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Pet Insurance Reviews 2018

Sally Jones Updated: May 21, 2018 Pet Insurance 38 Comments

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Fido just leaped for a frisbee and now he’s limping. What’s wrong with him? Do I need to take him to the vet? How much will it cost? This is why pet insurance is so critical. In a time of panic, you should be worrying about the health of your dog, not the number in your bank account. We rate the biggest names in the pet health insurance industry based on our own research and provide you with a summary of what each company offers as well as pros and cons for each. Feel free to click on the “Read Review” text below the company name in the table below to go straight to its review.

Top Pet Insurance Companies 2018


Overall Ranking	1st	2nd	3rd	Honorable Mention	Honorable Mention
Policy Coverage	4.5	4.75	4.75	4.5	4
Customer Service & Reputation	4.75	4	3.5	4	4
Claim Payment	4.5	4.5	4	4.5	4
Price of Policy	4.75	4.75	4	3	3.5
Total Score	4.63	4.50	4.06	4.00	3.88
Visit Website	Visit Website	Visit Website	Visit Website	Visit Website	Visit Website
Read Review	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review	Read Review

Pet Insurance Cost & Coverage Comparison Tables

Our coverage comparison is fairly straightforward, but pricing gets a little more complicated as the price quote for your specific pet will be very unique to your pet, their age, breed, geographic, location, and a number of other factors. For this reason, we encourage you to get quotes from multiple companies before deciding on a pet insurance provider. By entering your pet’s specific characteristics you can get a better understanding of the coverage he or she needs. We have put together a couple of comparison tables that address cost and coverage issues:

These links will open comparison tables in a new window so you can compare coverage and costs side-by-side as you research company reviews. There are three different dog breeds and one cat breed to help show you what each company offers. We will continue to update these tables as prices and coverage change. If you are unsure where to start, be sure to read our main dog insurance article.

SlideShare: Pet Insurance Reviews Summary

Healthy Paws Review

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Healthy Paws continues to impress us with its unlimited benefits with no per-incident, annual or lifetime caps. There are also far fewer coverage exclusions than some of its competitors so, on paper, it appears that it is less likely your claim will be denied so long as you keep paying your bill on time.

You can also customize your out-of-pocket expense risk by adjusting your policy’s reimbursement rate (70%, 80% or 90%) and deductible ($100, $250, $500 or $750) when you sign up. There are some restrictions on the reimbursement and annual deductible amounts for pets depending on the age when they’re enrolled.

Healthy Paws has excellent customer service reviews. In fact, check out the comment section in our Healthy Paws individual review. It is filled with real customer accounts.

What could it improve on? Healthy Paws does not offer a wellness plan to cover annual vet visits, which is becoming increasingly popular among pet parents.

Overall we think Healthy Paws is a great company to go with for your pet insurance needs. With their unlimited benefits, great customer service and reasonable prices, we’ve chosen them as the best dog insurance company this year.

Pros

Cons

Annual deductible vs. per incident deductible
Unlimited lifetime coverage so no annual or per incident limits on claims
Pricing is generally the best value vs competition (get quotes)
Your pet is covered when they travel with you in the United States or Canada
High customer satisfaction
Easy to submit a claim on the Healthy Paws app for quick claim reimbursement
BBB accredited with an A rating
Great email response time
Good CCL (ACL) coverage, read this comment thread for more information
Direct deposit or check reimbursement

Veterinary exam fee and behavioral therapies are not covered
Excludes hip dysplasia in animals enrolled after age six, so this might not be the best option for large breeds that are older than six. There is also a 12 month waiting period.
There are age restrictions. (If pet is older than six you must have vet exam within past 30 days for enrollment. If not, you must get one within 15 days for the new policy to be effective.)
Pets older than 8-years-old are restricted to 60% reimbursement and a $750 annual deductible
15-day waiting period for accident and illness
No wellness plan
Charges a one time $25 fee

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 full review of Healthy Paws

Pets Best Review

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Pets Best has stepped it up with the items it covers in addition to its low priced “Accident Only Plan” which allows you to insure against unexpected pet emergencies without charging you monthly for the lower priced (vet exams) or less likely costs (rehab, chiropractic and acupuncture care).

Pets Best was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance companies when we ran quotes. We’re also impressed with its average claim repayment of 5 days and it has a 24/7 Pet Helpline, which allows you to speak with a vet expert any time of day.

Its deductibles range from $50 to $1,000 and it offers 2 wellness plans for you to choose from. You can truly customize the type of coverage you want with Pets Best. Pets Best doesn’t require an exam to set your pet’s health baseline (something both Healthy Paws and Petplan require).

What kept it from being #1? Pets Best is owned by Trupanion (another pet insurance company), which is priced higher than Pets Best. Its underwriter (American Pet Insurance Company) is unrated for A.M. Best, which gives us more hesitation because there is more risk involved.

However, we can’t refute Pets Best’s low prices and excellent coverage, which is why we feel it deserves a spot in our top 3.

Pros	Cons
No lifetime limits on any plan Great pricing, consistently among the least expensive when we ran quotes A+ BBB rating and great response rate on Yelp Multiple forms of customer support: live chat, phone, email, FAQ Claim payment is typically made in less than 5 days (electronic claim filing, and direct deposit options) 30-day money back guarantee 5% multi-pet discount No age limits	6-month waiting period for CCL (ACL) injuries 14-day waiting period for Illness and Routine Care (if purchased) and three days for Accident $2 transaction fee (waived if pay annually) Alternative/holistic therapies are not covered

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.

View our full review of Pets Best

Petplan Review

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Petplan offers unlimited annual coverage but at a higher price on average compared to our top picks. However, we still think Petplan offers some of the best coverage for pets. Petplan has a great claim repayment reputation and allow 30 days for claim repayment but average 5-14 days.

The company covers exam fees and a shorter waiting period for hip dysplasia at only 15 days. It is priced more toward the middle or sometimes on the higher end for comparable coverage against our top 2 picks.

Petplan offers discounts on your premiums if you don’t file a claim fora period of time, rewarding you for keeping your pet safe and healthy. It has an annual coverage limit of $2,500 to unlimited, annual deductibles of $250 to $1,000 and 70%, 80% or 90% reimbursement rates.

Petplan is known for its outstanding customer service reputation and is among the best offering live chat, phone, email, FAQ, mail and fax. Petplan’s policy is crystal clear and it is specific about what your duties are as a pet parent for you to maintain your pet’s insurance policy.

The main thing keeping Petplan from the top spots is its higher prices for similar coverage. You can get unlimited annual coverage from Healthy Paws and Pets Best for a less expensive monthly premium according to quotes we ran.

Pros

Cons

There is a 5% discount for users purchasing their insurance plan online
No lifetime or per condition claims limit
BBB accredited with an A+ rating under their incorporated name, Fetch, Inc.
Claims are typically paid within 5-14 days although they allow up to 30 days
App available to support claims via iOS and Android
Covers advertising lost pets, losing your pet, cancelled vacation due to pet illness, etc.

Complaints from existing customers of premium increases being drastically higher than competitors
In order for coverage to apply you must take your dog to the vet within 48 hours of noticing symptoms of an illness or injury
A number of policyholders complain that Petplan delays payment on claims (often due to a short upfront waiting period as a new customer) and requires extensive proof of treatment documentation
Dogs must have annual health and dental check ups in order for coverage to be applied. Failure to do so may mean your dog won’t get insurance coverage until that check up is done.
Only covers CCL (ACL) on a second leg if the first leg remains healed for 12 months
Customers state (and our sample quotes show) it is more expensive than Healthy Paws for unlimited annual claims
No wellness plan

Coupon Code

Use coupon code <strong>CanineJournal</strong> 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 full review of Petplan

Trupanion Review

Honorable
Mention

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Trupanion has been consistently moving up in our rankings and this year they receive the Honorable Mention award. Their deductibles are per condition and lifetime, meaning that once it is paid, you never pay it again for that condition. Trupanion operates their own insurance underwriting, unlike most other companies, which are backed by other insurance brands. This allows them to pay back 70 cents in claims payments of every dollar paid in premiums. Why aren’t they ranked higher? Trupanion is more expensive than our top three for similar coverage, in some cases Trupanion is double the price. We’d like to see their prices be more comparable to our top three in the near future.

Pros

Cons

Offers an unlimited lifetime limit on coverage
Offers optional benefits for additional expenses that cover acupuncture, physical therapy, hydrotherapy and behavioral modification training and therapy
Hip Dysplasya has no waiting period and no age restrictions
BBB rating is A+
Claims are settled within four days on average (65% are settled the day they are received and 80% are settled within seven days)
The only company that offers vet direct pay*
24/7 phone support
30-day money back guarantee
Pet is covered in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico

More expensive than our top three picks
One time $35 administration fee
Policies have three day waiting period for injuries and 30 day waiting period for illnesses
Allow up to a 20% increase on premiums from year to year
Pets are not eligible for enrollment after their 14th birthday
No wellness plan
Does not cover exam fees

*Vet Direct Pay: Trupanion pays the vet directly in as little as five minutes. You don’t have to wait for a reimbursement. Instead, Trupanion pays its portion and you pay the remainder.

Coupon Code

There are not any active Trupanion coupon codes at this time.

Read our full review of Trupanion

Embrace Review

Honorable
Mention

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Embrace is also awarded the Honorable Mention award due to its consistent coverage and pricing. Embrace has great customer support options and a rather good reputation overall. We’re impressed that they have no additional waiting periods for hip dysplasia or CCL coverage and they are one of the few companies with no transaction or one time fees. When it comes to monthly premiums, Embrace can be all over the board, so we recommend getting a quote for your specific pet. Regarding their claims, they say they’ll repay them in 5 to 15 days but customers say it can be a hassle getting Embrace to pay them and they don’t always cover what they say they’ll cover. They also tend to fall a little behind on technology for claims submissions versus the top players in this field, which is why they aren’t ranked higher.

Tip: If you have USAA you can get a discount with Embrace.

Pros

Cons

No per incident limits on their claims as they use an annual deductible method of accounting
No lifetime limit
Offers optional wellness rewards
Embrace is affordable on a monthly cost basis with an accident only policy premium starting around $20 a month for a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever
5% discount for payments made directly from bank account
BBB rating is A+
Claims are paid between 5-15 days
No additional waiting period for ACL surgery or hip dysplasia
No transaction or one time fees

Requires a 2 day waiting period for accidents (14 days in some states), 14 day waiting period for illness coverage and a 6 month waiting period for orthopedic conditions, but can be reduced to 14 days through their Orthopedic Exam and Waiver Process
Only covers pets age 14 and younger for accident and illness
If one leg has a CCL (ACL) injury prior to enrollment the other leg will not be covered even if there are no prior issues. It is considered a pre-existing condition.
No live chat and limited phone hours
Prescription medication coverage costs extra
No unlimited claims options

Coupon Code

Embrace offers a few different discount options. Spayed or neutered pets get a 5% discount. if you have multiple pets, each one gets 5% off. You can also pay annually and get 5% off. Click here to access any of these discounts.

Read our full review of Embrace

Other Pet Insurance Companies Not Ranked

The companies listed below did not make our rankings, but we still decided to review them in case you wanted to learn more about them. Perhaps they will make our rankings in a future update of this article!

Companies Not Ranked

We are unable to rank some of the pet insurance companies due to a lack of details available to answer what we feel are pretty standard questions customers would have when choosing a provider.

Further, there are many new pet insurance companies popping up due to the popularity and high demand. In the past, we have seen new companies enter the pet insurance space with extremely low prices. However, after some time in business and paying some claims these companies increase their prices to make ends meet. This ends up hurting the customers because their premiums increase drastically and if they submitted a claim their pet now has a pre-existing condition. So if they change providers, that condition will not be covered by another pet insurance provider. In the end, they may have been better off going with a different, more established company. Because of this, we have decided not to rank pet insurance companies that don’t have at least five years of experience. We feel that this gives companies time to establish a consistent pricing system and reputation, which helps us evaluate them better and gives customers a better idea of what to expect. FIGO (founded in 2015) has been excluded for this reason.

24PetWatch Review

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24PetWatch, founded in 2000, offers pet insurance for dogs as long as you enroll them before the age of ten years old. In the quotes we ran, 24PetWatch was consistently among the more expensive options. They also don’t offer unlimited claims as an option, which is a feature we’ve come to expect from pet insurance providers. However, one cool thing 24PetWatch does is they will cover chronic conditions if your pet has gone 24 months symptom free. This is not standard for pet insurance providers.

Pros

Cons

BBB rating of A+
Wellness coverage available as an add-on
No waiting period for accidents
Submit and track claims in real-time online
24PetWatch states that claims are completed within 5-10 days
Your pet is covered when they travel with you in the United States or Canada
No additional waiting period for ACL, elbow dysplasia and hip dysplasia
Discounts for microchipped pets and multiple pets
Chronic conditions can be covered if they go 24 months without showing any symptoms

Limited enrollment age (8 weeks – 10 years) compared to other insurance companies
14-30 day waiting period for illness coverage to kick in
Many consumer complaints about the poor claims process (long time to get paid, lost claims, etc.)
A number of customer complaints about overall bad customer service
If one leg has a CCL (ACL) injury prior to enrollment the other leg will not be covered even if there are no prior issues. It is considered a pre-existing condition.
No unlimited claims options
$2.50 transaction fee
Priced on the higher end when we ran quotes

Coupon Code

There are no active 24PetWatch coupon codes at this time.

Read our full review of 24 Pet Watch

AKC Pet Insurance Review

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AKC Pet Insurance, founded in 2003, doesn’t require vet records or an exam prior to enrollment, so we’re a bit confused on how they determine pre-existing conditions. There are age restrictions and they require an additional fee for inherited conditions to be covered. They have more limitations compared to other pet insurance providers and only cover hip dysplasia for dogs enrolled two-years-old or younger. AKC was also consistently among the most expensive when we ran our quotes.

Pros

Cons

No vet records or exam required to enroll
Option to add on a wellness plan
A+ rating from the BBB through PetPartners, Inc. (AKC’s other name)

No illness coverage for dogs enrolled after age 9
14-day waiting period for illness, 3 days for accidents
Coverage for inherited/congenital conditions must be purchased additionally
Hip dysplasia and congenital and hereditary conditions are only available for coverage if you enroll your dog at two-years-old or younger
Does not cover rehab, behavioral therapies, hydrotherapy or alternative/holistic therapy
Limits per incident reimbursements over the lifetime of the pet
$4 transaction fee, highest in this comparison
Among the most expensive

Coupon Code

There are not any active AKC Pet Insurance coupon codes at this time.

ASPCA Insurance Review (aka Crum & Forster)

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Unfortunately, when looking through the overall features offered by the ASPCA insurance company, we cannot highly recommend this company. It’s important to note that this company, also known as Hartville Pet Health Insurance, pays a licensing fee to use the ASPCA name but are not directly affiliated with the ASPCA. The company, founded in 2006, has a history of low reimbursements, even under their highest cost plan. ASPCA does not cover multiple surgical incidents of foreign object ingestion in a 12-month policy period.

Pros

Cons

Offers wellness coverage
Wide variety of plan costs, with their cheapest plan starting at less than $15 per month for accident only coverage and a $100 annual deductible (for female 10-year-old labrador)
Healed illnesses or ligament and knee injuries that are free of symptoms and treatment for 180 days are not considered pre-existing conditions
No waiting period for accidents
BBB rating A+ (Fairmont Specialty Insurance Agency, Inc.)
30-day money back guarantee

$2 transaction fee
Coverage for hereditary and genetic conditions only available with two highest cost plans
14-day waiting period for illnesses, including knee and ligament injuries
Can’t change/add plan until the next 12 month period begins
Longer waiting period for claims payment than other companies (averaging 14-16 business days)
Low reimbursements reported by customers
12-month waiting period for foreign object ingestion

Coupon Code

There are no active ASPCA Pet Health Insurance coupon codes at this time.

Read our full review of ASPCA Pet Insurance

FIGO Review

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FIGO, a new company that was founded in 2015, was consistently among the least expensive pet insurance providers when we ran our quotes. It has no per incident caps and it covers vet exam fees in addition to hip dysplasia. There is a senior wellness testing for dogs older than eight — we’re not sure exactly what that entails but it is required. Overall it’s not a bad company but it’s missing the reputation we’ve come to expect from our winners, which is why it’s not ranked in our comparison. After FIGO gets a few more years under its belt we’ll be able to evaluate the company further and perhaps you’ll see them in our top three.

Pros	Cons
Goal is to repay claims within 3-5 days A+ BBB rating One of the least expensive in our Pet Insurance Quotes Covers a second knee injury if the first knee is healed for 12 months	14-day illness waiting period, 5 days for accidents No wellness plan Six month waiting period for CCL surgery (this can be waived if vet examines knees within 30 days) If you renew a policy for your dog older than eight you must follow your vet’s advice for senior wellness testing $9 one time fee Founded in 2015, so it doesn’t have an established reputation

Coupon Code

There are not any active FIGO coupon codes at this time.

Nationwide Review

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Nationwide Insurance (previously VPI) is one of the most well known dog health insurance companies. VPI was founded in 1982 and Nationwide acquired and started selling VPI’s pet insurance in 2015. However, they behave very differently from the other pet insurance companies when it comes to reimbursements (they use a standard list of prices to determine pay back prices for procedures and covered items, regardless of what your vet actually charges you). Nationwide is among the least expensive but they don’t have a reputation for timely reimbursements despite the ability to track claims in real-time online. Unfortunately, Nationwide has a track record of poor customer service and quietly raising monthly premium rates as pets age.

Pros

Cons

Whole Pet with Wellness Plan is in all 50 states
Track claims in real-time online and submit them through your smartphone
Unlimited claims for Major Medical and Whole Pet with Wellness plans
One of the only pet health insurance companies to offer exotic pet insurance
Among the lowest monthly cost options
Hip dysplasia coverage in the Major Medical and Whole Pet with Wellness plans

Wellness Only plans are not available in NH and FL
High number of complaints overall (finding negative reviews is not difficult)
12 month waiting period for CCL (ACL) surgery for Major Medical plan
14-day waiting period for Whole Pet with Wellness and Major Medical plans. 24-hour waiting period for Pet Wellness plan
Nationwide BBB page has an alert about fraudulent checks
Major Medical Plan has annual limits per condition
$2 transaction fee

Coupon Code

There are no active Nationwide Pet Insurance coupon codes at this time.

Read our full review of Nationwide Pet Insurance

PetFirst Review

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PetFirst was founded in 2004. Even though they have been in business for more than a decade, there are not a ton of reviews out there for us to share. for It has a short waiting period for accidents (only one day after enrollment) but its claim repayment is longer than competitors (30 days). Other than that, not too much stands out about PetFirst. We suggest you request a quote and read a sample policy to see if Pet First is good fit for you and your pup.

Pros

Cons

Wellness plan option
No vet exam required for enrollment
Accident and hip dysplasia coverage begins the day after enrollment
A+ BBB rating
No transaction or one time fees

14 day waiting period for illness; 12 month waiting period for CCL surgery
30 day claim repayment
If one leg has a CCL (ACL) injury prior to enrollment the other leg will not be covered even if there are no prior issues. It is considered a pre-existing condition.
Does not cover all non-routine dental treatments
Must purchase routine care coverage for behavioral therapy coverage
Among the most expensive

Coupon Code

There are not any active PetFirst coupon codes at this time.

Get Your Money Back

Dogs are quick and sneaky and there are times where you won’t be watching and they’ll do something they shouldn’t be doing. That’s exactly what Atlas did and fortunately, his parents had dog insurance for him. Atlas was able to get the care he needed and his parents didn’t go broke.

Decide Which Pet Health Insurance Company Is Best For You

The number of pet insurance companies to choose from is overwhelming. Most of the time, people choose to go with the largest company that is the most well-known so they don’t have to compare the companies themselves. If you decide to do the research yourself, there are some things you should take into consideration:

Your biggest concern as a pet parent should be the reputation of a pet insurance provider as offering the coverage you need at a price you can afford. Getting a pet insurance policy is useless if it doesn’t cover what you expect it to cover or if you can’t afford the monthly premium. Remember, although cost is an important factor, it is not the most important. Your pet’s protection and coverage in the case of an emergency is your number one priority so be sure to make your decision with the long-term in mind.
After you narrow your search down based on these requirements the next step is deciding what you want covered for your dog and what additional perks may be negotiable to lower your costs. If you’d like to learn more about terms you should know regarding insurance for dogs, reference our terminology page.

Picking a pet insurance plan is a personal choice and no one knows what your dog needs better than you. Take the time to make an informed decision and know that in the long run it’ll be worth having the added protection.

Which factor is most important to you when choosing a pet insurance company? (price, customer service, coverage, etc.)

Disclaimer: Information regarding insurance company offerings, pricing and other contract details are subject to change by the insurance company at any time and are not under the control of this website. Information published on this website is intended for reference use only. Please review your policy carefully before signing up for a new pet health insurance contract or any other contract as your unique circumstances will differ from those of others who may be used for example purposes in this article.

Sally Jones

Sally grew up in a feline-only home, but cat allergies in her early 20’s made it an easy transition to dog ownership. And she couldn’t be happier with her canine shadow, who’s been at her side (literally) for years. No longer a cat person for obvious reasons, Sally is now a true bone-ified dog lover.

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Jana

This breakdown is incredibly helpful–thank you.

I saw in your full review of Healthy Paws that pets eight years and older are restricted to 60% reimbursement. Does Figo have age-related reimbursement restrictions?

Kimberly Alt

Great question, Jana! I just finished up our summer audit and we will be sending those results live within the next month hopefully. In regards to Figo, we implemented a new policy to not review companies that are less than 5 years old (Figo was founded in 2015). We did this because in the past pet insurance companies have popped up with extremely low prices (convincing pet parents to sign up) and then after some time, hike up their prices because they have claims to pay out. This leaves customers in a difficult spot because if their pet has developed any health issues they now have pre-existing conditions, so switching insurance carriers may not be possible.

We are not saying this is the case for Figo, but we are waiting to review them further until 2020. We feel 5 years gives companies enough time to establish consistent pricing and a reputation which helps us evaluate them in our rankings. In our updated reviews coming out this summer, you’ll notice Figo is not included in them because of this reason. If you are curious to learn more about Figo, I encourage you to reach out to their customer service. Let me know if you have any other pet insurance questions I can help you with!

Laura

I think that when you write this in the future, you should take into account the rating on other sites such as yelp. For example, you give Trupanion an honorable mention, but it has a 2 star rating on yelp, and the reviews are horrific. Healthy Paws has a good rating there, but seems to be going downhill since they were acquired by a larger company last year. It would help to know percentage of denied claims, and annual premium rate increases. I was looking for a plan for my mixed breed manx kitten, but I’m really skeptical that these policies will cover genetic conditions despite their aggressive marketing. I’d be very interested to see a comparison to just putting $50 a month into a savings account.

Kimberly Alt

Thanks for the great input, Laura! Unfortunately, there isn’t a way for us to obtain the percentage of denied claims for each pet insurance provider. However, that would be a wonderful piece of information to share with our readers! As for annual premium rate increases, that’s tricky to share as well since it varies based on location and pet details.

Fortunately, cats are often much less expensive to insure than dogs (often less than $20 per month). Have you gotten quotes for your mixed breed manx kitten?

As for a comparison of what saving $50/month vs purchasing a pet insurance plan, we have this example we can share:

Let’s say you saved $50 a month for 5 years and your vet bill savings account sits at $3,000. I ran quotes for a 7-month-old manx kitten located in Iowa and received the following quotes:
-$19.73/month for Healthy Paws
-$14.93/month for Pets Best
-$20.69/month for Petplan
(Quotes have an unlimited annual limit, $250 annual deductible and 80% reimbursement.)

Instead of being limited to only having $3,000 in a savings account if an emergency arose for your kitten, you could have an unlimited amount available every year and paid around $20/month (totaling $1,200 in premiums for 5 years). Unfortunately, with the cost of vet care, $3,000 won’t stretch too far in 5 years. Testing, treatment, prescriptions and vet visits can add up quickly when you’re dealing with a sick pet. By investing in pet insurance, your ~$20/month can ensure your cat is covered for any minor and major illnesses including cancer, injuries, chronic conditions and more.

By purchasing pet insurance, you’re spending less and getting more coverage. Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to help you further. 🙂

Poop

Hey dudes me and my friend are going to make blankets

Dayna

I had my puppy on Trupanion but the lack of exam fees being covered was a deal breaker for me, as vets in our area typically charge $50 or more per visit. I did like the per incident deductible, but the premiums were really high even for $750 deductibles. Your #1 pick Healthy Paws has the same limitation. I hesitated to use Pets Best as their pricing goes up as dog the gets older, but I like that I have the flexibility to adjust deductible or pay out percentages to lower the cost as she gets older. So we are going to put her on Pets Best. Pet Plan was more expensive than Pets Best, and they had higher deductibles.

Kimberly Alt

Glad you found a company your feel comfortable with! As a heads up, all insurance companies increase prices as the pet ages and vet costs change. Thanks for sharing your thought process with us, hopefully it helps another reader in the future!

Roberta

Ive had Trupanion for my 2 dogs for 5 years. Each year the monthly rate has increased by a few dollars. Last month it went up $12, mind you I have NEVER made a claim, my dogs were just puppies when I enrolled them. I called inquiring about the substantial increase and they told me it was because of the age of my dogs, now 5 and 6 years old. I had to drop them at that. I’m now seeing that other pet insurance with more coverage is cheaper then what I’ve been paying. Lesson learned, do your research.

Yolanda Lennie Mejia

I cannot thank Healthy Paws enough for being there for our dog Kiki and my family when we need them. Kiki was diagnosed with Cushing syndrome and had a mass in her adrenal gland. Kiki underwent surgery to take out the mass which turned out to be cancerous. unfortunately, Kiki developed pancreatitis and kidney failure a couple of weeks later and was hospitalized several times. She lost appetite and lost a lot of weight and had to have a feeding tube inserted in her neck in order to help her get better. While we worried about Kiki’s health, we are thankful that we have a pet insurance to take care of the financial side. Whenever I see or talk to people and coworkers who have pets, I advocate that they get pet insurance for the sake of their pet and themselves. I encouraged my sister, my son and other friends to get Healthy Paws pet insurance and they thanked me because Healthy Paws was there for them as well in time of their need.

As for me, Kiki’s medical expenses are over $10,000.00 now. Healthy paws processed our claims always immediately.
their Customer Care even reached out to check on Kiki’s condition. Is that GREAT or what? Thank you, Health Paws for being there for us. You are the GREATEST!

Jonah

FIgo offers the most generous coverage. Figo is also one of the most affordable. Here’s my experience so far:

I have had several dogs in my life. My last dog costs me a bundle in vet bills. So for my next dog, I wanted a pet insurance with generous coverage, one that is affordable, and one that was convenient. I narrowed my choices to FIgo and Healthy Paws. Both were similiar however, if you closely, FIgo offered more. FIgo covered vet exam fees, holistic and alternative medicine, shorter waiting periods, and overall more convenience. The major convenience with Figo is that with FIgo you can text them if you had a question, and they would reply back in minutes. Furthermore, although both FIgo and Healthy Paws had phone apps, Figo phone apps covered more than just claims processing. Best of all, Figo was a bit more affordable. So far, so good. I filed 3 three claims. The first claim took about 8 days, but the second and third claims with processed in less than 6 days. Figo should be ranked soon.. Figo has what I wanted: Generous Coverage, Phone App that covered paperless processing, Affordablility, and Exceptional Customer Serivice. I am glad I chose Figo. Figo although unranked i think beat the top 3 ranked here for exceptional coverage. Hope Figo is ranked soon.

Dayna

Figo’s premiums in my area were higher than Trupanions and Healthy Paws and they wanted an additional $8 per month to cover exam fees.

Tamara Dunn

Pets Best does not cover pregnancy or anything to do with breeding.

Out of curiosity, why wasn’t Nationwide Whole Pet with Wellness reviewed? It appears all levels of other company plans were included, but the only plan shown to be offered by Nationwide is their Major Medical… which is a stupid plan, but their Whole Pet with Wellness is significantly more comprehensive than the 3 top plans mentioned and is competitive in price. One of our dogs was diagnosed with a chronic condition and they’ve paid for her prescription diet, her meds, acupuncture for pain and all of her medical care, including office visits, CAT scans, ultrasound and xrays. They covered our other dog’s laproscopic spay and a dental with nine extractions on the pug mix we inherited. Is this an independent review or was it sponsored by any of the insurance companies? I ask because all of these reviews promote the top three, but only review Nationwide’s Major Medical. We would have had to euthanize our dog, who is now doing very well, if it weren’t for this plan and I find it disappointing none of the reviews ever mentions it.

Nationwide Whole Pet vs. the top 3:
Flea & Tick – Covered
Heartworm Prevention – Covered
Heartworm testing, vaccines, titres – Covered
Fecal exams – Covered
Deworming – Covered
Spay/Neutered – Covered
Acupuncture – Covered
Chiropractic – Covered
Cold Laser – Covered
Rehabilitation – Covered
Therapeutic Diets – Covered
Prescribed Neutriceuticals – Covered
All major medical, emergency and wellness, other than pre-existing conditions – Covered

Our monthly cost for these plans ranges from $58 to $109 a month based on the age of our dogs at sign up. We’ve used this plan for all 9 of our family dogs since spring 2016 when we switched them to this from Trupanion. We’ve had a LOT of claims, I process at least 1 to 2 claims a month on one dog or another, and so far none have been turned down. They do take longer to pay out, more like 2 to 3 weeks before you get the check, longer for extensive medical bills, but that’s not a bad trade off for the extensiveness of the coverage. They also won’t insure puppies on this plan, they have to be 1 year of age, a recent change… but other than that we’ve been pretty happy with the coverage.

George Mack

AVOID NATIONWIDE!!!
They pay on virtually no claims. The amount they take out is ridiculous, and you have to fight with them on every claim. Eventually they give and reverse decision if you threaten to cancel, but that is about the best way to get them to do what they advertise.

jim

You have Figo as a negative 14-day illness waiting period, 5 days for accidents but health paws you don’t have in negative its 15 day illness waiting period and 15 day accident waiting period whice by my account is worse

Nancy

I’m also looking to replace PetPlan because of the price jump. I found when getting online quotes for my 3 pets, that your top pick Healthy Paws has a downside that is a deal-breaker for me. My 10-year-old cat (who is in perfect health) is only eligible for a plan that covers 60% (instead of 80%) and has a $750 annual deductible! You might want to mention that, and not just that they require a checkup for older pets 30 days prior (which wouldn’t be a problem). Also, I noticed in your coverage comparison that Trupanion is checked for covering alternative therapies, but that’s only if you pay an addition fee. I’m considering Pets Best, but still undecided.
Thank you.

Kimberly Alt

Nancy, thank you for bringing these items to our attention. We double checked and you are correct. The restriction for Healthy Paws begins when the pet is enrolled after their 8th birthday. We will be sure to update these items. Thank you again for commenting with these updates! Please let us know if you need help choosing a pet insurance provider. 🙂

Nancy

How should I contact you for help in choosing a pet insurance provider?

Kimberly Alt

We typically help people through our comments and just go back and forth like we are here. That way our readers can read it as well and it may help them choose a company too. If you’d rather discuss via email, you can reach out through our contact form and ask specifically to speak with me, Kimberly.

Patrick

How often do you guys update your pet insurance reviews? Will new rankings be coming out Jan 1 2018?

Kimberly Alt

Great question Patrick. We re-evaluate pet insurance quarterly and make any ranking updates we see fit. Sometimes there are no changes to the content. We can’t guarantee a ranking change but we can guarantee that the rankings that are live in this article are the most current rankings we have. Please let me know if you have any other questions!

Amy

Thank you for this in-depth article! You’ve helped me pick out the best policy for my fur baby.

Kimberly Alt

Happy we could help you Amy!

Kathleen

It would be interesting to know how much the plans go up every year or which company is worse about price hikes . How much do these plans go up after your dog reaches older age? What companies offer the option to pay annually or pay annually for a discount? How long have these company been in buisness?

Kimberly Alt

There is no guarantee on how much premiums will increase year to year because it varies by pet. We’d love to analyze this, but there is not concrete information that we have access to. We are not aware of any of these companies offering a discount for paying annually. Some of these companies charge a transaction fee, so by paying annually you would reduce the number of times you would pay the transaction fee. This is something we are in the process of adding to our Pet Insurance Quotes page. You can find the years these companies were founded if you scroll down to the heading “The Rest of the Pack” in this article.

Carlos

Thank you for this excellent summary. There is a lot of information on pet insurance on the internet and putting it all together as you have done is very helpful. The summary of benefits, the analysis of pros and cons, and the comments from users are all excellent features. Following Petplans recent 100% increase of premiums for my two 10-year old dogs I wanted to switch insurance companies if possible and your article helped me to quickly assess my options and make a decision. And I appreciate the 10% discount on Healthy Paws I was able to receive by signing up through your website! Thank you, thank you!

Kimberly Alt

So glad we could help you Carlos. Thank you for the kind words.

barbsra sturtevant

Trupanion looks for ways to deny or chsrge deductibles on every claim. Your dog can have cancer and yet it will keep charging deductibles as different diagnosis if your animal has 2 or 3 different types even when continuing carevis the sane for all (continuing chemo or holistic rx or radiation for example). They want to not reimburse you.

Penny

Per the site, “Pets Best offers two tiers of routine care that can be added to one of our BestBenefit plans for additional premium at the time you enroll, within 30 days of enrolling, or at your annual renewal. Benefits are available to you the day after you enroll so you can start using your routine care plan as soon as your policy goes into effect.”

maldav

Another con for PetPlan is its systems security. Even when not requested, the PetPlan system sends to customers e-mail messages that contain their usernames and passwords in clear text, i.e. unencrypted. In addition, PetPlan customer service representatives have access to and can view customers’ account passwords, which conflicts with standard security practices. The practical implication is an unauthorized person could gain access to information about you and your pet. Fortunately, PetPlan does not store customers’ charge card information in the My Account section.

Keyai - Petplan Community Manager

Hi Maldav, we’ve made necessary changes to no longer allow for usernames and passwords to be passed via email in clear text. Your concerns were valid and we listened.

Mother Sunshine

Healthy Paws is not all-inclusive as they advertise. Pay close attention to the fine print. My dog had a knee injury 11 days into the policy and Healthy Paws wouldn’t cover any of it because the 15-day waiting period had not yet ended. Even though he had surgery after the waiting period, they wouldn’t cover it because “clinical signs or symptoms of the condition treated were noted in his medical records as being present during the waiting period”. They wouldn’t even cover the consultation because they don’t cover that either. They only cover the cost of the veterinary treatment (not the cost of the vet consult or anything other than the actual “treatment”) “related to an accident, illness or injury where the clinical signs or symptoms were first present after the enrollment date and waiting periods”. They require you to submit all previous vet records including doctor’s notes from birth to present. If there is any sign whatsoever that your pet had the problem before the policy, they will not cover it. And if they do, they only cover a part of it. Don’t waste your money and jump through hoops, like I did, for nothing.

Kimberly Alt

Thanks for sharing your experience with Healthy Paws! Unfortunately, most insurance companies have waiting periods (some longer than others). Were you able to find another pet insurance company to go with?

Mother Sunshine

I won’t be able to use any other insurance company now that Healthy Paws has deemed my pup’s injury as pre-existing. Now I’m screwed for anything relating to his knee for his entire life. This whole experience has turned me off to pet insurance, period.

Maggie

Mother Sunshine, I just read a YELP review for Figo, and there’s a lady on there named Ashley singing its praises about its pre-existing condition clause. She has an older dog who has already had $12,000 worth of knee injury repair. So she too had a hard time finding the right insurance. Here’s an excerpt: “I chose Figo because if your pet doesn’t show any signs or symptoms or anything for 12 months after the last surgery on the knees were performed, then any injuries to that area will be covered again!” Please read the full YELP review and look into it for the sake of your dog. You might be pleasantly surprised! Also, I’d love to hear back from you regarding your experience. I hope all works out great for you and your pup!

Doktor Timo

USAA does not offer their own pet insurance, they simply offer an up to 15% discount with Embrace to USAA members.

Kimberly Alt

Thank you for the information! The information we found was rather confusing for USAA but this helps clear it up some. Thanks again!

Chris

Excellent, thorough comparisons; thanks!

Concerning listing “Veterinary exam fee is not covered” as one of the CONS for Healthy Paws, for which the full review states: “No wellness add-on option for annual and other maintenance visits, so exam fees are not covered, but you can plan for these since they are about the same cost every time. Healthy Paws claims that this makes the monthly premium more affordable.”: Can you elaborate on what you mean by a “veterinarian exam fee”?

Unless I’m misunderstanding what you mean, as a former Petplan customer I can state that they do not cover these, either. For instance, unless their benefits have changed, Petplan doesn’t cover annual exams/checkups. To their credit, they *do* (or, at least, *did*) cover exam fees for illnesses, resulting in the diagnosis of conditions such as urinary tract infections, pancreatitis, etc. Are you saying that Healthy Paws wouldn’t cover the exam fees for illnesses?

Kimberly Alt

A veteranary exam fee is what you pay to have the vet see your dog. So if your dog is in for his yearly checkup the fee that you pay for the exam alone is what the vet exam fee is.

If you look here under “What is Covered by Petplan” you’ll see that “Veterinary exam or office visit fees” are not covered but “Non-routine veterinary exam or office visit fees” are covered.
https://www.caninejournal.com/petplan-insurance-reviews/

Healthy Paws does not cover exam fees. Whether they are routine visits or unexpected illness/accident visits.

Does that make sense?

Pet Insurance Reviews 2018

Top Pet Insurance Companies 2018

Pet Insurance Cost & Coverage Comparison Tables

SlideShare: Pet Insurance Reviews Summary

Healthy Paws Review

Pros

Cons

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Pets Best Review

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Cons

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Petplan Review

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Cons

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Trupanion Review

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Cons

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Embrace Review

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Cons

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Other Pet Insurance Companies Not Ranked

Companies Not Ranked

24PetWatch Review

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Cons

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AKC Pet Insurance Review

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ASPCA Insurance Review (aka Crum & Forster)

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FIGO Review

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Nationwide Review

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Cons

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PetFirst Review

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Cons

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Decide Which Pet Health Insurance Company Is Best For You

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