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When a copperhead snake snuck up and bit Alyssa Singer’s Doberman, Miles, on the muzzle, she didn’t think twice about rushing her pup to the vet. But the $600 vet bill stopped her in her tracks. Miles was fine after a dose of antivenom and some TLC, but Alyssa’s bank account is still recovering. Melissa Vincent’s Bichon Frise, Fenway, needed not one but two knee surgeries to repair subluxated patellas, a relatively common orthopedic problem in the breed. Melissa ended up shelling out more than $4,000 to get Fenway back up and running again.
Pet Insurance Reviews
Pet health insurance has been a growing industry and a passion of our’s since 2007. We work hard to bring you unique, unbiased reviews by conducting research and getting customer feedback. Below are our top three picks for pet insurance reviews this year as well as our review criteria and what you should know about pet health insurance.
Our dog insurance reviews are constantly being updated so be sure to check in regularly for new information. Awards are given each year to help you find the best dog insurance company for your needs.
| Best | Runner-Up | 3rd Place |
 |  |  |
4.56 / 5.00 |
4.44 / 5.00 |
4.00 / 5.00 |
| Read Review | Read Review | Read Review |
| Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
Finding the best pet insurance can be a daunting task. That’s why we’ve done in-depth research and spoken with real customers for each company to bring you our top three picks this year. Below are some items you may want to check out to learn more about this subject.
- Open our pet insurance quotes to see an example of who offers the lowest prices.
Get 3 Free Pet Insurance Quotes
- Check out our SlideShare overview.
- See how others compare to our top three by reading about the rest of the pack.
- Read why you can trust our review process and learn why we are a reputable source.
- Become an expert on pet insurance yourself by learning more.
- View our infographic to see some surprising statistics and fun facts.
- You may want to open up our pet health insurance terminology page for easy side-by-side reference.
- Don’t know where to start? Check out our main pet insurance page.
Woof! Woof! Big, slobbery kisses to The Seattle Times for its endorsement of our best pet insurance for dogs recommendations.
Price of Policy Rating
Pet insurance is unique in our reviews in that the price of each policy is unique to your pet, and is calculated based on a huge number of variables, including but not limited to your pet’s age, breed, location (ie. where you live), health conditions, and so forth. Our “price of policy” rating is calculated based on a number of quotes we run in addition to general reader and consumer feedback. Since the price for your pet may vary significantly from that of others for a given provider, we encourage you to get quotes from multiple companies.
1st Place: Healthy Paws
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
| 1st | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.56 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage |  | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation |  | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Is Healthy Paws the Best Pet Insurance?
Yippee! Healthy Paws is our winner! Why is Healthy Paws the top pet insurance? The competition was stiff this year, but ultimately, Healthy Paw’s consistent prices took them to top dog status!
- Lots of Plan Options with No Caps – We were impressed that Healthy Paws offers three annual deductible levels ($100, $250 or $500), three percentage options for actual vet bill payouts (70%, 80% or 90%) and there is no cap (per-incident, lifetime, or otherwise) on any of their claims.
- No Yearly Limits – Once you meet your annual deductible, all policy-covered incidents will be paid during that year, while most companies pay back after each incident deductible has been met. So, if your pet is susceptible to trouble more than once a year or you just want to be on the safe side, this plan could be a good fit.
- The Best Customer Service – Healthy Paws has some of the best customer service reviews in the business.
- Hereditary & Congenital Conditions and Hip Dysplasia – Most hereditary and congenital conditions, as well as hip dysplasia, are paid. These factors make it an especially great choice if you have a breed that is genetically predisposed to these types of conditions. But, be sure to sign them up when they’re young and do not have any pre-existing conditions.
- Low Premium Prices – Most consumers report lower premium prices for similar coverage (unlimited lifetime benefits with no claim limits).
Coupon Code
Use this link and you will automatically receive up to a 10% discount. The actual discount varies based on individual state regulations. You can also visit our dedicated HealthyPaws promotions page to discuss current offers.
Read our in-depth review of Healthy Paws
2nd Place: Pets Best
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
| 2nd | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.44 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage | | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation |  | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Did We Choose Pets Best as Our #2 Pick?
- True Emergency Only Option – Pet Best offers an “Accident Only Plan” to cover you in case of unplanned emergencies but it does not cover exam fees or specialty treatments. This plan has a $10,000 annual limit with a $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement. This plan allows for one of the least expensive options for pet insurance.
- Customer Service Options – They offer live chat, phone, email, fax and FAQs to help answer your questions.
- Fast Claim Payment – Pets Best says they pay claims in five days or less typically which is one of the fastest timelines we have seen in the business.
- Hereditary & Congenital Coverage – They cover full hereditary and congenital conditions including hip dysplasyia.
- Customizable Plans Tailored To What You Want – You choose what coverage you want to pay for instead of paying more for stuff you don’t want. Deductible options are from $50-$1,000 and reimbursement is 70%, 80% or 90%.
Coupon Code
Our readers have access to an exclusive PetsBest discount of 5% off BestBenefit plans for the first year! Just use this link to get started (Eligible in all states except AK, FL, HI and TN and does not apply to accident only plan or wellness rider). You can also visit our dedicated Pets Best promotions page to discuss current offers.
Read our in-depth review of Pets Best
3rd Place: Petplan
All scores are on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 paw being the worst and 5 paws being the best.
| 3rd | |
| Overall Ranking | 4.00 / 5.00 | |
| Policy Coverage | | Visit Website |
| Customer Service & Reputation |  | |
| Timeliness of Claim Payment | | |
| Price of Policy | | |
Why Is Petplan Our #3 Pick?
- Fully Customizable Plans with No Limits – This allows you to only pay for what you think you will need, which could lower your monthly premium since you are not forced to pay for unlimited coverage with Petplan. New policy options were recently introduced that allows for pet owners considering Petplan to create a plan to best meet their needs and budget with a choice of maximum annual coverage amount ($2,500 to unlimited coverage), annual deductible ($100 to $2,500) and reimbursement rate (70%, 80% or 90%).
- Good Customer Service – Petplan is among the best customer service options available in this industry, with 24-hour customer service via live chat, phone, email, FAQ, mail, and fax.
- Policy is Crystal Clear – Petplan’s plan gets points for clarity – they are very specific about what your duties are as a pet parent and what they do and don’t cover so there are no guessing games involved.
- Hereditary & Congenital Conditions, Hip Dysplasia, and No Age Restrictions – Petplan covers both hereditary and congenital conditions (in most cases) and does not have age restrictions, making them truly a rare breed in the pet insurance category. Again, signing your pet up at an early age will make sure your dog is covered should one of these conditions present itself later (you don’t want it to not be covered due to a pre-existing condition).
Coupon Code
Use coupon code CanineJournal to receive an additional 5% discount (10% total if you sign up online). Alternatively, if you call 800-237-1123 you will automatically get the additional 5% discount! You can also visit our dedicated Petplan promotions page to discuss current offers.
Read our in-depth review of Petplan
SlideShare: Summary of Dog Insurance Reviews
The Rest of the Pack
The pet insurance industry is growing rapidly, and more and more families are purchasing plans to protect their furry family member and their bank account.
Here’s a list of companies we include in our annual pet insurance reviews with the year they were founded:
- First: Healthy Paws 2009
- Second: Pets Best 2005
- Third: Petplan U.S. 2003
- Trupanion 2000
- Embrace 2003
- 24PetWatch 2000
- AKC Pet Healthcare 2003
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance 2006
- FIGO 2015
- Nationwide acquired VPI in 2014 and started selling pet insurance as Nationwide (VPI was founded in 1982)
- PetFirst 2004
New Entrants Not Reviewed
Pet insurance is a fast growing industry and many new companies are entering the scene every day. Historically, companies have entered the pet insurance space with amazingly low prices and then increased prices drastically after having to pay some claims. This puts pet parents in a difficult financial situation because if they filed any claims, their pet now has a pre-existing condition which would not be covered by another insurance provider. Because of this, we have decided not to include any companies in our reviews that do not have five years of experience under their belts. We have reviewed but not ranked FIGO because we had already conducted their plan review prior to this new policy implementation. We feel that this amount of time gives companies an opportunity to establish themselves with a reputation and have a more steady payment process. History breeds consistency and a true picture of what to expect from your pet health insurance company.
Why You Can Trust Our Reviews
Want to know how we come up with our winners and where we get our information from?
Unlike other sites, our reviews are conducted before any monetary affiliation or relationships with any merchants on this page are created. We take great pride in this since our reviews are authentic, and you can trust us. Some of the links you see are affiliate links. These links are added after the review is complete. What does this mean? It means that we receive a commission if you click on the link and buy. There is no up-charge on pricing, and the service quality is the same. This is how we can afford our continuous research on pet insurance comparisons so we can provide the highest quality and most up to date information for you. We appreciate your understanding and respect.
If you’d like to learn more about how we complete our reviews and our business, read our review process.
Learn More About Pet Insurance
We have many articles dedicated to pet insurance. We’ve divided our research into multiple pieces to avoid cluttering one page up. If you’d like to learn more about your options for insuring your valued family member, choose one of the articles below.
This video serves as a great introduction to dog insurance and the benefits of owning a policy:
Reasons To Get Pet Insurance Infographic
Our dog health insurance infographic shows pet statistics and average costs of medical expenses.
To embed this infographic on your site, simply copy and paste the code below:
Pet Health Insurance Questions? We’re Here to Help!
Removing lumps and bumps is one of the most common surgeries for dogs and can cost more than $1,000. That’s a lot of money that you were not planning to spend, and most of us don’t have that amount of cash lying around. That’s one of the places dog insurance can come in handy. Insuring your pet can lift that weight off of you so you can focus on enjoying your time with your four-pawed friends, not worrying about having to pay for unexpected medical bills.
Have you had an experience with any pet insurance companies? Did you have a good or bad experience? Who’s the best (or worst) in your opinion?
Leave a Reply
178 Comments on "Pet Insurance Comparison 2017: Who’s Best?"
Do all plans require a vet exam prior to coverage
Most companies require a vet exam within a certain amount of time, but it varies by company. Some companies allow the vet exam to be waived, so we recommend checking before signing up with a company.
How do CATS fare under the top 3 plans? or would you recommend a different insurance company for felines?
Hi Rita, take a look at this article which discusses best cat insurance. Let me know if you have any questions! 🙂
How much coverage (dollar amount) do you recommend for a dog for single incident and for annual coverage? I have a 4 month Rottweiller so I guess my major concerns for him would be getting hurt if he got loose from our yard, hip trouble down the road, or swallowing something.
Based on our rankings we recommend unlimited coverage because you never know when your dog with get sick or have an injury. If your dog has a “ruff” year, unlimited coverage is the safest option because your coverage won’t stop after you meet your quota.
Hi Francesco, I haven’t done research on which pet insurance companies cover dialysis treatment. I recommend you research this since it’s something your European company specializes in. Prices will vary by company since each is unique. Best of luck to you.
how come Figo is not ranked? Figo covers vet exam fees, has no upper age limits, offers the most generous plans, offers a pet cloud app that is versatile in usage, and one of the most affordable. Further, ranked #1 for best overall pet insurance with reviews.com and bestcompany.com
Hi Zachary, great question. If you scroll down the article to the section entitled “The Rest of the Pack” you’ll read about new entrants in the pet insurance field that aren’t ranked.
What is the best pet insurance in Canada? The top two that are offered here from your list are Petplan and Trupanion.
We have only reviewed companies with feedback on how they perform in the U.S. I suggest talking with your vet and anyone in your area that has pet insurance to find out how each provider performs. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
Why isn’t TruPanion on the list? Their monthly NEVER goes up because your pet is sick or ages and they cover 90percent. It’s one plan. You even can choose your deductible. You’ll never be dropped either. To me, that’s the real winner.
I encourage you to read our Pet Insurance Reviews for an explanation of why Trupanion didn’t make our top three picks. Also take a look at our sample quotes.
Just received the monthly Health Paws premium increase for my 15 month old dog. I was shocked at the $4/per month increase. Nothing has changed in coverage or in the industry to justify this kind of hike. Anyone else seeing ridiculous hikes?
I am concerned that my dog might have ACL issues. From what I have read it seems like it fits perfectly, however I need to take her to the vet to confirm. I am wondering if I get insurance now and she is diagnosed with this will they consider it a pre – existing condition if i sign up before the vet visit.
as your pet ages, I have heard insurance companies don’t cover as much or none at all…say 9, 10 ,11 yrs of age..
That’s why TruPanion is an amazing company. You’re premium never goes up if your pet has illnesses and when your pet ages. If it does go up it’s only due to inflation. You won’t have to worry about it going up much or ever being dropped.
I was wondering what everyones opinion are on the big difference between Healthy Paws vs. Pets Best? If I am understanding it correctly Healthy Paws price can increase any month for a variety of reasons. Pets Bset can only go up once a year.
Kathleen – at Healthy Paws, any premium increase would occur once a year at your policy’s anniversary date.
Healthy Paws has acted as scam artists on my policy. I believe they spend $ on advertising and ratings. I have a sick yorkie that couldn’t be diagnosed, yet every claim has been rejected. After they claimed he had pre-existing conditions he was checked for those and they came back negative. Yet H Paws still refuses to pay. They’re a complete scam,
To estimate future payments for insurance is it recommend to put in a search in with different ages? Some of the estimates for a senior dog are coming in more than my car insurance for the year! I am also thinking of setting up a special account just for the dog and put money into it. The insurance might reimburse you but you need the money upfront.
So not with Trupanion. They’ll pay your vet. If you set up a special account for your pet it can take 10 years to save up $6k if you put in 50 a month. Why not just put it towards a premium and have them insured now?
If you enroll a dog that is 7 years old and a puppy who is 6 months old their prices will not be the same when they are at the same ages. What that means is, the puppy’s price will be less than the older dog’s price at 7 years old because you enrolled them at an earlier age. Does that make sense?
Reimbursements are made based on your vet bill. The pet insurance company determines the total of the covered treatments and reimburses you based on the deductible and reimbursement level you chose when you enrolled.
The reasonable cost was ASPCA old way of doing things. In the past few years they changed things around and I don’t think their plans are like this anymore.
I would be interested to know how long the above three insurance companies have been in business. In addition what is the average increase per year for your pets plan?
Hi Kathleen, have you been getting our responses to your comments? We’ve responded to each of them directly.
Kimberly,
I have received no e-mail with responses. I have seen a few responses. Thank you for your helpful site.
I have responded to your comments directly, not through email. Please let me know if there’s any other questions you have and good luck!
Do all pet insurance companies work in the following way? Lets say your dog needs a x-ray Your vet charges $75. However, the pet insurance believes the reasonable cost is $65. From the $65 they will pay you 80% of that.
I am getting a Newfoundland pup in the next few weeks. I want to get insurance as soon as I get him. After looking at reviews of several reviewing sources, I am totaling confused. Newfoundland’s are prone to dysplasia, acl issues so, covering of these issues are a must. Any advice/help would be appreciated. Thanks alot.
Thanks for reaching out Karen. Take a look at this comparison table, I think it’ll help you out greatly. You’ll see that the table includes hip dysplasia and ACL surgery. Note that there are some waiting periods for some companies. Let me know if you have any further questions. I’d be happy to help answer any of your questions to help you choose a pet insurance provider to fit your dog’s needs!
Thanks for providing this information. We have two Saint Bernards (ages 2 and 4). I have requested quotes from your top three recommendations based on $500 deductible and 80% coverage. PetPlan was around double the monthly rate amount of Healthy Paws and PetsBest. There are some coverage differences, but within the limits of the quote process I tried to make it an equal comparison.
To add to my last comment… I am also looking for an insurance that includes wellness plan and I see Healthy Paws does not include. This is my second dog and I don’t want to make the same mistake of not having insurance or wellness plan since my previous puppy had many health issues, so I’m looking for the best that is worth my price and gives many benefits. Thanks
To clarify, are you looking for a wellness only plan or accident and wellness coverage?
Do you have any information about Banfield Pet Hosp? Please advise
Yes we do, take a look at this article. There are also some comments from readers at the end that you may want to read as well.
I have an 8 month old Maltese female and I am looking for the best insurance. I see you listed Healthy Paws as #1, however the vet I take her to says they accept Trupanion. Which is greater of the two? In regards to price and what the plan has to offer. I am looking to pay for the best premium plan.
Well I just got a 6 year old Yorkie yesterday looking for pet Insurance. Jeff I read your and it looks like that is the best insurance for your pet….Thanks
We stand by our ratings and feel that Healthy Paws is the best pet insurance available.
Can you tell me when you will be updating your top 3?
We will be auditing this article again in 2017.
Hi Kimberly!
When you do your new audit and have any questions about Figo, please feel free to reach out to someone on our team.
Thank you Kevin, I will be sure to reach out!
I was happy with Petplan until they raised my premiums by 50% when my dog turned 7 years old. As usual, they claimed that expenses etc. had gone up over the year; standard spin. Be aware of Petplan’s standard business practice.
That’s a great question Sandra. Unfortunately, very few companies offer dental cleanings as part of their coverage. The other company we would recommend is Pets Best. Pets Best offers BestWellness which covers $100/year for teeth cleanings (in addition to other wellness related items). You’ll have to get a quote and put in your cat’s specifics to see how much it would cost.
Did you friend pay $4,000 for two cats’ dental cleanings alone?! That seems a bit overpriced. Was there other work that was done as well?
Thank you for the suggestion! I will definitely look into that option!
I think there were extractions and such that they had to perform once they got in there, thus a high price tag. My cats are 7, so I’m worried that there will need to be a similar level of care done to them, once they are under. And the potential for a $4k price tag is a little overwhelming.
Thank you for all your advice!
If you’re worried about extractions too you’ll need more than a wellness plan. Wellness plans cover routine items: annual exam, spay/neuter, flea prevention, dental cleanings, etc. They do not cover non routine dental things like extractions. Does that make sense? Is that something you’re interested in getting covered? If so, we can try to help you find a plan that fits your needs.
Yes, it does. Thank you!
I was thinking I would need an insurance that had a wellness plan, to help cover my cats’ teeth, including extractions. I was going to go with either healthypaws or petplan for my dog. I know that neither of those cover wellness, but do either of them (or Embrace) help with dental extractions? Do you know if any of the top 3 offer multi-pet discounts?
Thank you so so much for your help with this!!!
Great! Thank you so much for all your advice!
There is no signs of any dental issues, or distress on my cats’ behalf, just my own paranoia of knowing how these things go.
Thank you again so much! I will run all the numbers, but I am incredibly grateful for your assistance in this issue!
Glad we could help! Best of luck!
I am a Petplan Pet Insurance customer since 2012 and unfortunately I had a very large vet bill last year when my Boxer began having seizures. I won’t get into the details of my dog’s situation, but I can say that Petplan was excellent throughout the entire situation. The claims process is pretty straightforward and when I had questions, Petplan was quick to point me in the right direction. I ended up getting reimbursed almost $3,000, so that was a major relief.
We stand by Healthy Paws as our #1 pick for best pet insurance. I suggest you get a quote from each of our top 3 picks to get an idea of what your monthly premium will be. (You can do this online by visiting each company website.) Ask your vet about any common illnesses for rottweilers and try to have them covered in your pet insurance plan. If you want, you can share your findings with us here and we can help you narrow down your choices.
I had vpi but they have a schedule of coverage that barely covers 50%. I don’t know why HealthyPaws rated so highly as they do not cover holistic care or holistic prescriptions by the vet. I put healthypaws pet insurance as bad. I ended up with trupanion which had similar coverage to healthypaws but also covers holistic care, holistic prescriptions by a vet, etc.
Just heard back from VPI, here’s what they said: Previous injuries will be a pre-existing condition under any new policy. However, if there was no injury to the other leg your pet may have future benefits for an ACL injury. Please note that on our medical plans there is no ACL coverage for the first 12 months of the policy.
In summary, if your dog’s other ACL was torn in that first year it would not be covered.
Just found out my dog has diabetes and has an appointment later today to get started on insulin. Do these plans cover this after it’s already been diagnosed (pre-existing condition I guess)? My current vet doesn’t even take insurance but would seek out another one if I had to. Thanks
Unfortunately since diabetes would be a pre-existing condition the insurance company wouldn’t cover it.
Well I could have just cancelled the appointment and made one with another vet however many days would be required after enrolling- wouldn’t have been good for my dogs health though. But at least for the diabetic part- adding it up it wouldn’t be worth getting the insurance. Still may look into it in case of other problems down the road, but probably not. Just keep my fingers crossed and pray a lot I guess.
Yes, I agree with you. Looking into pet insurance still isn’t a bad idea. There are other illnesses or accidents that could be covered if you have pet insurance before they are diagnosed or occur. We’ll be thinking of your pup and hope for a healthy, long life.
My GSD has to have her knee repaired (ACL tear). Some companies cover the other knee if it becomes injured and some do not. Can you tell me what is the best insurance company for me?
I also just received this message from Healthy Paws:
In regards to your question, Healthy Paws has only one bilateral-exclusion on our policy, applying to cruciate ligament problems. Your pet would be eligible for coverage for future cruciate ligament injuries if there had been no signs/symptoms with either leg before enrollment or during the 15 day waiting period. As your pet has sustained an injury to the right cruciate ligament prior to enrollment, we would not be able to provide coverage for any future treatment for the cruciate ligament on both the right and left leg.
I just heard back from Embrace and this is what they said: Unfortunately, knees are bilateral and that would be a preexisting conditions.
So going with Embrace would not be a good option for your case.
Hi Charisse,
Let us look into this more so we can be sure we provide you the right answer. Stay tuned…
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear this. I hope your dog is doing better. Such a scary story. As for the insurance company, if it’s a code that they are having an issue with maybe the vet can bill it under the code that fits VPI/Nationwide better. Maybe then more of the cost will be covered.
I was going to take these reviews seriously and consider them when choosing. That is, until I realized you accepted (and very possibly solicited, who knows) a kickback from them. The second you did that, the credibility of the reviews went straight into the dumpster. It doesn’t matter when you made the deals with them, the dates aren’t relevant. The only fact that matters is you made the deals.
Is that why FIGO isn’t on here? I have read every word of these insurance companies’ contracts and after doing that—we went with FIGO. We’ve had them for 9 months and they’ve paid out over $4,000 (one got pneumonia and one ingested an entire bone) in bills for my two puppies in that time. They cover office fees, when none of the others do and their claims service has been wonderful. You can also text them anytime with your questions if you are at work or somewhere you can’t talk—I kind of like that.
We actually cover FIGO here: https://www.caninejournal.com/pet-insurance-reviews/#figo
We’d love to hear about your experience with FIGO! Tell us what you love/hate about them.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us Angela. We recently added FIGO to our pet insurance articles this year and hope to include them in our comparison table in the near future! Glad to hear they are treating you well!
I just had the exact same experience with the quotes and scanned the comments looking for information. Thanks for proving I’m not crazy. Well, not crazy about this. I know the reviews are all excellent, but this leaves a bad taste in my mouth for sure.
I’m so sorry about this. We will talk to Healthy Paws about this immediately and get back to you. You should be getting a 10% discount with our link. Again, we are terribly sorry and will let you know what we find out ASAP.
No matter what link you follow or code you enter, you get the same “10% discount”. It doesn’t appear possible to pay a non-discounted rate, which means there’s not really any discount at all.
We spoke with the Healthy Paws Founder and here’s what we discovered.
There are discounts on both Step 1 and Step 2 of HP’s funnel. On Step 1, HP communicates you’ll be receiving lifetime discounts and on Step 2 HP communicates the actual savings. Actual savings works out to be about a month free every year. If your discounts were showing up the same with and without the link/code then it’s possibly a caching issue.
I hope this helps and let me know if there’s anything else we can do for you!
Those discounts are discounts given to everybody – it’s a bit of a sham and I’m surprised you endorse it as you are claiming to be an objective reviewer. It’s not a discount if it’s the price they need to be competitive with other pet insurance carriers.
Also, just to be clear there is no difference whether you click the link or not – caching is not the issue.
So recently I’ve noticed blood in my dog’s urine. I haven’t taken her to the vet yet. Would she be exempt from pet insurance, since it hasn’t officially been diagnosed?
I know this is 18 months old, but your idea caused me to ponder a question. Pet insurance is NOT pet health insurance per se, it is legally considered property insurance. So why is their a prohibition on buying multiple policies and making a claim on each premium paid? Like I said, health insurance has a primary and secondary insurance value, but I am not aware of property insurance carrying the same limitations. Anyone have an answer to that question??
Thanks Sonia for keeping us in the loop. Very interesting to hear the ins and outs from someone going through the consideration and purchase process right now. All the best!
Thanks for sharing your story and advice K.B.
Agree 100%! Do NOT go w/ VPI. I wish I would have known that if you bring your dog in on the first day the policy kicks in, they will consider any issues as pre-existing. Therefore don’t bring in on day one and tell your vet they just started that day… otherwise it is pre-existing (sure this is the same for all dog insurance).
Wow! I will make a note of this and advise people in our club to avoid them, but I think they were bought out and now are known as Nationwide. I hope you received good news.
Good article that has led me to further research these 3 companies as I’m in the market. However, I did look into PetPlan on the Better Business Bureau. Both locations had an F and B- rating, along with an alert being issued. Reasons were cited as information inquiries being returned and lack of response from this business.
This obviously has raised a red flag for me on pursuing PetPlan. It also raises questions of how this can be the #1 rated pick? Is this a truly objective article or funded by the companies? Are these unfounded concerns?
Thanks so much for this review. It has been very helpful!
Thanks LynneB for your review on petplan. I too have been with them since my Australian shepherds were puppies which is 5 years ago. Both my policies have gradually increased every year and has doubled from 2009-2014!! They aren’t even 6 years old yet! I am unable to afford petplan unfortunately because I believe they are a good company but I can’t see paying for an increasing annual premium for 2 dogs on one income anymore.
A wonderful, unbiased, comprehensive comparison!! Thank you so much for putting this together!
Great article. I was getting ready to sign up with Embrace and did not know about losing coverage for older dogs. I just signed up with Petsplan and spoke with a guy named Richard that was very helpful. I also just dropped my very expensive VPI insurance. VPI does a great job marketing to large companies which is how I signed up. Shame on me for not doing more research on looking at VPI on the front end.
Thanks Brian for the feedback and glad out site saved you from a potential pitfall. Petplan is what I have for my dogs and they have not let me down, not even when my dog almost did not make it from a poisonous snake bite last year!
Hi, I will be only in the country for about 2-3 months and every pet insurance plan seems to be for an entire year. I will be leaving in January with my pet so wondering if there are any options for my dog?? Thanks.
Hi Sonia, we don't know of any policies that offer a month-to-month contract right off hand, but will look into it and will let you know if we find any options! Thanks for your comment.
Thanks so much for your feedback! We do mention that PetPlan covers most hereditary conditions in their policies, and hip dysplasia falls under that category. Glad you've enjoyed your experience with them!
We also have updated the language re: Trupanion to reflect this terminology. You are correct that it was a bit misleading. Thank you for helping us stay on top of the details!
I feel like the pet insurance companies, especially the providers listed in the top three of this page, do a great job of letting you know exactly what is covered. You are correct, if you don't have the money to pay for pet insurance now, it is not going to do much good. However, once you do the research, you should have a very clear view of what each particular insurance provider will cover.
They have never published mine either. I think this company shouldn’t even be on the radar of pet insurance companies unless of course there are only 10 companies. But the only comment should be wouldn’t recommend.
Wow, thanks Tina and Doug. We appreciate your sharing your experiences.. they definitely help when we are reviewing and ranking companies. And, you are correct, there are not that many companies in this space. Thanks and take care.
Purina is no longer in the pet insurance business. They sold the company to 24PetWatch and I have a feeling the policy will not be as good as it was. Purina was awesome!! It was great insurance and had fast payments, but after reading the reviews of 24Petwatch we will be changing insurances.
I have dog health insurance and I totally support you because, sometimes we fall and we haven't insurance at that time. It shouldn't be an option for our lovely dog and pet. Nice topic and useful comment; I like it.
The main reason to get pet insurance is to pay the vet’s bills if your pet gets sick or is injured. If your pet is part of the family and you would do anything to get the money to pay for treatment, then you should consider insurance. If you have enough disposable income or savings to be able to pay the vet yourself, then you might not need it.
Hi all, Really the above posts matters a lot. Thank you everyone for your valuable information. I am learning more about the pros for pet insurance and the price comparison too.
Based on your report I have signed my two dogs up for coverage with Petplan. One thing that is inaccurate in your report is that you state "Monthly premium does not adjust for age." According to Petplan's own website: "Coverage is never decreased due to pets aging. Premiums do increase upon pets reaching certain age brackets." You should probably make the correction in your report.
Hi Chris and thank you so much for this clarification. We have updated our site to reflect this update and apologize for any confusion. We also use PetPlan for our dogs and were unaware of this when we purchases out plan. We have had excellent experience with them to-date though and wish you and your pets the best. Thanks!
Hi, I wanted to insure my five year old German Shepherd girl with PetPlan however they would only offer their very basic plan as they told me German Shepherd's are now on their special breed list and suffer from more illnesses than other dogs or is it because they are one of the most popular breeds in the UK and PetPlan has paid out too much?
At Pets Best Insurance, we’re pet owners and pet lovers, too. We don’t want anyone to go through the pain of euthanizing a pet simply because they can’t afford to treat liver cancer in dogs.
Having a pet is easy but to maintain is not so easy. If the pet had a fatal disease that needed to be treated, then we also spend some money but if the pet dies the money goes to waste. So we need to insure our pet in case to lower our expenses and treat in a proper manner.
Most wellness coverage offered with pet insurance is usually a break even proposition. Embrace has their Wellness Rewards where you will come out a few dollars ahead every year, but with most companies, you'll come out ahead some years and possibly behind other years. Wellness expenses for your pet are expected and can be planned for in advance. You are already paying these out of pocket now. You'll be better off putting those premium dollars toward accident and illness coverage. That's where the risk is for having to pay thousands out of pocket unexpectedly.
First, I thanks to you posting the detailed information about pet insurance. These day’s pet health insurance has became very popular and accepted largely by many pet owners. After all pet insurance give you peace of mind as it takes away all the financial tensions and insures your pet’s health in case of any emergency or illness.