Best Dog Insurance Plans (2024 Review)

Our Spot pet insurance review starts off our 2023 roundup with the best overall dog insurance. With not just one but two preventative care plan options — either Platinum or Gold — policyholders can choose a plan that comfortably accommodates their budget.

Here’s how Spot’s two preventative care plans compare:

• Gold – $9.95 per month with a total annual benefit of $250
  • Reimburses: dental cleaning, a wellness exam, two vaccines or titers, fecal test, canine heartworm test, and deworming.
• Platinum – $24.95 per month with a total annual benefit of $450
  • Reimburses: all of the aforementioned services as well as flea/heartworm prevention,  one bordetella vaccine or titer, blood test, urinalysis, and a health certificate.

If you choose either of these preventatives when signing up for a dog insurance policy through Spot, there is no waiting period and zero deductible required before you’re eligible for reimbursement.

To learn more, read our Spot Pet Insurance review.

Spot’s dog insurance policies operate under two base plans — Accident-only and Accident-Illness. While premiums start as low as $10 per month for Accident-only and $16 per month for Accident-Illness coverage, dog owners should expect an average monthly expense anywhere from $30 to $50. 

Both plans uphold the same customization options of annual payout limit from $2,500 to unlimited, reimbursement rates of 70, 80, or 90%, and deductibles from $100 to $1,000.

Spot does cover bilateral conditions — in other words, degenerative disorders that can occur on one or both sides of your dog’s body — such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligaments, luxating patellas, and even cataracts. However, Spot will only cover such conditions as long as your pooch has no symptoms or evidential medical history related to the condition. So, if your dog develops a cataract in its left eye before your policy start date, and a new cataract develops on their right side two years after your enrollment, ophthalmic treatment for that right eye will not be covered. 

With affordable monthly premiums, robust preventative care riders, and the convenience of in-app plan management, Lemonade pet insurance is still running with the big dogs in second place as the most affordable dog insurance provider. 

As one of the first digital insurance options to enter the pet industry, Lemonade saves pet owners (and trees) from piles of paperwork by streamlining dog insurance enrollment down to quite literally a click of a button with policy activation, claim submissions, and more available right from your mobile device.

One more thing we love about Lemonade is that it donates up to 40% of all annual unclaimed funds to one of 34+ nonprofit organizations worldwide. Also, customers are allowed to choose their preferred charity and even recommend a new one at their initial enrollment.

To learn more, read our Lemonade Pet Insurance review

Lemonade keeps things short and sweet with considerable plan customizations that pivot around one standard accident injury and illness base policy starting at just $10 per month depending on your dog’s profile, medical history, and location. We did a little more digging on this, and our research approximates the average premium for dog owners looks a little more like $37 per month. 

Included in the bare-boned policy, even without any added plan features, policyholders will already be covered for:

• Diagnostic Tests
  • MRIs, X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasounds
  • Blood tests, urinalysis, biopsies, and lab work
• Procedures
  • Outpatient and specialty intake
  • Emergency care and hospitalization
  • Surgery
• Medication
  • Intravenous (IV) and injections
  • Prescription medications

As you can see, routine care is not wrapped into the standard policy but is still available in optional wellness packages for adult dogs at $15+ per month and puppies at $40+ per month. 

Bonus add-ons for exam fee waivers and alternative physical therapy coverage (acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, hydrotherapy, etc.) are also ready for purchase starting at $1+.

Lemonade grants policyholders with an annual coverage limit choice of up to $100,000 for even the most state-of-the-art veterinary care, in addition to reimbursement rates of 70, 80, or 90% and an annual deductible ranging from $100-$500.

And to sweeten the deal even more, Lemonade offers 10% off when policyholders bundle their dog insurance with homeowners or renters insurance, as well as another 5% in savings for pet owners who insure multiple dogs. Lemonade tops it all off with yet another 5% off every year to thank policyholders for their loyalty. 

ASPCA dog insurance is our fifth pick of the litter because of the ample room for customization within its trademarked Complete Coverage plan. A pioneer in the animal welfare cause since 1866 — well before the first-ever dog insurance policy in 1924 — the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has garnered over 150 years of applied expertise in veterinary medicine, resource management, risk analysis, and animal rescue among other things. 

Despite setting foot into the pet insurance sphere in 2006, we think the wide scope of its core plans — covering accidents, illnesses, hereditary and congenital conditions, behavioral issues, and curable pre-existing conditions — speaks to the ASPCA’s understanding of how unpredictable pet health can be. 

One more perk that won ASPCA dog insurance some points in our book was its inclusion of microchipping in the Complete Coverage plan. Microchipping is often considered as an elective procedure across competing pet insurance providers, but should your dog ever go missing, opting to microchip your dog significantly increases the likelihood that you’ll be able to find them and bring them back home. 

To learn more, read our ASPCA Pet Health Insurance review

As mentioned above, ASPCA dog insurance is forked into an accident-only policy for new injuries and emergencies related mishaps, and then a more comprehensive Complete Coverage for advanced testing, treatments, and rehabilitation. Neither of these plans assume wellness care, but preventative coverage is available as either a Basic or Prime add-on package. 

On average, an ASPCA dog insurance policy costs owners approximately $49 per month. Although on the higher side price-wise amongst its competitors, you’re paying for coverage that already goes the extra mile within its stock plans, using add-ons as a safety net rather than a missing piece.  

Both the accident-only and Complete Coverage plans instate a maximum annual limit of $10,000, so do take that into consideration in context with the age and breed of your dog, or if you have any inkling that your dog’s future medical bills (within the year ahead) could exceed that cap. 

You’re free to choose an annual reimbursement rate of either 60, 70, or 80% at enrollment, as well as a deductible of $100, $250, or $500.

Marking its territory on the halfway point of our 2023 nominations of the best dog insurance companies on the loose, Embrace earns its spot in the top three for having the best deductible options by virtue of its specialty Healthy Pet Deductible reward program. 

Included free of charge with every policy, no matter the deductible you choose, Embrace pet insurance will reward you with $50 off your deductible every year that you don’t receive reimbursement for a filed claim. In other words, since dog insurance in itself is preemptive protection, if your dog keeps in good health for the long run, your deductible will eventually pay for itself. With that being said, if you ever do need to submit a claim for reimbursement, your dog’s deductible will return to its original rate, but you’ll have saved big up until that point nonetheless.

With nearly two decades spent helping dog lovers protect their beloved companions in times of medical crisis, Embrace is one of the oldest dog insurance providers on the pet insurance frontier. Throughout its impressive tenure, Embrace has perfected its policy options to include a wellness feature that most do not — coverage of checkup exam fees for vet visits concerning both illness and accidents. 

To learn more, read our Embrace Pet Insurance review

Embrace offers two standard policy formats — an accident-only and an accident-illness plan. Averaging somewhere between $30-$40 a month for dog insurance, the cost for a policy through Embrace is fairly neutral on the spectrum of cheapest to most expensive dog insurance options. 

Some noteworthy treatments covered in the company’s accident-illness plan alone, and not just as add-ons, include

• Miscellaneous dental illnesses — gingivitis, extractions, root canals, crowns, periodontal disease, broken/chipped teeth
• Cancer treatment — diagnostic, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, rehabilitation, surgery
• Complementary treatments — reiki, acupuncture, chiropractic, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, therapeutic laser treatment 

Like every other dog insurance provider, Embrace does not offer vet bill reimbursement for incurable pre-existing conditions. But, if a licensed veterinarian deems your dog’s pre-existing condition curable after 12 months symptom- and treatment-free, then Embrace may cover the complication.

Embrace does offer additional wellness protection, but not in the form of insurance. Its Wellness Rewards program from which policyholders can select annual allowances of $250, $450, or $650, will go toward covering all of your dog’s preventative care needs, from vaccinations to wearable dog activity monitors. 

For example, if you select a $450 allowance amount, you’ll pay an extra $35.52 per month on your premium. Embrace will allocate $450 per year with no per-item limits toward your dog’s routine care expenses, until you’ve exhausted that $450 stipend. Now, if you end up only spending $200 of that $450 within the annual policy term, you won’t be refunded the remaining $250, so make sure you select an allowance option that you know you’ll use up. 

In regard to other plan customizations, Embrace allots reimbursement rates of 70, 80, or 90%, the choice of an annual deductible between $200-$1,000, and a yearly payout limit of up to $30,000.

Healthy Paws is not only committed to providing quality pet healthcare for your pup, but also millions of critically ill dogs still waiting for a forever home in the U.S. shelter system. Out of all six candidates, Healthy Paws brings home the bacon as the best for chronic conditions and  most charitable dog insurance provider by virtue of its Every Quote Gives Hope and Refer-A-Friend grant programs, which have led to nearly $1.6 million in grant donations to over 400 nonprofit organizations. 

Your mere consideration of a dog insurance policy through Healthy Paws will help fund life-saving veterinary services for a pet in need, even before you lay a dime on the table. By simply requesting a free, custom quote online, Healthy Paws will reward your interest by making a donation to an animal welfare organization on your behalf. 

Also, once your dog insurance policy through Healthy Paws is active, for every successful referral that you help initiate, a $25 cash grant will be donated to a no-kill rescue organization. 

To learn more, read our Healthy Paws Pet Insurance review.

Something unique about Healthy Paws is that its dog insurance plans are tiered by age rather than coverage level. Your annual reimbursement rate and deductible will vary based on where your dog falls in the following three age pools:

• Puppies (at least eight weeks) to 5-year-old dogs
  • Reimbursement of 70, 80, or 90%
  • Deductible of $100, $250, or $500
• Dogs between 6 and 7 years old
  • Reimbursement of 60, 70, or 90%
  • Deductible of $250, $500, or $750
• Dogs 8 years old and over
  • Reimbursement of 50 or 60%
  • Deductible of $750 or $1,000

With this age-based structure, plan customizability narrows with age, so if you’re in search of dog insurance for an older animal, bear in mind that your reimbursement and deductible options won’t be as broad. Healthy Paws also only offers initial enrollment up until your dog’s 14th birthday. Also, if you enroll your dog before the age of six, any expenses related to hip dysplasia down the road will be covered at no additional cost. 

Overall, insurance for both puppies and dogs starts at just over $20 per month, with most policyholders paying an average premium of $39 per month after plan customizations. 

Healthy Paws, unfortunately, does not offer any preventative care, neither in its base plans nor in add-on form. Strictly aiming to support pet owners with costs related to unexpected veterinary care, Healthy Paws excludes wellness care from its coverage terms, given that routine vet visits should be something pet owners should be budgeting for anyway as basic healthcare. 

Scooting into sixth place as a leading dog insurance provider with the best comprehensive plans around, Prudent Pet is bonafide proof that you can’t keep a good dog down.

Not only does Prudent Pet offer an impressive three-tier plan bracket for whatever dimension of coverage your dog might need, but it also looks after its policyholders. If it ever so happens that you need to cancel a planned trip to stay home with a sick or healing pup, Prudent Pet will reimburse your vacation cancellation when you select its Ultimate plan package. 

We admire Prudent Pet for including senior dogs in its coverage as one of the few dog insurance providers who have relinquished a maximum age limit from its eligibility criteria. 

Another treat Prudent Pet tosses exclusively to its Ultimate members is an unlimited annual payout cap. We always recommend that pet parents of older pets, or breeds predisposed to congenital conditions, consider investing in a higher annual coverage option at enrollment.

To learn more, read our Prudent Pet Insurance review.