Does Pet Insurance Cover Surgery?

Worried about the cost of an upcoming surgery for your pet? Learn about pet insurance policies that can reduce the financial burden.

Updated: Jan 26, 2024

Written by Alex Hawkins

Written by Alex Hawkins Author

Alex Hawkins is an avid writer and researcher specializing in solar, pet insurance and home improvement. When he isn’t surveying homeowners to understand their pain points or speaking with professionals in the industries he covers, Alex can often be found creating videos for his YouTube channel, Analysis with Alex, or attending a heavy metal show.

Edited by Dana Getz

Edited by Dana Getz Editor

Dana Getz is a seasoned editor with nearly a decade of experience writing and editing content. She has a background in journalism and worked as a fact-checker for prestigious magazines such as New York and Chicago. She holds a journalism and marketing degree from Northwestern University and has worked across numerous categories within the home services space.

Reviewed by Angela Beal, DVM

Reviewed by Angela Beal, DVM Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Angela Beal, DVM, loves using her writing to help pet owners provide the best possible care for their furry companions. Angela has worked in private practice and taught veterinary technicians for 15 years. Since 2020, she has worked full-time with Rumpus Writing and Editing, a veterinary-specific writing and editing company. Angela lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband, two sons, and their spoiled Chihuahua mix, Yogi.

Surgery is daunting and stressful for pet parents and their furry companions. In addition to worrying about your pet’s well-being, you may also be worried about the cost. Veterinary expenses can rack up quickly, and a solid pet insurance plan can reduce your financial stress so you can focus on your pet’s care.

Most pet insurance companies cover surgery, but some offer more extensive coverage than others.

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Why Trust Us?

Here’s a breakdown of how we reviewed and rated the best pet insurance companies

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Veterinary Professionals

How Does Surgery Coverage Work?

Accident-only pet insurance policies cover accidental injuries that require surgery, such as surgery for a broken leg. However, surgeries for non-accident related conditions are not covered under this most basic plan.

Policies with more comprehensive coverage, such as an accident and illness plan cover a broader range of veterinary care, including surgery for conditions that are not preexisting (i.e., any condition your pet is diagnosed with before your pet insurance policy coverage begins).

Most pet insurance companies don’t cover elective or preventive surgeries such as spaying and neutering. However, they often include coverage or reimbursement for these procedures as optional wellness plan add-ons.

Dog after hip surgery close up FHO surgery

Which Pet Insurance Companies Cover Surgery?

Most pet insurance companies cover surgery under their standard accident-and-illness plan. Below are some of our top recommendations for pet insurance companies that cover surgery.

Lemonade

Known for its renters and home insurance policies, Lemonade offers more affordable coverage than many of its competitors. It also has a user-friendly mobile app for managing your pet’s health, filing claims and keeping track of your policy coverage and billing.

Lemonade offers one standard pet insurance plan that covers accidents and illnesses. This plan covers veterinary costs related to accidents or health conditions, including hospitalization, diagnostic testing and lab work, emergency care, prescription medication—and surgery.

Spot

Spot Pet Insurance provides an excellent low-cost accident-only plan. The company’s policies are more customizable than many of its competitors, with annual limit options ranging from $2,500 to unlimited. Spot offers surgery coverage through both its accident-only plan and its accident and illness plan. However, Spot’s accident and illness plan provides more comprehensive coverage for surgeries related to illness, such as dental disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more.

Trupanion

Trupanion offers one plan that covers injuries and illnesses unrelated to preexisting conditions. The plan also covers congenital and hereditary conditions and other developmental issues.

Trupanion stands out for its customizable deductible options that range from $0 to $1,000. Unlike most providers, Trupanion can also pay your vet directly. Rather than paying your bill, filing a claim and waiting for reimbursement, with this reimbursement option you only pay your copay and deductible when checking out at your veterinary office.

Not all vets accept direct payments from providers, so be sure to check with your vet before purchasing this type of reimbursement for your pet.

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is one of the most reputable and well-known providers in the pet insurance industry, with more than 15 years of experience. It offers an affordable accident-only plan and a comprehensive Complete Coverage plan for a higher monthly premium.

Out of the two policies, ASPCA’s Complete Coverage plan is the best option for surgery coverage. While the accident-only plan covers treatments, procedures, diagnostics and exam fees only for accidents, the Complete Coverage plan extends coverage to treatments relating to illnesses and other conditions and surgeries related to cancer, arthritis, hip dysplasia, digestive problems, heart issues and more.

Fetch

Fetch offers one pet insurance plan for accidents and illnesses. This comprehensive plan covers injuries, chronic conditions, hereditary conditions and more. It also provides coverage up to your annual limit for surgery, dental problems, cancer, diagnostic testing, intestinal issues and more.

Fetch is one of the few pet insurance companies that cover specialist treatments and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, homeotherapy and stem-cell therapy. Fetch also covers therapies related to behavioral issues, such as separation anxiety.

Annual Cost of Pet Surgeries

Most pets don’t need annual surgeries. When required, surgery is a high-cost procedure with additional costs such as X-rays and sedation. Below is a breakdown of the average cost of common pet surgeries.

Surgery	Cost Range
Spay/neuter	$50–$500
Mass removal	$500–$5,000
Cystotomy	$1,500–$3,500
Intestinal obstruction	$3,000–$7,000
Splenectomy	$3,500–$5,000
CCL repair	$4,000–$6,000

Is Surgery Common for Dogs and Cats?

Hopefully, your dog or cat won’t require many surgeries other than being spayed or neutered. However, some pet surgeries are more common than others. We’ve listed some of the most common pet surgeries and their average costs below.

CCL repair ($3,000–$4,000): Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) surgery is commonly performed to help repair ligament injury in a dog’s knee. Ligament injury often occurs bilaterally (i.e., in both knees) and repair can be quite expensive.
Cancer surgery ($500–$9,000): Surgery is one of the most common and effective methods to treat pet cancer. The cost can vary dramatically depending on the cancer’s severity and type. Many cancer surgeries require an abdominal entry performed by a surgeon with experience in surgical oncology, which will increase the cost.
Fractures and dislocations ($200–$1,000): These surgeries require specialized equipment to address an individual traumatic event, such as a broken bone or torn ligament. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, these orthopedic procedures can be costly.
Hip replacement ($3,500–$6,500): Hip replacement surgery to treat hip dysplasia involves replacing the hip joint components with implants that reinstate normal joint anatomy. A femoral head ostectomy (FHO) is a less costly procedure but is only appropriate for some smaller dogs.
Intestinal obstruction ($500–$7,500): Swallowing a foreign object can cause a life-threatening intestinal obstruction. Objects can get stuck anywhere along the GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach or intestines, and often require surgery to be removed.
Patellar luxation surgery ($1,000–$3,000): Patellar luxation commonly affects small dog breeds and often causes intermittent limping. Surgery to correct patellar luxation may involve deepening the groove the patella sits in and adjusting tendons that keep the kneecap in place.
Spay/neuter ($50–$300): Also referred to as an ovariohysterectomy, a spay surgery involves removing the ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus from a female dog or cat. This surgery prevents reproduction and eliminates a pet’s heat cycle and other breeding instinct-related behavior. A neuter surgery, or an orchiectomy, involves removing the male dog or cat’s testicles and provides similar health and behavioral benefits. Coverage for these surgeries often requires a wellness plan add-on, as they’re considered elective procedures.

Do I Need Surgery Coverage for My Pet?

Most pet surgeries, such as those required for cancer treatment, have high out-of-pocket costs, and an accident and illness plan with surgery coverage could save your pet’s life by ensuring they receive the necessary treatment regardless of cost.

Lemonade Pet Insurance offers comprehensive pet insurance coverage at affordable prices, including surgery coverage. We also recommend Spot Pet Insurance for its accident and illness plan, which covers a wide range of surgeries with an unlimited coverage limit option. Trupanion Pet Insurance is a great choice for avoiding high up-front surgery costs, as it offers a $0 deductible.

We recommend looking for pet insurance policies that offer well-rounded coverage for all of your pet’s veterinary care needs. Get a quote from at least three pet insurance providers to closely compare coverage options. Use our tool below to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Surgery

Yes, pet insurance covers surgery complications for medically necessary surgeries. However, insurance does not cover complications from elective surgeries.

Most pet insurance companies require copies of your pet’s medical records before enrolling in a plan and will not provide coverage for previously diagnosed conditions.

While the claims reimbursement process varies by provider, it takes about 10 business days to receive reimbursement after a claim is processed.

Methodology: Our System for Ranking the Best Pet Insurance Companies

We review each pet insurance company based on factors most important to pet parents like you. To inform our reviews, we surveyed 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage. Our process includes in-depth industry research about each provider, such as comparing coverage options, gathering quotes online to determine pricing and reading reviews to assess customer service.

We then score each provider on a 100-point scale and divide the final score by 20 to calculate an overall rating out of 5.0 stars. Here are more details about the factors we consider when reviewing pet insurance providers:

Monthly pricing (25%): To assess pricing, we collect sample quotes for medium-mixed breed and purebred dogs and cats, ranging from four years old to one year old. Providers earn the most points in this category for offering affordable coverage and a multi-pet discount.
Plans (15%): The best pet insurance companies offer a range of plans to give customers the option to choose the coverage that is best for their pet. Companies offering accident and illness plans, accident-only plans, and wellness or preventive care add-ons earn full points in this category. We also look at coverage limits and award the most points for policies with unlimited coverage.
Covered treatments (15%): According to our survey of pet owners, coverage is one of the most important factors when shopping for pet insurance. Companies with a breadth of included treatments and unique coverages receive more points in this category than providers with more standard or general policies.
Customization options (10%): Customizing your pet insurance policy can help lower your cost. Providers that offer more annual limit, deductible and reimbursement rate options earn the highest scores in this category.
Customer care (10%): Respondents to our survey also valued customer service when comparing pet insurance providers. We score each company based on its website accessibility and overall usability, customer service availability, mobile apps, money-back guarantees and veterinarian telehealth options, awarding points to insurers with more customer experience offerings.
Industry reputation (10%): We review up-to-date ratings and accreditation information from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and score companies based on years of industry experience and state availability.
Waiting periods (10%): Companies with shorter accident, illness and orthopedic waiting periods between the time you sign up for coverage and your policy starts score higher in this category.
Eligible age (5%): Some companies do not offer policies for pets over a certain age. For this category, we deduct points from providers that have age limits for covered pets.

We use our rating system to compare each company we review and determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. To learn more, read our full pet insurance methodology for reviewing and scoring providers.