Pet Insurance Claims In Virginia

While we don't offer pet insurance along with our homeowner's coverage, many of our members have pets for which they purchase coverage from other providers. In fact, sixty percent of Virginia homes have at least one cat or dog (with dogs edging cats in popularity), and the average annual growth rate for pet insurance in 2020-2021 is 23.4% (NAPHIA).

So should you purchase insurance for your fur-baby? Here's what you need to know.

The Coverage and Costs

Pet Insurance comes in two coverage types.

A&I – Accident & Illness: Accident benefits plus illnesses such as cancer, infections, digestive problems, etc.

AO – Accident Only: Foreign body ingestion, lacerations, motor vehicle accident, ligament tears, poisoning, etc.

2020 Average Premiums (U.S.)

Pet Type	A&I - Accident & Illness	AO - Accident Only
Dog	Annual: $594.15	Annual: $218.13
	Monthly: $49.51	Monthly: $18.17
Cat	Annual: $341.81	Annual: $133.61
	Monthly $28.48	Monthly $11.13

Here's a a look at some cities in Virginia and the average monthly costs for insuring a pet from Healthy Paws. It shows that most Virginians will pay less than the national average for pet insurance, but the more metropolitan the area the higher the cost. This is due to greater accident risk as well as higher vet costs. California leads in animal insurance costs with an average of over $50 per month for dogs and $35 for cats.

City Monthly Cost

​City	Cost Per Month
Norfolk	$36.51
Roanoke	$29.46
Richmond	40.76
Portsmouth	$40.76
Charlottesville	$32.21

Dogs

The size of the dog and actuarial studies of the breeds affect insurance costs as well. The list below shows that larger dogs cost more than smaller dogs, though some smaller dogs may cost more because the breed has a history of certain conditions. Not shown in this list is "Mixed Breed" which ranks as the highest owned breed in Virginia. If you want to figure the average cost for your mixed breed, compare it to the breed it more closely resembles on this list.

Popularity Rank	Breed	Cost Per Month
1	Labrador	$48.81
2	German Shepherd	$44.74
3	Golden Retriever	$52.88
4	Bulldog	$50.84
5	Beagle	$44.74
6	French Bulldog	$52.78
7	Poodle	$52.88
8	Rottweiler	$52.88
9	Yorkshire Terrier	$32.54
10	Boxer	$52.88
12	Siberian Husky	$40.66
13	Dachshund	$32.54
18	Pembroke Welsh Corgi	$40.66
19	Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	$40.66

The older the dog, the higher the costs as well

Age	Cost Per Month
1	$39.15
2	$39.15
3	41.94
4	$44.74
5	$47.54
6	$55.93
7	$67.11
8	$78.30
9	$89.48
10	$100.67
11	$111.85
12	$125.83

Cats

The costs for insurance on a cat are also dependent on breed and age, though not size.

Popularity Rank	Breed	Cost Per Month
1	Maine Coon	$25.82
2	Ragamuffin	$23.20
3	Ragdoll	$25.52
4	Persian	$25.84
5	American Shorthair	$23.20
6	Abssynian	$27.84
7	Siamese	$25.52
8	Tonkinese	$18.56
9	Russian Blue	$27.84
10	Bengal	$20.88

With cats, it is better to start your insurance when they are kittens. Some older cats may not qualify for insurance at all as they tend to develop conditions that would exclude coverage. According to experts, more often than not, first-time pet insurance for older cats is probably not worth it.

Most Common Claim Categories

Here are the most common claim categories for dogs and cats:

Dogs

1. Skin Issues - sometimes called environmental issues, these include fleas, ticks, pyoderma, mites, bacterial and fungal infections.

2. UTIs - Urinary Tract Infections usually require antibiotics and can be the results of underlying conditions such as diabetes, skin and neurological conditions which can cause urine retention.

3. Seizures

4. Ear Infections

5. GI Issues - these can be caused by bacteria, food allergies, parasites, medications, lack of digestive enzymes, or ingestion of a foreign object. One particularly bad GI problem in dogs is called Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) which has no known cause and can lead to death if not treated immediately. Insurance is particularly valuable for these types of disorders.

Cats

1. Kidney failure

2. Hyperthyroidism

3. Cancer

4. Diabetes

5. Allergies

Is It Worth It?

If your pet is young and healthy, it is worth it to insure against the unknown. Older pets with pre-existing conditions, however, may be cost-prohibitive. Ultimately, the decision about whether to purchase insurance is an emotional as well as a financial one. Pet owners who don't have insurance may face a tough decision if they get a large vet bill.

The bottom line: if you don't have enough in the bank to pay for a major treatment — and you can't fathom the thought of putting your pet down — then you should get an insurance plan.

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Sources: Value Penguin, Property Casualty 360, Forbes, NAPHIA