- Embrace’s average submitted claim reached $432 in Q2 2026, up 6.9% year over year, while the median claim increased 5% to $183.
- Claims for lameness averaged $453 but reached more than $13,000, while CCL tear claims averaged $1,436 and reached nearly $15,000.
- Vomiting claims averaged $587 but reached as high as $11,310; diarrhea averaged $222, with the highest claim reaching $5,846.
- Embrace reimbursed policyholders $62.9 million during the quarter.
- The largest individual claim payment was $40,517 for a small mixed-breed dog treated for a mitral valve-related heart condition.
New claims data from Embrace Pet Insurance illustrate how veterinary costs can vary substantially among pets presenting with the same diagnosis or clinical concern.
During the second quarter of 2026, claims involving lameness averaged $453 but reached more than $13,000. Cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) tear claims averaged $1,436, with the highest approaching $15,000.
Claims involving vomiting, one of the more common diagnoses in Embrace’s data, averaged $587 but reached $11,310. Diarrhea claims averaged $222, while the quarter’s highest diarrhea claim totaled $5,846.
“Something as common as vomiting or a limp can have many different causes, and you often don’t know what you’re dealing with until a veterinarian examines the pet and starts the diagnostic process,” said Liza Cahn, DVM, veterinary consultant at Embrace Pet Insurance.
Depending on the underlying condition, Cahn noted, cases may progress from relatively straightforward treatment to advanced diagnostics, hospitalization, surgery or specialty care.
Average claim climbs nearly 7%
Embrace reported an average submitted claim of $432 between April 1 and June 30, a 6.9% increase from $404 during the same period in 2025. The median claim increased 5% to $183.
The insurer reimbursed policyholders $62.9 million during the quarter and reported reaching 7.5 million claims submitted since the company’s founding.
The increases occurred alongside broader growth in veterinary service prices. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, veterinary service prices were 5.1% higher in June 2026 compared with June 2025.
Among Embrace’s 20 most frequently claimed single diagnoses, CCL tears recorded the largest year-over-year increase in average claim amount, rising $54. Average vomiting claims increased $43, diabetes claims rose $41, skin mass claims increased $40 and Cushing’s disease claims increased $33.
Largest claim exceeds $40,000
The quarter’s largest individual claim involved a small mixed-breed dog treated for a heart condition involving the mitral valve. Embrace reimbursed $40,517, which the company said was the largest individual claim payment in its history.
Other high-cost cases included a $30,739 claim for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel treated for injuries following a dog bite and a $29,897 claim for a Rottweiler treated for heat stroke.
Breed-level data also showed differences in average claims. Among high-claim-volume purebred dogs, French Bulldogs had the highest average at $575, followed by Golden Retrievers at $530 and Labrador Retrievers at $527.
Among high-claim-volume purebred cats, Maine Coons had the highest average claim at $727, followed by Siamese cats at $553 and Ragdolls at $532.
The figures reflect claims submitted to Embrace and therefore represent the company’s insured population rather than veterinary patients or pet owners nationally.
Information sourced from Embrace Pet Insurance’s press release and Q2 2026 internal claims data.
