Does Pet Insurance Cover Parvo?

Parvovirus, sometimes shortened to parvo, is a highly contagious and deadly disease most common in dogs. Unvaccinated puppies younger than four months are at the highest risk, although it can affect dogs at any age. The virus attacks a dog’s bone marrow, weakening the immune system and small intestine and preventing the absorption of nutrients and water. Initial parvo symptoms include lethargy and loss of appetite, but as the infection progresses, the dog will develop a high fever, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. 

Progression is fast: most parvo deaths occur within 48 to 72 hours after symptoms begin. The survival rate is about 90% with timely, aggressive treatment, but quick diagnosis and treatment are crucial. Without treatment, the mortality rate can be as high as 90%, according to the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Glasgow. Unfortunately, parvo treatment is often very costly, as it usually requires hospitalization and blood transfusions.

Cats can also be infected by a version of the parvovirus, though the disease it causes is more commonly called feline panleukopenia or feline infectious enteritis. Symptoms are similar, though there may also be frothing at the mouth or watery nasal discharge. The illness progresses more slowly in cats, usually over four to seven days, but in some cases, infected cats may show no symptoms at all. Once again, it’s important to receive veterinary care as soon as possible.

Many pet insurance policies cover all new illnesses and related vet visits and treatments. As part of the enrollment process, you’ll customize your monthly premiums by choosing a deductible, coverable limit and reimbursement rate that works for your budget. Once your plan is in place, you can take your pet to the veterinarian of your choice, pay for treatment, file a claim, and receive reimbursement for the vet bill. If you have illness coverage, any illnesses or conditions that occur after the conclusion of the waiting period will be covered.

Parvo coverage can be a bit different. Because there’s an effective and universally-recommended vaccine for it, some insurance companies categorize it as a preventable disease and disqualify it from coverage. It’s rare for a fully vaccinated pet to develop parvo, but it can happen. Although you can try to argue that you did everything in your power to prevent the disease, the pet insurance company may still be able to deny you. 

When deciding whether to get pet insurance for a puppy that hasn’t had its vaccines yet, time is of the essence. Many puppies that get parvo do so very early, around the 8-12 week period. This is sometimes only a few days or weeks after a new owner gets the puppy. So, if you’re picking up an unvaccinated pup, we recommend deciding whether to get pet insurance and selecting a policy as early as possible — especially if you choose a policy that has a long waiting period. 

If your pet already survived parvo, a disease recurrence may fall under the exclusion related to preexisting conditions. Luckily, a dog or cat who has had parvo once usually carries the antibodies that prevent them from contracting it again. In some cases, recurring parvo is considered a cured condition and eligible for coverage if your pet has had no symptoms for six to 12 months. If you’re specifically concerned about parvo, vaccinate your pet and choose a provider that covers wellness and preventive care.

Here are our recommended pet health insurance providers and where they stand on parvo coverage.

Lemonade Parvo Coverage

While Lemonade has fairly robust illness coverage under its standard plan, it lists exclusions for preventable issues. Unvaccinated dogs and cats will not receive parvo coverage. Lemonade does offer a wellness add-on that covers some vaccinations. You can receive vaccine coverage with the Puppy/Kitten Preventative package.

To learn more: Lemonade Pet Insurance review

Spot Parvo Coverage

Spot’s accident-and-illness plan covers the diagnosis and treatment of all illnesses occurring after the 14-day waiting period. There are no exclusions for preventable illnesses, so it stands to reason that parvovirus is covered. Additionally, the parvo vaccine and booster is eligible for coverage under either of Spot’s preventive care plans.

To learn more: Spot Pet Insurance review

Embrace Parvo Coverage

According to Embrace’s sample policy, coverage is excluded for “treatments for any illness for which a vaccine is available … and for which vaccination is both recommended by your veterinary provider and rejected by you.” This includes parvovirus, so your pet will need to be vaccinated. Fortunately, Embrace’s wellness add-on covers between $250 and $650 of preventive care per year, including vaccines and boosters.

To learn more: Embrace Pet Insurance review

Figo Parvo Coverage

Figo Pet Insurance appears to cover parvovirus under its single accident-and-illness plan with no exclusions for preventable diseases. The company also offers two levels of a wellness “power-up” plan that offer $30 to $50 of vaccine coverage per year. Additionally, there’s no waiting period for wellness coverage, so you could enroll in a Figo plan and have your pet vaccinated the same day.

To learn more: Figo Pet Insurance review

Pets Best Parvo Coverage

Pets Best also has an accident-and-illness plan, but a sample policy states that the company won’t pay claims for conditions that result from failure to comply with vaccine guidelines. Parvovirus and feline panleukopenia are both listed as examples. So, if you did follow vaccine guidelines and your pet still contracted parvovirus, you’ll have likely met their requirements. Either way, Pets Best offers wellness add-ons to their plans that will cover $30 to $40 of vaccination costs per year.

Prudent Pet Parvo Coverage

Prudent Pet has accident-only and accident-and-illness plans, but only the latter offers coverage for illnesses. The sample policy states: “We will not pay claims that result from or are related to any illness listed below that a vet-recommended vaccine would have prevented,” and specifically lists parvovirus. However, if you add one of Prudent Pet’s wellness add-ons, you can receive $15 to $35 per year for the parvo vaccine or booster shots.

To learn more: Prudent Pet Insurance review

ASPCA Pet Parvo Coverage

ASPCA’s accident-and-illness plan doesn’t exclude preventable illnesses, and its blog mentions that customers have submitted claims for parvo treatment, so presumably, it’s covered. Additionally, with the Basic Wellness add-on, you can receive $20 of parvo vaccine coverage per year, and the Plus Wellness add-on comes with $25 of coverage.

To learn more: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance review

Here are some sample pet insurance cost ranges for plans that cover illnesses, including parvovirus. The lower end of the range is a basic accident-and-illness plan, and the higher end includes increased coverage and a wellness vaccination add-on.

*We obtained a sample quote for a 4-year-old, medium-size, mixed-breed male dog and a 4-year-old, medium-size, mixed medium-hair male cat in Atlanta, Ga.

Learn more about the cost of Parvo Shots in our in-depth article.

Canine parvovirus is no longer as common as it once was, thanks to the development of effective vaccines, but it’s still a dangerous disease. It’s hard to find statistics of prevalence, as there’s no national organization to compile them. When it does occur, it tends to cluster in local outbreaks in kennels, dog parks, and other locations where pets may come into direct contact with infected dogs.

It’s important to note that parvovirus (for both cats and dogs) is an extremely hardy virus that can remain in the environment for months or even years in the right conditions. This is partly what makes it so contagious.

For this reason, dog owners need to be very careful about socializing puppies before 16 weeks of age when they haven’t completed their vaccines. Even if you take your pup to a seemingly safe place, if a dog with parvo vomited there six months earlier, the ground could still be infectious.

It’s similarly difficult to find statistics for feline panleukopenia. Outbreaks are often less widespread because cats don’t typically engage in socializing the same way dogs do. However, since the virus can be present in cat feces for months after infection in the right conditions, the same care needs to be taken to keep kittens away from unvaccinated cats until they’ve had all rounds of the vaccine.

The best parvo coverage is prevention, which means keeping up with all vaccines and boosters for your dog or cat. For the most complete parvo coverage, pet parents should enroll their new puppy or kitten in a pet insurance plan as early as possible. Since parvovirus primarily affects young pets, enrolling early will cover several important vaccinations and protect your budget should the worst happen.