The top dog insurance providers let you personalize coverage depending on your protection requirements and budget, as well as provide discounts, 24/7 availability to licensed veterinarians for consultation, and wellness and regular care alternatives. The A to Z Animals team reviewed the top five pet insurance providers in the field and compared their plans, price, and perks to help you discover the best dog insurance provider for you and your four-legged friend.
What is Dog Insurance?
Insurance for your dog is a type of health insurance that safeguards Rover from injuries and unforeseen diseases while also saving you money on vet bills. Apart from human health insurance coverage, a pet insurance company does not pay your veterinarian immediately. Rather, once you leave the appointment with your vet, the insurance company reimburses you for the entire or partial amount of your vet bill. You pay for any care charges from your licensed veterinarian in the United States and submit a reimbursement claim. After plenty of research, our team has determined Lemonade as the best overall insurance for your dog. It has competitive pricing, fantastic customer service, comprehensive coverage, and is widely available. Lemonade is great because dog parents like yourself can choose from a variety of coverage limits. Not everyone needs the same coverage and we found this to be convenient for unique situations. We got the wellness plan for a 12-year-old German Shephard and were glad to find out that Lemonade doesn’t have strict age limits like other pet insurance companies. The wellness plan provides routine care coverage with the exception of behavioral treatments and dental care. If you like one package but find something else you want from another, Lemonade has affordable coverage boost add-ons that make each plan much more customizable. Some of the add-ons include therapy and acupuncture. One thing it could improve on is being more available. At the time of writing this article, Lemonade only serves 35 states. Pet parents can feel good about Lemonade’s charitable giveback program and love the 48-hour waiting period for accidents. Many insurance providers for pets can take several days to get back to you about your reimbursement claim and the 48-hour limit makes you feel more in control. Monthly rates for ordinary Lemonade insurance are roughly $15–$30 every month for canines and $9–$15 each month for cats, according to our research. Complete this easy online form to receive a free estimate from Lemonade.
2. Best Variety: Spot
For the most personalized pet insurance coverage, look to Spot. We picked Spot because of its insurance options, premiums, and plan prices, among other factors. Spot has one of the most affordable accident-only policies on the market, with seven yearly limit options ranging from $2,500 to limitless, three compensation levels, and five-yearly deductibles, making it ideal for people who simply need minimum coverage. One of our writers with a few adorable Labrador Retrievers gave Spot a try because they offer a 10% discount for customers with multiple pets. They were impressed that the standard plan from Spot includes microchipping, allowing pet parents to feel at ease about their dog’s safety. Something this insurance company could improve on is the waiting period for accidents. It often takes around 14 days and Spot doesn’t cover pets under eight weeks old. While pre-existing health conditions, cosmetic operations, and breeding expenditures are excluded from Spot’s policies, its two options cover either accidents or both accidents and diseases. It covers protection for exam and vet visit expenses, as well as two flat-rate wellness plan alternatives. Customers may personalize their plans by choosing from a variety of compensation choices, yearly coverage limitations, and annual deductibles. Monthly rates for ordinary Spot coverage are roughly $15–$25 a month for dogs and $10–$15 a month for cats, according to our findings. Complete this simple online form to receive a free estimate from Spot.
3. Best for Budget: Embrace
Embrace takes the top rank for the best budget choice, with points for its plan’s pricing, customization, and extra features. Embrace’s poor coverage limits and limited customer service hours could be improved. This insurer is recommended for anybody who wishes to prioritize cost since it provides five deductible alternatives and a Healthy Pet Deductible advantage, a declining deductible benefit that reduces your premium by $50 each year you don’t submit a claim. We enjoy how easy it is to get a hold of a customer service agent via their online chat form. Embrace is one of the few dog insurance companies that leans into technology, even offering policy management on their mobile app. Embrace has two plans: one for accidents and sickness and another for wellbeing. Pre-existing diseases and aesthetic, cosmetic, or voluntary operations are all excluded. Embrace also provides an optional Wellness Rewards program for routine treatment to aid with expenditures like vet examinations and other services to keep your dog healthy. Monthly rates for ordinary Embrace insurance are roughly $25–$55 a month for canines and $20–$30 each month for felines. In Rhode Island, the Wellness Rewards program is not available. Input your pet’s breed, gender, and location on the Embrace website to obtain an instant estimate.
4. Best Holistic: Fetch by The Dodo
Fetch takes the top rank for the best holistic option because of its comprehensive accident and illness coverage. Pet owners who desire holistic care coverage, which is generally limited or omitted by many other pet insurance carriers, should choose this service. Fetch covers your entire pet with holistic care therapies including stem cell treatment, homeotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupressure, chiropractic care, and laser therapy. This happens when a registered veterinarian recommends it. It also covers behavioral therapy for up to $1,000. We like how easy to use and helpful Fetch’s mobile app. They make it simple to manage your policy and file claims. There’s a nice 15% discount for every year you renew their service without filing a claim. Some areas for improvement include the required annual dental exams and checkups. We also didn’t love the long waiting period of over two weeks. Fetch offers a single plan that covers your dog’s unforeseen accidents. It also covers fractured bones, dental ailments, cancer, intestinal sickness, genetic problems, chronic conditions, behavioral issues, and more. Cosmetic operations or pre-existing health issues that occur prior to or during the 15-day waiting period are not covered. It also doesn’t have any wellness or preventative care coverage options. You may tailor your coverage and rates by selecting from a variety of alternatives. Fetch also covers a few extra expenses. This includes boarding expenses if your pooch is in the hospital for more than four days. As well as, marketing and incentive money for lost or stolen dogs, and trip cancellation fees if the incident is covered. Monthly rates for ordinary Fetch plans are roughly $35–$45 each month for canines and $15–$25 a month for cats. Use Fetch’s convenient online quote tool to get a free estimate.
5. Best Unlimited Coverage: Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws provides limitless coverage with no yearly, lifetime, or per-incident payout caps. Because Healthy Paws’ mission is to provide you with the greatest coverage at the best price, their quotation tool includes a comparison option that suggests alternative pet insurance companies if your quoted rate is higher than usual. One of the biggest perks of Healthy Paws is that it processes claims incredibly quickly and the insurer offers direct deposit. We also feel good knowing that they donate to homeless pets every time there’s a pet insurance quote. The 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee is a great incentive as well. There is just one accident and sickness plan offered by Healthy Paws, with no add-on choices. Cancer treatments, examinations, operations, hospitalization, ultrasound scans, blood work, X-rays, emergency care, specialist care, alternative therapies, and prescription drugs are all covered under this pet insurance policy. It also covers inherited, chronic, and genetic diseases, as long as your pet’s symptoms appear after the policy’s effective date. Pre-existing conditions, spaying or neutering, dental services, preventive medicine, elective surgeries, or hip dysplasia procedures within the first year of the coverage are not covered by this dog insurance plan. Monthly rates for typical Healthy Paws coverage are roughly $30–$65 a month for dog coverage and $20–$30 every month for cat coverage, according to our research. Use the easy online pricing tool to obtain a free quote from Healthy Paws. After obtaining your price, you’ll have the ability to check plan costs with other leading providers if your estimate is too expensive.
Choosing the Best: What to Look For
Do you want pet insurance that constantly goes above and above, or do you want to keep your costs low by purchasing accident-only coverage that excludes pet illnesses? Maybe you’re searching for something in between?
Yearly Maximum Payout
In most cases, you’ll be offered the option of setting an annual maximum payment amount. This is the maximum amount that your pet insurance policy will pay out each year. Payment choices for pet insurance plans range from $5,000 to an unlimited amount. If you pick an unlimited payout, your premium will be more, but you won’t have to worry about exceeding your yearly restrictions if your pet requires expensive treatment.
Reimbursement Amount
You’ll choose a reimbursement level when purchasing a plan; the lower the payout tier, the cheaper your pet insurance costs will be. The most common reimbursement alternatives are 70%, 80%, or 90%.
Deductible
If you pick a higher deductible, your monthly pet insurance price will be lower. Deductibles of $100, $250, and $500 are the most prevalent. Once your deductible has been met, you can send your vet expenditures to your pet insurance carrier for reimbursement. Some companies have a lifetime per-condition deductible. This is unique in that you only pay it once for every new condition, instead of restarting it every year.
The Different Types of Dog Insurance Coverage
Understanding what the policy covers is crucial when it comes to any form of insurance. For instance, if your dog is prone to seizures, such as a beagle, you should look for it in their insurance policy. Here are the three most common forms of dog insurance coverage.
Accident Coverage
This is the least expensive option, with the lowest reimbursements for procedures. It will help to cover the costs of unintended injuries and poisonings. These policies often feature an annual deductible, a maximum payout for incident or sickness reimbursements, and, in certain situations, a maximum payout for overall compensation throughout the duration of the insurance period.
Accident and Illness Coverage
It costs more than accident coverage, but it comes with more benefits. These include coverage for basic medical treatment, such as vet visits, medications, tests, and X-rays, as well as reimbursement for accidents, emergencies, and infections. They have lower annual deductibles than accident-only insurance, but maximum payments for each accident and illness. Total benefits are usually limited over the course of the insurance policy.
Wellness Coverage
This coverage covers regular checkups, allergies, worm and parasite management, and vaccines. There is normally no deductible for wellness care, however, some procedures and surgeries may have a small fee.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, pet insurance may save you a lot of money in the long term, especially if you buy it when your dog is young. There are several advantages to obtaining pet insurance if you intend to keep your pet for a long period. While most providers demand you to pay in advance and then get a refund later, it eliminates paying the full cost yourself.
