# Insurance for vets, veterinary practices and animal hospitals in Germany

> A show jumper that does not get up after anaesthesia, a dog that leaps off the table during an X-ray, an owner kicked by her horse: a vet practice brings together valuable patients, frightened animals and costly equipment. This page shows how to protect all of that, when professional indemnity is compulsory in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-veterinary-practice.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Does the insurer pay if an animal dies after anaesthesia?

If there was a treatment error, yes: professional indemnity pays the value of the animal and consequential costs, which for sport horses can quickly reach six figures. An anaesthetic risk you explained properly beforehand is not an error, and the insurer defends you against unjustified claims. If you treat horses, check the limit and how valuable animals are assessed very carefully.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Depends on the federal state: the professional codes of some state veterinary chambers (Landestierärztekammern) require professional indemnity, for example in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, others only recommend it
- **Biggest risk:** Treatment errors on valuable animals, above all horses, and injuries to owners
- **Basic cover from:** around 260 euros a year for the professional indemnity of a small animal practice
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGW (the Berufsgenossenschaft for health and welfare), compulsory for every practice with employees
- **Often forgotten:** Animals in your care: damage to animals kept as inpatients must be explicitly included
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 75.00 Veterinärwesen

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Valuable patients:** Breeding and sport horses, pedigree dogs and breeding stock are worth a lot. A mistake in anaesthesia, surgery or medication is expensive accordingly.
- **Owners at risk:** While holding the animal, an owner is kicked by a horse, bitten by a dog or scratched by a cat. Injured owners or helpers claim damages for pain and suffering.
- **Animals in your care:** An inpatient dog escapes and is hit by a car, a cat injures itself in its cage. This needs its own cover.
- **Equipment:** X-ray, ultrasound, anaesthesia machines and the lab often add up to six figures and are vulnerable to power surges and operating errors.
- **Medicines:** Controlled drugs and veterinary medicines in stock attract burglars and must be stored securely.
- **Bites and zoonoses:** Vets and veterinary nurses are often bitten, kicked or infected. Any absence in the team hits the practice straight away.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 3, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 3, Health 4

## The insurance you need

- **Professional indemnity** (Essential): Covers treatment errors on animals plus injury and property damage in the practice and on farm visits; compulsory under the professional code in some states. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-professional-indemnity.php
- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory for every vehicle; an ambulatory practice visiting farms and stables needs own damage cover that includes the equipment on board. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces furniture, instruments and drug stocks after fire, escape of water and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): Insures X-ray, ultrasound, anaesthesia and lab equipment against breakage, power surges and operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays rent, salaries and lost profit if the practice has to close after damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): The professional pension scheme (Versorgungswerk) often pays only for total disability; a kick or an allergy can end your work with animals. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For practice software, online booking and client data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends mainly on the species you treat: pure small animal practices pay much less than mixed practices with horses. The number of vets, the sum insured and the value of equipment also count.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Professional indemnity | Small animal practice with one vet, 3 million euros cover | around 260 to 700 euros a year |
| Professional indemnity | Mixed practice with horses, two vets, 5 million euros cover | around 800 to 2,500 euros a year |
| Business contents | Furniture, instruments and medicines worth 150,000 euros | around 300 to 800 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | X-ray, ultrasound and lab worth 150,000 euros | around 500 to 1,400 euros a year |
| Cyber insurance | Practice with online booking and practice software | around 300 to 900 euros a year |

For comparison: Professional indemnity and contents cover for a small animal practice cost about as much a year as ten to fifteen vaccination appointments for dogs.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The entry premium comes from published tariff examples, the other figures are guide values from our own quoting experience. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [finanzchecks.de: Berufshaftpflicht für Tierärzte](https://www.finanzchecks.de/berufshaftpflichtversicherung/tierarzt)
- [Online Vergleich Versicherung: Berufshaftpflicht Tierarzt](https://www.online-vergleich-versicherung.de/gewerbeversicherung/berufshaftpflicht-tierarzt/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (Ambulatory practice or small animal practice at start-up): Professional indemnity, Car insurance. Together: around 800 to 1,600 euros a year
- **Practice** (Small animal practice with X-ray, lab and a team): Professional indemnity, Business contents, Electronic equipment, Business interruption. Together: around 1,500 to 3,500 euros a year
- **Hospital** (Mixed practice or animal hospital with horses, inpatient ward and emergency service): Professional indemnity, Business contents, Electronic equipment, Business interruption, Car insurance, Cyber insurance. Together: around 4,000 to 10,000 euros a year

## The worst day in a vet practice

Six things that really happen in vet practices, all on a single Thursday. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 07:50: During a lameness examination on a farm, a horse kicks the owner who is holding it. Broken bone, damages for pain and suffering. (€15,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 10:20: A dressage horse fails to recover after colic surgery; the owner alleges an anaesthetic error. (€60,000, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 12:40: An inpatient dog slips through the open gate on its walk and is hit by a car. (€3,500, Paid by: Professional indemnity)
- 14:15: Power surge after a thunderstorm: the digital X-ray and the lab analyser are broken. (€38,000, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 16:30: The practice car slides off a farm track into the ditch, damaging the vehicle and equipment. (€12,000, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 23:10: Break-in through the back window: controlled drugs, the endoscope and the cash till are gone. (€16,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €144,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Ask your state veterinary chamber whether its professional code requires liability cover and with what minimum sum.
- If you treat horses, choose at least 5 million euros cover and check any limits per animal.
- Have animals in your care, inpatients and boarding animals explicitly included in your liability cover.
- Insure X-ray and ultrasound under an electronics policy with cover away from the premises if devices travel with you.
- Include radiation protection and the operation of X-ray equipment in your liability cover and keep to the inspection deadlines.
- Think about income protection: bites, kicks and allergies end careers in veterinary medicine more often than in most professions.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We compare tariffs for the animals you treat:** As a broker we collect quotes from several insurers and check that horses, farm animals and animals in your care are insured the way you actually work.
- **Claims handling from our own practice:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. We know how much consent forms and records matter when an owner makes a claim.
- **Practice, vehicle and family in one place:** Liability, equipment, the practice car, pensions and your private cover are all looked after together.
- **Family business since 1989:** Free of charge for you, as the insurer pays our commission. You have fixed contacts, even after a night on emergency duty.

## FAQ

### Is professional indemnity compulsory for vets in Germany?

It depends on the federal state. Some state veterinary chambers require it in their professional code, others only recommend it. Either way, you are liable for mistakes with your entire personal wealth.

### What does professional indemnity for vets cost?

For pure small animal practices it starts at around 260 euros a year. Mixed practices with horses pay more like 800 to 2,500 euros.

### Are owners covered when they help during treatment?

If an owner is injured while holding the animal and you or your team made a mistake, professional indemnity pays. If the injury was purely down to the animal's nature, the owner's own animal liability insurance may have to pay.

### Who pays if an animal is harmed on the inpatient ward?

Professional indemnity, if animals in your care are included. Without this extension the insurer can refuse.

### Do I need separate insurance for the X-ray machine?

For damage to the machine itself, yes, through electronics insurance. Damage caused by operating the equipment falls under liability cover if radiation protection is included.

### Which statutory accident insurer is responsible?

The BGW, the Berufsgenossenschaft for health and welfare services. Membership is compulsory for employees, and practice owners can join voluntarily.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-veterinary-practice.php#anfrage

---

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.