The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.
Average Cost of Common Pet Insurance Claims 2025
With no NHS for our pets, dog and cat owners are responsible for footing the bill when their beloved pet needs to visit the vet. But how much are typical vet fees? It varies widely depending on the illness or injury from which your pet is suffering.
Vet bills can be especially problematic if you struggle with household debt. Understanding how much you'd need to pay in vet bills if your dog or cat falls ill or is injured can help you decide if pet insurance is worth the cost to you. With that in mind, we analysed data from Animal Friends, Argos Pet Insurance and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) on common health claims.
Average Costs of Pet Illness and Injury Claims
According to the ABI, the average pet insurance claim is £668. This figure will reflect a wide range of claims, from under £100 to well into the £1,000s.
While claims vary from situation to situation, it's important to understand how much vet treatment can cost—especially if you're deciding whether or not to self insure, or how much vet cover to buy. To help with this, NimbleFins analysed data from the ABI and Animal Friends to calculate average treatment costs for common pet injuries and illnesses.
The most expensive-to-treat pet illnesses were related to knee and back issues, with a cruciate rupture costing around £2,800 on average for a medium size dog and £3,500 for a giant dog. Patella luxation in the knee costs an average of £2,000 - £4,000.
More minor, but still common, issues like ear infections or stomach problems can still cost a pet owner in the range of £700 to £1,000 to treat. Even a grass seed in a paw can cost many hundreds of pounds.
| Condition | Estimated Potential Cost |
|---|---|
| Accidental injury | £635 |
| Allergies | £997 |
| Atopy | £1,040 |
| Cherry Eye | £1,660 |
| Cruciate ligament damage | £3,142 |
| Diabetes | £1,553 |
| Entropion | £1,686 |
| Eye Ulcer | £1,008 |
| Foreign Body | £1,321 |
| Gastroenteritis | £1,168 |
| Heart Disease | £1,024 |
| Heart Murmur | £934 |
| Hip Dysplasia | £1,669 |
| Lameness | £1,365 |
| Mitral Valve Disease | £1,125 |
| Osteoarthritis | £945 |
| Otitis | £710 |
| Patella luxation | £2,960 |
| Seizures | £1,001 |
| Skin Disease | £906 |
| Swelling | £1,435 |
| Teeth/Dental | £686 |
| Toxic Ingestion | £618 |
| Tumour | £1,181 |
| Urinary Tract Infection | £704 |
| Vomiting and Diarrhoea | £996 |
| Wound | £791 |
Serious conditions can cost a significant amount to treat due to the cost of cutting-edge diagnostic imagery and surgery. For example, the average cost of a dog MRI is now £3,789 but can exceed £9,000 (e.g. for an emergency, out-of-hours scan).
Is Pet Insurance Worth the Cost?
Are you wondering if you need to buy pet insurance? While paying for pet insurance may feel like a waste of money if you never need to claim, it can certainly help protect your wallet and your beloved pet if they ever fall ill or are injured.
We found that the average annual cost of accident and illness pet insurance started from around £274 for a dog and £125 for a cat. According to the ABI in 2024, the average pet insurance claim was £668, which is around 3X the average cost to buy accident & illness pet insurance.
Given this, the typical pet owner would be better off financially buying pet insurance (vs. self funding) if they end up making a typical claim every few years or so. While it's impossible to predict if and when your pet will need vet treatment in the future, pet insurance can certainly help mitigate the financial shock if they do end up needing treatment.
Note: these estimated prices were gathered from a range of sources including Animal Friends and the ABI. For this reason, you may see multiple prices listed for similar conditions. Prices may vary significantly from those shown here. The information here is meant to communicate the potential scale of vet treatment costs.