Emergency Vet Cost: What to Expect

One of the hardest things about owning a pet is having to deal with healthcare issues. Not only can it be difficult to see your pet suffering, but it can also be stressful to have to cover the cost of getting your pet the care they need in a pinch.

Here, we’ll review some common emergency vet costs so you’re able to plan for those expenses should they arise.

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Common Emergency Vet Visits and Typical Costs

There are a number of different scenarios that could require an emergency trip to the vet. CareCredit puts the national average cost of an emergency exam for dogs at $125 and $121 for cats. From there, though, your costs will vary depending on the nature of your emergency. Here are some common emergencies you might encounter.

Vomiting/Diarrhea

A single bout of vomiting or diarrhea in a pet may not be a cause for concern. But if your pet is vomiting or having diarrhea repeatedly, it typically warrants an emergency vet visit. From there, your pet might need a physical exam as well as lab tests to determine what’s causing their issues.

CareCredit puts the average cost of bloodwork at $188 for dogs and $113 for cats. Your pet might also need a stool sample analyzed if they're having gastrointestinal issues, and the average fecal exam cost is $56 for dogs and $36 for cats.

Your pet might also need fluids if they’re dehydrated. If your pet needs one bag of fluid, the cost could average $75 for dogs and $121 for cats.

Injuries

A bad cut or broken bone could also send your pet to the ER. The cost of getting an X-ray typically depends on the size of your pet. Vetster puts the average cost for a smaller pet at $80 to $130, or $120 to $150 for a larger pet.

Meanwhile, CareCredit puts the average cost of wound treatment at $182 to $570 for dogs, depending on the nature of the wound. For cats, it's $78 to $285.

For an injury that requires surgery, your cost could be several thousand dollars depending on the specific procedure needed and whether your pet is able to recover at home versus staying in an animal hospital.

Poisoning

When your pet ingests a toxin, they may require immediate treatment or even hospitalization to remove that harmful substance. The cost of treating poison ingestion can vary based on the toxin at hand.

Preventive Vet says treating antifreeze ingestion could cost $2,000 to over $6,000. Treating chocolate ingestion might cost $250 to $2,000 or more, while addressing swallowed human pain medications might cost $250 to upward of $2,000 as well.

Breathing or Cardiac Emergencies

Breathing or cardiac emergencies need to be treated at once. Preventive Vet puts the average cost of oxygen therapy at $500 to $3,000. The typical ultrasound cost, meanwhile, is $300 to $600, while blood pressure measurement is $25 to $75.

If overnight hospitalization is needed, the average nightly cost for a dog is $222 to $567, or $99 to $243 for a cat, according to CareCredit.

Seizures

There are different reasons why a pet might have a seizure. Wag puts the average cost of diagnosing and treating epileptic seizures at $3,000 but also gives a cost range of $500 to $6,000, depending on the circumstances at hand.

Factors Affecting Vet Emergency Fees

The cost of emergency vet care will depend not just on the issue at hand, but when it happens and where you need to seek care. Some of the factors that will impact your cost include:

Emergency Vet Fees Vs. Regular Vet Visits

Generally speaking, having your pet emergency treated at a hospital is going to cost more than taking your pet to your regular vet. The reason is that animal hospitals commonly operate 24/7 and therefore have added staff on hand to support around-the-clock care.

Also, while your regular vet may have certain equipment, like an X-ray machine, on site, animal hospitals and emergency care facilities commonly need to maintain complex equipment like CT scan and MRI machines. That equipment costs money.

Also, depending on the nature of your pet’s emergency, they may need to see several professionals at an animal hospital or emergency care facility. They may first need to go through triage and then be evaluated by a specialist. Those costs might be significantly higher than seeing a single vet at your local office.

How Pet Insurance Can Help with Emergency Vet Costs

Covering the cost of emergency veterinary services can be stressful. If you have pet insurance, your policy might reimburse for a portion of the cost, depending on the nature of that care as well as your policy itself.

It’s common for pet insurance policies to exclude pre-existing conditions though. So, if your pet is known to have epilepsy at the time you get coverage and they have a seizure, your pet insurance may not cover the cost.

However, if it’s a new condition or injury, pet insurance may help. The exception is if you have a wellness-only plan that isn’t designed to cover emergency care.

That said, your pet insurance policy won’t cover the entire cost of your pet’s care. It’s common for policies to have annual or lifetime limits on different conditions. Plus, you may have an out-of-pocket deductible to meet before your pet insurance policy will cover the rest of your pet’s care.

Also, when you first sign up for pet insurance, there's typically a waiting period where your pet won't be eligible for coverage. The length of that waiting period varies by plan, but it could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. You’ll need to read your plan’s terms carefully to see what waiting period you’re subject to.

You should also know that in many cases, pet insurance requires you to pay for your pet’s care up front and then submit a claim for reimbursement. In some cases, the facility where you get your care may be willing to submit a claim for you. Otherwise, make sure to get copies of all discharge paperwork and all invoices so you can submit a claim to your insurer.

It’s a good idea to submit your pet insurance claims as quickly as possible. The amount of time it takes to get reimbursed will depend on your plan. In some cases, it could be a few weeks, but it could also be a month or two.

Make sure to read your pet insurer’s instructions for submitting a claim carefully. You don’t want your reimbursement to get delayed or your claim to get denied due to making a mistake.

Tips for Budgeting for Unexpected Vet Costs

Because a pet emergency can arise at any time, it’s important to always be prepared. One important thing to do is maintain an emergency fund for pet care.

You should also familiarize yourself with your pet insurance policy’s coverage, so you know what to expect. And if there’s a deductible to meet, make sure to have that amount available in savings.

If you don’t have pet insurance and your pet’s situation isn’t dire (meaning, you have a couple of hours to figure out a game plan), call different emergency vet clinics in your area to compare the cost of treatment. If you have to rush your pet over for care immediately, ask the facility what payment plans they offer. There may be a low- or even no-interest financing option you can sign up for.

Planning for Vet Emergencies

Unexpected vet bills have the potential to wreak havoc on your budget. But as stressful as it can be to deal with a pet emergency, the more prepared you are for that scenario, the easier it might be to cope with.

Maintain emergency savings to pay for pet care and consider pet insurance so that you may have some protection in the face of pet emergencies. Also, make sure your pet is current on their vaccines and routine checkups. Sometimes, the right amount of preventive care could spare you from an emergency down the line.