Best Puppy Insurance

Puppy coverage enrollment timing

Start a policy as soon as your puppy reaches the enrollment age, before a vet treats any health problem. In the first weeks at home, puppies swallow socks, gnaw on household items, catch stomach bugs, and scratch at their ears.

If a vet notes diarrhea, an ear infection, or a limp before your policy starts, the insurer labels it a pre-existing condition. Before your coverage begins, an illness or injury with signs or vet care is called a pre-existing condition. Your policy won't cover a health issue later once it carries that label.

Enroll early and your dog is also covered for inherited joint, eye, or heart trouble (as long as no signs showed up earlier). A minimum signup age applies, for instance 8 weeks for puppies in states where one is required, at AKC Pet Insurance.

Waiting years before you buy dog insurance for puppies can limit your options later in life. The Modular plan at Nationwide limits new illness enrollment to dogs and cats up to 8 years old. Chubb sets its new enrollment cutoff at 13 years old, while ManyPets keeps issuing new policies until a pet reaches 14.

What puppy insurance costs

Start your search for the best pet insurance for puppies by checking how your location, breed, deductible, and reimbursement rate change your monthly bill. Your insurer starts paying once you pay the deductible, the dollar amount you owe each year toward covered vet bills. Once you meet the deductible, reimbursement means the insurer returns a percentage of covered vet bills.

The MoneyGeek pet insurance cost analysis looked at 67,000+ pet profiles from 18 insurers, and dogs under 1 year averaged $46 a month. That modeled rate assumes 80% reimbursement, a $500 deductible, and a yearly cap of $5,000. That study also put average monthly prices at $47 for a 3-year-old dog and $64 for a 6-year-old, with seniors from age 8 to 13 years at $99.

Another study, from Forbes Advisor, looked at 478,670 rates in 21 policies and used a $250 deductible with 80% reimbursement. Policies averaged $43 monthly for a 3-month-old puppy with a $5,000 limit and $64 with unlimited payouts. At age 3, monthly averages were $41 under a $5,000 limit and $64 with unlimited payouts. At age 5, monthly averages were $52 under a $5,000 limit and $82 with unlimited payouts; by age 7, they reached $74 and $114.

A 3-month-old puppy may cost a few dollars more than a young adult dog does. The reason comes from state rate filings by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co., tabulated by Forbes Advisor: the 1.77 price multiplier applies to puppies aged 0 to 11 months. Dogs aged 1 year or 2 years receive the 1.0 base rate, rising to 1.09 at 3 years and 1.23 at 4 years. The multiplier reaches 1.38 at 5 years, 1.55 at 6, 1.71 at 7, 1.9 at 8, and 2.15 at 9. At ages 10, 12, and 14, the factor is 2.43, 3.05, and 3.53, respectively.

Published sample pricing from NerdWallet gives an example for a medium mixed-breed dog located in Katy, Texas, with a $5,000 coverage limit, a $250 deductible, and 80% reimbursement. That sample quote put the monthly cost at $35.11 for a 3-month-old, dropping to $31.50 at 2 years, and sitting at $33.61 at 4 years. The example listed $48.34 at 6 years, $70.99 at 8 years, $114.10 at 10 years, and $156.59 at 12 years.

Waiting periods for puppies

Payment alone doesn't mean your coverage starts immediately. A waiting period comes with each plan, counting the days or months between your signup and the day coverage actually begins. If your puppy swallows a toy or catches a virus during this period, the vet bill isn't covered.

Insurers set separate wait times for accidents and general illnesses, and also for orthopedic or cruciate knee ligament problems. Often, picking the best dog insurance for puppies means finding out how long you must wait until your accident and joint coverage begins:

• At Aflac, waits run 0 days for accidents and 0 days for illnesses.
• At MetLife Pet Insurance, waits are 14 days for illnesses and 0 days for accidents.
• Waits at State Farm are 30 days for illnesses and 5 days for accidents.
• At Pawp, you wait 14 days for accidents and 14 days for illnesses.
• Wagmo sets 14 days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, 14 days for orthopedic conditions, and 14 days for cruciate injuries.
• At Chewy CarePlus, waits are 5 days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, 14 days for orthopedic conditions, and 30 days for cruciate injuries.

Certain policies add a longer wait for joint trouble: 180 days, 6 months on orthopedic and cruciate issues, or 12 months.

Plans that cover young puppies

Most breeders and rescues send puppies home between 6 and 8 weeks of age, and that also matches the minimum age at major insurers. As you shop for puppy dog insurance, make sure you confirm the exact week in which your puppy may join:

• Embrace takes puppies at 6 weeks old.
• Fetch accepts puppies once they reach 6 weeks old.
• Puppies qualify for USAA coverage beginning at 6 weeks old.
• The minimum enrollment age for Progressive is 7 weeks.
• Pets Best lets puppies enroll at 7 weeks old.
• Odie allows puppies to enroll at 7 weeks old.
• Puppies can receive Lemonade coverage beginning at 8 weeks old.
• The minimum enrollment age at Spot is 8 weeks.
• ASPCA Pet Health Insurance begins accepting pets at 8 weeks old.
• Costco Pet Insurance lets puppies enroll from 8 weeks old.
• Enrollment at Pumpkin begins at 8 weeks old.
• Healthy Paws accepts puppies beginning at 8 weeks old.
• The minimum puppy age for Figo is 8 weeks.
• Puppies can receive GEICO coverage at 8 weeks old.
• Prudent Pet accepts puppies beginning at 8 weeks old.

Many of these insurers have no upper age limit for enrollment, allowing your dog to remain covered through its senior years.

Questions people often ask

When should you get pet insurance for puppies?

Sign up as soon as your puppy reaches a policy's minimum enrollment age, before a vet notes any symptoms. Plans requiring signup before the 14th birthday continue covering your dog for life after enrollment.

Is pet insurance worth it for a puppy?

Your plan for surprise vet bills and the reimbursement level you pick both shape whether your budget fits. With most accident and illness plans, you can select 70%, 80%, or 90% reimbursement, and certain insurers also offer 50%, 60%, or 100%.

Does puppy insurance cover vaccines?

Standard accident-only and accident-illness plans don't pay for routine shots. PetSmart is one insurer that offers accident-illness plans without wellness coverage. Check with a provider like Petco for an optional wellness add-on if you want help paying for puppy vaccines and checkups.