Looking for pet insurance? One thing you should know is that never compromise on getting the best pet insurance for your dog because you would do the same for your family too. And pets are your family!
Why do I need Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance is among the best insurance products out there majorly helping you with the peace of mind. By having pet insurance you can easily take care of your pets not really being worried about expensive surgeries and treatments and also veterinary bills.
Best Pet Insurance for Dogs
To choose the best pet insurance might be kind of a problem. There are number of insurance companies worldwide standing out there to help you with your dogs’ health. All of them offering different features at different conditions and payrates, comparison would be the best way to choose the best one. Let’s have a look at some of the best agencies.
1. Healthy Paws
Healthy paws pet insurance and foundation is more about your pets than their insurance as they donate $0.25 on every quote they receive. This foundation provides cover for the following:
- Hospitalization and prescribed medications
- Illnesses and accidents
- Hereditary and congenital conditions
- Cancer and other chronic conditions
- Diagnostic treatment including x rays, blood test, etc and alternative treatment like surgeries.
Your dog can get enrolled from the age of 8 weeks up till 14th birthday of theirs. This specific insurance is accepted in all the 50 states of USA.
Reason to choose: It is a number one customer rated company since 2013. And is famous for it’s overall value. They are also helping out the homeless pets in getting their medical treatments and their adoption.
Benefits: Well if this company is in the list of best then it would surely have a lot of benefits and coverage.
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The Healthy paws foundation provide 90% reimbursement of the hospital bills due to unexpected injury or illness.
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It offers a single plan only covering all the things in it saving you to think about any other option.
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The major plus is that there are no caps on payouts i.e. if you have reached your total bill there would still be no extra money needs to be paid.
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Monthly premiums are generally lower as compared to others.
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Annual deductible is there instead of per condition which is helpful in a way that once you pay that deductible, any other incident occurring in that same year will be paid by the insurers without charging you with anything.
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According to them they can pay 99% of the claims within two days. And top of that there are no more claim forms to disturb you, all you have to do is to take a picture of your vet bill and submit it online.
What is not covered?
There are certain things which are not covered in the coverage plan of healthy paws:
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Examination fees
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The only bilateral exclusion of this insurance is that if a pet injured cruciate ligament of one leg prior to enrollment or during the waiting period, then the cruciate ligament of other leg, if gets injured, will not be covered.
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Preventive care is not included such as vaccination, spaying neutering, dental care, etc.
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Behavioral training
How does it work?
Enrolling your dog is quite simple because annual deductibles are the only option although they are of four prices, $100, $250, $500 and $750, choose your option and get your dog enrolled. There is a waiting period of 15 days for the simple plan of accidents and illnesses and 12 months for chronic conditions like hip dysplasia.
Monthly Premium: The usual starting cost for dogs is just $20 per month but average is around $30 for dogs. This premium depends on the amount of deductible you choose, your dog breed, and on the age of your dog. Let’s take an example of a Russell Terrier dog at $250 deductible, the monthly cost would be $40.74 if the age is 1 year and if 3 years old then $46.92.
Customer reviews: Healthy paws was rated as 9.8 out of 10 in October 2020. A customer named Maureen writes her customer review as:
“Best investment I have ever made. Healthy Paws allowed us the peace of mind to not worry about the cost of our girl’s emergency hospitalization and gave Dixie the best care possible. We received the our reimbursement within 5 business days! Thank you Healthy Paws!”
2. Pets Best
This insurance agency is also known for the fact that they pay the claims directly and quickly to the vet. They offers two types of plans BestBenefit and BestWellness, with contrasting features and prices.
Reason to choose: The foremost reason to choose this insurance is the wellness plan for older dogs because some pet insurance do not take older dogs into their care.
Coverage: The coverage plan of pets best include all the common things such as accidents, illnesses, hereditary and congenital conditions, cancer and chronic conditions, etc. Other than these the things which make it different is the coverage of:
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Examination fees every time your dogs get injured or ill.
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Cruciate ligament
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5% discount for military and 5% discount for the insurance of two or more pets.
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It does not provide you a preplanned coverage rather it offers you different cost for the options you would like to have for your dog, making your own coverage plan.
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The pets best does not have any age limit.
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It offers a pet wellness plan which is an add-on helps in covering vaccinations, behavioral conditions and other preventive care options.
Exclusion: This can’t be perfect too, it also excludes some of the things just like:
- Elective and preventive procedures such as ear cropping, gland expression, declawing, etc. are not included in this, the only limited option of preventive care is with the best wellness plan.
- Herbal medicines and therapies.
- Foods, vitamins, supplements, tax, administration fee, all these type of non-veterinary things are excluded too.
How does it work?
Working is simple, the deductibles provided by this company are $50, $100, $200, $250, $500 and $1000 along with the coverage for 70, 80 and 90 percent reimbursement. After enrolling the waiting period is 3 days for accident only, 14 days for comprehensive plan and up to 6 months for cruciate ligament.
Monthly cost: The cost is not very high it starts from only 9 dollar a month for accident only plan and can raise up to $35 or $58 for comprehensive plan. And for optional preventive treatment it may cost around $20 per month.
Customer survey: It is rated as 4.41 out of 5. A satisfied customer of Pets Best by the name ‘Debe b’ wrote her survey as;
“Pets Best Pet Insurance pays the claim fast and and directly they don’t make us wait if they have questions about the situation they are quick about asking to get the claim paid.”
3. Figo
Figo is among the best dog insurance providing coverage for illness and accidents but no wellness plans. The plans provided are straightforward and simple. There is no upper age limit for figo too, you can have insurance from here as long as your dog lives.
Reason to choose: The main reason of its fame is the 100% reimbursement and easy submission of claims.
What it covers?
Figo offers three simple plans Essential, Preferred and Ultimate with different annual benefits.
It is quite simple covering all the necessary things including unexpected accidents and illnesses, and all other conditions too. Other than these some advantages include:
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Knee conditions
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Hip dysplasia
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Veterinary fees
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Cremation coverage
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twenty-four seven live chat with experts
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Pet tags
What it does not cover?
Besides pre existing conditions and preventive care there are certain things which you need to know are not covered if you are going for Figo’s pet insurance;
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Cloning procedures
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Pregnancies or birth protocols
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Breeding
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Cosmetic surgery
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Routine care
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Prescription foods
Average cost: Taking an example of one year old Russell Terrier the three plans were quoted as $35.57, $39.62 and $41.14 per month.
How it works?
It gives you the option to choose between the three plans of annual charges $5000 for essential, $10,000 for preferred and $unlimited for ultimate plan. When your dog meets some unexpected illness or injury, the figo covers you by 70 to 100% reimbursement.
You can also personalize the benefits by selecting any one of the deductible $100, $250, $500 or $750. Also there is a waiting period of three days for injury, fourteen days for illness and six months for knee conditions.
Customer evaluation: With the rating of 4.5 out of 5 figo has attracted itself a great number of customers. A contented customer Nichola W, writes her review as;
*"Insuring my dog through Figo was the best decision! We have filed a few claims and each time it’s the easiest and quickest process. I highly recommend insuring your dog with Figo because you can feel safe knowing that you will always be able to afford the highest level of care.”
4. Nationwide
Nationwide provides life time insurance to the dogs as long as they are enrolled before the age of 10.
Reason to choose: It has a major advantage of offering broadest coverage anywhere. And also has the top customer reviews.
Things included in the coverage: This is the among the very few pet insurance which cover routine care for the pets. It has three plans one is major medical plan covering all the prescriptions, surgeries, diagnosis, treatments, etc, second in the wellness plan offering you vaccination for your dog, spaying, neutering, de-worming, etc. Third is kind of a comprehensive plan covering both of these.
Things excluded from the coverage: Due to their broad range of coverage there might be very few things which are excluded from the plan such as pre existing conditions, tax, grooming, etc. These things are also not covered by other pet insurances.
Working of Nationwide: Choose the plan according to your finance, and select the deductible too from $100, $200, $250 and $500 options. Enroll your dog and file a claim when needed. The waiting period is 24 hours for wellness plan whereas 14 days for medical and whole pet wellness plan. Reimbursement is also 90%.
Monthly premium: The most expensive plan starts from $35 a month. But it depends on the deductible you choose and the type of coverage too. With $250 deductible and unlimited benefits a one year old Russell Terrier may cost $71.37 a month.
Customer rating: Despite all the benefits, Nationwide has a rating of 3.8 out of 5 which is obviously not excellent. But among the satisfied clients, Riley wrote;
“Thank you Nationwide Pet Insurance for being so easy to work with. I have submitted a few claims now for my loving Riley! I can rest assure that I will always be able to provide her with the best of care!”
Summary: These four may be considered among the best insurance agencies but the pet insurance does not stop right here, there is much more to it. All you have to do is explore!
Best Dog Insurance in some other Countries
Pet Plan in New Zealand and UK
Pet plan is among the best pet insurance in both New Zealand and UK. It excludes the wellness and pre existing conditions too. But it offers three coverage plans, Essential which is a cheaper option, Classic and Ultimate are more expensive covering your dog for life. It covers:
- Vet fees
- Accidents, illness and injuries
- Alternative treatments
- Hereditary and congenital conditions too.
With a standard coverage type, a pet owner is expected to pay $30 to $50 per month with the 90%reimbursement. Another plus is that there is almost no waiting period cover for the illness starts as soon as the claim is accepted.
Trupanion in Canada
Trupanion is the best in Canada because of their pick for hereditary conditions. It also covers all of the illness and injuries, diagnosis, and more congenital conditions as compared to others.
Working: Claims when submitted are reviewed within 60 days but there is another option of immediately paying the vet in which you have to pay your cut during the checkout. There is 30 days waiting period for illness and 15 days for injuries.
Monthly cost: With $200 deductible and 90% reimbursement a one year old Russell Terrier will cost $104.24 a month for the comprehensive plan.
Pet Assure in China
This is best for exotic breeds of dogs. It is specifically a discount plan rather than insurance plan because it provides discount for multi pets and also for two or more pets. It also provides 25% discount on vet bill.
**Coverage:**Almost all things are covered in it including illness, injuries, preventive care, wellness, etc. Advantage in comparison with others include:
- Pre existing condition
- Dental cleanings and much more.
- No waiting period
- No age limit
- No deductible
Average cost: For a single dog average cost ranges from $8.25 to $11.95 a month.
Summary: Since there are vast number of countries in the world and almost all of them are pet loves especially dog lovers. Therefore there are several dog insurance companies serving their best wherever they can.
Important Insurance Terms
Reimbursement
Reimbursement is the action of repaying the amount to the owner of the policy who has spent or lost the money. This amount is being paid by the insurers.
Deductible
In an insurance policy, deductible can be defined as the amount which is paid by the owner of the policy before the insurance starts to work. It is usually spend during the waiting period in case of any emergency.
Insurance cap
Cap is the sum of money provided by the insurers for benefits of the policy holder. But once you reach the cap amount, further benefits are not covered by the policy.
Premium
This is basically the purchase value of the insurance policy i.e. the money paid by us to get the insurance. It is the source of income for the insurers.
Pre existing condition
Any medical condition which your pet has prior to the enrollment or may be developed during the waiting period will be considered as the pre existing condition. It is not covered in any of the pet insurance companies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best pet insurance for dog in Australia?
| Name | Annual Benefit | Reimbursement Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Pet secure | $12,000 | 75 or 85% |
| Pesty Dog | $25,000 | 100% |
| Medibank | $15,000 | 80% |
| RSPCA | $20,000 | 80% |
| Real | $12,000 | 80% |
How do I choose dog insurance?
If you decide to get the pet insurance then you should consider following things:
- Must enroll your dog when it is younger because older age might be a problem for some insurers.
- Search all the possible plans and prices.
- Choose the one you want with all the possible coverage in it.
- Review before enrolling.
- You can also ask from your veterinarian for the advice.
Does Apia have pet insurance?
No, Apia home and content insurance only covers the injury of cats and dogs in case of accident through the insured vehicle.
Conclusion
This concludes that if you are a dog lover then you will surely do everything which is good for him including the best pet insurance for dog too. And it does not matter where you live, pet insurance is available world wide for your convenience you just have to search for it.