Will pet insurance pay for grooming and training?

Americans own a lot of pets — more than 100 million cats and dogs — and they’re an integral part of their families. From companionship for seniors to playmates for kids, pets take care of their families in many ways. It’s only natural that you want to return the favor by taking care of them.

One of the best ways to take care of your pet is with insurance. Pet insurance works a little differently than health insurance for people, but the concept is the same. The right policy for your pet can help pay for emergency care, chronic illnesses, and even preventative services.

But what about grooming and training? While many insurance companies offer insurance for behavioral training, it can be tough to find a plan that covers grooming.

However, it’s not impossible to find pet insurance that covers grooming and training. Read on to learn more before buying pet insurance, then compare quotes to find the perfect coverage for your dog or cat.

Does pet insurance cover grooming and training?

While training is not difficult to find coverage for, pet insurance that includes grooming is hard to find. Pet insurance is meant to help you pay emergency medical bills your pet incurs. Since training and grooming do not fall into that category, basic pet insurance with grooming is not available. 

You can find insurance that sells add-ons that cover training programs if your dog has behavioral problems. However, most companies do not sell add-ons that would help with grooming.

Of the two pet services, companies that offer training coverage are easier to find. If you’re worried about your pet’s behavior problems, consider the following companies:

• Embrace. Embrace’s illness/injury policy is unique in the pet insurance market because it covers behavioral treatment programs without an add-on. It also covers any prescription medication your pet might need.
• SPOT. A policy with SPOT covers behavioral training as long as a licensed veterinarian treats your pet. Coverages include consultations, training programs, and medicine.
• Pets Best. While it won’t cover the actual training of your animal, Pets Best offers coverage for prescription medications it might need. That includes sedatives and medicine for anxiety.
• Nationwide. You can purchase a Whole Pet plan with the Wellness add-on, covering behavioral training, consultations, and medications. To be covered, it needs to be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian.

Pet insurance with grooming services is more challenging to find. Not to be confused with pet insurance for groomers (a type of business insurance), grooming services usually don’t qualify for coverage. Grooming is generally considered a cosmetic service, which pet insurance policies do not cover.

One exception is dental cleaning. If you buy a wellness plan with your insurance, it will likely cover routine dental cleanings for your animals.

What else does pet insurance cover?

Pet insurance doesn’t work the exact same way as health insurance for people. Instead, it focuses on helping pay for medical bills from emergency vet visits. You have to pay for services upfront — or find a vet that will postpone payment — and your insurance reimburses you later.

Although a basic pet insurance plan will cover emergency services, you can usually purchase add-ons that increase the scope of your coverage. Every company offers unique plans, but you can generally find the following:

• Chronic illness. Covered chronic illnesses usually include allergies, skin conditions, and arthritis.
• Accidents and injuries. Poisoning, ACL ruptures, sprains, and animal bites are usually covered.
• Serious illness. Some of the most common serious diseases animals have include cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
• Common illnesses. Most plans cover less threatening sicknesses like infections, diarrhea, and vomiting.
• Diagnostic testing. As an essential part of your animal’s health, insurance usually covers X-rays, MRIs, blood tests, CT scans, and ultrasounds. (read our “Will pet insurance pay for pet scans?” for more ifnormation)
• Emergency procedures. This can include surgery, endoscopies, chemotherapy, hospitalization, and nursing care.
• Hereditary conditions. Many animals face health conditions due to breeding, commonly including hip dysplasia or blood and eye disorders.
• Wellness services. A wellness plan usually needs to be purchased as an add-on, but this will cover things like spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, and heartworm medication.
• Dental coverage. This optional coverage will pay for dental accidents like broken teeth and illnesses such as gum disease.

Buying additional coverage for your pet will increase the price of your insurance, but it will be well worth the cost if and when your animal needs medical care.

Review offerings from several insurance companies before signing up for a plan.  Companies sell different products, and you might have to search around to get all the coverages you want.

Read more:

• How much does it cost to neuter a cat?
• How much does it cost to neuter a dog?
• How much does it cost to spay a dog?
• What does pet insurance cover?

How much does pet insurance cost?

The price you’ll pay for pet insurance depends on a variety of factors, including breed, age, and the amount of coverage you need. You’ll also see different prices for cats and dogs below.

You’ll need a personalized quote to see how much insurance will cost, but you can get an idea by looking at the average monthly price per company.

You can usually lower your price with less coverage or a higher deductible. For example, you can find accident-only plans for less than $10 a month. However, you’ll have to pay the total price for non-accident healthcare.

As with other types of insurance, you can usually find discounts that will help lower your costs. For pet insurance, discounts include:

• Spay/neuter. Many insurance companies offer a discount for spayed or neutered animals to encourage safe health practices amongst animals.
• Multipet. Earn this discount by insuring multiple pets on the same policy.
• Paid-in-full. Most companies will give you a small discount for making one large payment every year rather than monthly installments.
• Military. Some companies offer discounts for active or retired military members.

While these are the most common, check with your insurance to see what they can offer you.

How do you choose the best pet insurance?

Pet insurance is more difficult to compare than insurance for people. Unlike health insurance — which covers all medically necessary services — pet insurance plans vary in their coverage, making them hard to compare.

First, you need to decide how much insurance you want. Maybe you want something to help you pay for emergency vet visits after an accident, or perhaps you want as much coverage as possible. Learn more about the coverage options for your pet below: 

• Accident and illness. This policy covers specific healthcare services related to injuries, common sicknesses, hereditary conditions, and severe diseases like cancer.
• Pet wellness. Usually sold as an add-on, this covers preventative services like annual check-ups, vaccinations, and flea and heartworm prevention.
• Accident-only. This is the cheapest pet insurance option on the market and only covers accidental injuries.
• Comprehensive. As a “nose-to-tail” policy, comprehensive insurance offers the most coverage for your pet, including illnesses, hereditary conditions, injuries, behavioral problems, and preventative care.

Read more:

• Pet Insurance – A Complete Guide
• How do you become a pet insurance agent?

Once you decide what coverage works for you and your pet, the next step is to consider your annual maximum, deductible, and reimbursement level. Each of these will change the price of your insurance.

• Annual maximum coverage. Pet insurance typically lets you choose how much the company will pay per year. Coverage usually starts at $5,000, and the more coverage you choose, the higher your rates will be.
• Deductible. The deductible is the portion you need to pay before insurance kicks in. If you choose a higher deductible, you’ll save money on your monthly payment.
• Reimbursement percentage. Pet insurance reimburses you for vet bills, and you get to choose how much the company will cover. Usually, you can select 70%, 80%, or 90% for your reimbursement.

When you look at pet insurance, a final consideration is how long the waiting period is. A waiting period is the time between when you purchase a policy and when coverage for your pet begins. All pet insurance plans have one, and some are much longer than others.

Generally, the waiting period for basic coverage is anywhere from two days up to two weeks. However, there can be extended waiting periods for some conditions, especially those that take a lot of treatment. If you’re worried about your pet’s condition, make sure you ask before you sign up.

Find the Best Pet Insurance Today

When it comes to pet insurance, grooming is an option you’ll rarely see offered. Finding coverage that pays for training is much easier and is usually affordable. As long as a licensed vet prescribes the training, the right policy will help you get your pet into a suitable training program.

Finding the best rates for pet insurance that covers training and grooming requires comparing quotes from multiple companies. Once you know what coverage you want, you’ll be ready to shop prices from numerous pet insurance companies.

Case Studies: Pet Insurance Coverage for Grooming and Training

Case Study 1: Bella’s Grooming Expenses

Bella, a three-year-old Labrador Retriever with an active lifestyle, required regular grooming. Luckily, Mr. Johnson’s comprehensive pet insurance policy covered accidents, illnesses, and wellness care, including a wellness add-on that partially covered Bella’s grooming costs. Consequently, Mr. Johnson received a substantial reimbursement for Bella’s grooming expenses.

Case Study 2: Max’s Training Classes

Max, a two-year-old Border Collie, faced behavioral problems, leading his owner, Ms. Rodriguez, to enroll him in professional training classes. Luckily, Ms. Rodriguez had pet insurance that covered behavioral treatments. When she filed a claim for Max’s training, she was relieved to discover that the policy covered a portion of the expenses related to behavior modification and training.

This coverage not only aided in addressing Max’s issues but also relieved the financial strain of the training costs for Ms. Rodriguez.

Case Study 3: Luna’s Spa Day

Luna, a four-year-old Persian cat, needed regular grooming to maintain her beautiful fur and avoid matting. However, her owner, Mrs. Thompson, had a basic accident and illness pet insurance policy that did not cover grooming expenses. When Mrs. Thompson inquired about coverage, she found out that routine grooming was not included. As a result, she had to pay for the grooming expenses herself.

Realizing the need for coverage, Mrs. Thompson upgraded her policy to a more comprehensive one that included wellness coverage, providing assistance with Luna’s grooming costs moving forward.

Case Study 4: Milo’s Obedience Training

Milo, a one-year-old Golden Retriever, was an energetic and mischievous pup. To help him become a well-behaved companion, his owner, Mr. Anderson, enrolled him in obedience training classes. Mr. Anderson had purchased a pet insurance policy that offered optional coverage for training expenses. He was pleased to find out that his policy covered a portion of Milo’s obedience training fees.

This coverage not only helped Milo learn essential commands but also provided financial assistance to Mr. Anderson during the training process.