What does pet insurance cover in India?
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
Indian pet insurance is sold as a set of separate covers: surgery and hospital stays after an illness or accident, a list of named serious or long-term illnesses, death, theft or straying, and your legal liability if your pet injures someone. Routine care such as vaccines, deworming, flea and tick prevention, food and planned spaying is not covered.
What is covered depends on the sections you choose and the wording. In the two wordings we read, tick-borne diseases were either an optional add-on or not named at all, and one excluded skin treatment in hospital. Read the section list and exclusions before you buy.
Which wordings is this answer based on?
Two public policy wordings, each with an IRDAI product number (UIN). We quote what they say, not what an advert says.
The first is the Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog Insurance Policy, UIN IRDAN113RP0029V01201920, read on the website of IRDAI, the insurance regulator. It covers dogs only and has seven sections. The second is the Digit Pet Insurance Policy, UIN IRDAN158RP0006V01202223, read on the insurer's website. It has ten sections plus optional add-ons, and its vaccine clause lists both dog and cat vaccines.
Both work the same way: you pick sections, each section has its own limit, conditions and exclusions, and general exclusions apply to everything. In the Digit wording you must take either its hospitalisation cover or its specific illness cover; the rest are choices. If a section is not printed on your policy schedule, you are not covered for it.
Whether a policy is worth buying for your pet is a separate question, covered in our answer on whether pet insurance is worth it in India. This page sets out what the covers actually pay for.
What do the main covers pay for?
The cover types found in the two wordings, side by side, as each wording describes them.
| Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog | Digit Pet Insurance | |
|---|---|---|
| Surgery and hospital stay Go Digit General Insurance | Surgery after an accident or illness, with costs 7 days before and 15 days after; in-patient stays per day up to a yearly cap; 10% co-pay | Vet fees, medicines, diagnostics, surgery and hospital stays after an illness or accident, each within a share of the sum insured |
| Named serious illnesses Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in) | A lump sum for cancer, kidney failure, clotting disorders, heart problems, distemper or leptospirosis, if the dog survives 30 days after diagnosis | Treatment for a list of specific illnesses (such as GDV, hip dysplasia, cataract, pyometra, urinary stones), and a separate lump sum for critical illnesses |
| Long-term illness Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in) | A lump sum for epilepsy, pancreatitis, Cushing's, diabetes, thyroid disease, ascites, glaucoma or IBD; one claim in the dog's life | A lump sum for a list including diabetes, thyroid disease, Addison's, Cushing's, epilepsy and glaucoma; 12-month waiting period |
| Outpatient (OPD) visits Go Digit General Insurance | Clinic treatment for a short list, including parvovirus, pneumonia, eye problems except glaucoma, and accidental injuries; a deductible applies | Clinic treatment for a list including poisoning, gastroenteritis, ear infections and soft tissue injuries; co-pay applies; telemedicine as an add-on |
| Death Go Digit General Insurance | The sum insured if the dog dies of illness or accident or is put to sleep for incurable suffering, plus a cremation or burial amount | Accidental death, and death from illness up to an age in the schedule; cremation only as an add-on; euthanasia not covered |
| Theft, loss or straying Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in) | A lump sum if the dog is not found after 45 days, with set amounts for advertising and a reward | The sum insured if the pet is not found within 30 days; advertising costs as an add-on |
| Third-party liability Go Digit General Insurance | Your legal liability, and defence costs, if your dog injures someone or damages property | The same, paid only once liability is decided by a court or tribunal in India |
Each cover has its own limits, waiting periods and exclusions in the wording. Rupee limits are left out here because they vary by plan and change: read them in your schedule.
Which clauses catch Indian owners out?
Points in these two wordings that matter in Indian conditions.
- Tick fever
- In the Digit wording, insect and vector-borne diseases, including babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and heartworm, are excluded from hospitalisation unless you buy that add-on, which has its own cap. A disease that tested positive before the policy is pre-existing. Go Digit General Insurance
- Skin problems
- The Bajaj wording excludes skin-related treatments from its hospitalisation section and surgery for skin diseases from its surgery section. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
- Adopted and gifted pets
- The Digit wording pays death and theft or straying benefits only for pets you bought, not pets adopted or gifted to you. Indie dog adopters should check this clause first. Go Digit General Insurance
- Flat-faced breeds
- The Digit wording excludes brachycephalic airway syndrome and related surgery, which matters for Pugs, Shih Tzus and French Bulldogs. Go Digit General Insurance
- Endemic disease
- Both wordings exclude any endemic disease declared by local, state or central authorities in India. Go Digit General Insurance
- Pre-existing disease
- In the Digit wording, any condition with signs, diagnosis or treatment in the 24 months before the first policy. It is covered only after the waiting period in your schedule. Go Digit General Insurance
- Behaviour and dental
- Digit covers behavioural illness (for professionally trained dogs) and dental disease only as add-ons; Bajaj excludes dental treatment unless it follows an injury. Go Digit General Insurance
What does pet insurance not cover at all?
Routine and preventive costs fall outside both wordings. Budget for these yourself.
- Routine vaccinations and microchipping. Go Digit General Insurance
- Flea, tick and worm prevention, grooming and de-matting. Go Digit General Insurance
- Routine spaying or castration, unless needed to treat an illness such as pyometra. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
- Pet food and supplements, even when a vet prescribes them. Go Digit General Insurance
- Breeding, pregnancy and whelping, unless an add-on covers birth complications. Go Digit General Insurance
- Cosmetic surgery such as ear cropping and tail docking. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
- Taxi or transport costs to and from the vet. Go Digit General Insurance
- Diseases your pet was not vaccinated against when the vet advised it. Go Digit General Insurance
- Claims arising outside India, and injury from racing, fighting or commercial guarding. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
How do you check a policy covers what you need?
Petym’s working from the official rules, no government publishes a total.
Petym's reading of how to use a wording. Ask the insurer in writing about anything unclear.
If You live where tick fever is common and want it covered
Look for the words babesiosis and ehrlichiosis in the wording, or a vector-borne disease add-on, and check its cap. Keep up the tick prevention your vet advises regardless. Ticks and tick fever Go Digit General Insurance
If Your dog was adopted from the street or a shelter
Read the death and theft sections for any clause limiting them to pets you bought. How to Adopt an Indie Dog: Street, Shelter and Home Go Digit General Insurance
If You have a cat
Make sure the wording names cats. The Bajaj wording we read is for dogs only; the Digit wording lists cat vaccines, so it contemplates cats. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
If You worry about your dog biting someone
Add third-party liability, and note that both wordings pay only once a court or tribunal decides liability. Dog bite rules in India Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
If Your vaccine dates have slipped
Catch up with your vet before buying: both wordings refuse claims for diseases your pet was not vaccinated against. Puppy and dog vaccination schedule Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in)
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Does pet insurance cover vet consultation fees in India?
- Only within certain sections. In the Digit wording, the vet's consultation fee is paid as part of a hospitalisation or specific illness claim, and outpatient visits are covered only for a listed set of illnesses if you choose that section. Routine check-ups are not covered. Bajaj's outpatient cover also lists specific illnesses only.
Does pet insurance cover tick fever?
- Not always. In the Digit wording, vector-borne diseases such as babesiosis and ehrlichiosis are excluded from hospitalisation unless you buy a separate add-on with its own cap, and tick prevention is never covered. The Bajaj dog wording we read does not name tick fever. Check your own wording for these disease names.
Is my cat covered by pet insurance in India?
- Only if the policy says so. The Bajaj Allianz wording we read is a dog-only policy. The Digit wording lists cat vaccines among its conditions, so it is written to include cats. Ask the insurer in writing and read the whole wording before you buy.
Does pet insurance pay if my dog dies?
- If you bought a death (mortality) section. Bajaj pays when the dog dies of illness or accident, or is put to sleep for incurable suffering, but not from a disease it was not vaccinated against. Digit excludes euthanasia and pays only for pets you bought, not adopted or gifted ones.
Does pet insurance cover my dog biting someone?
- Third-party liability sections cover your legal liability and defence costs if your pet injures a person or damages property. Both wordings we read pay only once a court or tribunal decides you are liable, and exclude injuries to your own family, staff or anyone paid to look after or train the pet.
Keep reading
- Is pet insurance worth it in India?Waiting periods, age limits, and when cover makes sense.
- Dog vaccination scheduleThe vaccines both policies expect your dog to have.
- Ticks on dogs
- Dog bite rules in India
- Find a 24-hour vet
Free tools for this
Words on this page, explained
Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Bajaj Allianz General Insurance (policy wording filed with IRDAI, copy on irdai.gov.in): Bajaj Allianz Pet Dog Insurance Policy: policy wordings (UIN IRDAN113RP0029V01201920) (opens in a new tab)
- Go Digit General Insurance: Digit Pet Insurance Policy: policy wordings (UIN IRDAN158RP0006V01202223) (opens in a new tab)