Sanitas Pet Insurance: for dogs and cats

Yes, if you have a dog, insurance is mandatory. Law 7/2023 on Animal Welfare requires all dog owners in Spain to hold civil liability insurance for damage to third parties, regardless of the animal's breed, size or temperament. Sanitas Mascotas includes that civil liability coverage with €150,000 in coverage, so you comply with the law from day one. The difference compared with a liability-only policy, which runs around €3-6 a month, is that for €23.50 a month you also cover the dog's health: veterinary consultations and emergencies, annual vaccination, deworming, surgery, hospitalization and unlimited 24/7 veterinary video consultations. For cats, insurance isn't legally mandatory, but the €19.50 monthly premium gives them exactly the same veterinary care. At the office we can prepare both options for you in five minutes.

Your pet must be between 2 months and 9 years old at the time of enrollment, and must have a microchip, which is mandatory for identification. Outside that range, new enrollments aren't accepted: neither puppies younger than 2 months nor animals that have already passed 9 years old. What matters most is what happens afterward: once insured, the policy renews every year with no age limit, so your dog or cat stays covered as they get older, which is exactly when they need the most vet visits. From age 8 onward, an 18% senior surcharge applies on top of the base premium of €23.50 a month for dogs or €19.50 for cats; the calculator on this page already reflects that automatically once you enter the age. That's why it pays to insure as early as possible: you start young and just keep renewing.

No, illnesses and injuries prior to taking out the policy are excluded, as with all veterinary insurance policies on the market. If your dog already has a diagnosed injury or your cat has a chronic condition, that specific problem won't be covered, although the rest of the care continues to work as normal: annual vaccination, deworming, consultations, emergencies and any new illness or injury that arises after enrollment. This rule is why it's worth insuring your pet as a puppy or as early as possible, within the 2-month to 9-year enrollment range: the less medical history it carries, the more complete the coverage will be throughout its life, because once insured it renews every year with no age limit. If you're unsure whether something in your pet's history would count as a pre-existing condition, bring its vaccination booklet to the office and we'll review it with you.

The veterinary video consultation works through the app: you connect by video call with a veterinarian at any time, every day of the year, with no limit on consultations and no cost per call. It's the service that brings the most peace of mind day-to-day, because it resolves most concerns without you having to travel: the dog ate something strange on a Sunday night, the cat is limping slightly, a behavior issue comes up, or you're not sure whether a symptom is urgent. The veterinarian guides you immediately and, if the case requires it, refers you to the affiliated in-person veterinary network, where consultations, emergencies and, if needed, diagnostic tests, surgery and hospitalization are all covered. Since it's unlimited, you can also use it for small things, like nutrition questions or guidance for puppies, without worrying whether it's worth it: it's already included in your premium.

You can insure it, but under special conditions: potentially dangerous dogs are required by regulation to carry specific civil liability coverage, different from the standard €150,000 liability coverage that Sanitas Mascotas includes for other dogs. Each case is priced individually, so we can't give you a generic premium from this page: it depends on the breed, age and circumstances of the animal. The process is simple: bring us or send us your dog's details, meaning breed, age and microchip number, which is mandatory, and the office team will check coverage and the exact premium with Sanitas and confirm it to you with no obligation. Keep in mind that for PPP dogs the legal obligation to be insured is even stricter, and the municipal license requires proof of valid liability coverage, so it's worth sorting out before any town hall paperwork.

The real savings show up once you add up what you'd already be paying out of pocket. Annual vaccines and a check-up alone run €100-150 a year, almost half the cat's annual premium, and both are included in the policy along with deworming. But the real value is in the unexpected events: routine veterinary surgery costs between €500 and €3,000, an expense that blows any budget, and the policy covers it along with anesthesia and hospitalization. Add in consultations and emergencies within the affiliated network, unlimited 24/7 veterinary video consultations, and, for dogs, the €150,000 civil liability coverage that Law 7/2023 requires you to have anyway. With normal use, annual prevention plus the occasional scare, the €23.50 premium for a dog or €19.50 for a cat pays for itself.