Ticks & Parasite Prevention
Pet Insurance Optional Cover
If you’re the kind of pet parent who checks behind your dog’s ears after every bush walk, you already know how real tick paralysis is in Australia. Treatment can escalate quickly, and so can the costs that follow. Prevention never really stops, either. Insurance with cover for flea and tick, including dog or cat tick paralysis cover, helps protect against sudden emergencies. Adding Optional Routine Care can help ease the ongoing cost of keeping ticks at bay.
Prevent and Protect with
Routine Care7 & Illness Cover
If you live near bushland, the coast, or anywhere ticks thrive, prevention is part of life. You check their coat after walks. You keep up with tablets or collars. You try not to miss a dose, because missing one can mean dealing with a scary emergency tick paralysis treatment.
The non-insurance benefit of Routine Care7 helps with that everyday reality by providing up to $200 per year towards eligible wellness items, including flea and tick treatments. It won’t eliminate the cost, but it does take some of the sting out of staying consistent. Even a careful owner misses ticks. It only takes one. And when tick paralysis sets in, things can escalate quickly. Hospital stays, anti-serum, and intensive monitoring. That’s where the Illness section of the policy steps in.
Tick paralysis is covered as an illness, and Pet Insurance Australia doesn’t apply a sub-limit to tick claims. This policy is designed to cover eligible tick paralysis treatment, not just minor parasite issues.
You’re not capped at a small amount like $500. You can claim up to your full annual benefit limit if treatment becomes serious. When hours matter, that difference matters.
How to Include Tick Cover in Your Policy
Putting tick protection in place isn’t complicated. Start with an Accidental Injury & Illness quote, as that is what covers eligible treatment costs if paralysis occurs. If you also want help with the cost of prevention, toggle on the Routine Care7 option. That way, you’re not just covered if something goes wrong, you’re also getting support for the tablets or collars you already buy each year.
You can then choose to claim back 70%, 80% or 90% of eligible vet bills, depending on the level of cover that feels right for your budget. Just keep in mind that tick paralysis is treated as an illness, so the standard 30-day waiting period applies. The key is to have your policy active before a tick is ever found.
How You Could Save with Routine Care7 & Illness Plans
Tick paralysis treatment costs commonly range between $3,326 and $57,482*. In severe cases, especially where ventilation or intensive care is needed, costs can exceed $10,000 in just a few days.
When your dog suddenly can’t stand, or your cat’s breathing changes, the last thing you want to think about is the cost of anti-serum or emergency hospitalisation. But without cover, the full invoice lands on you.
With Illness Cover, eligible treatment costs can be reimbursed up to your chosen percentage and annual limit. Routine Care7 can also return up to $200 each year towards preventative flea and tick medication. Prevention reduces risk. And if paralysis does occur, protection means the focus stays where it belongs, on getting them through it.
Full Circle Protection:
Beyond Ticks
For many owners, ticks are the wake-up call. They’re the reason you start looking into pet insurance cover. Once you see how quickly paralysis treatment and emergency hospitalisation can escalate, it becomes clear that ticks are only one part of the bigger picture.
The same policy that helps cover expenses for tick paralysis can also help with**:
– Cancer treatment
– Unexpected surgeries
– Hereditary conditions
– Serious illnesses that have nothing to do with tick season
With annual benefit limits of $15,000, $25,000 or $35,000, you’re not relying on a small capped amount that disappears after one major claim.
You can also choose an excess between $0, $100, $300 or $600 to shape your premium. And under the Covered for Life promise, eligible chronic conditions during the policy year can continue to be covered in future years, providing your policy remains active.
Because once you’ve experienced how quickly one health issue can unfold, it makes you think about being prepared should it happen again.
What Else Can You Include?
If you want a bit more than just emergency cover, Booster Care13 adds support for dental illness and therapies like physio or hydro when recovery takes longer than expected.
Routine Care7 can also help with the regular stuff. Vaccinations. Microchipping. Deworming. The things you book in every year and still end up paying for all at once.
Pair those with your core Illness Cover, and you’re covering the big moments and the everyday ones without having to choose between them.
Don’t Wait for Tick Season to Hit
In many parts of Australia, ticks are a year-round threat. Warmer weather increases the risk, but cases still happen outside peak season.
Illness Cover has a 30-day waiting period, which means the safest time to act is before tick season ramps up. Protection put in place now can give you options later, when timing and treatment decisions matter most.
Get Started with Pet Insurance Australia
When your pet is suddenly unwell, everything else fades into the background. The last thing you want in that moment is to be worrying about how you’re going to pay for it.
With GapOnly®11, participating vets can process claims on the spot, so you pay only your portion of the bill instead of the full invoice upfront. MyPetPass5 also gives you 24/7 access to video vet consults10, so you’re never left guessing when something feels off.
You can use the quick online quote tool to gain a quote in minutes and put cover in place before you ever need it. Because when it comes to ticks, acting early is one of the simplest ways to look after the one who depends on you the most.
**Policy T&Cs, limits, exclusions and waiting periods apply.
*PetSure Health Monitor 2025
