Fur parents love to pamper their pets. As most can’t bear with the thought of losing their fur babies, veterinarians help diagnose animal diseases and provide the appropriate treatment.
Your clients have pet insurance that pays for your services. But how about you? Do you have comprehensive coverage against the risks common in your profession?
Veterinarian insurance will protect you against lawsuits, business property damage, employee injuries, and other unexpected occurrences. Read this guide to know how each inclusion works, the cost of premiums, and the best companies
Also read:
Insurance programs for veterinarians always come with liability coverage. Veterinary liability insurance grants protection against lawsuits. The most common types of vet liability insurance are general liability and professional liability policies.
| CoverWallet | NEXT | Thimble (Best) | Hiscox | AVMA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $100,000/$1,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $300,000/$3,000,000 |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Yes | Can be included | No |
| License defense coverage included? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Deductible | $500 | $500 | $500 | $50/$10,000 | $500 |
Clients expect you to observe a high degree of care and expertise when dealing with their pets. Licensing bodies are also always on the lookout to ensure that your methods are ethically compliant with veterinary practice.
Accusations of malpractice are the biggest problem when working as a veterinarian. Third parties can hold you liable for malpractice due to these reasons:
A pet died because you’re not attending to it well enough
You misdiagnosed a pet’s disease
You administered the wrong drugs or the incorrect dosage
You failed to disclose important information
You set the expectations too high and failed to meet them
Veterinary professional liability insurance grants comprehensive coverage against malpractice claims. Also called veterinary malpractice insurance or professional indemnity insurance, you can use this to cover the following:
Reimbursement for financial losses
Settlements
Defense costs
Court judgments
Note that malpractice isn’t the only peril covered by vet malpractice insurance. Other exposures included in its language are:
Inaccurate advice
Violation of fair dealing
Violation of good faith
Breach of contract
Missed deadlines
Some insurance companies underwrite a professional liability policy with a veterinary license defense insurance coverage and grants $50,000-$100,000 for lawsuits filed by state licensing boards against you.
Veterinary indemnity insurance is available as a claims-made policy or occurrence policy. So what’s the difference? The first one only provides coverage when you notify a company at the moment a covered peril happened. The second, on the other hand, grants protection regardless of when you report a covered peril.
Another thing you need to know is that while vet indemnity insurance is available as a stand-alone policy, some insurance companies offer this as an optional add-on to general liability insurance.
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per occurrence limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Products and completed operations aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Advertising injury coverage aggregate limit | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Tenant’s legal liability coverage limit | $100,000 | $100,000 | $5,000 | $100,000 |
| Waiver of subrogation included? | Yes | No | Included | Can be included |
| Hired/non-owned auto liability coverage included? | Yes | No | Excluded | Can be included |
| Equipment breakdown floater included? | No | Yes | Yes | Can be included |
| Can you get a certificate of insurance online? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Accidents can happen within your veterinary clinic from time to time. In connection, general liability insurance for veterinarians can help if third parties get involved and sustain bodily injuries or property damage. Here are some situations where this policy is useful:
A client came to fetch his pet. He tripped over an unkept leash and fell flat on the floor, sustaining bruises on the knees and elbows
One of the pet’s admitted in your clinic broke loose and attacked other pets
Kids came over to visit your clinic. They got scratched by a cat that’s getting treated by an employee
We’ll explain how the general liability insurance for veterinarians works. Each time clients, visitors, and other third parties hold your business liable for bodily injuries or property damage, this veterinarian insurance will cover expenses for:
Medical treatment
Reimbursement for property damage
Legal defense costs
Court judgments
Use the table above to compare the general liability insurance of companies we recommend.
By the way, your general liability insurance automatically comes with an advertising injury coverage. This type of vet insurance covers costs if another vet clinic, pet shop, or pet sitting business accuses you of using their intellectual properties for commercial purposes. Coverage also applies for claims filed because of slander and libel.
Other add-ons that’s automatically included in a veterinarian’s general liability insurance policy are:
Rented premises liability coverage
Non-owned/hired auto liability coverage
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
| CoverWallet | NEXT (Best) | Thimble | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Building coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $250,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $25,000 |
| Contents coverage limit (minimum) | $50,000 | $16,000 | $25,000/$500,000 | $50,000 |
| Outdoor signs | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | $2,500 |
| Accounts receivable | Excluded | Excluded | $5,000/$10,000 | Excluded |
| Money and securities | Excluded | $2,500 | $1,000 | Included |
| Lock and keys | Excluded | $2,500 | Excluded | Included |
| Business interruption floater | Excluded | Included | Included | Included |
| Equipment breakdown floater | Excluded | Included | Excluded | Included |
| Inland marine insurance floater | Excluded | Excluded | $10,000 | Excluded |
| Employee dishonesty floater | Excluded | $5,000 | $2,500 | Excluded |
Similar to the insurance package for guard dog service, the insurance package for vet service offers a commercial property policy.
Commercial property insurance helps your business survive when tragedies strike. With this veterinary business insurance, you can cover repair or reconstruction expenses easily if the clinic gets damaged or destroyed because of:
Fire
Theft
Vandalism
Malicious mischief
Lightning
Weather
Volcanic action
Sinkhole collapse
Aircraft
Vehicle
Falling objects
The coverage of commercial property insurance doesn’t only apply to your clinic but also to what’s inside it. Commercial property insurance for vet clinics can also reimburse your financial losses if medical equipment gets lost or damaged. Common items covered are:
Cauterizing machine
Lighting systems
Ultrasounds
X-ray imaging devices
IV pumps
Ophthalmic and aural examination kits
Weighing scales
Telemetry systems
| CoverWallet | Thimble | NEXT (Best) | Hiscox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General liability aggregate limit | $2,000,000 | $2,000,000 | $1,000,000/$2,000,000 | $300,000/$2,000,000 |
| Commercial property coverage limit | $50,000 | $500,000 | $250,000 | $50,000 |
| Optional policies can be added? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Name additional insureds for free? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BOP discount? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ask the insurance company if its veterinary insurance plan allows you to bundle general liability insurance and commercial property insurance into a business owner’s policy. Use the table above to compare the business owner’s policy of companies we recommend.
Since it’s made out of general liability and commercial property insurance, a business owner’s policy protects your veterinary clinic’s property and takes care of bodily injury and property damage claims filed by third parties.
Consider buying a business owner’s policy rather than having general liability and commercial property insurance as stand-alone policies because you’ll save money on premiums. Most insurance companies offer a 5%-10% discount on their business owner’s policy.
It’s common for animals to retaliate when sick, afraid, and unfamiliar of their surroundings. Work-related injuries are very prevalent in veterinary services. While the death rate is low, the severity of injuries is alarming as some don’t only end up with wounds but broken noses, blackened eyes, and infections.
That said, a day will come where you’ll have to take off work because of an injury. In connection, veterinary disability insurance can help. While your resting to heal, this insurance will cover the expenses for:
Weekly living expenses
Medication
Rent, mortgage, and house utility bills
Another way of getting covered against common work-related injuries or diseases in vet service is by purchasing workers' compensation insurance.
Unlike disability insurance, workers compensation insurance is a requirement. You need to get this as soon as your vet clinic has one or more employees.
By default, workers' compensation insurance only covers employees. However, insurance companies give you the option of naming yourself as an insured in the terms of this policy.
Workers' compensation insurance will cover the following costs if you or an employee sustains a work-related injury or disease:
EMT service
Hospitalization
Medication
Rehabilitation
Lost wages
Death benefits and allowance to dependents in case of death
Employment practices liability is a vet business insurance that’s surely helpful if you have assistants or any other employees. Sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and workplace discrimination are problems you’ll face regarding employees. And these are what employment practices liability insurance covers. With this policy, you can pay for attorney fees, other legal costs, and compensation to aggrieved parties.
Injured employees might file a lawsuit, accusing you of committing negligence. Lawsuits resulting from the occurrence of workplace accidents fall out of the scope of employment practices liability insurance. Instead, this is the job of employer’s liability insurance. Employer’s liability insurance’s function is the same. It provides money so that you can pay for lawyer fees, other legal costs, and settlements.
Does your veterinary clinic have its own pet ambulance? If so, consider getting commercial auto insurance. You can’t cover that vehicle using personal car insurance. And even if you manage to do so, know that premiums will be very expensive.
Insuring a vehicle used for business purposes is better with commercial auto insurance because it’s cheaper and more comprehensive. The following are the coverages included in commercial auto insurance for vet:
Auto liability coverage
Physical damage coverage
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Emergency roadside assistance
It’s common for your vet clinic’s pet ambulance to rush. And while driving fast, the driver might get involved in an accident and cause injuries to third parties as well as property damage. Auto liability insurance covers medical costs if a claim is filed.
The underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage of commercial auto insurance will cover the medical expenses of the driver and passengers if your vet clinic’s pet ambulance gets involved in an accident caused by an uninsured/underinsured driver.
Physical damage coverage comes in two types - collision and comprehensive. Collision physical damage coverage can be claimed if your vet clinic’s pet ambulance got damaged after colliding with another vehicle or object on the road.
The second type-comprehensive physical damage coverage-can be claimed if your clinic’s pet ambulance got damaged because of extreme weather, fire, theft, vandalism, and other named perils.
The pet ambulance might experience issues on the road. And so, don’t think twice about including emergency roadside assistance in your commercial auto insurance. Emergency roadside assistance coverage shoulders the cost of battery jump start, towing, and other types of services needed to get the pet ambulance running once again.
You might need to stop business operations for a while to move to a new location. It’s also possible for you to stop doing business because the clinic needs to be renovated.
Temporary business closure isn’t an excuse for you to stop paying bills. And so, consider getting business interruption insurance.
Business interruption insurance will provide money while your veterinary clinic isn’t generating income. The amount you’ll receive will be equal to a portion of or the total value of your business’s projected revenue. You can use the insurance money from business interruption insurance to pay employee wages, electricity and water bills, taxes, loans, rent, and other operational costs.
Consider getting cyber liability insurance if your veterinary clinic is running a system that collects payments from clients via credit card, bank transfer, or e-wallets. Hackers can breach your system and cyber liability insurance will protect you from the costs.
A data breach will steal sensitive client data such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, addresses, etc. As a result, concerned parties might file a lawsuit. One job of cyber liability insurance is to pay for defense costs and settlements if such a thing happens.
Of course, you’ll have to notify customers about the breach. And so, the second job of cyber liability insurance is to pay for public relations expenses.
Note that cyber liability insurance is just an optional policy. You don’t really need this except if your vet clinic has a website or any other similar platform to collect payments and market services.
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Deductible | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General liability insurance | $92 | $1,104 | $0-$1,000 |
| Malpractice insurance | $96.66 | $1,159.92 | $500-$1,000 |
| Commercial property insurance | $105 | $1,260 | $1,000-$2,500 |
| Business owner’s policy | $160 | $1,920 | $500-$1,000 |
| Workers' compensation insurance | $190 | $2,280 | $2,500-$5,000 |
| Employer’s liability insurance | $150 | $1,800 | $500-$1,000 |
| Employment practices liability insurance | $180 | $2,160 | $500-$1,000 |
| Cyber liability insurance | $120 | $1,440 | $0-$1,500 |
| Commercial auto insurance | $100 | $1,200 | $500-$2,000 |
The average cost of veterinary malpractice insurance is $96.66 per month or $1,159.92 a year for a $1 million coverage. Factors that affect veterinary malpractice insurance cost are location, policy limits, deductibles, and claims history.
Animal care professionals incur varied veterinary liability insurance cost because the rates vary based on the coverage limit you choose and the type of animals your practice cares for. But on average, the cost of general liability insurance for veterinarians is $92 a month or $1,104 a year.
Here’s another table providing a more idea of the overall veterinary insurance cost by showing the best companies and their pricing:
| Cost per Month | Cost per Year | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NEXT | $17 | $204 | Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for veterinarians |
| CoverWallet | $22 | $264 | Veterinary insurance online quotes comparison |
| Tivly | $25 | $300 | Comparing veterinary insurance quotes over the phone |
| Thimble | $26.55 | $318.60 | On-demand veterinary insurance |
| Hiscox | $32 | $384 | Vet insurance with worldwide coverage |
| AVMA | $71 | $852 | AVMA members |
| Safehold | $162 | $1,944 | Insurance for all kinds of veterinarians |
Get all the best quotes from leading providers in a click of a button!
As mentioned earlier, it's critical to find an insurance company that provides personalized vet insurance coverage to cover your unique needs. Below are reviews of the best veterinary insurance companies. Know their pros, cons, and pricing for a $1 million general liability coverage.
Best overall
Get an online proof of insurance and send as a text message, email, or social media post
Fastest general liability insurance for veterinarians
Great customer service and reputation
Issues an online proof of insurance instantly
Outstanding value for money
Bundle two or more insurance policies and get a 10% discount
Couldn’t find any
NEXT veterinary insurance offers general liability, commercial property, and tools and equipment insurance. This company’s general liability policy has a $1 million per occurrence limit and a $1 million-$2 million aggregate. NEXT’s commercial property insurance provides $250,000 building coverage and $16,000 contents coverage. Equipment insurance, on the other hand, covers up to $5,000-$10,000 repair or replacement expenses.
Best for: Best overall; Fastest general liability insurance for veterinarians
Average cost: $17 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Get covered online
Online certificate of insurance
Cancel a coverage anytime
Stable rates
Get the quotes of different carriers and compare pricing
Vet insurance is underwritten by third-party carriers
You have four coverage options with CoverWallet. If you don’t need a lot of protection, then the company can insure you with general liability insurance only. On the other hand, if you need to get covered against workplace mistakes too, then it’s possible to purchase general liability insurance with malpractice insurance.
Nonetheless, the best protection is through CoverWallet’s pro coverage that bundles commercial property insurance with general liability insurance and professional liability insurance. But if you think that best isn’t enough, you can also decide to get a custom coverage that allows you to choose and get all the available business insurance needed.
Best for: Veterinary insurance online quotes comparison
Average cost: $22 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Call and compare veterinary insurance quotes over the phone
Responsive customer service
A partner of many reputable insurance companies
Not an insurance company but an insurance broker
Tivly’s (formerly CommercialInsurance.NET) veterinary insurance offers general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, malpractice insurance, and more. Note that this company provides protection regardless of your business profile. To compare quotes over the phone for free, you need to call Tivly and talk with a representative.
Best for: Comparing veterinary insurance quotes over the phone
Average cost: $25 per month
Our rating: 10/10
General liability insurance can be added with pet protection coverage
Sells a short-term general liability policy
Easy to add optional policies to your existing coverage
Quick to issue an estimate of your rates
Doesn’t have a vet insurance program and covers you through its pet service insurance
Thimble doesn’t have a veterinary insurance program. But you can avail this company’s insurance plan for businesses involved with pet services. Policies offered are business owner’s policy, general liability, and workers compensation insurance.
This company’s stand-alone general liability insurance has a $1 million-$2 million per occurrence limit. Add-ons can be included such as customer property coverage, pet protection coverage, and business equipment coverage.
You can also go for a business owner’s policy. However, doing this will make you ineligible for a general liability policy. Otherwise, you risk purchasing overlapping policies. Thimble’s business owner’s policy offers a $1 million-$2 million general liability insurance and $25,000-$500,000 commercial property insurance.
Best for: On-demand veterinary insurance
Average cost: $26.55 per month
Our rating: 9/10
Worldwide coverage
Automatic policy renewal
Considerable experience in underwriting commercial insurance
14-day money-back guarantee
Not an insurance company but an insurance broker
Hiscox’s veterinary insurance is designed for the vets that work with domestic animals, large animals or both. You can only get a business owner’s policy and cyber insurance from this company online. That said, you’ll need to call an agent if you want stand-alone general liability insurance, commercial property insurance, and other business insurance solutions.
Best for: Vet insurance with worldwide coverage
Average cost: $32 per month
Our rating: 9/10
Provides professional, business, and personal veterinarian-focused coverage
Experienced insurance services (over 60 years)
Coverage available to members only
AVMA understands everything that happens in a veterinarian clinic. Therefore, the association's insurance policies provide the best protection for veterinary risks, from malpractices and disability to liabilities. With AVMA coverage, you can protect your practice, workforce, and the people you love.
AVMA PLIT is a tailored insurance package underwritten for veterinarians. This consists of liability insurance that offers specialized perks.
AVMA liability insurance is a malpractice insurance coverage that provides $100,000-$1 million coverage for each claim. What makes AVMA malpractice insurance great is that it covers claims filed against your employers for which you become involved.
AVMA business insurance for malpractice provides the following perks:
Consent to settle clause
Hammer clause
Coverage for part-time and volunteer work
Professional help in obtaining expert witnesses for your legal defense
So how much will you pay for premiums? The AVMA PLIT cost depends on your vet practice. For example, if you only deal with small animals, annual premiums begin at $193 annually.
Disability insurance isn’t offered through AVMA PLIT. You get this through AVMA Life. AVMA disability insurance provides coverage for lost income, living expenses, and business operational costs.
Best for: AVMA members
Average cost: $71 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Provides veterinary business insurance for a wide range of risks
Seasoned vet insurance provider (over 55 years)
Available to all veterinarians
May not offer disability coverage
The Safehold Special Risk Veterinary & Animal Services coverage program protects against virtually all risks involved in the daily veterinarian operations: lost animals, bites, malpractice claims, data breaches, and employee management.
Established in 1965, the program offers insurance for veterinarians across the industry's sub-sectors, including single or national multi-location practices, specialty veterinary clinics, pet groomers, veterinary behaviorists, small and exotic animal practices, pet trainers, etc.
Safehold specialty risk insurance policies cover you for the following risks:
Professional liability
License defenses
Animal bailee
Workers' compensation
Business Auto
Excess liability
Kennel cough coverage
Best for: Insurance for all kinds of veterinarians
Average cost: $162 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Use anyone except Employers. Period. They are non-transparent and shameful. After I complained long enough to warrant a call from a supervisor, the supervisor called back from a PRIVATE NUMBER (no caller ID), left a message that they are not reversing their decision (without any communication with me), and failed to leave a phone number for me to call back. She was hiding! They also fact find via email and phone calls, which is terrific for speed and communication. However, after setting a precedence of email or phone calls, they send time sensitive information via email, without any heads up... they are hoping you miss it and forfeit via expiration. Evil policies. Go elsewhere.
This place is an absolute joke of a company and should be ashamed of the way they conduct business. I was hurt on the job at the end of July and it took them just shy of 7 weeks to issue out a paycheck to me. Yes the amount was back dated but still. Not many have the luxury of not receiving a paycheck for almost 2 months. To top it all off, the original adjuster marked me down for the wrong state which caused a problem from the get go, I've had 3 different adjusters now since each one can't seem to figure out the simplicity of my claim. All my paperwork which includes, my job, house, and drs visits all are from the same state and city but yet some how I have been filed under a completely different state 1500 miles away. They do not answer your phone calls or emails no matter how many you leave. I've had to escalate my frustrations to the supervisors of each of these individuals in order to even get some kind of response. I've had more communication and information given to me about my claim from the customer service representatives then the actual adjusters.......... please tell me how that works?! A serious overhaul needs to happen here in order to serve your clients the way they deserve to be taken care of. 10/10 do not recommend this company to a single soul on earth
I have never had the displeasure of working with a more incompetent and disrespectful person in my life. I’m an injured worker and the adjuster that was assigned to my case was named Carrie Furgeson. In the past 6 weeks that I’ve been injured and out of work I have only been able to get ahold of her twice, not for lack of trying. I have left countless voicemails, countless emails, and she ignores them all. When I am finally able to get ahold of her I’m greeted with terrible customer service. She is rude, she talks over me and I’m hardly able to get a word in edgewise. She spelled my name wrong on my documents even after I spelled it for her properly countless times, this caused a whole new issue with my bank. I have bill collectors from the hospital calling me demanding payment and Carrie Furgeson won’t do a single thing to help, or to get them paid. All of my documentation is in Colorado, my job is in Colorado, my address is in Colorado, all my Dr offices and appointments have been in Colorado and Carrie still managed to hold my claim because she wasn’t sure what state she needed to file it under. It’s been 6 weeks since my Injury and my company still hasn’t received the wage paperwork to fill out so they can get me my correct wages. When she’s not ignoring me she’s answering my questions with “I don’t know” well I don’t know how she got this job, because apparently she doesn’t know anything about it. She is a disgusting morose individual inside and out and I genuinely wish her the worst in all of her future endeavors. I highly recommend you don’t use this company. Please if you are a business owner and your looking into this company please don’t use them. I’m sure they have the cheapest payment and that’s why companies use them in the first place, but you will be doing your employees a grave disservice by forcing them to venture into this absolute dumpster fire of a company. I would rate 0/5 if possible but 1 was the lowest I was allowed.
Their general liability insurance purchase process is simply the best online experience I've ever had in my life!
As long as they cover your line of business, you're literally covered! best rates, best coverage, best online experience, best professionals, can't be happier that I chose them!
Not all those who wander are lost.
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