Does Pet Insurance Cover Spaying or Neutering?
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Standard pet insurance doesn’t cover spaying and neutering.
Optional wellness plans may cover spay and neuter surgery, up to a certain limit.
Pet insurance generally isn’t worth it if you’re using it for spay or neuter surgery only.
Around 80% to 90% of pets are spayed or neutered, according to The Humane Society of the United States. These procedures can help control pet overpopulation and may prevent certain health problems. But considering that spay or neuter surgery can cost hundreds of dollars, you might be wondering if pet insurance covers it.
Does pet insurance cover spaying or neutering?
Standard pet insurance policies generally don't cover spay and neuter surgeries. That’s because these surgeries are typically elective procedures performed as preventive care rather than treatment for an existing medical condition.
Pet insurance is primarily designed to cover unexpected illnesses and injuries. So although it usually won’t help pay for spay or neuter surgery, there may be exceptions if your vet recommends the procedure as a medical treatment for a covered condition.
For instance, if your dog is diagnosed with pyometra, a life-threatening uterus infection, your vet may recommend an emergency spay surgery. In this case, your insurer may cover it, as long as it’s not tied to a pre-existing condition (any condition your pet showed signs of before your policy’s effective date).
» MORE: What does pet insurance cover?
Do wellness plans cover spaying or neutering?
Since a standard pet insurance plan doesn’t cover spaying and neutering, you may have to purchase wellness coverage to get reimbursed for these expenses. A wellness plan is an optional type of coverage you can add to many pet insurance policies to pay for routine care.
Wellness plans often cover spaying and neutering along with services like vaccinations and annual check-ups. Unlike accident and illness insurance, wellness plans typically don't have deductibles or waiting periods, so coverage often starts immediately.
There are a few caveats, though.
First, not all wellness plans include spay or neuter coverage. Some companies have multiple wellness coverage options, with only higher-tier options covering these procedures.
Next, many wellness plans have reimbursement limits for spay or neuter surgery. For instance, a wellness plan might offer up to $450 in total annual benefits but cap spaying and neutering coverage at $150. So you’ll pay out of pocket if your pet’s surgery costs more than that amount.
Lastly, some wellness plans lump dental cleanings and spaying and neutering into the same category and will pay for only one or the other in a given year. If your pet needs both, your benefit would likely fall short.
Pet insurers that cover spaying and neutering
Many pet insurance companies will cover spay and neuter surgery if you add a wellness plan to your policy. For many of the companies listed below, wellness coverage begins immediately.
ASPCA
ASPCA offers two preventive care packages: Basic and Prime. The Basic Plan starts at $9.95 per month but does not cover spay or neuter procedures.
The Prime Plan starts at $24.95 per month and provides more comprehensive coverage. It reimburses up to $150 for spay or neuter surgery or dental cleaning. The Prime Plan includes $450 in total annual benefits. It reimburses for wellness exams, flea prevention, blood tests, urinalysis and more.
Embrace
Embrace is one of the only pet insurance companies that doesn’t have a sublimit for spaying and neutering. With its Wellness Rewards program, you can choose from three annual allowance options — $250, $450 or $650. The amount you choose is your maximum reimbursement for all covered routine care, including spay and neuter procedures, wellness exams, heartworm meds and dental cleanings.
Monthly costs range from $18.75 to $52.09 per month. If you use your full annual allowance, you’ll end up saving about $25 per year.
Fetch
Fetch has three Wellness plans, all of which include spay or neuter coverage. The Essentials plan starts at $10 per month and covers annual exams, vaccines and other routine care. The Advantage plan starts at $20 per month and includes additional services like microchipping and anal gland expression. Both reimburse up to $100 for spaying or neutering.
The highest-tier plan, Prime, starts at $30 per month and reimburses up to $125 for spaying or neutering. It also includes extra services like behavioral exams and health certificates.
Figo
Figo has two Wellness Powerup options, Basic and Plus. Basic covers up to $40 for spay or neuter surgery or dental cleaning. Plus pays up to $75. These limits are much lower than those of other pet insurance companies. Figo’s plans also reimburse for wellness exams, vaccines, testing, microchipping and deworming.
Options and starting rates vary by state. For instance, California has one preventive care plan, Wellness Plus, which costs $9.50 per month on top of your accident and illness premium. Washington State also has Wellness Plus only, which is an additional $16.50 per month.
Lemonade
Lemonade offers a preventive care plan for puppies and kittens that includes coverage for spay and neuter procedures. It’s only for pets under two years old and reimburses up to $120 for spaying or neutering. Monthly costs start around $49 for puppies and $38 for kittens, but vary based on breed, age and location. The preventive care plan also includes other young pet care essentials like vaccines, wellness exams and microchip implantation.
PetsBest
PetsBest offers two wellness plan options, EssentialWellness and BestWellness. The EssentialWellness plan is more affordable but doesn’t include spay or neuter benefits. The BestWellness plan costs about $26 to $32 per month and covers up to $150 for spaying and neutering or teeth cleaning in many states. It provides up to $535 in total annual benefits and also covers vaccines, wellness exams and more.
Spot
Spot has a Platinum Preventive Care plan that costs $24.95 per month and reimburses up to $150 for spaying or neutering. It offers a maximum of $450 per year for various routine care services.
» MORE: The best pet insurance companies
Is it worthwhile to get pet insurance for spaying and neutering?
Deciding whether to get pet insurance for spaying and neutering boils down to a cost-benefit analysis. Typically, the cost of spay or neuter surgery ranges from $150 to $600 for dogs and can be less for cats, depending on factors like breed, size and location.
On the other hand, wellness plans that include spay or neuter coverage might cost an additional $10 to $30 per month (so $120 to $360 per year) on top of the price of pet health insurance. Also, your plan may have a sublimit of $100 to $150 for spay or neuter procedures.
If your estimated surgery cost is in line with your sublimit, and you plan on using the full range of preventative care benefits, it might be worth it. But if your primary reason for getting pet insurance is for spaying or neutering, it’s usually not the most cost-effective choice.
You may be able to find low-cost spay and neuter procedures by checking with local animal shelters or low-cost clinics in your area.
» MORE: Is pet insurance worth the cost?
