Are Dog Vaccinations Included in Pet Insurance?

Pet insurance can help offset expensive medical procedures, but not all pet insurance policies are created equally. While many policies do not cover vaccines, there are several plans that offer protection.

Pet Insurance

Pet insurance, like human health insurance, differs depending on care. VPI, for example, offers several plans that cover myriad accidents and incidents, including vaccinations, but the plan must have "well care" protection to cover vaccines.

Well Care Plans

Well care coverage, offered by most major providers, is a premium service that covers dogs and cats for routine office visits, checkups, vaccinations and heart worm prevention. Further coverage is offered to cover dental needs, and spay and neuter services.

Misconceptions

A common misconception, and an expensive one, for most pet owners is that all plans cover office visits and vaccinations. Most plans do not cover such issues, and base plans almost never cover vaccines.

Benefits

Well care coverage can easily offset the cost of normal office visits and the cost of vaccines. While standard coverage can help in the case of an accident or serious medical problem, the cost of regular care can be expensive, and buying such a package is cheaper in the end than continually paying for routine office visits.

Alternatives

Instead of getting an insurance plan that covers vaccines, you can check with your local humane society to see if reduced-cost vaccinations are offered.

About the Author

Andrea "Andie" Francese. She worked as an entertainment editor, blogger and managing editor for the Mercy College "Impact" starting in 2006. Francese won 2 Quill Awards for her work on the "Impact" including Excellence in Journalism and Enterprise Journalism. She currently works for several blogging sites. Francese holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology with a minor in media studies at Mercy College.