Does Pet Insurance Cover Fleas and Ticks?

Most pet insurance providers don’t cover flea and tick prevention in their base plans. Insurers see preventive care as an expected monthly cost pet parents can plan for, rather than an unpredictable expense they may need help covering. However, many companies offer preventive care add-ons for an extra monthly fee. This includes flea and tick coverage and other pet needs.

Though pet insurance is similar to human health insurance, the payment process works differently. Rather than only paying your co-pay at checkout, you pay your full vet bill, submit a claim and wait for reimbursement. Your provider will reimburse you for your exam fees at the care coverage rate you selected during enrollment (typically between 70% and 90%) after you’ve met your deductible.

Add-on coverage typically comes with an annual limit. For example, if you choose $450 of add-on coverage, you’ll be reimbursed for up to $450 worth of preventive treatments that year. Individual treatments sometimes have annual caps and exclusions as well.

Some pet insurance companies that reimburse prescription medication will also reimburse prescribed flea and tick treatment. However, each company works differently. We’ve researched some of the top pet insurance providers and outlined their coverage options below.

Lemonade Flea and Tick Coverage

Lemonade’s base pet insurance policy covers diagnostics, procedures and medications. This includes blood tests, hospitalization, surgeries and prescription medications. However, preventive medications aren’t covered.

You can add flea/tick medication coverage by purchasing Lemonade’s Preventative+ Package, which includes a wellness exam, fecal or internal parasite test, three vaccines, heartworm or feline leukemia virus (FeLV) test, blood test and routine dental cleanings. This costs an additional $20 to $27 per month for dogs and $15 to $22 for cats. Depending on your selected reimbursement rate, you can receive $55 to $75 reimbursement for flea, tick or heartworm medication per year.

To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance review

Spot Flea and Tick Coverage

Spot’s standard illness policy doesn’t cover preventive care, including flea/tick medication. You can add this coverage by purchasing the company’s Gold or Platinum Preventive Care add-on.

The Gold plan costs an additional $9.95 per month and includes a dental cleaning, wellness exam, blood test, urinalysis, deworming, flea/heartworm prevention and vaccinations. It has various per-treatment limits at an annual cap of $250. The Platinum plan costs $24.95 per month and includes everything in the Gold plan but with higher per-treatment limits, totaling $450 of coverage per year. It also includes spay/neuter coverage.

To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance review

Embrace Flea and Tick Coverage

Embrace offers preventive care as an add-on under its Wellness Rewards package. You can choose $250, $450 or $650 of annual coverage for preventive care including flea/tick/heartworm prevention, routine vet visits, microchipping, vaccinations and more. The plan costs $18 to $53 per month depending on your selected annual limit.

Embrace’s wellness plan is more comprehensive than other providers on this list. It covers things such as grooming, medicated shampoo and wearable pet activity monitors plus alternative treatments such as chiropractic care, massage therapy, reiki and acupuncture. The Wellness Rewards plan is not available in Rhode Island.

To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance review

ASPCA Pet Flea and Tick Coverage

ASPCA offers two wellness add-ons with varying levels of coverage. Both plans cover flea/tick prevention. The Basic plan costs $9.95 per month and includes $250 of annual coverage for services such as a wellness exam, dental cleaning, heartworm test, fecal test, deworming and vaccinations. The Prime plan costs $24.95 per month and includes $450 of annual coverage for everything in the Basic plan plus a blood test, urinalysis, additional vaccines and more.

To learn more: ASPCA Pet Insurance review

Pets Best Flea and Tick Coverage

Pets Best provides two preventive care add-ons covering flea and tick prevention. The EssentialWellness plan costs an extra $16 per month and provides $305 per year for services including a wellness exam, teeth cleaning, vaccinations and microchipping.

The BestWellness plan covers everything in the EssentialWellness plan but at a higher annual limit of $535. It costs an additional $26 per month. Flea/tick prevention is capped at $50 per year for the EssentialWellness plan and $65 per year for the BestWellness plan.

To learn more: Pets Best Pet Insurance review

Flea and tick prevention costs an average of $40 to $200 per year depending on your Here’s a breakdown of how much pet insurance costs per month plus the cost of a wellness add-on for flea/tick care plan.

*These costs are based on quotes we obtained for a 4-year-old, medium-sized, mixed-breed dog in Houston, Texas.

Unfortunately, fleas and ticks are a common problem for dogs. Though these pests are active throughout the year, they’re most present during warmer months, especially in hot, humid climates.

Fleas and ticks can cause numerous health problems for your furry companion. In addition to causing sores and itchy skin, they can carry blood-borne illnesses and diseases that can lead to serious complications. The best way to protect your dog is through prevention. Give your dog oral or topical medications and brush and bathe them regularly. Check them for ticks and fleas if they’ve been playing outside.

Fleas are extremely common in cats. Just as with dogs, fleas can irritate your cat’s skin and infect it with illness and disease. Comb your cat regularly and use shampoos and topical treatments.

Ticks are much less common in cats, but can still pose a threat. Check your cat’s fur regularly and talk to your vet about preventive medication, especially if your cat likes to roam outdoors.

Most pet insurance providers don’t cover fleas and ticks in their standard plans. However, many companies offer wellness add-ons that include this care plan. Enrolling in a pet insurance plan is a great way to provide peace of mind that your pet will receive necessary care without having to worry about finances. Adding routine care and illness coverage can make you feel even more at ease.