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Best Dog Wellness Plans for Preventive & Routine Care of 2024

Lisa Scott

A dog wellness plan offsets expensive vet visits when your pet receives ongoing routine care to help prevent certain diseases from occurring. Wellness plan insurance coverage can help you pay for the continuous care your dog needs. We’ve looked at the top choices for coverage, discounts, reimbursements, and overall quality.

Extensive coverage to help keep your pet healthy

$20,000

Coverage Up To

90%

Reimbursement Rates

Overview

Pumpkin offers high-quality pet insurance plans for cats and dogs as well as an optional non-insurance preventive care plan for vaccinations, key tests and wellness exams, which will help to keep your pet happy and healthy through their life. You can travel with your pet in Canada or the US and can get access from any licensed vet in these countries. The platform is entirely digitized and serves as a one-stop-shop for all your pet's healthcare needs.

Pumpkin will cover up to $20,000 for dogs and $15,000 for cats annually.

What we like

  • Extensive coverage on multiple health issues
  • Optional preventive care plan that reimburses in full for annual wellness exams and vaccines
  • No exclusion on breeds or older pets
  • Offers a Fur Family Discount on multiple pets
  • Healthcare coverage in Canada and the US

What we don't

  • Pre-existing health conditions not covered
  • Pumpkin only covers dogs and cats

Pumpkin Advertiser Disclosure: Pumpkin Pet Insurance policies do not cover pre-existing conditions. Waiting periods, annual deductible, co-insurance, benefit limits and exclusions may apply. For full terms, visit pumpkin.care/insurancepolicy. Products, discounts, and rates may vary and are subject to change. Pumpkin Insurance Services Inc. (“Pumpkin”) (NPN #19084749) is a licensed insurance agency, not an insurer. Insurance is underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company, a Crum & Forster Company (NAIC #21113, Morristown, NJ) and produced by Pumpkin. Pumpkin Preventive Essentials is not an insurance policy. It is offered as an optional add-on non-insurance benefit. Pumpkin is responsible for the product and administration. Pumpkin Preventive Essentials is not available in all states. For full terms, visit pumpkin.care/customeragreement. Paid Endorsement.

Short waiting periods on accidental coverage

$25,000

Coverage Up To

50% - 100%

Reimbursement Rates

Overview

MetLife Insurance offers pet insurance for cats and dogs and is known for the shortest waiting periods in the industry.

What we like

  • No restriction on breeds and pet age
  • Customizable annual benefit limits
  • Short waiting periods accidental coverage
  • Flexible deductibles from $50 to $2,000
  • No incident limits

What we don't

  • Wellness treatment not included (optional add-on)
  • Pay first out of pocket and reimbursed later

Affordable prices with a fast reimbursement process

$100,000

Coverage Up To

70% - 90%

Reimbursement Rates

Overview

Lemonade has earned a stellar reputation in the pet insurance industry with its affordable monthly premiums and fast reimbursement of claims with its AI technology. This technology has attracted thousands with its customizable policies and provides comprehensive coverage on illness and accidents to dogs and cats.

What we like

  • Customizable plans so you only pay for coverage that your pet needs
  • Claims are reimbursed in minutes
  • Affordable monthly premiums starting at $10/month
  • Comprehensive wellness plans to keep your pet in good health
  • Pay deductible once per year and not per incident

What we don't

  • Lemonade is only available in 33 states
  • Certain hybrid breeds may be denied

Is dog wellness coverage worth It?

Majority of pet owners do not like to think about the possibility of their pet getting sick or hurt throughout their life. The reality is, though, most pets will have to visit the vet at one point or another to get treatment for an illness or injury.

One of the best ways to avoid repeat trips to the vet for emergency treatment is to continuously take your dog to wellness visits for routine care. Consistently evaluating your dog’s health will help you keep potential medical issues in check, and avoid more serious problems from arising later in life. Just as consistent doctor’s appointments help us keep a handle on our own health, consistent wellness visits are the key to maintaining your dog’s health.

Though necessary, routine care visits can become expensive. To help alleviate the cost of visits to the vet, you may want to consider opting for a dog wellness plan. Specific plans will cover wellness visits and checkups to help you get reimbursed for the various procedures conducted during a vet visit. Though it comes at a monthly cost, it is very worthwhile to consider insurance to cover these wellness checks.

What do dog wellness plans cover?

This includes coverage for:

  • Vaccinations: Routine shots that your dog may need throughout their life, including rabies and Lyme’s Disease.
  • Spaying and neutering: Insurance may help to reimburse part or all of the costs associated with spaying or neutering your dog.
  • Bug infection protection: Protection against fleas, ticks, ringworm, and other infections.
  • Routine evaluations: Regular check-ups, blood or fecal evaluation, and other routine procedures.

It’s important to note this coverage is separate from your typical pet insurance that covers injuries related to accidents, or illnesses your dog is already experiencing. Wellness coverage instead helps to prevent these illnesses or injuries from taking place.

Because preventive and routine care insurance coverage differs from regular pet insurance, it may be offered as add-ons to an existing insurance coverage plan, or a different plan altogether. Most insurance providers offer wellness coverage in some form, though it generally comes at an additional cost from the typical injury or illness coverage offered.

What’s more, all routine care coverage options may not be covered within a singular plan. Be sure to check what all is covered by wellness coverage plans, and see if you need to include additional add-ons to ensure coverage for what your dog needs.

How are dog wellness premiums determined?

Preventive and routine care coverage premiums vary widely from provider to provider. Here are some factors that are considered when determining your monthly premium:

  • Age: The older your dog is at the time of coverage, you can expect to pay more. Some insurance providers cap coverage availability at a certain age.
  • Breed: Dog breeds that are more susceptible to certain illnesses or injuries can expect to pay a higher monthly premium.
  • Type of coverage: If you are looking for coverage for illness, injury, or a combination of the two in addition to your wellness coverage, you can expect to pay more overall for your monthly premium. If your insurance provider includes wellness coverage as add-ons rather than a full plan, you can pick and choose coverages based on what you are looking for.
  • Coverage details: Your co-pay amount, the yearly deductible you need to meet, and your overall reimbursement percentage after treatment will contribute to your overall monthly premium amount.

How to choose the best dog wellness plan?

There are a few things you can do to ensure you get quality wellness insurance coverage for your dog:

  • Determine your needs: Different insurance providers offer different options in terms of what is covered under their preventive and routine care plans. You will want to determine what your dog needs in terms of wellness coverage, including coverage for vaccines, medicine, check-ups, and more.
  • Compare different plans: After you’ve chosen a few viable options for your dog’s preventive and routine care coverage, compare what different plans have to offer and what you will be expected to pay for your monthly premium.
  • Confirm the Provider is trustworthy: You will want to ensure your insurance provider is trustworthy and safe to use. Read reviews from those who have taken advantage of their preventive and routine care coverage plans to see how they handle claims, reimbursements, and customer service. We’ve also written a review on certain providers that can be helpful for you to decide on which insurer to go with.

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