Updated: October 14, 2026
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Standard pet insurance coverage exclude routine grooming. Some optional wellness plans may reimburse costs for services like nail trimming and deshedding, depending on the provider.
MoneyGeek’s analysis found that only Embrace and Wagmo offer grooming coverage through their optional wellness plans, with annual benefit limits from $100 to $700.
Consider your pet's breed and health needs, along with your annual budget, to determine if paying extra for pet insurance with grooming coverage makes financial sense.
Pet insurance doesn’t cover routine grooming such as nail trims, baths or haircuts because these are part of regular pet care, not medical treatment.
However, coverage options may apply when grooming becomes medically necessary due to skin conditions, infections, or injuries that require professional care.
Some pet insurers give you reimbursement for grooming costs if a licensed vet prescribes the grooming to treat a covered medical condition. Whether yours does depends on your insurer.
Some wellness plans include routine grooming like nail trims and ear cleaning, but coverage differs a lot from one insurer to another. Some accident and illness policies may also cover grooming that a vet prescribes to treat a condition like a skin infection, as long as it happens after the waiting period ends.
Few pet insurers cover grooming, so read your plan details closely before you assume you're covered.
Based on MoneyGeek’s analysis of leading pet insurance providers, only a few offer grooming coverage through their optional wellness plans.
Embrace's Wellness Rewards covers grooming expenses as part of its flexible wellness plans, which come in three annual allowance options: $300, $500 or $700. The plan reimburses for everyday grooming costs like toenail trimming and medicated shampoos. | |
Wagmo Wellness offers limited grooming coverage through its Classic and Deluxe wellness plans. The Classic plan provides up to $100 in annual limit for grooming expenses, while the Deluxe plan covers up to $200. Covered services include nail trims, deshedding, gland expressions and standard bath and brush grooming. |
Coverage details also vary by state and individual policy terms. Always review your specific policy documents for exact coverage terms and exclusions.
Since grooming usually isn’t part of pet insurance, think about whether adding it to your pet insurance is worth it for your pet.
Long-haired breeds like Persian cats, Poodles and Golden Retrievers need professional grooming every six to eight weeks in most cases to keep their coats healthy and free of mats. At about $75 a session, that's about $450 a year. A wellness plan with grooming benefits can help cover that cost.
Pets with skin conditions, allergies or mobility problems may need grooming more frequently, or special services that cost more than standard grooming. Conditions like seborrhea or hot spots may call for medicated baths, which add $200 to $400 a year to grooming costs. If your pet's health affects its grooming needs, getting pet insurance with grooming coverage can lower those costs over time.
Compare what you spend on grooming in a year with the cost of a wellness plan to decide whether the extra coverage pays off. Wellness plans reimburse you, so you pay the groomer up front, file a claim and get paid back based on your policy's deductible, annual limit and reimbursement rate.
Most pet insurers don't cover grooming, but some wellness plans include services like baths and nail trims. Embrace and Wagmo both include grooming in their wellness plans, with $100 to $700 a year in benefits. Before you shop for the best pet insurance with grooming coverage, compare how often your pet needs grooming and its health needs with the extra cost.
Standard pet insurance policies don't cover routine grooming expenses like nail trims, baths or haircuts. These services are considered regular maintenance rather than medical treatments.
However, some wellness plans may reimburse routine grooming costs and accident and illness policies might cover grooming when it becomes medically necessary due to skin conditions or infections that require professional care prescribed by your veterinarian.
Based on MoneyGeek's analysis, only Embrace and Wagmo offer grooming coverage through their optional wellness plans, which typically increase pet insurance costs. Embrace's Wellness Rewards provides three annual allowance options of $300, $500 or $700 for grooming expenses, while Wagmo Wellness offers up to $100 for grooming under its Classic Plan and up to $200 under its Deluxe Plan. Before purchasing, compare multiple quotes and read the fine print to get the cheapest pet insurance with quality grooming coverage.
Depending on the insurer, covered grooming services may include nail trims, deshedding, and standard bath and brush grooming.
With a wellness plan, you pay for grooming up front, then file claims to get reimbursed under your policy's terms.
It may be, if a vet says grooming is medically necessary to treat a covered condition like a skin infection, seborrhea or hot spots. Coverage depends on your insurer, so check your policy documents for the exact terms.
Connor Bolton is Senior SEO and Content Manager at MoneyGeek, where he leads the business and pet insurance editorial teams. He sets the research framework, data standards and content structure for his team. All content goes through his accuracy review before publication. Connor also writes in-depth guides and has spent more than four years covering insurance products across personal, commercial and specialty lines.
The research infrastructure Connor built covers auto, home, renters, life, health, business and pet insurance across pricing analysis, carrier research, customer experience and coverage evaluation. It includes over 6 million data points for business insurance across 408 industry areas, all 50 states and 16 vehicle types. The pet insurance side covers over 5 million profiles across 18 major providers, 100+ breeds and ages up to 20 years. Connor’s insurance research and his team's work have been cited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, CBS News, Forbes and LegalZoom.
Connor also talks with underwriters and carrier liaisons at Ethos, The Hartford, ERGO NEXT, Nationwide and State Farm, and monitors business and pet owner communities on Reddit. Those sources shape how his team evaluates carriers, structures rate analysis and writes content for real pet owners.
Questions about MoneyGeek's business or pet insurance content? Reach him at connor@moneygeek.com or on LinkedIn.
