Bringing home a new puppy can be exciting and fun, but it’s important to prepare yourself for the financial burdens that come along with caring for a young dog. Whether it’s an accident, illness or major procedure, veterinary bills can add up quickly and put pet owners in a financial hole. Pet insurance can help protect you from the unexpected costs of your pup’s care, and some insurers even offer add-ons that can reduce the monthly cost for basic procedures like vaccinations, annual checkups or spay/neuter surgery.
The best puppy insurance providers offer a variety of plans, customizable options and add-ons to suit different types of pets and budgets. Choosing the right policy for your new pet requires a thorough review of each provider’s benefits, limitations and pricing. For example, price is a factor, but it’s also critical to consider the annual maximum, deductible and reimbursement rate of each plan, as these will affect how much you pay out of pocket when submitting a claim. Many pet insurance plans also exclude pre-existing conditions, which are ailments that your pet had prior to enrolling in coverage, and some have age limits for certain procedures.
Most puppy insurance plans will reimburse you a percentage of your vet bills after you meet the deductible and annual maximum, up to a predetermined amount. This is similar to the way that health insurance for humans works, but with a few differences. For one thing, you normally pay up front for your pet’s medical treatment, and then submit a claim to the insurer to receive payment back from them after the deductible is met.
A wide range of treatments and procedures are typically covered by most puppy insurance plans, including accidents, illnesses, dental care, alternative medicine and prescription medication. The coverages vary from provider to provider, however, and some have specific exclusions for hereditary and congenital diseases and conditions.
To help you find the best puppy insurance plan for your dog or cat, we analyzed the policies of several top-rated pet insurance providers. We considered the breadth of included treatments and unique coverages, as well as a provider’s customization options such as adjustable co-insurance, annual deductible and annual limits to determine which companies offered the most valuable plans. The top-rated providers in our study all offer accident-and-illness and wellness/preventive care add-ons, as well as customizable plans with varying annual maximums, deductibles and reimbursement rates. We also evaluated each company based on its overall customer satisfaction score, which we found to be an excellent indicator of a provider’s reputation for excellence. puppy insurance