Disclaimer: We sustain our work & review products through paid collaborations.
Best Dog Insurance

Best Dog Insurance

“A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself,” said Josh Billings, the American humorist. And how much truth is in that! Needless to say, when dogs find themselves in hard times, their owners will do anything to ease their pain and make them feel better again. Every dog parent is going to love them dearly and treat them awesomely, but on top of that it’s recommended to do is to insure your doggie with the right policy. This way they can provide their four-legged pal with the best care even in those cases where severe conditions need to be treated – and they can cost a small fortune. But with so many pet insurance offers out there, which one should you choose?

Best Dog Insurance

The best dog insurance of 2025

Editors' choice

Embrace Pet Insurance

Editor's rating:
PawSupport
Mobile app
Exam fees coverage
Wellness plan
Capless payments

Healthy Paws

Editor's rating:
No payment caps
Extensive medical coverage
No add-ons
Mobile app
Customizable policy

Lemonade

Editor's rating:
Quick reimbursement process
Customizable policy
Several handy add-ons
Responsive customer support
Editors' choice

Embrace Pet Insurance

Editor's rating:
Starting price: $11.60/mo
Main features
  • PawSupport
  • Mobile app
  • Exam fees coverage
  • Wellness plan
  • Exam coverage
  • 24/7 PawSupport
  • Mobile app
  • Personalized policy
  • Reimbursement caps
  • No direct vet payment
Summary
View summary

There’s nothing worse than getting an expensive bill you weren’t expecting. Pet owners often struggle with this, but pet insurance services like exist to make their lives easier. This provider offers diverse services at reasonable prices, presenting its insurance plans in a transparent and easy-to-understand way.

Embrace Pet Insurance has something for everyone, covering illnesses, conditions, accidents, injuries, and even dental diseases. With prices starting at $13.32 per month for dogs and 11.60 for cats, it makes sure insurance remains accessible.

Special offers
View offers
$50 annual deductible decrease with Embrace Pet Insurance
10% discount for enrolling multiple pets
5% discount on Embrace Pet Insurance for active or former military members
15-day money-back guarantee of Embrace Pet Insurance
Capless payments

Healthy Paws

Editor's rating:
Starting price: $12.29/mo
Main features
  • No payment caps
  • Extensive medical coverage
  • No add-ons
  • Mobile app
  • Easy claim submission
  • Direct payment to vets
  • Senior maximum enrollment age
  • Charitable donations
  • No exam and wellness coverage
  • Long waiting period
  • No multi-pet discounts
Summary
View summary

Emergency vet care can be emotionally and financially challenging for pet parents. Luckily, pet insurance providers like Healthy Paws help ease this burden by covering any accidents or new illnesses that your furry companion may come to endure.

Prices for pet insurance vary depending on whether you’re insuring a cat or a dog, your pet’s age, and your selected reimbursement and deductible options. With some providers, coverage can also differ based on your plan and add-ons.

With reasonable policy prices and occasional discounts available via the friend referral program and seasonal promotions, Healthy Paws is certainly an all-rounder.

Special offers
View offers
Extra discounts in voluntary benefits program
Affinity discounts through membership organizations
Customizable policy

Lemonade

Editor's rating:
Starting price: $10/mo
Main features
  • Quick reimbursement process
  • Customizable policy
  • Several handy add-ons
  • Responsive customer support
  • Quick reimbursement process
  • Customizable policy
  • Several handy add-ons
  • Responsive customer support
  • Up to 6-month waiting period for some conditions
  • Not available in some states
Summary
View summary

Lemonade‘s main goal is to simplify the experience of getting insurance, from pets to housing and cars. Offering a unique blend of reliability and clarity, Lemonade includes coverage of diagnostics, procedures, and medication in cases of unexpected accidents and illnesses.

Prices start at $10 per month. However, the final price is determined by the pet’s age, breed, and location. It’s also possible to get a feel of what Lemonade looks like by going through its quote flow.

Special offers
View offers
5% off Lemonade with multi-pet policy
10% discount on Lemonade bundles

How to choose pet insurance for a dog

When choosing the most appropriate pet insurance for your dogs, there are a few very important questions you need to ask yourself before signing the contract.

Firstly, ask yourself what type of conditions is your dog prone to. It is a purebred dog, or not? That’s because purebred dogs are prone to certain illnesses and conditions specific to their breed. Then, look for a pet insurance company that covers those illnesses.

Another question is: do you have your pet’s entire medical history? In other words, it is a pet you have had since it was a puppy or did you adopt it from a shelter? Because, in the second case, it is necessary to contact the shelter and ask them if they have any medical records of your dog. This is important from the point of view of preexisting conditions. No insurance company offers coverage for such diseases, it is therefore crucial that you find out if your dog has any.

Keep in mind that some shelters also offer discounts on the pet insurance for the dogs adopted from them, with certain companies, therefore this could work in your favor and you could get an approximate discount of 5% on the policy if that is the case.

Finally, find a pet insurance company that best suits your dog’s age. If you have a senior dog who hasn’t been insured as of yet, many insurance companies will charge much more, if they do at all, for the insurance. The costs of veterinary treatments for these dogs will definitely cost a lot, so getting insurance even for an older dog will prove helpful, if the right company is chosen.

 

Dog insurance 101

Similarly to human medical insurance, pet insurance enables you to reduce the extremely large sums needed for medical treatments for your dog by paying only a monthly premium and then also, when the time comes to take him or her to the vet, the deductible and your share of the invoice, while the insurance firm will reimburse or even directly pay the vet most of the amount.

Pet insurance and preexisting conditions

Unlike medical insurance for Americans, though, pet insurance does not cover preexisting conditions. That means, if your dog is ill with a certain condition before enrollment, the insurance company will not cover the expenses spent for treating that illness. Actually, most pet insurance firms will not cover that specific condition even after your pet is treated. There are, though, a few exceptions, that make the difference between curable and incurable preexisting conditions, allowing you to insure your dog for that condition if it is cured, after a certain time frame.

Filing claims

Filing a claim with pet insurance companies is more or less complicated, depending on each firm’s procedure. Certain companies request a form to be filled in, while others only require a picture of the invoice from the vet.

After sending the claim, it is approved or denied by the insurance firm’s specialists. Even if your claim is approved, keep in mind that, in most cases, you will have to pay the entire bill to the vet, and afterwards the insurance company will send you its percentage of the reimbursement.

Besides paying your own part of the vet invoice, you will also have to pay the deductibles. It is recommendable you choose an annual deductible rather than a per condition one, so that, if your dog develops several conditions in the same year, you only pay the deductible once.

Costs involving insuring your dog

The costs involving your dog’s insurance vary from less than $10 for an accident-only insurance plan to above $100 for accident and illness plans, depending on your dog’s breed, his or her age, your location, the type of caps you choose and the number of dogs you want to insure.

After receiving a quote for all these factors, there is also to add the expenses of the annual or per-condition, per-lifetime deductible. The bigger the deductible is, the least expensive the monthly premium is going to be.

Then, you must take into consideration the reimbursement rate the insurance company offers you. Most of these firms offer a reimbursement ranging from 70% to 90%, with a few offering even a 100% one. The reimbursement rate is the actual amount of money the insurance company will pay from the vet invoice.

Now, there is also the issue of the annual limit (cap) that a pet insurance company is willing to reimburse. Some pet insurance companies have annual limits, some of them don’t, and some firms have payout caps per-condition, which sets the maximum amount of money the insurance firm is willing to reimburse for a certain condition.

Just like with human insurance, it is paramount that you do your research thoroughly before enrolling your dog, just to make sure that, when things get gloomy for your furry friend, you will be reimbursed.

Why you can trust us

The Best Reviews team researches and tests all products first-hand. We've been reviewing products and services since 2012 and are proud to only publish human-created content.

Discussions

Share your thoughts, ask questions, and connect with other users. Your feedback helps our community make better decisions.

©2012-2025 Best Reviews, a clovio brand – All rights reserved