If you have ever taken a sick or injured dog to the vet, you are very well known for how expensive vet care can be. Pet owners find this situation challenging when they are not financially stable or when this situation arises at the end of the month when you are mostly out of money for the heavy expense.
Sometimes, vet bills are so high that they can run into thousands of dollars. To overcome these situations, pet insurance comes into existence to give relief from the high expenses of your dog’s treatment. It gives one of the best ways to protect against the unexpected health expenses of your furry companion.
Here, we have gathered some of the top insurance companies for dogs. Just go through them to find the best pet insurance for dogs. Let’s start.
Top Insurance Companies for Dogs
Healthy Paws
This pet insurance provider offers a single insurance plan covering the accident and illness of your pet. It also covers annual deductibles and no payout limit. Healthy Paws also provides an option to reduce your premiums in two ways – increase your deductibles or reduce the reimbursement level. Along with these services, this company also provides coverage for alternative care for your pet, such as hydrotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and others.
You must know what this single pet insurance plan does not cover. These include wellness expenses, vet exams, and medical treatment for behavioral problems. It also offers a Refer-a-Friend program in which once your friend completes the application process, the company donates $25 for the need of helpless pets.
Trupanion
This company works in a unique way, where it provides a direct payment of vet expenses. It means that if you use a participating vet working under Trupanion, the company will pay the bill to the vet before you leave his office. This means there is no need to file a claim and wait for getting the claimed amount. This company is similar to Healthy paws as this company also works with a single pet insurance plan and no payout limit.
But, Trupanion offers additional plan options than Healthy paws. These include Recovery and Care Rider, Pet Owner Assistance Package, and others. In addition to these options, Trupanion also offers a lifetime per-condition deductible. It also has a Refer-a-Friend program in which you get a chance to earn $25 for each friend you referred i.e., up to a limit of $100 annually.
Pets Best
This insurance company offers pet insurance for dogs covering accidents and illnesses for pets, including dogs and cats, without any age limitation on enrollment. This pet insurance plan works in three levels – Essential, Plus, and Elite. When you go high on these levels, you will be able to get additional benefits, such as covering vet examination fees for accidents and illnesses and coverage for rehabilitation.
Along with this insurance plan, the company also offers two wellness options that cover various things, such as vaccinations, deworming, microchipping, and others. Moreover, Pets Best also offers coverage for regular checkups and preventative care. As compared to other insurance companies, Pets Best has a shorter waiting period. It is the time when your policy gets into effect and when you are able to file a claim. When this plan is added to your policy, you can use the routine care service immediately.
Embrace Pet Insurance
Like other companies for pet insurance for dogs and other pets, Embrace does not offer coverage for pre-existing conditions. Instead, this company works out of this rule. In a situation when your pet suffers from injury or illness that is believed to be a curable condition and if he remains symptom-free and treatment-free for a minimum of one year, Embrace may be agreed to offer the coverage for the condition again in the future.
Embrace also offers a reduction in the deductibles every year when your dog or any pet is healthy, and you don’t require filing a claim. If you buy pet insurance for dogs from Embrace, it will cover vet examination fees that many insurance companies do not cover. Embrace does not offer a wellness insurance policy, instead, it offers a Wellness Rewards plan that provides coverage for several things, like grooming and training.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
ASPCA is another company that offers pet insurance for dogs and other pets. The company provides accident and illness and accident-only coverage for both dogs and cats. These pet insurance plans have adjustable deductible every year, and adjustable payout limit yearly. In addition to covering these problems, the company also provides coverage for treatment for behavioral issues.
More to this, you can also opt for adding a preventive rider to the primary plan. You must also know that ASPCA also covers horses. If you have a horse and are looking for a pet insurance company, you can go with ASPCA.
PetFirst Pet Insurance
This pet insurance company was established in 2004, and later in 2020, it was purchased by MetLife. Just like other companies for the best pet insurance for dogs and other pets, PetFirst offers coverage for accidents and illnesses for dogs and cats in addition to routine care coverage.
No matter what age your dog has, you can buy pet insurance from PetFirst. Like ASPCA, the pet insurance plans at PetFirst have adjustable yearly deductibles and adjustable payout limits annually. It also includes decreasing deductibles.
Figo
Figo is another one of the best pet insurance companies that can be considered to manage the expenses of your pet. It offers three different pet insurance plans that provide coverage for accidents and injuries for dogs and cats. If you choose higher-level plans, they have an increased annual payout limit. They also cover the vet examination fees and prescription food.
Figo also has a Pet Cloud mobile app that you can use to connect with professional vets anytime you want. It also provides a Figo account and can also be used for social purposes. With the help of the app, you can find the local dog parks or can also share photos with other pet owners.
Petplan
Petplan offers a pet insurance plan covering accidents and illnesses. In addition to this, the company also provides coverage for vet examination fees, thus a great pet insurance option for those who find it hard to make it to a vet’s office.
The company also covers up to $1,000 in boarding fees when your pet needs to be hospitalized.
These plans are available with the annual deductible and payout limits.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin is also counted in the list of the best pet insurance for dogs and cats. If you have a puppy and want a reliable pet insurance company, nothing would be better than enrolling with Pumpkin. The pet insurance plans for puppies are similar to the plans for dogs. Instead, they are more reasonable and also include an optional preventative care package.
These plans provide coverage for one annual wellness vet examination fee, four vaccines of the puppy, and one yearly fecal poop test. Moreover, the company also provides a refund of any vaccine that your puppy has received four months before enrolling in the policy.
It also offers an optional non-insurance preventative care package to your pet insurance policy. It allows you to get a refund of the amount for yearly wellness examinations, vaccines, and laboratory tests for parasites. The monthly premiums depend on the age and breed of the pet. It also involves deductible and annual limits.
If you have more than one pet in your home, you can apply for a pet insurance policy at Pumpkin as it provides a 10% discount for each additional pet. Pumpkin is also a great place for older pets that are not able to get reduced or outright denial coverage due to their older age.
Nationwide
Nationwide is one of the oldest insurance companies in the United States to offer pet insurance. The primary pet insurance plan covers both regular and preventative care for dogs and cats. Nationwide also provides you the freedom to separately buy accident and illness insurance or wellness plans.
Nationwide is the only insurance company on the list that offers pet insurance plans for birds and other exotic pets, like rats, lizards, snakes, tortoises, etc. However, Nationwide is a little more expensive than other insurance companies on the list. But, need to keep in mind that pet insurance plans at Nationwide include wellness coverage, which is something that most of the other insurance companies do not include in their primary insurance plans.
Types of Pet Insurance Plans
When you want to insure your dog or any pet, the very first thing is to do a good look at your finances, such as how much you can afford in case of an emergency. No matter what type of pet insurance policy you have, each policy has different types of coverage and are available at different prices. Therefore, it is important to know about each type of policy before you buy the best pet insurance for dogs.
Accident-Only Policy
This type of policy is the best option for you if you are concerned about your dog or cat’s tendency for mishaps. These types of policies are more affordable than other policies with more coverage.
Accident and Illness Policy
These types of policies include accident and illness coverage for pets. You can expand these plans by adding wellness coverage, which is commonly additional coverage, rather than being a combined part of the plan.
Comprehensive Policy
Some insurance companies offer a comprehensive policy that covers everything, such as accidents, illnesses, wellness, and routine care. Like, these policies cover dental care, chiropractic care, vaccinations, behavioral therapy, and others. These policies are more expensive than others, but it is worth getting this policy for peace of mind.
Also Read: Best Dog Food Brands.
FAQs
What to keep in mind when looking for pet insurance for dogs?
There are many factors that help you to find the best pet insurance for dogs and other pets. Some of these are:
- Cost of dog insurance.
- Age of your dog.
- How much coverage do you want.
Does pet insurance policy provide discounts?
Yes, there are many pet insurance companies that offer discounts. To make your policy affordable, many insurers offer discounts, especially when you insure more than one pet. They also offer some discounts to vets, active members of the military, and people working in animal care.
How do pet insurance plans work?
Pet insurance works with a monthly premium. If you have a pet insurance policy and your pet becomes sick or gets an injury, you have to pay the bill upfront and have to file a claim for reimbursement. Make sure to take your pet to the licensed vet for treatment. Then, file a claim to get reimbursed for the health problems that are covered under your purchased pet insurance plan.
How to file a pet insurance claim?
With most pet insurance companies, in order to file a claim for reimbursement, you have to fill a claim form in whatever mode is offered by the insurer. Also, you have to submit a bill or invoice from your vet along with the claim.
