Pet Insurance 101:
How Pet Insurance Works, Coverage, Costs and More
Pet insurance can help protect your pet and your wallet by helping cover eligible veterinary expenses when unexpected accidents or illnesses happen. Whether you’re bringing home a new puppy or kitten, caring for a senior pet, or simply planning ahead, understanding how pet insurance works can help you make informed decisions about your pet’s healthcare.
This guide covers how pet insurance works, what the insurance covers, what it doesn’t cover, how much coverage you may need, and what to consider when choosing a plan.
In This Guide
- What Is Pet Insurance?
- When Should I Get Pet Insurance?
- Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
- Benefits of Pet Insurance
- What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
- What Doesn’t Pet Insurance Cover?
- Does Pet Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?
- Why Should I Consider Pet Insurance?
- What Do Pet Health Plans Cost?
- How Does Pet Insurance Work?
- Pros and Cons of Pet Insurance
- Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Insurance
What is Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance reimburses you on your eligible veterinary bills when your dog or cat becomes unexpectedly sick or injured. After your vet visit, you submit a claim, and you're reimbursed based on your plan's reimbursement rate, deductible, and annual coverage limit. Pet insurance can help make unexpected veterinary care more manageable, protects against major financial setbacks, and gives you peace of mind as a pet parent. Whether your pet needs emergency surgery, treatment for an illness, diagnostic testing, or hospitalization, having pet insurance can help you focus more on getting them the care they need and less on the cost of treatment.
Many pet parents choose accident and illness coverage to help protect against life's unexpected moments, and some also add optional wellness coverage at an additional cost to help budget for routine and preventive care.
When Should I Get Pet Insurance?
While there are no upper age limits or requirements for pet insurance with Pets Best, it can be helpful to insure your pet when it's still healthy, as most insurance plans, including Pets Best, do not cover pre-existing conditions. Additionally, pet insurance plans can contain waiting periods before coverage begins for different coverage types. Pets Best plans have short waiting periods and we don't require an exam to enroll.
Even if your pet is older, it's not too late to benefit from pet insurance. As pets age, they're more likely to experience unexpected illnesses or injuries, making coverage a helpful way to manage future veterinary costs.
Is Pet Insurance Worth It?
Whether pet insurance is worth it depends on your pet’s health, your financial situation, and how comfortable you are covering unexpected veterinary expenses.
Veterinary care can be expensive, especially when your pet experiences an emergency, serious illness, or requires surgery or hospitalization. Pet insurance helps reduce the financial impact of unexpected veterinary bills by reimbursing eligible expenses.
Many pet parents choose pet insurance because it helps provide financial support and greater peace of mind. Rather than making treatment decisions based on cost, you can focus on what's best for your pet.
Benefits of Pet Insurance
Pet insurance offers more than help pay for unexpected veterinary costs. It can also help pet parents prepare for their pet’s healthcare needs throughout their life.
Financial support for eligible veterinary costs
Accidents and illnesses can happen at any time. Pet insurance can help offset the cost of eligible veterinary expenses, from emergency visits and diagnostic testing to surgeries and ongoing treatment.
Freedom to choose your veterinarian
With Pets Best, you can visit any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada. There are no provider networks, giving you the flexibility to choose the veterinarian or specialist that's right for your pet.
Customizable coverage options
Every pet and budget is different. Pets Best plans allow you to customize your coverage and monthly premium by selecting your preferred deductible, reimbursement percentage, and annual coverage limit, so you can build a plan that can fits your needs and monthly budget.
Optional add-on coverage for routine care
Pets Best also offers optional add-ons for wellness coverage for an additional cost. Wellness plans can help cover eligible costs for routine services such as:
- Annual wellness exams
- Vaccinations
- Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
- Spay/neuter (depending on plan choice)
- Dental cleanings (depending on plan choice)
- Microchipping and other eligible preventive services
What Does Pet Insurance Help Cover?
Pet insurance coverage varies depending on the plan you choose. Pets Best accident and illness plans may help cover eligible veterinary expenses related to unexpected conditions, including:
- Accidents and injuries
- Illnesses
- Cancer
- Hereditary conditions
- Chronic conditions
- Emergency care
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Diagnostic testing
- Prescription medications
- and more
Optional wellness coverage may also be available to help with eligible routine care expenses.
What Doesn’t Pet Insurance Cover?
Understanding what pet insurance does not cover is an important part of choosing a plan. Like most pet insurance providers, Pets Best does not cover certain expenses, including:
- Pre-existing conditions
- Cosmetic procedures
- Breeding-related expenses
- Grooming
- Boarding
- Non-veterinary expenses
- Certain excluded treatments or services
Coverage varies by policy, so it’s important to review your plan documents to understand what is and isn’t covered.
Does Pet Insurance Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?
Pets Best pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions. A pre-existing condition is an illness or injury that occurred or showed signs before coverage began or during a waiting period.
However, some conditions may be eligible for coverage in the future if they meet the requirements outlined in your policy, such as being cured and remaining free of symptoms and treatment for the required period.
Why Should I Consider Pet Insurance?
Most pet parents don't think they'll ever need pet insurance—until the unexpected happens.
Maybe it's the playful puppy that swallows a toy and suddenly needs emergency surgery. The healthy cat that develops diabetes years later. Or the golden retriever who is diagnosed with cancer after years of happy, active adventures. While every pet's story is different, they often have one thing in common: an unexpected trip to the veterinarian and a bill no pet parent saw coming.
Veterinary medicine has advanced tremendously in recent years, giving pets access to treatments that were once only available to humans. In fact, the MRI machine your doctor uses may be the very same one your veterinarian uses to diagnose your pet. Advanced imaging, specialized surgeries, chemotherapy, and other modern treatments can help pets live longer, healthier lives, but they also come with higher costs.
Pet insurance can help make those unexpected veterinary bills more manageable. Instead of worrying about how you'll pay for treatment, you can focus on what matters most: helping your pet get the care they need.
The best time to prepare for the unexpected is before it happens. Having pet insurance in place can help provide financial support and peace of mind whenever life throws you and your pet a surprise.
What Do Pet Health Plans Cost?
The cost of pet insurance depends on several factors, including your pet's age, breed, where you live, and the type of coverage you choose. Younger pets often have lower premiums, while older pets or certain breeds may cost more to insure.
The type of plan you select also affects your monthly premium. Accident-only plans are typically considered the more affordable option, while accident and illness plans provide broader coverage. You can also customize your policy by choosing your annual coverage limit, deductible, and reimbursement percentage, allowing you to find a plan that can fit both your budget and your pet's needs.
The easiest way to see what pet insurance would cost for your dog or cat is to get a free quote. Your personalized quote is based on your pet's information, your ZIP code, and the coverage options you choose.
How Pet Insurance Works
Pet insurance is designed to help make unexpected veterinary expenses more manageable. While every provider is a little different, the process is generally simple:
STEP 1
Take your pet to the veterinarian
If your dog or cat becomes sick or injured, visit any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada. There are no provider networks, so you can choose the veterinarian that's right for your pet.
STEP 2
Submit your claim
After your visit, simply submit your claim online along with your veterinary invoice. Our online claims process makes it quick and easy to file from anywhere.
STEP 3
Get reimbursed
Once your claim has been processed, you'll receive reimbursement for eligible covered expenses. With Pets Best, you can choose to receive your reimbursement by direct deposit or check.
Want to skip waiting for reimbursement?
Pets Best offers an optional Direct Vet Pay feature available with all our plans, so we can send your claim reimbursement straight to your veterinarian on your behalf. It's one less thing to stress about when your pet isn't feeling their best, so you can focus on what matters most, getting them back to their happy, healthy self. Learn more about Direct Vet Pay.
Plans from Pets Best
Pets Best was started by a veterinarian who understood both the special bond between pets and their families and the importance of making quality veterinary care more accessible. Because every pet—and every budget—is different, we offer a range of plans and flexible coverage options to help you find the right fit.
Accident-Only Plans
Coverage for unexpected injuries related to accidents such as bone fractures, lacerations, cuts, abrasions, torn nails, and more.
Accident and Illness Plans
Extensive coverage for unexpected accidents and illnesses such as cancer, hereditary conditions, viral diseases, and more.
Routine Care Plans
Two tiers of routine care plans to help pay for the expected like vaccinations, spay/neuter, bloodwork and more.
Flexible coverage as your pet's needs change
Your pet's healthcare needs can change over time, and your coverage can too. Pets Best lets you adjust your policy at renewal, so you can choose the coverage that best fits your pet's needs and your budget.
With any plan from Pets Best, you can rest assured that you will receive exceptional coverage, personal customer service, and easy and accurate claim processing. Learn more about choosing a plan.
Pros and Cons of Pet Insurance
Though pet insurance incurs a monthly cost, it can provide peace of mind and reimburse up to 90% of eligible veterinary expenses when the unexpected happens. It usually doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions (health conditions that your pet already had before your coverage began) but depending on the plan you choose, it can help cover new accidents and illnesses. With an optional routine care add-on, it can also help pay for regular check-ups at the vet, vaccinations and other preventive veterinary care.
From playful puppies and curious kittens to senior pets, pet insurance can help provide financial protection throughout every stage of your pet's life. Because Pets Best has no upper age limits for enrollment, it's never too late to explore coverage for your dog or cat.
Pet insurance helps reimburse eligible veterinary expenses after your deductible. If your pet gets sick or injured, you can visit any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada, pay your bill, and submit a claim. Once your claim is approved, you'll be reimbursed based on your policy's reimbursement percentage, deductible, and annual coverage limit. Learn more about our claims process.
While pet insurance isn't required, it can help make unexpected veterinary care more affordable. From emergency surgeries to cancer treatment and chronic illnesses, veterinary costs can add up quickly. Pet insurance helps many pet parents prepare for the unexpected and make healthcare decisions based on what's best for their pet rather than cost alone.
Like most pet insurance providers, Pets Best has waiting periods before certain coverages become effective. Waiting periods vary by state and the type of coverage. Once the applicable waiting period has been met, eligible conditions may be covered according to your policy. Learn more about Pets Best waiting periods in our Frequently Asked Questions.
No. Like most pet insurance providers, Pets Best does not cover pre-existing conditions. However, if a condition is considered cured and remains symptom- and treatment-free for the required period, it may no longer be considered pre-existing for certain conditions. Coverage is subject to your policy terms and conditions.
* Based on 2024 average new policyholder data for Accident and Illness Plans, pets aged 0-10. Premiums vary based on routine care coverage, annual limit, deductible, coinsurance, pet's breed, age, location, and are subject to change over time.
20+ Years
of experience
1 Million+
pets enrolled†
$1.3 Billion+
in covered claims††
† Pets Best. (2024). Internal sales data
†† Pets Best. (2005–2025). Internal Claims Data