We asked Dr. Stephanie Liff, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with over 15 years of experience, what she thought was most important when it came to pet insurance for dogs.
“With pet insurance, it’s important to focus on broad coverage for illnesses and accidents, rather than specific conditions. Dogs often face costly issues like cranial cruciate ligament tears, allergies, and foreign body ingestions.
As a vet, I have insurance for my dog. While I handle many medical needs at my practice, for situations beyond my expertise, like cancer treatments or torn ligaments, I value the peace of mind that insurance provides, knowing my dog is protected.” - Dr. Liff, DVM
Dr. Liff suggests choosing a comprehensive accident and illness plan with broad coverage for your dog. These plans can cover a range of needs, including vet visits, treatments, and surgeries for accidents and illnesses throughout your dog’s life.
Dog insurance helps cover your dog’s vet bills, including costly treatments like surgeries, when your pup gets sick or has an accident. Depending on the plan, it can cover a portion or, in some cases, all of the expenses.
It works similarly to human health insurance, with the type of coverage being key. A good plan covers illness, accidental injuries, and even routine care. Essentially, dog insurance protects you from the financial burden of unexpected vet costs, offering peace of mind for your dog’s health.
Dog insurance works similarly to human health insurance by helping cover a portion of your vet bills when your dog needs medical care.
When you buy a policy, you select coverage options, deductibles, and reimbursement levels. After a vet visit, you submit a claim, and the insurance provider reimburses you based on your plan’s terms. The best dog insurance plans cover services ranging from emergencies to ongoing care for chronic conditions.
Some plans pay the vet directly, but many require you to pay upfront and wait for reimbursement. Always check for waiting periods, exclusions, and limits.
Editor's take
We like that MetLife offers dog parents same-day accident coverage, which goes into effect at midnight on the day you buy a policy, a far shorter wait than many pet insurance companies require.
We also think it’s cool how they offer a variety of discounts, like multi-pet discounts, employer benefit discounts, first-responder discounts, health care worker discounts, and more. On top of that, your deductible has the potential to decrease each year you 诲辞苍’迟 file a claim!
MetLife is available in all 50 states for dog insurance. Their plans can be customized based on what coverage limits, deductibles, and reimbursement levels you’d like.
With MetLife, you 诲辞苍’迟 need an initial exam to enroll your pup, there is no upper age limit, and many accidents and illnesses are covered as part of your insurance plan. Although traditional MetLife accident and illness policies 诲辞苍’迟 include wellness exams and dental cleanings, you can opt into their preventative care add-on to get coverage for these things and more.
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Editor's take
Lemonade Pet Insurance is well known for providing affordable accident and illness coverage for dogs. They’re among the few providers that include an option for dental coverage, a valuable feature in pet insurance, and they’ve recently started covering recurring conditions.
As an added benefit, you can manage your pup’s policy and file claims through the easy-to-use mobile app. Some users see instant approval and reimbursement for their claims, while others see it within a few days to a week. Many users also find Lemonade’s customer service to be top-tier, with kind and personalized service.
In addition to basic coverage, Lemonade also offers add-ons for preventative care, vet visit fees, dental illness, physical therapy, behavioral conditions, and end-of-life care and remembrance.
You can customize your coverage limits, but for the most comprehensive coverage for your pup, we recommend opting for the $100,000 limit with a 90% reimbursement and a dental & vet fee add-on.
With Lemonade, there is no waiting period for accidents and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. A 30-day waiting period applies for orthopedic conditions. Waiting periods vary by state, so check your policy details before purchasing.
Although Lemonade offers excellent coverage at an affordable price, they 诲辞苍’迟 offer telemedicine, 诲辞苍’迟 cover spay/neuter costs for pets over 2 years old, and exam fees are extra unless you purchase the add-on. You may also face certain age restrictions for certain dog breeds at enrollment.
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Editor's take
With ManyPets dog insurance, your dog is protected with unlimited coverage, ensuring you never have to worry about exceeding an annual limit or handling unexpected vet bills on your own. What’s surprising is that this comprehensive coverage doesn’t raise the cost, making ManyPets an affordable choice for dog owners. ManyPets sets itself apart by not charging any sign-up fees, which helps make starting a policy more budget-friendly, especially compared to other companies that often have upfront costs. The policy they offer is an accident and illness plan. While there isn’t an accident-only option, you can add a wellness package to cover important preventative care like vaccinations, keeping your dog healthy year-round. For accidents and illnesses, there’s a standard 15-day waiting period, but if you’re switching from another pet insurance provider, this can be shortened to just 1 day, offering quicker coverage for your dog without long delays.
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Editor's take
We like Pets Best as it offers competitively priced plans with a wide range of deductible options. This is great for dog owners on a budget as it allows you to tailor your plan to what you can afford. There is also no age limit for sign-ups, meaning you can purchase coverage for your pet later in life, and accident coverage kicks in 3 days from sign-up. You’ll also get unlimited access to a 24/7 emergency vet hotline for quick consultations at all hours of the day. Pets Best offers multiple plans including an Accident-only plan, as well as 3 tiers called Essential, Plus, and Elite. You can also opt for an add-on for wellness / routine care plans for an extra fee which offers good coverage versus other plans on the market.
Last, but not least, Pets Best is one of the few providers who can pay the vet directly for you. Simply download the reimbursement release form from their website and have your vet’s office sign and agree to receive payment directly from the provider and Pet’s Best will handle the rest.
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Editor's take
Paw Protect is a relatively new provider but has taken the market by storm. One of its main draws is that it offers customers a $2,000 interest-free charge card that can be used to pay the vet directly, so you have no out-of-pocket expenses when your dog sees the vet for a covered reason. Most other providers require you to pay upfront and be reimbursed later.
Paw Protect offers an accident & illness plan for dogs, as well as an optional Wellness plan available as an add-on. Like some other providers, it comes with 24/7 telemedicine coverage which allows you to speak to a vet in case your pup has an emergency and you aren’t sure whether to take him in for a visit. It also offers considerable discounts if you have multiple pets (10% off) or are a military member (5% off).
We recommend opting for the unlimited plan with 90% reimbursement. However, if you are tight on cash, there are several other plan limits ($5,000, $10,000 & Unlimited) that offer great coverage at an affordable price.
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Editor's take
Healthy Paws has excellent customer reviews and is one of the few providers on the market that can pay the vet for you directly. This is a huge draw for many dog owners as it means next to no out-of-pocket costs to you. The only caveat is that you must call and request a simple authorization before the vet treats your dog. Otherwise, you can pay and be reimbursed.
Healthy Paws also offers lots of choices for coverage levels and deductibles, which is great for those wanting to tailor a plan to fit their budget. Healthy Paw offers only an accident & illness plan with unlimited coverage and no wellness options. As long as you 诲辞苍’迟 mind handling your dog’s wellness needs (like vaccines) on your own, you’ll get the highest level of inclusions and peace of mind that all vet bills for covered illnesses will be reimbursed regardless of the cost.
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There are three main types of dog insurance policies:
Accident & Illness Plans
Average monthly cost: $45 to $70
Accident-Only Plans
Average monthly cost: As low as $15
Wellness Plans
Average monthly cost: $20 to $60
The cost of dog insurance is typically higher than insurance for cats. On average, you can expect to pay between $50 and $90 per month for a dog insurance policy. However, various factors can influence the final cost.
The cost of pet insurance depends on a variety of factors, including:
To best understand how much pet insurance will cost for your dog, you’ll need to get a quote from pet insurance providers.
Certain dog breeds come with higher insurance costs due to their predisposition to specific health issues.
Here are five of the most expensive breeds to insure and the reasons why their premiums tend to be higher:
These breeds often face chronic health conditions that can drive up insurance premiums, especially as they age.
Mixed-breed dogs are often the most affordable to insure, as they generally have fewer inherited health problems.
Below are some of the cheapest dog breeds to insure:
What dog insurance covers will depend on the type of plan you have. For a more in-depth look, you can check out our guide on what pet insurance covers.
While a dog insurance plan covers many types of expenses, it doesn’t typically cover regular day-to-day expenses, kennel or boarding fees, and costs for breeding or grooming.
Most pet insurance companies won’t cover pre-existing conditions either. Therefore, it’s important to purchase insurance early in your dog’s life to ensure they are adequately covered.
Some common dog insurance exclusions include:
Dog owners should carefully review the details of their pet insurance policy to fully understand what is covered and what isn’t.
Understanding how pet insurance works is key to choosing the right pet insurance policy.
Here are a few tips to find the best pet insurance plan for your pup:
Not all pet insurance companies cover all types of dogs. Some may also have an upper age limit, so your senior dog may not be eligible for any of those plans.
Think about how much you are likely to spend on vet bills for your dog throughout the year. You may need less coverage for a puppy or a healthy younger dog than for a senior dog with age-related health conditions.
For example, if a plan has a reimbursement rate of 80%, you will get $80 back for every $100 you spend on eligible claims. If you have a deductible of $1,000, however, you have to pay $1,000 in eligible claims and file them before you receive any reimbursement.
Ensure you understand if any pre-existing conditions are excluded. Hip dysplasia is a common example, as it may be an excluded condition if your dog already has it or if the breed is known for developing it.
It’s important to take a big-picture approach to pet insurance costs. Consider normal pet expenses you pay each year and add them up, considering what the insurance may cover, how much deductibles are and what you’re left paying for out-of-pocket.
Using the information you gathered in the previous step, compare the total expected costs with various policies to find one that seems right for your budget.
Never set and forget any type of insurance, even pet insurance plans. Review your situation and your policy at least annually and decide if you can make any changes to get cheaper pet insurance. You may also want to get periodic quotes to see if a competitor now offers a better deal.
Dog insurance is worth it if your policy premiums and veterinary costs balance out. Even opting for a cheap pet insurance plan can work out saving you thousands of dollars in the long run.
Ultimately, dog insurance is worth it if it helps you avoid major financial strain during emergencies. If you’d struggle to cover unexpected high vet bills, insurance can be a valuable safety net.
For a more in-depth evaluation, check out our guide on if pet insurance is worth it.
The best time to buy insurance for your dog is before you need it. If you purchase insurance as soon as you bring your furry friend home, you typically get the most comprehensive coverage. That’s because your dog could develop pre-existing conditions over time that won’t be covered by insurance if you buy it later.
Some policies cover preventative care, including vaccinations, while others 诲辞苍’迟 or only cover certain vaccinations. Read the benefits information for your pet’s plan to understand what is covered.
For a more detailed guide on the cost of dog vaccinations and what vaccines your dog will need, read our article: How Much Do Dog Vaccinations Cost?
Most insurance for dogs does not cover pre-existing conditions. Always read the benefits information for a plan to understand what is covered for your pet and whether there are any exclusions.
Some policies will cover prescription dog food that is deemed medically necessary by a vet. Look at the details of your pet’s plan to see if food is ever covered.
Yes, you can buy pet insurance to cover your service dog. In fact, since a service dog provides a valuable service and has a unique relationship with its owner, it can be important to invest in its health and wellness. Insurance can help you do that.
In most cases, you can use any vet you want. You 诲辞苍’迟 use insurance at the vet like you would at your own doctor’s appointment. Instead, you typically pay for the vet care costs yourself and file for reimbursement with your pet insurance.
On the other hand, some providers offer pet insurance that pays the vet directly. This type of coverage may require your vet to have specific software (as is the case with Trupanion), so be sure to check on this before purchasing a plan.