Can You Afford Your Pet’s Vet Bills?

Should My Pet and Dog Walker Have Insurance?

February 18, 2025

Are you able to financially handle a big vet bill for your pet? If the answer is no, you should consider pet insurance.

My dog walker takes my pet out every day. Should they have insurance?

Can I insure my pet?

For pet parents, being unable to afford life-saving veterinary care for their dog or cat can be heartbreaking.

Yes, you can insure your pet in case of illness or injury.

Pet insurance helps with unexpected vet bills by spreading risk among a large group of pets. Most policies have a relatively short waiting period before coverage takes effect.

Why do I need pet insurance?

If your pet were diagnosed with a medical condition that requires ongoing treatment, would that be affordable for you? Medications, diagnostics, and repeat vet visits can be expensive and hospitalizations can cost around $1,000 per 24 hours.

Many pets will also need extensive veterinary care at the end of their lives. Common emergency vet visits include urinary blockages, foreign body ingestion, toxin ingestion, cat bite abscesses, dog bite wounds, getting hit by a car, falling from heights, and illnesses like kidney disease. The costs can range from $250 to over $8,000.

Should my dog walker have insurance?

Yes, it’s a good idea for your dog walker to have insurance.

Even if your dog has pet insurance to cover the cost of an accident requiring veterinary care, someone could claim you are liable for your dog biting them.

Or your dog walker could lose the keys to your home, and you would need to replace the locks.

If your dog walker has insurance, these types of scenarios may be covered. At a minimum, they should have commercial general liability insurance, which covers claims of third-party bodily injury and property damage.

How to choose pet insurance

Pet insurance policies are not all equal.

It is important to choose the right plan, so your pet has good coverage and because older pets are more expensive to insure. If you switch insurers later you might pay more. Before you commit to a pet insurance policy, find out:

What is excluded? Many pet insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions. If your pet has one, put aside enough money to cover the costs and decide whether pet insurance would still be helpful. Conditions related to breeding and dental problems (unless caused by an accident) are also commonly not covered and neither is preventative care unless you add it. Make sure that you understand what your policy covers.
What is the co-pay? How much do you pay and how much does the insurer pay? You will always pay a portion of the cost so make sure to know how much that is and whether things like exams and taxes are covered.
IIs there direct billing? Some insurers can bill your vet directly, so you only pay your portion, not the entire amount, upfront.
How much is the deductible? Make sure your deductible is affordable and understand how it works. Is it an annual deductible or per condition? Per condition deductibles are useful because once the deductible has been paid you do not need to pay for it if the condition occurs again.
How long are medications covered? Some pet insurance policies only cover medication for a set length of time, but your pet may require it for life.

Note that young and healthy pets are usually cheaper to insure than older pets that are more prone to certain health conditions.