Can You Get Life Insurance for Your Pet?

Most people invest in life insurance to protect their loved ones if they pass away unexpectedly. But did you know that you may also be able to purchase a life insurance policy for your pet?

With pet life insurance, you can cover funeral and end-of-life expenses for your furry family member. Here’s what you need to know about pet life insurance.

Can you get a pet life insurance policy?

While pet life insurance is less common than life insurance for humans, it does exist. Several companies offer life insurance policies for pets. Pet life insurance might help you out financially if your pet suddenly loses its life.^[1]

Read More: Best Pet Insurance Companies

How does pet life insurance work?

Also known as mortality and theft insurance, pet life insurance has several purposes. First, it may help cover the high cost of funeral and burial expenses for your pet. It might also replace any future income that your pet may have generated. In addition, a pet life insurance policy can reimburse the financial value of your pet.^[2]

Let’s say you have a dog that breeds or models. If it suddenly loses its life, a pet life insurance policy might come in handy. It can compensate you for any income you were relying on and make funeral costs more affordable.

How much does pet life insurance cost?

The cost of pet life insurance varies and depends on factors like the age and breed of your pet, your location, and whether your pet generates income. In general, you can expect annual premiums that range from $250 to $900. You’ll pay more to insure a large purebred than a smaller, mixed-breed animal.^[3]

Check Out: How Much Is Pet Insurance?

What does pet life insurance cover?

Pet life insurance is designed to cover the costs that come with unexpectedly losing a pet due to a sudden accident or illness. While every policy is different, many of them cover the following:

• Your pet’s value: If your pet passes away, a pet life insurance policy may kick in and compensate you for its value. To determine what your pet is worth, an insurance company will likely consider how much you paid to purchase your pet or what it would cost to replace it.

• Burial, euthanasia, and cremation costs: Some insurers will pay to bury your pet, put it to sleep, or cremate it. But insurers usually have strict limitations for what types of deaths are covered.

• Lost income: If your dog earns you money through an activity like breeding or modeling, pet life insurance may cover the income you’ll lose if it dies. This can mitigate some of the financial losses you might face.

Pet funeral costs

If you’d like to honor your pet after it passes away, you may face several expenses. Here’s an overview of what you might pay, on average, for some of the most common funeral-related items:

• Cremation (cat and dog): $140 to $200

• Urn for your pet’s ashes: $50 to $450

• Pet casket: $200 to $1,000

• Burial plot in a pet cemetery: $400 to $600

• Euthanasia: $50 to $150

Companies that offer pet life insurance

While pet life insurance is less common than pet health insurance, some companies offer it — often as an add-on to a traditional pet insurance policy. If you’re in the market for pet life insurance, here are some companies you might want to consider.

24PetWatch

24PetWatch is part of 24Pet, an organization with many pet-related services and products. If you need to put your pet down due to a covered injury or illness, 24PetWatch will reimburse you for euthanasia and cremation costs of up to $200.

AKC Pet Insurance

AKC Pet Insurance is based out of the American Kennel Club headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was one of the first pet insurers in the U.S. It offers a life insurance policy known as Final Respects Coverage, which covers cremation, burial, urn, and memorial expenses up to $300. To enroll in this plan, your pet must be younger than 5.

Figo

Figo was founded by pet owners and prides itself on “flexible, reliable pet insurance.” It offers a number of “power-ups,” or upgrades to traditional pet health insurance plans. One power-up is the Extra Care Pack, which can cover cremation and burial expenses in addition to pet theft or loss, lost pet advertising and awards, and vacation cancellation as a result of pet emergencies.

Pet life insurance vs. pet health insurance

Traditional pet health insurance pays for a portion of your pet’s medical bills. In exchange for a monthly premium, a pet insurance company will cover certain services. These might be unexpected injuries or accidents, sudden illnesses, medications, surgeries, tests and diagnostics, and emergency exams, depending on the type of plan you have.

Is pet life insurance worth it?

Whether you need pet life insurance is a personal decision. In general, however, a pet life insurance policy doesn’t make sense for family pets. This is because the cost you’ll pay in premiums will likely exceed the value of the benefits you’ll receive.

But if you own a highly valuable pet, such as a show dog or breeding dog that brings in income, you might want to consider pet life insurance. This is particularly true if you rely on the money your pet brings in and would suffer financially if it passed away.

Most pet owners forgo pet life insurance and opt for pet health insurance instead. In general, you’ll get more bang for your buck with a pet health insurance policy than with a pet life insurance policy.

See Also: Is Pet Insurance Really Worth It?

Pet life insurance FAQs

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about pet life and health insurance.