Home / Insurance / Best Pet Insurance for Dogs
There are dozens of dog insurers in the United States and most of them describe themselves in identical words. This page takes a narrower, more useful approach: the six providers owners ask about most, compared on what their own published policy pages actually say, scored under a method we publish in full so you can disagree with it intelligently. Every plan detail below was read on the provider's own site in November 2026. Prices are only ever the provider's own published samples or the industry averages from NAPHIA, and each one is labeled.
Each provider is scored out of 100, from five criteria worth 20 points each. We score what is published and checkable, not advertising claims.
What the method deliberately ignores: brand size, advertising, app design awards and review-site star ratings we cannot verify. A high score means a well-built, honestly described policy on paper. It cannot tell you how a specific claim will be handled, which is why every review in this series also lists weaknesses plainly.
| Provider | Score | Plans | Deductible | Reimbursement | Annual limit | Waiting periods |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embrace | 84 | Accident & illness, accident-only, Wellness Rewards add-on | $100 to $1,000 a year | 70%, 80% or 90% | $2,000 to unlimited | Accidents: none to 2 days. Illness: 14 days. Orthopedic: 6 months, cuttable by exam and waiver |
| Lemonade | 83 | One base accident & illness plan plus paid add-ons and preventive packages | $100 to $750 a year | 70%, 80% or 90% | $5,000 to $100,000 | Accidents: 0 to 2 days by state. Illness: 14 days. Orthopedic: 30 days in most states |
| Spot | 82 | Accident & illness, accident-only, preventive care add-ons | $100 to $1,000 a year | 70%, 80% or 90% | $2,500 to unlimited | 14 days for accidents, illnesses and orthopedic conditions alike |
| Pets Best | 78 | BestBenefit accident & illness in three tiers (Essential, Plus, Elite), accident-only, wellness add-ons | $50 to $1,000 a year | 70%, 80% or 90% | $5,000 to unlimited | Accidents: 3 days. Illness: 14 days. Cruciate ligament: 6 months |
| Trupanion | 76 | One accident & illness plan, optional Recovery and Complementary Care rider | $0 to $1,000 per condition, once | 90% (80% on some newer plan pages) | Unlimited, always | Accidents: 5 days. Illness: 30 days. No extra orthopedic wait |
| Healthy Paws | 73 | One accident & illness plan. No accident-only, no wellness option | Annual; options vary by age and state | Up to 90% by plan choice | $5,000, $7,000 or unlimited by plan choice | 15 days for accidents and illnesses. Hip dysplasia: 12 months, and never if enrolled at 6 or older |
Plan structures as published by each provider and read in November 2026. Options vary by state. The score column is ours, under the method above.
Embrace earns the top score on breadth and flexibility rather than on any single headline feature. The base plan reaches behavioral therapy, complementary treatments and dental illness up to $1,000 a year; exam fees and prescription cover are add-on choices rather than silent exclusions. Its Healthy Pet Deductible drops by $50 for each year with no claim reimbursement, which is a genuinely owner-friendly mechanic nobody else in this six copies. The main deductions: prescription medication and exam fees sit behind paid upgrades, and orthopedic conditions wait six months unless you use the exam-and-waiver route. Full Embrace review.
Lemonade's base plan is deliberately lean, then sells you the missing pieces as named add-ons: vet visit fees, dental illness, physical therapy, behavioral conditions, end-of-life costs, plus preventive packages including a puppy package with spay or neuter help. That structure scores well on transparency, because every gap is labeled and priced before you buy, and its app-based claims, with some claims handled instantly by the company's own account, lead the claim-process scores. It loses points on breadth, because the base plan alone is thinner than rivals, and it is not sold in every state. Full Lemonade review.
Spot's standout is a single 14-day waiting period for accidents, illnesses and orthopedic conditions alike, where rivals commonly add six months for knees and hips. For young dogs of orthopedic-risk breeds that difference is worth more than a few premium dollars. Exam fees, behavioral therapy and alternative therapies sit in the base plan, preventive care can be added, and there is no upper age limit for enrollment. The same flat wait is also its weakness: an accident on day three is not covered, where most rivals start accident cover in zero to five days. Full Spot review.
Pets Best is the most upfront about money: its own dog insurance page publishes an average range of $40 to $64 a month for its most comprehensive accident and illness plans, and accident-only cover from $9 a month for dogs. Deductibles start at $50, the lowest floor in this six, and an optional Direct Vet Pay feature can settle with the clinic. It scores lower on claim process because recent published reviews report slower claim handling than the company's own stated averages, and several attractive features, including exam-fee cover, sit only in the top Elite tier. Full Pets Best review.
Trupanion's raw numbers undersell its design. One plan, 90% reimbursement, no payout limits of any kind, and a deductible paid once per condition for the life of the dog: for a chronic condition diagnosed young, that structure can out-pay every annual-deductible rival over a decade. Its VetDirect Pay can settle with participating vets at checkout. It scores down on waiting periods (30 days for illness is the longest here), on price transparency (it publishes no sample premiums), and on breadth at the edges: exam fees are never covered and there is no wellness option at all. Full Trupanion review.
Healthy Paws sells one plan with no payout limits and a plainly published exclusions list, which earns it real transparency credit. It finishes sixth because the exclusions are long where owners feel them: no exam fees, no behavioral therapy, no prescription diets, no routine or dental preventive care and no wellness add-on to buy, a 15-day wait for accidents as well as illness, and hip dysplasia excluded entirely for dogs enrolled at six or older. For an owner who wants exactly one decision and unlimited cover, it remains a reasonable choice; it is simply the least flexible policy here. Full Healthy Paws review.
Whichever you choose, compare quotes on identical settings: same deductible, same reimbursement rate, same annual limit, same dog. Our cost guide explains what those settings do to price, and cost by breed explains why your breed's quote looks the way it does.
Every provider is scored out of 100 across five published criteria, 20 points each: coverage breadth, exclusions honesty, waiting periods, claim process and price transparency. The scores come from each provider's own plan and coverage pages, read in November 2026. We are not paid by any provider, we do not sell policies, and no score can be bought. The full method is on this page, above the ranking.
Spot and Embrace are strong puppy choices for different reasons: Spot applies one flat 14-day waiting period to everything including knees and ligaments, and Embrace starts accident cover immediately or within days and lets you cut a six-month orthopedic wait with an exam and waiver. Lemonade is worth a look for its puppy preventive package, which bundles early vaccines, microchipping and spay or neuter help for dogs under two.
None of the six covers a condition that already exists. The most forgiving rules are at Embrace, which reconsiders curable conditions after 12 symptom-free and treatment-free months, and Spot, which does the same after 180 days for curable conditions other than knee and ligament problems. Trupanion and Healthy Paws offer no route back for a pre-existing condition.
On published figures, the lowest starting points are Pets Best accident-only cover from $9 a month for dogs and Lemonade base policies that start around $10 a month before add-ons. Cheap needs care, though: accident-only cover pays nothing for illness, and a low annual limit or a base plan without exam-fee cover can leave most of a real bill with you. Compare the same deductible, reimbursement rate and limit across providers before comparing prices.
It is worth the most for young dogs of breeds with expensive known risks, such as French Bulldogs, German Shepherd Dogs and Golden Retrievers, where one condition can generate bills for years. Two of the six, Healthy Paws and Trupanion, offer only unlimited payouts. The others sell unlimited as the top limit option. If you choose a capped limit, $10,000 a year is a more realistic floor than $2,500 for a medium or large dog.
Because the right plan depends on the dog in front of you. A young Labrador with sound knees benefits from Spot's flat orthopedic wait; an owner who cannot front a $5,000 bill benefits from Trupanion's or Pets Best's direct vet payment; an owner who wants routine care bundled will find it at Spot, Lemonade, Embrace or Pets Best and not at all at Healthy Paws or Trupanion. The ranking orders the providers on policy quality; the who-it-suits notes match them to owners.
This page is general information about how dog insurance works in the United States. It is not financial advice, it is not a quote, and it does not sell insurance. Premiums, waiting periods, exclusions and availability vary by state, by dog and over time, and the policy wording and sample policy on the provider's own site are the only terms that count. Always read the sample policy, including the exclusions and the definition of a pre-existing condition, before you buy.
Last updated: November 2026. Scores are The Dog Verse's, under the method published on this page; plan facts and sample prices are each provider's own published figures, read November 2026. How we work: our methodology.