With dogs giving birth to an average of 12-18 puppies yearly and cats birthing 20-27 kittens, the number of strays is rising exponentially. According to veterinarians, spaying and neutering your pets is the best way to control this population growth.
Over 2.7 million cats and dogs are euthanized annually in shelters– no one is proud of that figure. In the US, over 70 million abandoned pets every year, out of which over 8,000 are put to rest daily. Neutering your pets can be quite a costly venture. Because of this high cost, many owners don’t get orchiectomies or ovariohysterectomies for their pets.
Pet insurance policies vary from provider to provider, as do the procedures. Pet insurance typically does NOT cover spaying or neutering surgeries, making the process more out of reach. In this guide, we will look at which pet insurance offers neutering coverage and the options for getting along with these surgeries.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Spaying & Neutering?
While most pet insurance policies do not cover neutering, Lemonade Pet Health Insurance offers a quick and streamlined pet insurance experience for pet owners across the United States. There are several pet insurance plans you can choose as per your budget and what you’d like covered.
There are several others as well, which we will discuss in detail in this article. However, before diving into the different pet health companies, we must first understand why neutering or spaying is not covered.
Why is Neutering Or Spaying Not Covered By Pet Insurance?
Just like with your health insurance, the policy usually covers procedures necessary to help you live a better life – not elective ones. Similarly, pet insurers consider spaying and neutering an elective procedure.
Yes, they are indeed elective procedures. Still, unless we start raising awareness about the stay population and animal euthanization, it is doubtful that you will recognize the issue – or coverage will become mainstream.
Instead of being a part of direct pet insurance, neutering and spaying is usually a part of add-on preventative care. These wellness plans are also manna from heaven for many pet owners as they can save you from spending thousands of dollars on the surgery, medicine, and care that follows. These pet insurance plans often also cover vaccinations, flea infestations, tick prevention, general examinations, and other similar services.
There are usually quite a few options, depending on your choice. In the next section, we will discuss the costs associated with different pet insurance providers in more detail.
Finding a Pet Health Insurance Provider That Covers Neutering
Five major pet insurance providers cover neutering. Of course, their price range, rating, and coverage differ. Here is a general overview of these companies.
| Pet Insurance Provider | Monthly Cost | Rating | Type of Coverage |
| Lemonade | $15 – $30 | 4.7 | Add-on |
| Spot | $10 – $30 | 4.6 | Add-on |
| ASPCA | $10 – $30 | 4.5 | Add-on |
| Prudent Pet | $10 – $40 | 4.4 | Basic |
| Pets Best | $20 – $30 | 4.3 | Add-on |
Spot
Coverage
Spot has several pet health plans. Premiums range from $10 for basic coverage to $30 for platinum coverage, with an add-on option of $25 per month for neutering. The add-on gives you a reimbursement after you have gotten the surgery. This means you have the base amount in your account for the surgery. The total platinum preventative care plan offers an annual benefit of $450 to $500, while the reimbursement for spaying or neutering values of $150 to $165.
Other Plans
There are a handful of vets that the provider covers, giving you a lot of freedom about where you want to take your little one. Of course, there is the Gold Preventative Care plan, which would cost you just $10 per month. It also includes dental! Though, you won’t have spaying or neutering covered with the Gold plan. You get an annual benefit of $250 with the Gold plan.
ASPCA
Coverage
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is another pet health insurance provider offering reimbursement for spaying and neutering. However, it differs because it provides surgery coverage in the base plan. This initiative has allowed ASPCA to overtake its primary competitor, Spot, quite quickly. Another benefit you can enjoy with the provider is that the plan does not have any waiting period.
You get a reimbursement of up to $150 for spaying or neutering your pet, and the policy will cost you $25 per month.
Other Plans
The Prime Preventative Plan covers spaying and neutering, but there is also the Basic Plan. It costs less but does not cover spaying or neutering. It is similar to Spot in terms of price and care, except that ASPCA Pet Insurance offers a quicker reimbursement. Chances are that, if verified quickly enough, you won’t even have to go out of pocket for the surgery!
Prudent Pet
Coverage
A pet health insurance policy for those looking for a cost-effective venture, Prudent Pet offers $60 against spaying and neutering. If you choose a high-end veterinary, you may have to go out of pocket a bit with this plan as it may not cover the entire cost. However, for mid-range vets, this plan is very attractive.
The plan has no waiting period nor a deductible for the coverage. This means the plan will continue to stay cost-effective for years. There are three types of plans, and the coverage varies accordingly.
Other Plans
There is a low, medium, and high plan for your pet. The low plan will cost you $12 per month, but it does not cover spaying or neutering.
Then there is the medium plan that costs $20 per month. It offers $40 as reimbursement against spaying or neutering surgeries.
And finally, the high plan will cost you $30 per month and offers a $60 reimbursement against the surgery.
Of course, the preventative benefits also vary, awarding you $250, $350, and $500 as coverage, respectively (subject to change). Each plan has a broader range of coverage than the competitors, though, and includes wellness checks, vaccinations, heartworm digestive tests, microchipping, and even deworming.
Pets Best
Coverage
Pets Best is unique in the sense that there is no deductible that you have to pay with this policy. It gives you up to $160 against spaying or neutering, which is enough for many high-end clinics. To cover neutering, you will need to purchase an add-on totaling $26 per month for coverage. You will need to go for the BestWellness plan for full coverage. You will get an annual benefit of $535 with coverage, which is relatively impressive.
Other Plans
Pets Best has two wellness coverage plans; EssentialWellness and BestWellness. The former will cost you $15 per month and covers basic pet care costs. The former, on the other hand, offers a wide range of pet care facilities and a much larger reimbursement against preventative care costs every year.
Lemonade Pet Insurance
Coverage
Easily one of the highest-trending pet health insurance companies, Lemonade Pet Insurance is on its way to becoming a market leader with its deals and extensive coverage. It offers several preventative care treatment options, especially for those under two years. For spaying and neutering, it offers $110, $120, and $135 as reimbursement. It has a much smaller waiting period of two days against accidents. This is much shorter than many competitors out there.
Other Plans
First, Lemonade Pet Insurance offers a 10% discount if you bundle your pet insurance policy with other policies, i.e., home, car, or renters insurance. There are accident and illness plans, vet visit add-ons ($2 to $5 per month), physical therapy ($1-$3), and preventative care add-ons (price varies based on insurance selection).
You may pay about $50 per month for a neutering plan coupled with every other plan. However, this gets reduced to $35 per month if your pet is under two years. For puppies, Lemonade policies offer:
- Complete dental coverage
- Spaying or neutering service
- Elective surgeries and procedures
- Gastrointestinal issues/gland expansion
- Breeding/pregnancy issues
- Behavioral issues
- Other preventable issues.
You have the option of customizing your Lemonade pet insurance policy to cover only a handful of things or everything. Deductibles may range from $100 to $500, while annual coverage limits may range from $5,000 to $100,000.
Which Pet Insurance Company to Choose?
This makes Lemonade insurance an excellent option for expensive pets, including horses! Of course, for exotic pets requiring over $100,000 as coverage, you must contact the company and ask for a consultation.
Customers also find that the pet insurance provider offers several informative resources upon consultation and during coverage. They guide you every step of the way, saving you time researching during the claim. The app and website are also straightforward to use and intuitive, making the experience more pleasant.
Should I Get Pet Insurance for Neutering?
Pet neutering for dogs can cost anywhere from $30 to $40 with lower-end or non-profit veterinary clinics. For higher-end private clinics, costs may range from $150 to $300. For cats, the costs may be $30 to $40 with non-profits and $50 with higher-end clinics.
The surgery may cost even more for horses/ponies, big cats, large birds, and other exotic animals. The rarer your pet is, the more the surgery will cost. This means that pet health insurance coverage for spaying and neutering can help you cover the costs of the surgery and associated care quite easily and save you a lot of issues in the short and long term.
It is not uncommon to expect the cost to be around $150 to $300 for the surgery alone, but the price can go up to $400 to $500 with preventative care and medicine. Choosing the right pet insurance company can ensure that you and your pets can go through the surgery without any personal or financial issues. Be sure to conduct your due diligence with your vet before choosing a pet insurance company, though!