It’s a difficult thing to think about, but the truth is that accidents happen. Our dogs deserve the best, and when problems arise a smart pet owner is always covered. When you read through a pet insurance plan for your dog you want to make sure that you cover all your bases. Beyond exam fees for routine care, you want to make sure that pet insurers are going to cover accidents and illnesses, hereditary conditions, and anything else that life throws your way. Most importantly, when it comes time to file a claim you want a plan that is going to make it easy to get your reimbursement.
We’ve vetted all of the leading pet insurance providers and analyzed the plans that they have to offer. In this article we’ll break it all down so that you can find the best fit for your dog and your life quickly and confidently.
Best Pet Insurance For Dogs in 2020
When evaluating pet insurance plans we perform a comprehensive analysis, digging deep into what each has to offer. To make sure we’re giving all plans a fair shot, we make sure to uncover the following details at a minimum:
- Premium.
- Extent of coverage.
- Deductibles.
As we read through we also make note of anything special that may make one particular plan stick out as the best among all of the others, and all of this gets incorporated in our finalized dog insurance reviews.
Trupanion
If you’ve performed even the smallest amount of research you’re like to have heard of Trupanion pet insurance. They specialize in offering affordable insurance for pet owners with straightforward plans that cover 90% of your pet’s eligible veterinary bills. They are one of the longest-standing pet insurance providers in the United States, and they’ve been helping pet owners achieve the best care for their dogs for over a decade.
With Trupanion you are responsible for your dog’s routine exam fees and preventative care, but when it comes to unexpected or emergency visits to the vet for occurrences like accidents or illness Trupanion has your back. They offer this one simple plan structure, which is what helps Trupanion keep their premiums low.
The price you’ll pay for coverage does vary depending on your dog’s age, breed, gender, your local veterinary care costs, and many other factors. They do also give you the ability to select your deductible from $0-$1,000. Your bill will have to exceed your deductible before you’re eligible for reimbursement, so it goes without saying that a lower deductible is going to come with an increase in monthly insurance premiums.
Their claim process is notably easy, and you can monitor for updates using your online account. According to Trupanion, they settle 80% of claims within 7 days of receiving them – in fact, 65% are settled the same day. What really stands out about Trupanion is that they have absolutely no payout limits – that means no annual limits, per incidence limits, or lifetime limits.
Keep in mind that you’re responsible for wellness coverage and preventative care, so this insurance plan doesn’t cover routine exam fees. They also don’t cover sales tax if it applies to your bill. Of course, they won’t cover pre-existing conditions either, but that goes without saying. All of this helps to keep your premiums low each month, and if you’re on board with this simple plan structure, Trupanion is one of the best pet insurers you can come by.
Healthy Paws
Another popular pet insurance provider among dog owners is Healthy Paws. Since 2009 they’ve been helping owners of cats and dogs obtain the best medical care possible. They were the first company to offer a pet insurance mobile app, so they are true innovators in the space.
What’s nice about Healthy Paws is that you can get a nearly-instant quote for your dog. Their plans cover accidents and illnesses of all kinds, as long as it’s not a pre-existing condition. The coverage that Healthy Paws offers doesn’t extend to exam fees and routine or preventative care either, but when an emergency comes up their pet insurance products and services are there to help you get your dog the care that they need. They have an upper age of 14 years old, so you’ll be covered if you encounter expensive bills from hereditary and congenital conditions. When you sign up with Healthy Paws, your pets insurance policy will cover visits to any licensed veterinarian for accidents and illness in the event of an emergency. If your dog eats a bar of chocolate or tragically gets hurt, it’ll be nice to have the peace of mind that Healthy Paws is there to help.
Insurance companies around the world are notorious for causing headaches when it comes time to file a claim, but Healthy Paws has made themselves a reputation for timely reimbursements. Much of this is made possible by the integration of their mobile app. You can quickly and easily upload an image of your bill when your dog gets sick, and the vast majority of claims are processed within 2 days of submission. Nobody wants to wait or struggle to retrieve their reimbursements when they’ve been paying premiums for insurance policies month after month, and with Healthy Paws you won’t have to. Plus, they have no maximums on incident, annual, or lifetime payouts. Healthy Paws is committed to customer service, and they are a great company to choose when you need pet insurance for your dog.
Nationwide
Nationwide is perhaps one of the most well-known companies in the world of insurance, so it comes as no surprise that they are one of the best providers of pet insurance as well. While many of the other insurance companies we’ve reviewed here at The Pampered Pup are specifically built around pets, it is nice to know that you can opt for coverage from a company with a long-established reputation. Of course you’ll have to consider the source, but if you read their website you’ll see that they claim to have assembled the best insurance policies for pets out there.
What makes Nationwide’s pet insurance the best? Their insurance policies for cats and dogs (and even some exotic pets) offer the broadest coverage available, and their plans allow you to use any vet. With policies that offer coverage for everything from wellness care, to holistic and alternative treatments, and of course the more serious and expensive procedures associated with accidents, emergency care, and hereditary conditions, this is the kind of insurance pet owners can count on.
A large insurance company like Nationwide has a number of advantages. For example, in addition to their standard products and services their plans include access to the company vethelpline, where members can call in to ask any questions you may have regarding your pet’s health for anything ranging from general questions to a what to do in an actual case of emergency or accidents. You can obtain a quote for coverage in as little as two minutes from their website, and you’ll be able to read through their options and plans and pick the coverage that is most suitable for you and your pup. If a well-renowned insurance company seems like the right way to go, then one of the plans from Nationwide is your best bet when compared to the other options you can find today.
Figo
Figo is an insurance company with a very specific focus on urban owners of cats and dogs. They are the cutting-edge when it comes to the integration of technology with pet insurance. If you’re someone who loves working through apps, you’re likely to love Figo as your pet insurance provider – but we’ll get into that more in a little bit. First and foremost, let’s talk about coverage under Figo.
Figo offers three tiers of coverage options. Their lowest priced Essential plans allow for $5,000-$10,000 worth of annual coverage for accidents and illnesses, while their mid-teir Preferred plans allow for $10,000-$14,000 worth of annual coverage and their first-tier Ultimate plans allow for unlimited annual coverage. Like most other pet insurance plans, the coverage in their policies is geared toward non-routine and emergency veterinary bills such as hospitalization, cancer treatments, hereditary and congenital conditions, and other unexpected circumstances. They include coverage for diagnostic testing as well, which is a nice plus in pet insurance plans for the proactive parents.
The actual premiums you’ll pay for your pet insurance through Figo will depend on a few factors such as the type of pet, their gender, their age, their breed, and where you are located. Of course, the extent of the annual limits set by the coverage tier you go for will impact your premiums each month as well. Being the savvy company they are, Figo will help you get a quote based on some preliminary information and the actual options you select in a matter of minutes.
Now onto some of the perks associated with this innovative pet insurance company. As previously mentioned, they’ve integrated the usage of their insurance policies with a handy mobile app that allows you to file a claim quickly and easily. The app does a whole lot more than that though, and you can message vets live 24/7 to get their advice, connect with other pet owners and pet-related locales, and even set reminders for when it’s time to do the routine pet stuff. If you’re up to the times with modern technology, then Figo is definitely a pet insurance company that you’re going to want to try – check out our extensive Figo Pet Insurance review for more details.
Pet Assure
Pet Assure is geared towards all types of pets, so beyond the typical pups and cats they are happy to provide coverage for birds, monkeys, and exotic pets of all kinds – though they do make note that they don’t offer coverage for humans. Alas, your families traditional health insurance coverage policies will have to suffice.
The policies offered by Pet Assure are noteworthy for the actual amount of coverage they offer. Their policies offer coverage for everything ranging from wellness visits and lab work to extreme situations like surgeries and accidents. They tend to offer coverage for many of the bill that are typically excluded in the policies of other companies, such as preexisting conditions. They note that there are no exclusions when it comes to coverage, and that all medical procedures are included. There are no upper age limits, no deductibles, and no waiting period, and they say that no claim is ever denied.
Enrollment for Pet Assure is typically set up through your employer, and while this is convenient for many pet owners it will likely drive some to choose other companies that offer more simple and accessible enrollment. It seems like it in the company plans to offer enrollment directly at some point in the future, but there is no actual date where this will begin at the time of writing.
If the extent of coverage options is one of your biggest sticking points when it comes to choosing pet insurance for your pooch, then it will be hard to find an insurance company that provides more options than Pet Assure – it’s where this company truly shines through as the best. You will need to be working in a company that offers their plans and an employee benefit program though, so keep that in mind when you read through plans offered by different companies.
Embrace
Embrace is another one of those pet insurance companies that’s been around for quite some time. They claim to be the best, but what do they have to offer that sets them apart from other pet insurance providers?
Embrace offers a single, simple, and comprehensive pet insurance plan that gives you options when it comes to setting the limits on your annual maximum, your deductible, and your reimbursement percentage so that you can choose the premiums you pay each month to fit your lifestyle. They also offer what they call a diminishing deductible, which basically means that your deductible gets reduced by $50 for every annual period that you don’t receive reimbursement. That means that as time goes on, the amount you’ll have to pay before your coverage kicks will decrease.
Unlike many other pet insurance companies, Embrace covers exam and consultation fees. They also will fairly consider any pre-existing conditions that your pup may have and while they may not be covered, they’ll do their best to help you get as much coverage as possible. They’ll also give you an allowance to cover wellness visits with each annual period. You can choose from a few options as to how much allows you get so that you can get the coverage you need at premiums that you can handle.
Embrace is a very well established pet insurance company, and you and your pooch will be in good hands with their plans. Read through their coverage and get a quote, and make sure to check out our full Embrace Pet Insurance review. You never know, they just may be the best fit for your household.
Pets Best
Founded in 2005, Pets Best is another pet insurance company that has become fairly popular across the United States. They offer plans with up to 90% coverage for unexpected instances, and if you’re looking for plans that cover routine care they can offer coverage for that as well.
Like a few of the other pet insurance companies we’ve already discussed, pet best also offers a 24/7 helpline so that you can get answers from experts at any time of the day. That’s a nice service to have when the unexpected becomes a reality, you won’t have to rush to the hospital to find out what the best course of action is.
They’ve kept up with the times and designed their claims process to be entirely accessible online, and they include the option to directly pay your veterinarian. This can be a huge help in the lives of busy pet owners.
They offer a variety of plans with varying coverage so that you can get an actual premium that is going to work for your family each monthly period. Their annual plans have no limits in terms of coverage, and if you would like to increase your coverage to include routine visits you can do that. Another plus is that there is no upper age limit when you insure your pooch with Pets Best.
Pets Best comes highly rated for their pet insurance services among pooch owners who have been using them for quite some time. It’s always nice to work with a company that focuses on pups, rather than spreading themselves too thin by insuring all sorts of exotic pets.
ASPCA
If you’re really looking for complete coverage then ASPCA is another option that may be best for your family. This pet insurance company has changed hands a few times, but they were one of the first pet insurance companies to start offering the service. By partnering with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, they’ve been able to bring in a level of expertise that is quite a bit higher than the alternative pet insurance organizations you can find.
As with most pet insurance providers, the fees you pay each billing period are going to be affected by a number of factors, including your limits, deductibles, the extent of the coverage you elect, and all of the relevant information about your pet and your location. Make sure to read through everything they have to offer because their coverage is quite flexible. Signing up with them is low risk because they offer a money-back guarantee within 30 days as long as no claims are covered. If you find out within 30 days that you don’t like their systems it’s no sweat.
Their plans are quite comprehensive when it comes to coverage, including accidents, hereditary and congenital conditions, and all of the incidents you’ll come to expect as you read about pet insurance coverage plans. A nice feature of ASPCA pet insurance is that exam fees are included, which is something that is not always the case and can feel like an added deductible if not included in the coverage.
Signing up is relatively risk-free, so why not read through their options and see if the coverage and limits combined with the price you pat each period are the best fit for you?
For more details, make sure to read our full ASCPA Pet Insurance review.
How To Choose Your Dog’s Insurance Company
Clearly there’s a lot to digest when you start seeking out pet insurance for your pup. Finding the best coverage plan can take some time, but hang in there. It’s definitely worth it in the long haul. If something ever happens to your dog, you want to make sure that they can get the best treatment possible and get on the path to a speedy recovery. Here are some tips to help you sort through the important points and get you on your way with great coverage as soon as possible:
Start With A Price In Mind
You should always have an idea of your budget when you start down the path of buying anything, but this is particularly true when it comes to pet insurance coverage. Keep in mind that the price you pay will recur on a monthly period in most cases. While you may end up paying a much different price at the end of the day, having a price in mind when you start out helps guide you to the plans that are more in line with what you’re looking for.
Extent of Coverage
As you read through the different insurance companies and the policies they have to offer, you want to also formulate an idea of the extent of the coverage you’re looking for. In most cases, it’s probably going to be the most cost-effective to get a pet insurance policy that is designed for the actual unexpected events in life, rather than routine trips to the vet and similar. This will make the amount you pay each month lower in most cases, but the choice really comes down to what you’re looking for.
Coverage Limits
Some pet insurance plans are going to have limits, while others are going to be unlimited in the amount of reimbursement they’ll issue. This is a touchy subject, but you’ll have to consider how serious of an accident you’re looking to cover and what’s best for your family. Obviously, with higher limits or unlimited plans, your monthly bill is going to be higher. Make sure to read all of the fine print as well, because not all policies are created equal here. You may think you’re getting unlimited protection, but in fact there are some details that restrict the amount of coverage you’re getting within the calendar year.
Reputation
When it comes to dealing with pet insurance companies, the last thing you want to do is to get left stranded when you need their help most. Make sure you purchase a policy from a company with a longstanding and stalwart reputation, so that you don’t find yourself coming up empty-handed when your pup needs your help most. Read through customer’s reviews and experiences with the reimbursement process to see if there is a general level of satisfaction that you’re going to be happy with.
Other Considerations
Once you’ve really narrowed down your list of preferred providers, it’s time to read into the perks and systems that your favorites have in place to find the best fit for you and your family. Many of these providers have built a smartphone app so that you can submit claims directly and near-instantly, which is a huge help for many pet owners. Others, however, may not find this very important and are totally OK with operating by phone, mail, and email. Also consider the fact that some of these providers offer pet hotlines and other perks as part of their plans. Read what they have to offer and find out if it gives them that competitive edge over the next closest fit.
