Does Pet Insurance Cover Shots & Vaccinations? 2024 Guide
By Kit Copson
Updated on
Making sense of pet insurance and all the different plans and packages each one offers can be stressful. There are so many types of insurance covering different situations to wrap your head around before you choose your provider. When it comes to shots and vaccinations, they’re not typically included in standard pet insurance packages and are instead offered as “wellness plans” by some companies.
In this post, we’ll share all you need to know about how shots and vaccinations are viewed by pet insurance companies and how some companies reimburse you for routine care.
Pet Insurance: Are Shots and Vaccinations Included?
Shots and vaccinations are not typically offered as part of standard pet insurance packages. Shots and vaccinations fall into the routine and/or preventative care category, which is usually considered separate from standard insurance plans. For this reason, many pet insurance companies offer wellness plans as an extra package or add-on.
How Are Wellness Plans Different?
More comprehensive pet insurance packages are usually geared largely towards situations when your pet requires urgent treatment—like in the event of an accident or illness—rather than routine and preventative care.
Wellness or preventative care plans basically allow you to be reimbursed a certain amount for your pet’s routine care procedures like vaccinations, nail trimming, preventative treatments, physical exams, and certain tests.
By contrast, standard pet insurance packages covering accidents and illness reimburse you for surgeries, hospitalization, chronic conditions, treatment of injuries, and serious illnesses like cancer and diabetes amongst other things. What’s covered may differ depending on your pet insurance provider, though, so be sure to check their individual policies.
Why Isn’t Routine Care Included in Standard Plans?
Routine and preventative treatments are considered different from life-threatening, chronic, and unexpected situations related to your pet’s health because they’re less serious in nature, not as expensive, and anyone thinking about getting a pet should be prepared to pay for them. In short, routine care like vaccinations is just part and parcel of being a responsible pet owner.
Which Pet Insurance Companies Offer Wellness Plans?
Not every pet insurance company offers a wellness or preventative care plan, but many do. The following providers offer plans for routine care, but again, we recommend checking out what each plan offers individually. The cost of each plan may also differ depending on the type of pet you have and the reimbursement amount you choose.
If you are looking for the best pet insurance company, it is recommended to compare different plans against each other and choose the one you consider the most convenient. These are a few of the top-rated pet insurance companies on the market to choose from:
Top Rated Pet Insurance Companies:
Are Shots and Vaccinations Expensive Without a Wellness Plan?
Some pet owners choose to bypass wellness plans and pay for routine care in full themselves when needed because it works out less expensive for them. Some vaccinations are recommended but aren’t obligatory, whereas others are known as “core” vaccines.
Here are the average costs of first-year vaccines for dogs and cats, but these will differ depending on your location and veterinary clinic. Please note that some vaccinations require extra shots and boosters. Your vet will be able to set you up with a vaccination schedule.
Dogs
| First Year Vaccines | Average cost |
| Rabies | $15–$25 |
| DHPP | $20–$30 per shot |
| Leptospirosis | $20–$30 per shot |
| Lyme | $20–$40 per shot |
Cats
| First Year Vaccines | Average cost |
| Rabies | $20–$30 |
| Feline Leukemia (FeLV) | $25–$45 |
| FVRCP | $20–$40 per shot |
Conclusion
In brief, most standard or comprehensive pet insurance packages do not offer vaccinations as part of the plan, but many insurance companies offer wellness plans that do cover vaccinations. In some cases, these are offered independently, and in others, they’re only offered as add-ons for comprehensive packages.
To reiterate, we highly recommend erring on the side of caution and reading your pet insurance provider’s individual policies to know exactly what’s included in your plan. We say this because each company offers different things, so what one company offers, another may not.
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
