Head-to-head comparisons
Before choosing based on a comparison: The best insurer for your pet depends on what is already in their vet records. A waiting period that sounds long may not matter if your pet has no orthopedic history — and vice versa. Use the pre-enrollment scan to see which insurer excludes the least for your specific pet.
What to look for in any comparison
Every pet insurance comparison should cover these five factors. If a comparison site skips any of them, it is probably missing something important.
1
Orthopedic waiting period
Ranges from 14 days (Spot, Pumpkin) to 6 months (Embrace, Lemonade). For large breeds, this single factor can mean a $5,000 difference.
2
Deductible structure
Annual (you pay once per year) vs per-condition (you pay separately for each new condition). Trupanion is the only major insurer using per-condition deductibles.
3
Age restrictions
Some insurers reduce options at age 5, exclude hip dysplasia at 6, or limit new enrollments at 9. Pumpkin, Spot, and Trupanion have no age-based coverage restrictions.
4
Curable pre-existing conditions
Embrace and Healthy Paws will reconsider previously excluded conditions after a 12-month symptom-free period. Most others will not.
5
Annual payout limit
Healthy Paws and Trupanion have no annual limit. Most others cap at $5,000-20,000. Cancer treatment alone can exceed $20,000.
Skip the comparison — see what each insurer would exclude for your pet
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