Quick answer
Dog insurance runs roughly $20 to $70 or more a month, and your dog's breed is one of the biggest reasons quotes differ so much. Small mixed breeds tend to land at the low end, while large purebreds, especially flat-faced ones, push toward the top. Age, ZIP code, deductible and provider also move your price.
The average accident-and-illness policy for a dog cost $836 in 2025, or about $70 a month, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association — and your dog’s breed is one of the biggest reasons two owners can get wildly different quotes. Small breeds with fewer inherited health problems tend to land at the low end; larger and flat-faced breeds push toward the top. Your actual premium also depends on your dog’s age, your zip code, the deductible you pick, and the insurer.
How Much Is Pet Insurance a Month for a Dog?
Average Monthly Cost
Policies people actually hold averaged $836 a year for accident-and-illness coverage in 2025, or about $70 a month (NAPHIA). Quotes for new policies run lower: an analysis of more than 250,000 quotes found an average of $43 a month for a dog’s accident-and-illness plan (Insurify). A fresh quote for a young dog is usually cheaper than the mix of older dogs and richer plans already on the books.
Age moves the number most. Here’s how the quote data breaks down by life stage:
| Dog’s Age | Average Monthly Quote | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | $40 | Insurify |
| Adult | $46 | Insurify |
| Senior | $116 | Insurify |
A senior dog’s average quote is roughly two and a half times an adult dog’s ($116 vs. $46 a month, per Insurify). Size matters too: bigger dogs need bigger doses and longer surgeries, so large breeds generally quote higher. Your real quote will vary.
What Drives Your Price
Several factors stack on top of breed to shape your monthly premium:
- Age — Older dogs cost more because they’re statistically more likely to need care.
- Location — Vet costs in big, expensive metros run higher than in smaller markets, and insurers price accordingly.
- Deductible — A higher annual deductible gives you a lower monthly premium than a low one.
- Reimbursement percentage — Choosing a lower reimbursement rate cuts your premium, but you’ll pay more of each bill.
- Coverage limit — A capped annual limit is cheaper than unlimited coverage.
- Insurer — Every company uses its own underwriting formula, so the same dog can get meaningfully different quotes.
Shopping around matters. If you want to see your dog’s real monthly number without guessing, pulling a dog insurance quote only takes a few minutes.
How Much Is Full Coverage Pet Insurance?
“Full coverage” in the pet insurance world usually means an accident-and-illness plan, which is the broadest standard policy available. It’s worth knowing what that actually includes — and what it still doesn’t.
Accident + Illness Plans
An accident-and-illness plan typically covers:
- Broken bones, lacerations, and foreign-object ingestion (accidents)
- Cancer diagnosis and treatment
- Hip dysplasia and other hereditary conditions (if not pre-existing)
- Infections, diabetes, heart disease, and other illnesses
- Diagnostic tests, surgery, hospitalization, and specialist visits
The average accident-and-illness premium for dogs was $836 a year in 2025, up from $749 in 2024 (NAPHIA). Large or high-risk breeds can land well above that.
Accident-only plans are much cheaper — dogs averaged $190 a year for accident-only coverage in 2025, about $16 a month (NAPHIA) — but they leave out every illness claim. If your dog gets cancer or develops a chronic condition, you’re paying out of pocket. For most owners, accident-and-illness is worth the extra cost.
Wellness Add-ons
Some insurers offer a wellness or preventive care rider on top of the base policy. These add-ons typically reimburse you for:
- Annual wellness exams
- Vaccines and flea/tick/heartworm prevention
- Dental cleanings
- Spay/neuter procedures
Wellness coverage raises your rate: dog policies with wellness built in averaged $1,414 a year in 2025, versus $836 for accident-and-illness alone (NAPHIA). Run the numbers: add up last year’s routine vet bills and compare that with what the rider adds over twelve months. If the rider costs more, it won’t pay for itself.
What Is Usually Not Covered
Even the most comprehensive plan has exclusions. Common ones:
- Pre-existing conditions — Any condition your dog had before the policy start date (or during the waiting period) is almost always excluded.
- Cosmetic procedures — Ear cropping, tail docking, and similar elective work.
- Breeding costs — Pregnancy and whelping are typically excluded.
- Dental disease (on many plans) — Dental illness is separate from dental accidents and often excluded unless you have a specific rider.
- Behavioral therapy — Some insurers exclude it; others cover it partially.
Always read the exclusions section before you buy. The premium difference between two plans can sometimes be explained entirely by what one plan won’t pay for.
Cost by Breed and Size
Breed affects your premium in two ways: inherited health risks and size. A breed prone to expensive hereditary conditions — hip dysplasia, heart disease, breathing problems — signals higher expected claims to an insurer. A bigger dog also means bigger doses of medication, larger surgical sites, and longer hospital stays.
The figures below come from an analysis of quotes for the ten breeds that show up most often on U.S. pet insurance applications, where the national average was $700 a year (Insurify). Monthly figures are the annual average divided by 12.
Most Expensive Breeds to Insure
These popular breeds landed above the national average:
| Breed | Why It Costs More | Average Annual Premium (about per month) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| French Bulldog | Breathing problems from a flat face, spinal and skin issues | $1,035 (about $86) | Insurify |
| Pit Bull–type breeds | Larger, muscular dogs; joint and skin issues | $929 (about $77) | Insurify |
| Labrador Retriever | Large size, hip and elbow dysplasia | $920 (about $77) | Insurify |
| Golden Retriever | Large size, cancer and joint issues | $831 (about $69) | Insurify |
| Pomeranian | Dental, knee and airway problems common in toy breeds | $771 (about $64) | Insurify |
Brachycephalic breeds (Bulldogs, Frenchies, Pugs, Boston Terriers) are in a category of their own. Their airway anatomy makes breathing-related vet care likely, and insurers price that in. English Bulldogs, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Bernese Mountain Dogs and Boxers are also known for costly inherited conditions, but we couldn’t find current, methodology-backed averages for them, so we’ve left their prices out.
Large and giant breeds face a different problem: bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) is a life-threatening emergency that usually needs surgery. Breeds at high risk — Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Weimaraners — tend to see that in their quotes.
Cheapest Breeds to Insure
On the other end, small dogs with fewer hereditary conditions tend to get the most affordable quotes. These popular breeds came in below the national average:
| Breed / Type | Why It Costs Less | Average Annual Premium (about per month) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chihuahua | Small size, generally robust | $636 (about $53) | Insurify |
| Yorkshire Terrier | Small size, moderate health profile | $669 (about $56) | Insurify |
| Shih Tzu | Small size, moderate health profile | $691 (about $58) | Insurify |
| Dachshund | Small size, offset by back-injury risk | $699 (about $58) | Insurify |
The German Shepherd sat close to the middle, at $742 a year (Insurify), despite its reputation for hip and elbow problems.
Mixed breeds deserve a mention. Drawing from a wider gene pool, they tend to have fewer breed-specific hereditary conditions, which usually helps on price. The analysis above left unknown mixes out, so there’s no comparable average — but a small mixed-breed rescue is often one of the more affordable dogs to insure.
A few important caveats regardless of breed:
- Age matters more than breed at the extremes. A senior Chihuahua can easily cost more to insure than a young French Bulldog.
- Location can shift costs a lot. The same dog usually costs more to insure in a high-cost metro than in a rural area.
- Insurer formulas differ. One company might rate a German Shepherd much higher than another. Getting multiple quotes is the only way to find your actual best rate.
The averages above are a starting point for budgeting, not a guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is pet insurance a month for a dog?
The average accident-and-illness premium for an insured dog was $836 in 2025, about $70 a month (NAPHIA), while quotes for new policies averaged $43 a month (Insurify). Small dogs land at the lower end; large breeds and brachycephalic dogs push toward the top. Your actual premium also depends on your dog’s age, your location, the deductible and reimbursement level you choose, and which insurer you use. Always get a real quote before budgeting.
How much is full coverage pet insurance?
Full coverage — meaning an accident-and-illness plan — averaged $836 a year for dogs in 2025, and plans with wellness built in averaged $1,414 (NAPHIA). Accident-only plans are cheaper, at $190 a year on average (NAPHIA), but won’t pay for illnesses, cancer, or chronic conditions. Most owners find the broader plan worth the cost difference.
What dog breed is most expensive to insure?
Among the ten breeds most often insured in the U.S., the French Bulldog was the most expensive, averaging $1,035 a year — about $86 a month (Insurify). Its brachycephalic anatomy (flat face, compressed airway) makes breathing-related vet care likely. Large breeds at high risk for bloat and joint disease, such as Great Danes and Bernese Mountain Dogs, are also known to sit at the expensive end.
What is the cheapest breed of dog to insure?
Among popular breeds, the Chihuahua had the lowest average premium, at $636 a year, or about $53 a month, followed by the Yorkshire Terrier and Shih Tzu (Insurify). Small mixed breeds are often affordable too, thanks to lower rates of inherited conditions. That said, age and location can shift costs more than breed alone at the extremes.
How we got these numbers
- Industry-wide average premiums (accident-and-illness, accident-only, and plans with wellness built in) come from the North American Pet Health Insurance Association's 2026 State of the Industry report, which covers 2025.
- Average quotes by age come from Insurify's analysis of more than 250,000 pet insurance quotes (updated May 2026).
- Breed-by-breed averages come from Insurify's December 2024 analysis of quotes for the ten breeds most often listed on U.S. pet insurance applications; monthly figures are the annual average divided by 12 and rounded to the nearest dollar.
- We left out any breed price or other number we could not verify against a public source, including prices for English Bulldogs, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Boxers and mixed breeds.