Can Your Pet
Insurance Actually
Protect Your Pet?
It's every pet parent's worst nightmare: after signing up for pet insurance and paying monthly premiums, they find out that their insurance can't help them when they need it most.
Pet insurance policies come in a wide variety of coverage options and a lot of them don't offer enough protection to fully cover a dire situation like emergency surgery or ongoing cancer treatments.
Some of the policy differences come down to just what the different insurance companies want to offer. The rest is by design: customizing your premium based on what you want to pay each month is a great feature in pet insurance, but lower premiums mean less coverage–sometimes in ways you don't expect.
At PetCoverage.ai we want to help you fully understand your pet insurance policy's coverage so you know if you have enough and whether you're paying too much for it. Check out our free pet insurance review tool to ensure that you're getting the most coverage for your budget.
What Is Pet Insurance, Anyway?
Pet insurance helps cover the cost of veterinary care when your pet gets sick or injured. Most plans work on a reimbursement model—you pay the vet directly, file a claim, and then get paid back for covered expenses (minus your deductible and according to your coverage rate).
Unlike human health insurance, most pet insurance doesn't cover preventive care like checkups and vaccinations by default. However, some providers offer wellness packages as add-ons. The key is understanding exactly what your policy covers before you need to use it.
How To Compare Pet Insurance Quotes
When comparing pet insurance plans, most people focus on the premium. The premium is the monthly, so this makes sense; we want to know how much we have to pay every month to have access to the health insurance plan.
Unfortunately, when comparing pet insurance plans, you have to look beyond the premium. Different pet insurance plans might have premiums that cost about the same–so your monthly fee looks close enough–but have very different benefits.
- 1
Look beyond the monthly premium
The cheapest option rarely provides the best coverage. Consider the total cost including deductibles, coverage limits, and reimbursement rates.
- 2
Check for breed-specific exclusions
Some policies exclude or limit coverage for conditions common to specific breeds. Make sure your breed's typical health issues are covered.
- 3
Understand waiting periods
Most policies have waiting periods before coverage begins. Know how long you must wait for accident, illness, and orthopedic coverage.
- 4
Read the fine print about coverage limits
Policies may have annual, lifetime, or per-condition limits. Unlimited coverage costs more but provides better protection for serious conditions.
- 5
Review age restrictions
Some insurers won't cover pets after a certain age or charge significantly more. Look for policies with good senior pet coverage if your pet is older.
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
The first thing to know is that there are three types of pet insurance plans:
- •Accident-only plans, like the name suggests, only offer coverage for unexpected accidents and emergencies, such as bite wounds, broken bones, or when your pet eats something toxic or hazardous.
- •Accident and illness plans offer additional coverage for–you guessed it–illnesses. They can cover exam fees, diagnostic tests, and ongoing treatments for specific conditions.
- •Wellness coverage helps pay for annual visits, vaccinations, and other preventative care.
Note: Pet insurance carriers only offer wellness coverage in addition to one of the other plans; you can't purchase it on its own.
Accident-Only
Treatments for:
- Bite Wounds
- Cuts
- Broken bones
- Fractured teeth
- Toxic ingestions (grapes, chocolate, e.g.)
- Swallowed objects (tennis balls, chew toys, string, e.g.)
Emergency diagnostic and treatments for accidents, such as:
- Blood work
- X-rays, MRIs, and Ultrasounds
- Sutures
- Surgery
- Hospitalization
- Medication
Accident & Illness
— Everything in Accident-Only, plus:
Treatments for major and minor illnesses, such as:
- Cancer
- Allergies
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Digestive Problems
- Eye, Ear & Skin Infections
- Hip Dysplasia
- Hypothyroidism
- Kennel Cough
- Respiratory Infections
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Wellness Coverage
- Annual Exam
- Dental Cleanings
- Deworming
- FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV) screenings)
- Heartworm tests
- Microchipping
- Vaccinations
- Spaying & Neutering
Pay particular attention (if your pet needs it) to whether your plan covers:
- •Prescription food and supplements
- •Dental treatments, such as exams and routine cleanings
- •Behavioral therapy for veterinarian-diagnosed issues like aggression (pet insurance plans don't cover puppy training or obedience lessons)
- •Chronic or hereditary conditions such as heart disease, eye disorders, and hip dysplasia
- •Alternative treatments like acupuncture, chiropractic care, hydrotherapy, naturopathy, and homeopathy
What Pet Insurance Doesn't Cover
Pet insurance exists because pet parents want risk protection for vet bills after buying a plan — and they really need that. As a result, every pet insurance plan comes with a waiting period before coverage kicks in.
Waiting periods sound cruel, but they actually keep the cost of pet insurance down. Pet insurance carriers need to price their plans based on how much (and how often) they have to pay out. Without a waiting period, someone could sign up for insurance during an emergency, pay the small premium, and then ditch the plan after it pays for all of the expensive treatments.
There are usually several waiting periods per plan. You'll have to wait:
- •Less than a week for accident coverage to kick in,
- •A month (or less) for illness coverage to start, and
- •Six months to a year for certain conditions like hip dysplasia.
Once you've made it through the waiting period, there are still several things most pet insurers won't cover:
- •Pre-existing conditions. If your pet already has a chronic condition, illness, or injury (whether sustained before or during the waiting period).
- •Bilateral conditions where your pet already has issues with one eye or one leg, and later develops a (related) problem on the other side.
- •Breed-specific exclusions. Some breeds of dogs and cats are more prone to certain (expensive) conditions, and pet insurers won't cover treatment in these cases.
- •Elective procedures, like declawing, ear cropping, and tail docking.
- •Pregnancy and birth care.
- •Boarding and grooming.
How Max Got His
$14,000 Cancer
Treatment Covered
Critical Gap Found
Our review reported that Sarah's policy excluded cancer treatment for dogs over 8. She switched coverage one month before Max's diagnosis.
Life-Saving Switch
New policy covered 90% of Max's chemotherapy. Old policy would have paid $0.
Avoid $10,000+ surprise vet bills
with a Free PetCoverage.ai check
Multi-Pet Savings Found
"Found $300 in savings and better coverage for my two cats in just one day."
Robert Lawson
Pet Parent
Hidden Exclusion Caught
"Their review caught a hidden exclusion that would have denied my puppy's hip surgery."
Sarah Mitchell
Pet Parent
Emergency Surgery Covered
"Switched policies based on their advice and saved $1,200 on my dog's emergency surgery."
Emily Brown
Pet Parent
Premium Reduction
"Helped me find a policy with the same coverage but $45 less per month for my Labrador."
Patrick O'Brien
Pet Parent
Double Coverage Found
"Their team discovered my two policies had overlapping coverage, saving me $420 yearly."
Robert Lawson
Pet Parent
Breed-Specific Coverage
"They found me a policy that specifically covers hereditary conditions for my Pug."
Sarah Mitchell
Pet Parent
Frequently Asked Questions
Addressing your top concerns about PetCoverage.ai