pay your veterinarian directly. It’s a great option for pet parents who don’t have a high credit card limit or enough savings to cover costly vet bills while waiting for reimbursement. The insurer also offers a 24/7 emergency vet helpline.
Plans have no annual coverage limits and reimburse up to 90% of eligible vet care costs. For just a few dollars extra, you can add coverage for exam fees along with acupuncture and chiropractic. Policies are very comprehensive, offering coverage for behavioral conditions, dental disease, congenital and hereditary conditions, and humane euthanasia.
Pets Best is also great for older pets, given there’s no upper age limit, and the company offers affordable accident-only policies.
Pros
Option to pay your vet directly, which most insurers don’t offer
Affordable premiums and an accident-only plan option
Unlimited annual coverage at up to 90% reimbursement
Cons
Excludes diagnosis and treatment of parasites
No coverage for holistic therapies
No coverage for food or supplements
Best for a cheap basic plan: Lemonade
Lemonade charges extra for coverage for dental illness, exam fees, behavioral conditions, and physical therapy. But if you’d like to keep costs down and your pet doesn’t need those coverages, Lemonade offers the cheapest premiums of the companies Insurify reviewed. Policies are customizable, offering up to 90% reimbursement and deductibles as low as $100.
Lemonade covers diagnostics, treatments, and medications for most accidents and illnesses, with longer waiting periods for orthopedic and cruciate ligament issues. The company may cover cured pre-existing conditions after 12 months. Lemonade offers a few discount opportunities as well.
Lemonade is a public benefit corporation that charges a flat fee for its services and gives surplus premiums to charitable organizations. Policyholders can put extra premium dollars toward causes they care about.
Pros
Cheap basic plans
Multiple discount opportunities, including a 5% annual payment discount
Highly rated mobile app
Cons
Pet owners who want comprehensive coverage may find better deals elsewhere
Insurify gathered quotes for a pet owner living in the 06161 ZIP code (Hartford, Connecticut) for a 2-year-old male, mixed-breed dog of medium size and a 2-year-old female American shorthair cat.
Common pet emergencies
Below are some emergencies your pet will need immediate care for:[2]
Accidental poisoning
Allergic reactions
Cuts, wounds, broken bones, or other traumatic injuries
Difficulty breathing
Heatstroke
Seizures or fainting
Urinary or bowel obstructions
Vomiting or diarrhea
How much emergency vet treatment costs
Below are some common costs associated with emergency vet visits.[1]
Even among pet insurers that provide comprehensive coverage for emergency treatment, there are some common exclusions. These include:
Pre-existing conditions
Most pet insurers exclude chronic conditions and joint/ligament issues for which your pet showed signs or symptoms prior to the effective date of your policy. But some pet insurers cover cured pre-existing conditions after a waiting period, and AKC Pet Insurance covers curable and incurable pre-existing conditions after one year.
Preventive care
Emergency pet insurance doesn’t cover your pet’s annual exam or vaccines, but many companies offer preventative care or wellness coverage as an add-on that covers routine care.
Certain causes of injuries and illnesses
Most pet insurance companies won’t cover injuries or illnesses that are deliberate, the result of neglect, caused by fighting or racing, or related to breeding or pregnancy.
Elective procedures
Cosmetic surgeries — such as tail docking, ear cropping, and declawing — typically aren’t covered under an emergency pet insurance plan.
Experimental and alternative therapies
Many pet insurance companies exclude holistic treatments, like reiki and massage, but it depends on the insurer.
How much emergency pet insurance costs
When purchasing emergency pet insurance, you can buy an accident-only policy, which only covers accidental injuries and poisoning, or an accident and illness policy, which also covers a wide variety of infections and chronic conditions. Accident-only policies are typically more affordable.
Below are the 2022 average monthly costs for each policy type, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.[3]
You’ll generally pay out-of-pocket costs in addition to your monthly premiums. For example: Let’s say your pet needs surgery for foreign body ingestion, and you get a vet bill for $3,000. If your policy comes with a $500 deductible and an 80% reimbursement rate, your pet insurance company will send you a check for $2,000.
Is emergency pet insurance worth it?
Buying pet insurance coverage is a personal choice. In many cases, it’s worth having some protection against the financial burden of unaffordable veterinary bills so you won’t have to choose between your pet’s health and your finances. But if you have an older pet with many pre-existing conditions, an accident and illness policy may not be worth it.
It’s possible your pet could live a full life without any health issues, in which case you’d spend more on pet insurance premiums than you’d receive in benefits. But more likely, your pet will need immediate medical attention at some point. A pet insurance policy can help you manage unexpected costs, and it’s especially essential if you don’t have an emergency fund.
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Emergency pet insurance FAQs
If you’re shopping for pet insurance, this additional information may help as you weigh plans and coverage options.
Is there emergency pet insurance with no waiting period?
Usually, yes. Most pet insurance policies come with waiting periods. A common example is two days for injuries and two weeks for illnesses.
Companion Protect offers pet insurance with no waiting periods, but it still takes a few days for the company to review your pet’s medical records before coverage starts. That means you can’t sign up for a pet insurance policy just before taking your pet to the emergency vet clinic and expect the policy to cover the care.
Can you get pet insurance if your pet is already sick?
Yes, but it typically won’t cover the conditions making your pet sick. While you can get pet insurance coverage for a pet with existing health issues, in most cases the policy won’t cover conditions that were present before the policy went into effect.
Some pet insurance companies may cover the issue if your pet has been symptom-free for a period of time. Be sure to read the fine print in your policy.
How much should you save for pet emergencies?
If you have a pet insurance policy, you should make sure you have enough emergency savings to cover the out-of-pocket costs associated with a claim, which will depend on your policy and your annual deductible. Most experts recommend having three to six months’ worth of expenses in an emergency fund, but it’s a good idea to keep an extra cushion if you have a pet.
Does pet insurance cover emergencies in other countries?
It depends on whether your policy offers international coverage. Some pet insurance companies may cover international emergencies in select locations, like Canada and Puerto Rico. Embrace pet insurance covers your pet for up to six months of international travel to any destination.
How much of your vet bills will pet insurance cover?
It depends. Pet insurance will cover a portion of your emergency vet bill according to the reimbursement rate in your policy. Some pet insurance companies, such as Figo, offer reimbursement rates of up to 100%, but the option isn’t available with unlimited annual coverage.
Even with the most extensive coverage, you’ll have some out-of-pocket costs.
What is considered accidental in pet insurance?
Accident coverage typically helps with issues like traumatic injury (such as broken bones after a car accident or bite wounds) as well as toxic ingestion and foreign body ingestion. Accident-only pet insurance policies won’t reimburse you for medical care related to diseases or chronic conditions.
Lindsay Frankel is a content writer specializing in personal finance and auto insurance topics. Her work has been featured in publications such as LendingTree, The Balance, Coverage.com, Bankrate, NextAdvisor, and FinanceBuzz.
5+ years in insurance and personal finance content
Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.
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