Pet insurance can help you manage unexpected healthcare costs for your pet. You pay a monthly or annual premium and, in exchange, you get peace of mind that you'll have financial support if your pet is sick or injured and needs veterinary care.
For example, according to the 2025 Australian Pet Health Monitor, the average cost of cancer treatment for a dog in 2024 was $5,706 but the highest recorded that year was $61,931. Pet insurance - which typically ranges anywhere from $30 - $200 a month - can cover a significant portion of these costs, if they arise for your pet.
Types of pet insurance
There are multiple types of pet insurance, including:
Accident only - Only covers injuries such as broken bones, snake bites, and burns.
Accident and illness - Covers both injuries and illnesses, including cancer treatment, ingestion of a foreign object, and skin infections.
Routine healthcare: Usually an optional add-on, this type of policy is designed to help with ongoing healthcare costs, including vaccinations, deworming, and regular check-ups.
Important: Policies are not uniform between different brands. Always read the PDS carefully and ensure you know exactly what's covered by your policy.
What does pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance can cover a wide range of different scenarios and related medical costs. Some common inclusions and examples are:
Accidental injuries: Being hit by a car, attacked by another animal, or falling from a height
Illness: Cancer, skin conditions, tick paralysis, or gastrointestinal problems.
Bilateral conditions: Conditions that affect both sides of your pet's body, such as cataracts.
Orthopaedic conditions: Hip dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease, or patella luxation.
Routine care: Vaccinations, teeth cleaning, behavioural training
What does pet insurance not cover?
There are some health conditions or scenarios that are extremely unlikely to be covered by pet insurance, including:
Pre-existing conditions: A condition that arose before the policy was purchased.
Orthodontic treatment: Crowns, root canals or cosmetic dentistry.
Breeding or obstetrics: Pregnancy and birth-related costs.
Prosthetics or mobility aids: Wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, or hip replacements.
Negligence: If your pet was exposed to unreasonable risk, such as organised fighting.
Unvaccinated illness: If you failed to vaccinate your pet against an illness they later contract.
Unapproved medication: Medicate not listed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medication Authority (APVMA).
This list is not exhaustive and you should always check the PDS carefully to see what may not be covered by your particular insurer.
Understand excess in pet insurance
The excess is the amount you agree to pay towards a claim, before your insurance policy kicks in. For example, if you have a $200 excess, and your dog requires emergency surgery for $2,000, you would pay $200 and the insurer would pay $1,800.
If you opt for a higher excess, your regular premiums will reduce. If you opt for a lower excess, your regular premiums will be higher.
Monthly quotes prices are based on accident and illness plans from 4 Australian brands. We selected a $100 and $200 excess. Quotes were taken in June 2025 for a male, desexed dog. The owner was 35 years old based in NSW, 2011 postcode. Prices are subject to change.
How much does pet insurance cost?
The cost of pet insurance varies dramatically depending on the brand and policy you choose, as well as the specific details of your pet. We compared policies from over 20 different pet insurance brands and found prices ranged from around $385 a year to over $2,600 a year.
Keep in mind, the cost of your policy is likely to increase as your pet ages, or they experience medical conditions or health issues, and prices can vary drastically according to the level of coverage, type of animal covered, and medical history of the animal covered.
Provider
Average
Real Pet Insurance
$701
Vets Choice Pet Insurance
$733
Prime Pet Insurance
$773
Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance
$915
Budget Direct Pet Insurance
$915
Coles
$1,009
Australian Seniors Pet Insurance
$1,009
ahm Pet Insurance
$1,145
Bupa Pet Insurane
$1,172
Pet Insurance Australia
$1,189
How pet insurance works
When Emma adopted Max, a two-year-old labrador, she immediately purchased comprehensive accident and illness pet insurance, with a $100 excess. Six months later, Max fell ill and Emma rushed him to the vet, where they found a tumour on his kidney.
The vet told Emma that Max would require surgery to remove the tumour, which would cost $2,500. Emma contacted her pet insurer, who confirmed they would cover the operation.
Emma paid for the operation, then lodged a claim with her pet insurer. The insurance company reimbursed Emma $2,400 - the full cost of the operation, minus her excess. Max made a full recovery and Emma was only $100 out of pocket, thanks to her pet insurance.
This case study is fictional and has been included to help demonstrate what pet insurance is and how it works.
Our expert says
"Look out for extra perks offered by pet insurers, they can add serious value to your policy. My insurer offers free membership to VetAssist, which lets me video call or instant message a qualified vet at any time of day. It's already saved me the cost of two out-of-hours vet consultations."
Generally, you can expect most injuries and illnesses to be covered by your pet insurance. However, you should always check the PDS of any policy to make sure you know the specifics.
Some things are almost always excluded from pet insurance, including claims for cosmetic surgeries, breeding-related healthcare, and injuries as a result of cruelty or negligence. Always check the PDS of your pet insurance policy to see what might not be covered.
Many pet insurers apply an age limit to pets when owners are taking out a new policy, this is often around 8 or 9 years old. However, if you maintain cover with the same insurer, many brands will guarantee renewal for your pet, regardless of age.
Many factors influence pet insurance premiums including the species, breed, age, and previous medical conditions of your pet. The level of coverage, size of the excess, and specific insurance brand also affects the premium of your pet insurance.
With pet insurance claims, there are two ways they may work. Most commonly, you will pay the entire cost of the healthcare to the vet, then lodge a claim with your insurer, and they will reimburse you the appropriate amount.
However, in some cases, the veterinarian may be able to communicate directly with the insurance company, to arrange direct payment. This removes the need for you to pay the bill and then lodge a claim. However, not all insurance companies offer this option.
Nicola Middlemiss is a journalist with nearly a decade of experience in personal finance and insurance. She has contributed to Domain, Yahoo Finance, Money Magazine and Insurance Business Australia, offering in-depth insights into commercial insurance in the Australian market. Nicola holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Leeds and a Tier 1 General Insurance (General Advice) certification, which complies with ASIC standards. See full bio
Nicola's expertise
Nicola has written 251 Finder guides across topics including:
Personal finance
Personal insurance, including car, health, home, life, pet and travel insurance
A guide to insuring Golden Retrievers. Read on to learn how to protect your Goldie from common ailments and the role of pet insurance in bringing you peace of mind.
Accident only pet insurance will protect your pet from a range of accidents including getting hit by a car, being bit by a snake and even eating things they shouldn’t be eating.
Complete guide to finding the right pet insurance with a side-by-side comparison of major brands.
Important information about this website
Finder makes money from featured partners, but editorial opinions are our own.
Finder is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stand by our editorial principles.
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
How likely would you be to recommend Finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Budget Direct Plus Cover
Knose Pet Insurance
PIA Major Medical Cover
Fetch Pet Insurance