Does Insurance Cover Your Pet?

Your pet is part of your family, so of course you want to protect your pet as best you can! Having a pet at home can also increase your risk of accidents and damage. You may be wondering, does my insurance cover my pet? While pet insurance is aimed at helping with the costs of healthcare for your pet, you may not realize that your existing insurance often provides coverage for accidents or issues that may arise with your furry (or scaly) friend.

In fact, your current homeowners, renters, auto, and umbrella insurance plans likely include some coverage for pets, sometimes at no extra cost. It’s important to be aware that your personal property and casualty insurance policies won’t and don’t replace pet insurance, which can help pay for health-related and treatment costs for your pet should they become sick or injured. Instead, your existing P&C insurance may help cover some of the accidents or liability-related issues that can arise during pet ownership.

Protecting and adequately insuring your pet can involve many factors: will your pet always be home or sometimes traveling in your car? Will your fluff ball likely dig a hole or chew through a dry wall? May he potentially harm a guest? We take a look at common insurance products and how they can help cover your pet.

Insurance And Your Pet

Pets and Homeowners, Condo and Renters Insurance

Since your pet lives in your home, whether that’s a house, condo or rental, it’s important to check on your homeowners or renters coverage to ensure you’ve got coverage for your liability and damages when it comes to your pet.

Your homeowners insurance policy likely includes liability coverage, which will often cover lawsuits or costs if your pet injures a guest or damages their property. For example, your insurance will probably cover the costs if your dog ruins the neighbor’s fence or gets into their yard and damages the lawn.

However, if your pet falls under the list of animal breeds or unconventional pets that are excluded from homeowners insurance, your insurer may not cover costs of damages or injuries caused by your pet. Similarly, if your pet is considered high risk, your insurer may raise your premiums in order to provide coverage. When adding a pet to your family, be sure to check in with your insurance agent because each carrier has their own excluded pets list. If your insurer finds out you’ve added an undisclosed pet, they could void your policy and deny claims, even those unrelated to your new pet. If you are a dog owner, increasing your liability insurance coverage is not a bad idea. 

Keep in mind that homeowners insurance policies are limited when it comes to your pet’s behavior towards your own property and family. Most policies will not cover your pet’s damage to your own home or pay for medical bills if your pet injures your own family member. Also, if you accidentally hurt your pet or he or she is injured by your property, homeowner’s insurance will not pay the medical bills – you’ll need pet insurance for that.

Renters insurance policies are similar to homeowners when it comes to covering your pet. A renters insurance policy may cover dog bites or damage to another’s property under your personal liability coverage, depending on the event and whether your insurer covers your pet’s breed. When it comes to damage in your own home, renters insurance typically does not cover pet damage.

It is essential as a pet owner to work with your insurance agent to ensure that you have coverage that will accommodate your pet. Not disclosing a pet to your home or renters insurance company can void your coverage and lead to denied claims you’d have to pay out of your own pocket.

Call one of our expert insurance advisors today at (844) 819-2221 to review your coverage and make sure your policy will cover your pet.

Pets and Auto Insurance

Do you spend any time with your pet in the car? Depending on your policy, your auto insurance may cover pet injuries from accidents. Many car insurance companies now include pet coverage at no additional cost.

Pet injury coverage covers veterinary bills or medicine if your pet is injured with you in your vehicle during an accident, though most carriers will only cover the costs if your pet is a cat or dog or if you caused the accident. If the accident was not your fault, the other party’s property damage liability coverage will likely cover your pet.

Talk with your insurance agent to see if your car insurance comes with protection for your pet and be sure to disclose the breed of pet you have, which could affect coverage. If pet coverage is not included under your existing auto insurance coverage, your insurance agent will be able to help you find an insurer that does offer coverage for pets.

If your existing policies do not cover your pet, consider purchasing add-ons to your coverage. Pet injury coverage is often free with add-ons such as collision or comprehensive coverage. Additional coverage is worth purchasing if your pet is particularly expensive to treat or your personal injury protection does not cover your whole family. Add-ons will rarely cost more than a veterinary bill!

Wondering if your auto insurance includes coverage for pet passengers? Call one of our expert insurance advisors today at (844) 819-2221 to review your coverage and explore pet-friendly options.

Pets and Liability Insurance

Of course, you think of your pet as a loveable sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly. But things can happen – your pet could become agitated for any number of reasons and lash out by scratching or biting someone visiting your home.

A common liability-related pet claim is dog bites. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the average payout for a dog bite claim nationally was $39,017 in 2018, and notes that costs both medically and legally are trending upward each year. That’s quite a bit of money.

While your homeowners or renters insurance should offer you liability protection, you may want to consider additional liability insurance in the form of an umbrella insurance policy. Umbrella insurance helps to further protect your liability through additional coverage and can help you further protect your assets in the event that you were to be sued for the actions of your pet.

An unpredictable pet is a good reason to purchase umbrella insurance, but like all of your property and casualty insurance coverage, be sure to check with your insurance agent to ensure that your specific pet is covered by both your home liability policy and your umbrella liability policy. Some insurers will not cover certain species or breeds.

Pets and Toy Insurance

In other circumstances, your current insurance plans may or may not offer coverage for your pets. You should know:

• Your little furry friend could be protected on the sea if you purchase comprehensive or collision coverage for your boat! Some yacht or boat insurance companies include pet injury protection in their boat policies.
• If you have RV insurance, chances are your insurer has policies that cover pet injuries due to accidents on the road. Check with your agent to see how to get coverage for your pet.
• Keep in mind that exotic pets are expensive to insure and there are not many companies that will insure them.

It is always best to speak directly with your insurance agent about pet coverage because every policy is different and different carriers offer different coverage. Some carriers may also have coverage restrictions for certain pets, so it is always best to check directly with your insurance agent that your pet qualifies for coverage.

Conclusion

If you’re like most pet owners we know, your pet is a big part of your life and your family. Just like you want your insurance coverage to protect the members of your family, you want to be sure that your agent knows about your pet and your pet’s breed to ensure your coverage will extend to the risks of pet ownership as well.

Get expert advice on insuring your pet from one of our licensed insurance advisors by calling (844) 819-2221 today!

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