Looking for Veterinary Services Insurance?
Protect your veterinary practice from malpractice claims, animal injuries, professional liability, and data breaches. Get coverage for veterinarians, animal hospitals, and mobile vet services.
What is Veterinary Services Insurance?
Veterinary insurance protects animal care practices from malpractice claims, animal injuries, professional errors, and property damage. Coverage includes professional liability, general liability, and animal bailee coverage. State licensing boards, clients, and lenders require proof of insurance before practice or financing.
Veterinary Malpractice:
Coverage for treatment errors, surgical mistakes, or negligent animal care.
Animal Care Liability:
Protects against injuries to animals in your care or custody.
Facility Protection:
Covers clinic property, equipment, and veterinary assets.
Certificates:
Fast proof for licensing boards, landlords, and clients.
Who Needs Veterinary Services Insurance?
- Veterinary Clinics : Businesses requiring specialized insurance coverage
- Animal Hospitals : Businesses requiring specialized insurance coverage
- Mobile Veterinarians : Businesses requiring specialized insurance coverage
- Emergency Vet Services : Businesses requiring specialized insurance coverage
Why Harper?
Veterinary Practice Expertise
We understand vet practice risks—malpractice claims, animal injuries, bite incidents, and HIPAA compliance. Get coverage for small animal, large animal, exotic, or emergency veterinary services.
Fast Proof for Licensing
State veterinary boards may require malpractice coverage. We deliver certificates quickly for licensing compliance.
Clear Simple Guidance
We explain veterinary malpractice, bailee's coverage, and practice insurance requirements clearly.
Tailored to Your Practice
Match coverage to your services—small animal clinic, large animal, mobile practice, emergency services, or specialty veterinary care.
Frequently Asked Questions
What insurance do veterinarians need?
Veterinary practices need professional liability (malpractice) for treatment errors, surgical mistakes, or misdiagnosis causing animal injury or death, general liability for client injuries at clinics or bite incidents, and care, custody, and control coverage (bailee's) for animals boarding or hospitalized. Property coverage protects clinic equipment, surgical instruments, and diagnostic machinery, while business interruption covers revenue during facility closures. Cyber liability addresses veterinary record security, and workers' compensation covers staff injuries, including animal-related incidents.
Is veterinary malpractice insurance required?
While most states don't legally require veterinarians to carry malpractice insurance for licensing, some states are implementing requirements, and professional standards increasingly expect coverage. Clients entrusting expensive animals (show dogs, breeding stock, performance horses) often request proof of insurance before treatment. Partnership and employment contracts typically require veterinarians to maintain malpractice coverage. Even where not required, malpractice claims can financially devastate practices without insurance.
How much does veterinary insurance cost?
Solo small animal veterinarians pay $3,000–$8,000 annually for malpractice and practice coverage. Multi-veterinarian clinics pay $10,000 to $30,000+ annually. Emergency veterinary hospitals and specialty practices pay $20,000 to $75,000+ annually. Large animal and equine vets often pay more due to higher claim severity. Costs depend on the number of veterinarians, practice type (emergency and surgery have higher rates), animals treated, revenue, whether boarding animals, claims history, and coverage limits.
Does insurance cover surgical errors?
Veterinary malpractice coverage protects against claims from surgical errors, anesthesia complications, or procedural mistakes causing animal injury or death. Coverage applies when procedures are within the veterinarian's training and competency, proper protocols are followed, and clients are informed of risks. Attempting procedures outside expertise areas, failing to obtain informed consent, or grossly negligent surgical practices could result in coverage denial.
Does insurance cover animals in boarding?
Care, custody, and control coverage (bailee's coverage) protects animals boarding at veterinary facilities or hospitalized for treatment from injury, illness, escape, or death while in the practice's care. Coverage applies when reasonable animal care standards and facility security are maintained. Animals with pre-existing conditions, those kept against veterinary recommendations, or facilities with inadequate safety measures may face coverage complications.
Can practices require employee insurance?
Veterinary practices employing associate veterinarians typically require them to carry individual professional liability insurance in addition to practice coverage, or the practice policy must specifically cover all employed veterinarians. Employment contracts specify insurance requirements, minimum limits (typically $1-2 million per occurrence), and whether coverage must be occurrence-based or if claims-made with tail coverage is acceptable. This protects both the practice and individual veterinarians.