Travel insurance covering cancellation or interruption due to pet illness?

[Scuba]

Does anyone know of a policy that would cover costs if we have to cancel or cut a trip short due to a pet illness? From my research, it looks like the “cancel for any reason” is the only policy that would cover cancelling the trip, and I haven’t found anything covering trip interruption in the event of a serious pet illness. I guess travel insurance companies don’t consider pets family members.

I’m asking because we actually had to cancel a cruise years ago when our dog was diagnosed with cancer and lost 75% of the cruise fare. We had to cut a trip short in May when our dog got really ill and they were considering exploratory surgery. So the problem is real.

 

[donheff]

Some of the comprehensive plans at InsureMyTrip allow cancellation for any reason. You have to purchase the insurance soon after you make your first payment to qualify. The plans are not cheap.

 

[Trooper]

I have been wondering the same thing, scuba. From my cursory research I have found the same thing -- that "cancel for any reason" (CFAR) policies are the only ones where you (we) would be protected. And they're obviously quite expensive.

I did find one company that would honor their normal cancellation policy if the pet was a service animal. It was Allianz IIRC.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks. According to my research, the cancel for any reason policies would probably cover complete cancellation, but not necessarily interruption. Haven’t found one that covers that.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I leave my son a CC and trust him to handle any pet emergency.

 

[Scuba]

We would do the same with our pet sitter. However she requires payment up front with no refund possible if we come home early. She suggested that trip insurance would cover our risk if that were to occur. I can’t find a policy that covers this situation.

 

[Teacher Terry]

So your pet sitter covers issues and is willing deal with them so no problem.

 

[Bamaman]

I just returned from Paris, and had to get our Rottweiler out of the kennel @ $270. And that's just one trip for the year.

My wife wonders whether the dog life is worth the expenditure of a pet at our ages?

 

[Scuba]

So your pet sitter covers issues and is willing deal with them so no problem.

We cut our last trip short because our dog got sick and they were considering exploratory surgery based on observing him over the weekend. We decided since we were only 2 hours away, we’d come back and do the observing ourselves. No refund for the partial stay. Not a big deal because we only paid for a couple of days we didn’t use. This time though it could be much more significant as our trip is much longer. If we had to come home due to an injury to ourselves, severe sudden illness of us or our dog, etc., I’d rather not risk losing four figures.