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- The insurance advice, products, and links below are intended for and only available in the states where Rover Pet Insurance Services, LLC is licensed as an insurance producer.Full Disclosure
When it comes to pet ownership, there are regular expenses that are often overlooked in financial planning: routine wellness care. Preventive care can end up costing pet parents hundreds of dollars each year — and they’re not expenses that are covered by a standard pet insurance policy.
That doesn’t mean, however, that pet parents are out of options for preventive coverage.
What Is a Pet Insurance Wellness Plan?
A pet insurance wellness plan — otherwise known as a preventative care package — is an add-on pet parents can choose to purchase along with their standard accident and illness policy. These add-ons provide coverage for items and services that pet parents can typically plan for, ones that aren’t included in a standard policy.
With a wellness plan, you’ll pay an additional monthly cost and your provider will cover eligible expenses up to a specific maximum reimbursement amount.
Eligible services vary from provider to provider, but typically include things like:
- Annual vet exams
- Vaccinations
- Teeth cleanings
- Spay or neuter surgery
- Blood work
- Heartworm tests
- Flea and tick prevention
Pet parents should note that wellness plans are typically only available with the purchase of an accident and illness policy, not with an accident-only policy or as a standalone option.
Let’s take a deeper look at some of the best options for pet wellness plans and the services they cover.
Our picks
Most Customizable: Lemonade
Most Customizable: Lemonade
Lemonade is well-known for its customizable pet insurance coverage, and its options for preventative care are no exception. It offers three different tiers for pet parents, including one specifically for young pets under 2 years of age.
Its first tier of preventative care can help cover annual wellness exams, fecal and parasite tests, blood work, a heartworm test, and up to three vaccines. The next level up from that includes the above, along with coverage for treatment of fleas, ticks, or heartworm, and an annual dental cleaning.
As far as the package for puppies and kittens goes, pet parents can expect coverage similar to that of the other two packages, plus items that are more specific to young pets, such as additional vaccines and boosters, an additional wellness exam, spaying/neutering coverage, and microchipping.
Sample Vaccination Costs
- Preventative Care: Up to $75 reimbursement for 3 vaccines
- Preventative Care: Same as above
- Puppy/Kitten Preventative Care: Up to $150 reimbursement for 6 vaccines
Worth watching: Lemonade has age limits depending on your pet’s breed.
Best for Seniors: Spot
Best for Senior Pets: Spot
It offers coverage for many different services and has no upper age limits, which may be a great option for pet parents with senior dogs and cats.
Spot has two tiers of wellness plans: the Gold plan, at $10 a month with a $250 limit annually, and the Platinum plan, at $25 per month with a $450 limit annually.
Spot’s Gold Plan offers the following coverage:
- Dental cleanings
- Distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza and parvovirus (DHLPP) vaccine
- Deworming
- Heartworm or feline leukemia (FELV) test
- Fecal test
- Annual exam
- Rabies, lyme disease or feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) vaccine
Its Platinum plan offers the above at a higher benefit, along with:
- Bordetella vaccine
- Spaying/neutering surgery
- Blood work
- Health certificate
- Urinalysis
- Flea or heartworm prevention
Sample Wellness Plan Costs
- Gold Plan: $10 / month
- Platinum Plan: $25 / month
Worth watching: Spot has fewer discounts available than many of its competitors, so you may want to do some numbers-crunching to see what plan is best for you and your family—especially if you have multiple pets to insure.
Most Comprehensive: Fetch Pet Insurance
Most Comprehensive: Fetch Pet Insurance
Fetch has three different wellness plan tiers for pet parents to choose from, all at different price points and coverage.
Fetch Pet Insurance’s highest and most expensive tier, the Prime plan, has some of the most comprehensive preventive coverage among all pet insurance providers. One prime example: many providers offer an annual benefit of either spaying/neuter coverage or a dental cleaning, while Fetch offers both in all three of its tiers, with up to $250 reimbursed for both in its Prime plan.
Here’s a short breakdown of what you can expect:
- Essentials: Includes some coverage for basic care like annual exams, flea and tick prevention, heartworm testing, dental cleanings, spaying/neutering procedures, vaccinations, and more. It starts at $10/mo.
- Advantage: Includes everything in the Essentials plan, but with additional cost savings, along with coverage for services like microchipping and anal gland expression. Fetch’s most popular plan starts at $20/mo.
- Prime: Has everything in the Advantage tier along with some coverage for behavioral exams, health certificates, and activity monitors. Additionally, it has more savings on vaccinations, blood tests, dental cleanings and more. It starts at $30/mo.
Sample Wellness Plan Costs
- Essentials Plan: $10 / month
- Advantage Plan: $20 / month
- Prime Plan: $30 / month
Worth watching: While Fetch offers a few different discounts, it doesn’t have a multipet discount like many of its competitors. Pet parents with more than one furry loved one may want to compare plans to get the best bang for their buck.
Best for the Basics: Prudent Pet
Best for Basics: Prudent Pet
Prudent Pet offers three different preventive care coverage levels.
Like Fetch, pet parents have three different levels of preventive care coverage available to them through Prudent Pet: Low, Medium, and High. Depending on which plan you select, it may provide reimbursement for services like:
- Annual exams
- Heartworm test or FELV screen
- Microchipping
- Deworming
- Dental cleanings or spay/neuter surgery (for the two highest tiers only)
- Vaccinations
- Fecal exams
- Health certificates
The lowest tier offers up to $210 in reimbursement annually; the medium tier, $315 annually; and the high tier, $460 annually.
Sample Wellness Plan Costs
- Low: $7.95 / month
- Medium: $13.95 / month
- High: $19.95 / month
Worth watching: Other pet insurance providers offer higher potential savings for services that may be on the pricey side, like dental cleanings and spay/neuter procedure coverage. Pet parents may want to compare the monthly cost of a prospective wellness plan with their potential savings to find the best fit for them.
Best for 100% Reimbursement: Pumpkin
Best for 100% Reimbursement: Pumpkin
Pumpkin’s offering Preventative Essentials doesn’t set annual coverage limits or caps on each service.
Typically, a pet insurance wellness plan has annual coverage limits or caps on each service (e.g., up to $75 a year for an annual exam, etc.). Pumpkin’s non-insurance wellness add-on, known as Preventative Essentials, offers no such limitations with its plan, however.
With a Preventative Essentials add-on, Pumpkin offers full reimbursement for a wellness exam, four vaccinations for puppies (and 2 for dogs, and 1 for cats), a blood test for heartworm and tick diseases, as well as a fecal test for intestinal parasites.
Additionally, if you’re the pet parent of a puppy between the ages of 8 weeks and 5 months and received their vaccinations before signing up for a wellness plan, Pumpkin will refund you the full amount of four vaccinations.
Worth watching: Pumpkin’s wellness plan is a bit more limited than other plans—offering no reimbursement coverage for spaying/neutering, dental cleanings, etc. It’s best for pet parents who are okay with its coverage options and price point.
Methodology
The above pet insurance providers were highlighted based on the effectiveness and affordability of their accident and illness plans, especially with regard to breadth of coverage, customizability, pricing, waiting periods, age restrictions, and the efficacy of add-ons.
This guide was prepared as of June 4, 2023, and may not include all relevant changes since that date.
Further Reading
- Is Pet Insurance Worth It? How To Know If It’s a Good Deal for Your Pet
- What Does Pet Insurance Cover, and How Does It Work? A Beginner’s Guide
- How Does a Pre-Existing Condition Affect Pet Insurance Coverage?
- The Best Pet Insurance Wellness Plans: How Preventive Care Add-Ons Work
- How To Choose the Right Insurance for Your Pet
- How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost?
- What To Know About Waiting Periods and Pet Insurance
- What Are Pet Insurance Deductibles, and How Do You Pick One?
- When Should You Get Pet Insurance?
- Savings Account Versus Pet Insurance: Which Is Better?
Insurance advice, products, and links contained in this article are currently intended for and only available in the states where Rover Pet Insurance Services, LLC is currently licensed as an insurance producer. As we expand our licensing to other states we will update our websites and links.
If you are located in a state in which we are not currently licensed, but would like to learn more about pet insurance products available in your state, you may contact a licensed insurance agent or broker in your state.
The information provided is offered for educational and informational purposes only. If you have questions regarding particular plans, you should reach out to your insurance company for more information.
