No more paying in advance at the vet: Germany's first animal health insurance with a real insurance card is here!

No more paying in advance at the vet: Germany's first animal health insurance with a real insurance card is here!

Vetprotect24 from Cologne has ended what the major animal insurers have been refusing to do for 30 years

3,000 euros for cruciate ligament surgery. 5,000 euros for an abdominal cavity operation. 8,000 euros for colic in a horse. Due immediately. At the counter. Cash or card.

This is what everyday life looks like in German veterinary practices – in 2026!

While every person in Germany has been going to the doctor with an insurance card since 1995, millions of pet owners have to advance their bills.

Pay first, hope later, then wait for weeks. Some people pay for their dog's life with their overdraft.

Vetprotect24, based in Cologne, is the first company in Germany to bring a real insurance card for dogs, cats and horses onto the market. With QR code. With real-time coverage check. With direct billing. Just like with the family doctor – only for the animal.

The pet owner shows the card at the counter. The veterinarian scans the QR code with his smartphone. In seconds it is clear: contract is active. Waiting time expired. Treatment is ongoing. Payment at the counter: 0 euros.

The numbers speak for themselves:
70,000 insured animals, over 300,000 successful direct billings, 20,000 partner veterinary practices throughout Germany. 3.2 days average reimbursement time (industry average: 14 days), 98.7 percent reimbursement rate

“The industry has rested for 30 years”

Antonio Vella, founder of Vetprotect24, makes it clear: “Insurance cards have been standard for people for decades.
In animals? None!
For thirty years, the large animal insurers have rested on a business model in which the animal owner pays in advance - and checks the insurance at their leisure.

He elaborates: "We have experienced thousands of pet owners who stood in front of us with tears in their eyes. Because their dog had to be operated on - and they didn't know how they were going to pay 2,000 euros at once. That's not insurance. That's a sham."

Animals suffer – because their master overextends their overdrafts

The bitter reality: Thousands of pet owners in Germany do not take their sick animals to the vet despite having insurance. For one reason only: you cannot advance the invoice.
An emergency operation at three in the morning? First of all, 3,000 euros on the table. The pet owner gets the money back – at some point. If you don't have a buffer, wait and see. And the animal? Suffers. For days. Sometimes it dies because of it.

“It cannot be the case that animals in Germany have to suffer in 2026 because the billing system dates back to the 90s,” Vella continued.

Veterinarians are also victims of the system

Vella makes it clear: it’s not the veterinarians’ fault – it’s the system’s fault.

“The practices suffer just as much from the status quo,” says Vella.

"You write invoices. You send reminders. You cope with payment defaults. With our card you are paid directly by Barmenia - quickly, securely, without debt collection.
Finally they can concentrate on what they came for: the animals.”

In fact, the practices are flocking: Over 20,000 veterinarians have already joined the network - and the trend is increasing every week. This is how the insurance card works:
1. Show the card – like at the family doctor
2. Scan the QR code – smartphone is sufficient
3. Receive treatment – ​​without discussion, without credit check
4. Direct billing is ongoing - Barmenia pays directly to the vet tariff starting from 9.80 euros per month

Insurance with a card is available for cats from 9.80 euros per month, for dogs from 16.02 euros, and for horses from 39 euros. Up to 100 percent cost coverage. Unlimited veterinary costs. No right of termination in the event of a claim. Stiftung Warentest has already named VetProtect24 as the test winner.
The insurance card is included free of charge in every tariff. If you wish, you can even include a photo of your own animal.

The industry under pressure

What Vetprotect24 does is more than a “product launch”. It is a declaration of war on a market that has rested on its margins. The German animal insurance market is growing in double digits – real innovation? None. Until now.

“In five years no pet owner will be able to imagine having paid 2,000 euros in advance to have their dog rescued,” says Vella.
"We are doing for veterinary medicine what the eGK did for human medicine. And the industry will have to follow. Or disappear."

About Vetprotect24

Vetprotect24 is the umbrella brand of Dogprotect24 and Catprotect24 based in Cologne. The company has been on the market since 2016, looks after over 70,000 insured animals and was named test winner by Stiftung Warentest (issue 05/2025 - grade very good 1.3). The insurance benefit is provided by Barmenia Versicherung (founded in 1904). Vetprotect24 is the first provider in Germany to offer its own insurance card with QR code and direct billing for dogs, cats and horses.

Find out more about the insurance card here: www.vetprotect24.de

Vetprotect24 from Cologne is Germany's first animal health insurance company
with your own insurance card. The vet calculates directly using the QR code
with Barmenia – no advance payment, no paperwork. Over 70,000
insured animals, 20,000 partner veterinarians, test winner Stiftung Warentest

contact
Vetprotect24 animal health insurance from Barmenia
Antonio Vella
Höninger Weg 153a
50969 Cologne
022167811910

http://www.vetprotect24.de

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