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Dogs are like family members for many people. So it’s no surprise that pet owners are taking their dog’s healthcare more seriously by choosing pet insurance. The number of insured pets grew by over 17% in 2023, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA).
Every pup is different, so they deserve pet insurance that fits their unique needs. Read on to discover the best pet insurance options across different categories.
Best Pet Insurance Companies of 2024 Summary
Compare the Best Dog Insurance Providers
While dog insurance is meant to save you money if your pet contracts an illness, the rising cost of pet care means that the cost of pet insurance also rises. As such, the process of buying dog insurance is a balance between the most coverage and the best price.
Here are Business Insider’s picks for the best dog insurance providers of 2024.
Best Dog Insurance Overall
Figo Pet Insurance
Figo is one of the best dog insurance providers overall. It provides affordable care with various customizable options and is one of the few providers that offers 100% reimbursements. It also offers an option for unlimited coverage, though policyholders cannot have both 100% reimbursement and unlimited coverage in the same plan. Dogs 8 weeks and older are eligible, with no upper age limit, which makes it a good option for senior dogs.
Figo’s comprehensive pet insurance plans include coverage for non-routine dental care, alternative treatments, and hereditary conditions. You can also add preventative coverage with wellness care and vet exam fees.
Added benefits of Figo pet insurance plans include a shorter-than-average one-day waiting period for accident coverage, a 24-hour pet telehealth line, and its Pet Cloud app, which makes your dog’s vet records much more manageable. Dog owners can also get a 5% discount for enrolling multiple pets and a 15% discount by signing up with a Costco membership.
Read our Figo pet insurance review.
Best Dog Insurance for Affordability
Lemonade Pet Insurance
Lemonade is one of the most affordable dog insurance providers, with premiums starting at $12. Additionally, dog owners can access multiple discounts: 10% off for bundling with other Lemonade policies like renters or auto insurance, 5% off for enrolling multiple pets, and 5% off for paying annually instead of monthly.
While it offers a nice array of discounts, Lemonade stands out for its customizability. Lemonade offers annual limits of $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000. Additionally, while Lemonade offers a relatively basic plan, users can add riders to their plan to beef up coverage, such as vet visit fees, dental illnesses, and behavioral conditions. This level of customization lets dog owners create a policy with the coverages they need while cutting out the benefits they don’t want, saving them money.
It’s worth noting that Lemonade is only available in 37 states.
Read our Lemonade pet insurance review.
Best Dog Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions
AKC Pet Insurance
The American Kennel Club (AKC) stands out primarily because it’s the only insurance provider that currently offers coverage for curable and incurable pre-existing conditions, which begins after a 12-month waiting period. In contrast, most insurers only cover curable pre-existing conditions after your dog has been treated and symptom-free for at least six to 18 months.
While this is a great policy for pet owners with older dogs with medical histories, pet owners with healthy dogs may find better policies elsewhere. While AKC’s accident and illness plan isn’t necessarily bad, it can’t compare to the benefits and customizability offered by companies like Lemonade or Figo. Its annual limits max out at $10,000, which may not be enough for serious illnesses.
Read our AKC pet insurance review.
Best for Wellness
Embrace Pet Insurance
Embrace stands out for offering one of the best wellness plans, which comes in three tiers distinguished by annual limits: $250, $450, and $650. It offers benefits rarely seen with other wellness plans, such as grooming, nutritional supplements and prescription diet food, and gland expression.
The biggest downside to Embrace’s wellness is that it only comes as an addition to Embrace’s accident and illness policy. While it’s a decent dog insurance provider, offering an unlimited coverage option, it’s also fairly expensive.
While Embrace has the most comprehensive coverage, we’ll also mention Wagmo Pet Insurance as an alternative. While Wagmo’s wellness plan isn’t as comprehensive as Embrace’s, it has one key advantage over Embrace, which is that you can buy Wagmo’s wellness plan independent of its insurance policy.
Read our Embrace pet insurance review.
Best Dog Insurance for Chronic Conditions
Trupanion Pet Insurance
Trupanion is a unique pet insurance company in that its deductibles are paid per condition over the policy’s lifetime instead of an annual deductible that resets each year. Additionally, all policies come with unlimited coverage and 90% reimbursement. So, let’s say you have a Trupanion policy with a $500 deductible, and your dog is diagnosed with cancer. Once you pay that $500 deductible, you will only have to pay 10% of your bills until you decide to end your policy.
This structure is great for chronic conditions, but your bills may add up if your dog contracts a wide variety of illnesses. Additionally, Trupanion is one of the most expensive providers on the market, which can deter many dog owners. However, Trupanion doesn’t participate in birthday pricing, in which a company increases premiums annually based on your dog’s age.
Additionally, Trupanion has the unique ability to pay vets directly, so you won’t have to worry about filing a claim after a vet visit. However, if your vet isn’t eligible for direct pay, Trupanion also has a traditional claims process.
It’s also worth noting that Trupanion doesn’t have a wellness option and does not cover pre-existing conditions, regardless of whether they’re curable or not.
Read our Trupanion pet insurance review.
Best Senior Dog Insurance
Spot Pet Insurance
Spot pet insurance offers accident and illness coverage with no upper age limit. It also provides broad coverage, including benefits like hereditary/congential condition coverage, end-of-life coverage, prescription food, stem cell therapy, and alternative treatments.
Spot also includes two tiers of wellness and will cover curable pre-existing conditions after your dog is treatment- and symptom-free for 180 days. Additionally, it has relatively low waiting periods, with a 14-day waiting period for ligament and knee issues, while most pet insurance companies have six-month waiting periods.
Read our Spot pet insurance review.
Best Dog Insurance for Customer Service
Prudent Pet Insurance
Prudent’s policies aren’t necessarily eye-catching. While it offers an option for unlimited coverage and has some extra benefits, like lost pet advertising coverage and mortality benefits, Prudent’s terms don’t stand out in any spectacular fashion.
However, Prudent shines in its customer service with the highest rating on Trustpilot among all pet insurance companies, receiving an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars. Customers reported that even when their claims were denied, representatives still offered alternative options for customers.
Read our Prudent pet insurance review.
Types of Dog Insurance Available
The standard dog insurance policies include accident-only, accident and illness, and wellness plans. Here’s an overview of what they cover.
Accident-Only Plans
Accident-only plans cover unexpected medical bills due to an accident, like a broken bone or foreign object ingestion. It’s typically the cheapest plan pet insurers offer because it doesn’t cover illnesses.
Comprehensive Coverage
Comprehensive policies include coverage for accidents and illnesses. These illnesses include chronic, hereditary, or neurological conditions, among others. These plans are often more expensive than accident-only plans because they provide broader coverage.
Wellness and Preventive Care
Wellness plans pay for routine and preventive care costs, like vaccinations and sterilization. It’s not an insurance policy. Instead, it operates on a subscription-based model. You pay a monthly price in return for a fixed amount of coverage per year to help manage the expected cost of ongoing, routine expenses. Most providers allow you to add wellness coverage to your insurance policy at an additional premium.
Factors Affecting Dog Insurance Costs
Pet insurance costs vary based on you and your dog’s situation. The following are a few key factors that influence your overall cost.
Breed
Some breeds are more likely to develop illnesses than others. For example, larger breeds tend to reach seniority faster than smaller ones, according to the AKC. Since older dogs face an increased risk of developing health conditions, insurers will charge higher premiums for larger dogs to offset the risk.
Age
Older dogs are more likely to need medical care than younger ones. As a result, insurance companies usually charge higher premiums for adult and senior dogs than for puppies.
As a side note, getting insurance for your pup while they’re young is generally a good idea. This ensures your pup is eligible for coverage before developing a health issue, as most won’t cover pre-existing conditions.
Location
Dog owners in ZIP codes with increased vet care costs will see higher insurance premiums on their policies. For example, you may see higher insurance premiums in an urban area with expensive dog health care than in a rural region with lower living costs.
Choosing the Right Dog Insurance Provider
Pet insurance companies consider a pre-existing health condition if it shows up before your policy begins, even if a previous insurer covered it. That’s why choosing the right insurance company for your pup from the start is important.
Step 1: Assess your Coverage Needs
The standard pet insurance policy offers accident and illness coverage, but not every company insures all treatments and services. For example, some policies cover hereditary and congenital conditions, and some don’t. Others do so at an extra premium. Your veterinarian can inform you about common health issues for your dog’s breed, helping you choose the right coverages.
You’ll also want to identify the amount of coverage you need. If you don’t have significant savings for vet care, you might want to opt for higher deductibles and reimbursement rates. If your pup develops a chronic illness, you might want higher coverage limits for their increased medical needs.
Be aware that more insurance usually means higher premiums.
Step 2: Find Dog Insurance Providers
The next step is to choose pet insurance providers offering coverage based on your pet’s needs. You can ask your friends and family for recommendations or read online reviews. Your vet should also be able to suggest insurers that cover your pet’s health issues.
Note that companies enforce exclusions and limitations on coverage for pre-existing conditions, certain breeds, and ages. Policies also have separate waiting periods for accidents, illnesses, and orthopedic conditions before coverage kicks in. Before you buy insurance, be sure you understand how each company handles exclusions and limitations and how that may affect your coverage.
Compare Prices
After choosing several pet insurance companies that check all your coverage-related boxes, you’ll want to compare quotes from each. You can gather quotes manually using the provider’s quote comparison tool on their website or by calling them. Alternatively, quote comparison tools like Pawlicy Advisor or PetInsuranceQuotes can generate quotes from multiple pet insurance providers in minutes, streamlining the process.
The best dog insurance company provides the coverage you need at the most affordable price.
Alternatives to Traditional Dog Insurance
In some cases, pet insurance may not be economical or practical. Fortunately, pet owners have alternative options.
Discount Plans
Discount plans provide discounted rates on medical care, including emergency and routine services. A leading provider for this alternative program is Pet Assure.
Unlike pet insurance, discount plans typically don’t place limitations on pre-existing conditions, eligible ages, eligible breeds, and coverage amounts. Additionally, there are no waiting periods or deductibles to meet before coverage kicks in.
However, discounted rates only apply to select services at participating vet providers. So, your options may be limited depending on availability in your area.
Savings Account for Veterinary Care
Starting a savings account can help you save up for future medical care for your pup. This can help you avoid costly pet insurance premiums, which may be true for older dogs or certain breeds. A savings account is also a viable option if your dog has multiple pre-existing conditions, as most pet insurance policies only cover health issues that arise after your policy begins.
Consider building your vet care emergency fund in an account designed to preserve your principal amount while generating some interest. Some examples include a high-yield savings account, money market account, or certificate of deposit (CD).
However, it’s important to note that accidents or illnesses can develop unexpectedly. The tradeoff for building a savings fund for future vet expenses is that it may take time to accumulate sufficient funds. While pet insurance typically has a waiting period before coverage begins, this period usually lasts several days to weeks, offering faster financial protection.
Best Dog Insurance FAQ
The best dog insurance is Figo for its affordability and comprehensive coverage. However, the right pet insurer depends on your financial situation and coverage needs.
How much you should spend on pet insurance depends on your dog’s breed, age, and location. An effective way to get the best price on the coverage you need is by comparing quotes from multiple pet insurance companies.
Getting pet insurance for your dog is often worth it, as unexpected vet care can be costly. However, if you have an older dog or one with multiple pre-existing conditions, pet insurance might become expensive or exclude coverage for your dog’s health issues altogether. In such cases, saving up for medical expenses might be more practical.
Why You Should Trust Us: How We Rated the Best Dog Insurance Companies
The Personal Finance Insider Team is committed to providing readers with the most accurate, updated, and relevant information. That’s why we compared 11 of the top pet insurance providers in the industry based on the following factors:
- Affordability: To determine the cheapest quotes, we used the profile of a 10-week-old (8-year-old for older dogs) Labrador Retriever in Chicago, Illinois.
- Chronic condition coverage: To choose the best insurer for chronic conditions, we compared non-standard coverage offerings for chronic conditions, which include exam fees, alternative therapy, behavioral therapy, prescription medication, end-of-life expenses, and physical therapy. We also looked at maximum lifetime limits.
- Pre-existing condition coverage: The best insurer for this category provides the most extensive coverage of pre-existing conditions and the shortest lookback period.
- Wellness plans: The best pet wellness plan provider offers unique coverage options compared to its competitors.
- Customer service: We took the average of Better Business Bureau and Trustpilot ratings to determine which companies had the highest score for their customer service.
You can learn more about how Business Insider rates pet insurance here.
Alani Asis is a personal finance expert with experience covering insurance, retirement, and credit at both Business Insider and LendingTree. Her work has been published in AARP, CNN Underscored, Forbes, Fortune, PolicyGenius, and U.S. News & World Report.ExperienceAlani is a former insurance fellow on the Personal Finance Insider team. She’s reviewed life insurance and pet insurance companies and has written numerous explainers on travel insurance, credit, debt, and home insurance.She is passionate about demystifying the complexities of insurance and other personal finance topics so that readers have the information they need to make the best money decisions.ExpertiseAlani’s areas of personal finance expertise include:
- Car insurance
- Life insurance
- Home insurance
- Travel insurance
- Pet insurance
- Credit
- Credit cards
- Retirement planning
Education Alani is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she earned a degree in political science and history.
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