5,534 pet owners requested and received a free no-obligation quote from one of the above companies in the last 30 days.
Top 7 Pet Wellness Plans from Insurance Providers
We at the MarketWatch Guides team have reviewed dozens of pet insurance providers offering wellness plans to help you determine the right coverage for your pet. Based on our in-depth review, we picked the following providers as the best pet insurance companies offering wellness coverage.
- Lemonade: Our Top Pick
- Spot: Most Customizable Coverage
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Our Pick for Older Pets
- Embrace Pet insurance: Our Pick for Savings
- ManyPets: Cheapest Plans for Cats
- AKC: Our Pick for Breeders
- Wagmo: Most Wellness Plan Options
Compare The Best Pet Insurance Wellness Plans
According to our analysis of how much it costs to own a pet, the average base price for wellness care is $448 annually. Use the table below to compare our top picks based on available wellness coverage, cost and expected savings.
*We estimated annual costs based on average pricing to insure dogs and cats. Your price will vary depending on your pet, location and chosen plan.
What is a Pet Wellness Plan?
A pet wellness plan covers routine veterinary visits and other routine health care such as annual vet checkups, lab work, blood work, vaccines, dental care, physical exams and more. These routine treatments and checkups are essential to maintaining your pet’s health. A pet wellness plan often only covers preventive care and does not include accident and illness coverage.
In most cases, wellness plans are add-ons for pet insurance and not available as stand-alone coverage. Wellness plans usually include a monthly fee, or premium, in exchange for reimbursement for preventative vet visits up to a specific annual allowance. However, some providers may use a similar copay method to pet insurance.
Dog Wellness Plans
Puppy wellness plans typically cover exams, microchipping, spaying/neutering, vaccines such as DHLPP and various other preventative care treatments. According to Dr. Angela Beal, DVM, the annual cost of routine care for a puppy could reach as high as $1,890. Dog wellness plans help cover these costs, alleviating the need for out-of-pocket payments.
Cat Wellness Plans
Cat wellness plans cover similar preventative care measures as dog wellness plans, with the difference that companies typically include coverage for cat-specific vaccines. These may encompass vaccines for the feline panleukopenia virus, feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline leukemia virus (FeLV).
Our Top Recommended Pet Wellness Plans
Lemonade
Our top pick for wellness coverage
Spot Pet Insurance
Most Customizable Coverage
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance
Our Pick for Older pets
Embrace
Our Pick for Savings
ManyPets
Cheapest Plans for Cats
Wagmo
Most Wellness Plan Options
American Kennel Club
How We Ranked The Best Pet Wellness Plans
Many pet insurance providers offer comprehensive insurance options for pet owners, but few companies offer quality wellness plans that will guarantee savings. At MarketWatch Guides, we pride ourselves in providing the most accurate and up-to-date pet insurance cost information by manually gathering over 2,000 sample insurance premiums and comparing pet ownership costs. We used the following factors to help rank our top pet wellness plans:
- Cost of wellness add-on: We analyzed the average cost to add a wellness plan to base insurance coverage for each provider. Companies with lower wellness care add-on rates ranked higher than those offering expensive preventative care plans.
- Base plan monthly cost: Since cost is an important factor, pet insurance companies with cheaper monthly premiums ranked higher on our list. Our team analyzed four different types of pets across all 50 U.S. states to determine the average cost of each company. Cost figures are up-to-date as of November 2023.
- Two or more plan options: Providers that offer more than one wellness plan ranked higher than those with only one option. This allows pet owners who are only looking for pet wellness care coverage to select a plan more suited to their needs.
- Preventative care coverage: Providers with more comprehensive wellness care coverage, such as covering two versus one vet exam, three or more vaccines, and spay and neutering procedures, ranked higher than those with more limited coverage.
- Special perks: We ranked companies that offer more perks to pet owners, such as teeth cleaning and microchipping, higher than those with basic routine care coverage.
- Money-back guarantee: Given that the industry average money-back guarantee is 30 days, any company offering a longer guarantee earned a higher score in this category.
- Our rating: Our team reviewed over 35 pet insurance companies using our objective rating methodology. Pet insurance providers that earned higher overall scores ranked higher on this list.
For more information on how we review pet insurance companies, review our editorial guidelines.
What's The Difference between Pet Insurance and Pet Wellness Plans?
Pet insurance plans typically cover costs associated with accidents and illnesses. They often don’t include wellness coverage unless you have it as an add-on. Pet insurance that covers routine care is associated with any routine expenses, such as your pet's annual check-up.
The table below compares coverage for a pet insurance policy versus a pet wellness plan.
Watch the video below to learn more in-depth differences between pet insurance plans and preventative care plans by Heart and Paw.
What Does a Wellness Pet Insurance Plan Cover?
In contrast to pet health insurance, pet wellness plans provide an annual allowance for preventative care. This includes items like pest prevention, vaccination, fixing procedures and exam fees. Pet wellness plans typically cover the following:
- Annual check-ups
- Vaccinations
- Spaying and neutering
- Teeth cleaning
- Microchipping
- Diagnostic testing
- Flea and tick prevention
- Heartworm prevention
- Other preventative medication
- 24/7 customer care
- Fecal testing and urinalysis
We asked Angela Beal, DVM, for the average cost of common wellness treatments based on her 20 years as a licensed veterinarian. Here’s what she said:
| Coverage Item | Average Cost* |
|---|---|
| Annual exam | $50–$80 |
| Vaccines | $20–$60 each (up to six required each year, depending on the pet) |
| Dental cleaning | $300–$500 |
| Spay or neuter | $200–$600 |
| Heartworm test | $35–$75 |
| Blood and urine tests | $80–$200 |
| Fecal test | $35–$75 |
*Average cost is based on our conversation with Dr. Beal and may vary depending on your location, veterinary technician and pet.
What’s Not Covered by Pet Insurance Wellness Plans?
Wellness plans do not cover emergency vet care, which includes treatments related to the following:
- Accidents
- Injuries
- Diseases
- Other conditions are not considered preventative care
However, you can obtain coverage for accidents and illnesses, or just accidents, by purchasing a standard pet insurance policy.
How Much Do Pet Wellness Plans Cost?
The cost of pet wellness care will depend heavily on the provider and the amount of coverage included. Pet owners cannot buy just a pet wellness plan; they must also buy an accident-and-illness or accident-only insurance plan.
The cost for just a pet wellness plan add-on is typically under $20, ranging from $10-$19 for our top recommended companies. The cost ranges from around $41 to $67 for a basic pet insurance policy and a preventative care package.
Most pet insurance companies offer the same pet wellness plan option for all breeds. The table below has a breakdown of pet wellness plan costs and the overall cost of pet insurance and preventative care.
Many pet insurance companies offer two tiers of wellness coverage: A basic tier that typically ranges from $10-$22 per month and a more comprehensive package that averages $20-$35 per month. Which plan option you choose will depend on your exact preventative care needs.
Do Pet Wellness Plans Have Waiting Periods?
Every pet insurance company has waiting periods before coverage begins, which also applies to wellness plans. Pet insurance that covers routine care also has an average waiting period of one to two weeks. Be sure to enroll in a pet insurance plan with an additional wellness plan before starting routine care to receive coverage.
Do Pet Wellness Plans Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?
No, pet wellness plans don’t cover preexisting or chronic conditions. Unfortunately, no pet insurer currently covers pre-existing conditions. Insurance companies see pets with these medical conditions as costly and high-risk investments, especially since they’re guaranteed to need veterinary care in the foreseeable future.
However, some companies will distinguish between curable and incurable conditions, opting to cover curable conditions with specific stipulations. In addition, some routine treatments covered in wellness plans may help cure these conditions.
Is a Pet Wellness Plan Worth It?
A pet wellness plan can be worth it, especially if you have a young puppy or kitten, because oftentimes, you will get more use of your preventative pet insurance if you start your pet young. Though routine pet care costs less than surgeries or cancer treatments, you’ll ultimately spend more on preventive care throughout your pet’s lifetime if you don’t have a wellness plan.
According to health care financing company Care Credit, vet exams, core vaccinations, and procedures such as spaying or neutering and microchip implantations can total $2,800 in a puppy’s first year. The first-year cost for a cat is nearly $2,500.
If you paid $55 per month for a pet insurance plan with wellness care, you'd pay $660 over the course of a year for coverage rather than $2,800. That's $2,140 in savings!
Without a wellness plan, pet owners should plan to spend $7,600 to $19,000 in veterinary care over their cat or dog’s lifetime. An add-on wellness plan can help to offset the cost of annual preventive healthcare for your dog or cat through a low monthly fee added to your pet insurance premium. While it will not cover all expenses, it will help spread the cost out over time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pet Wellness Plans
No, not all pet insurance companies offer wellness plans. However, it is a quite common offering that most companies allow.
Most pet insurers allow you to enroll in a wellness plan by applying online or over the phone. The best time to obtain wellness coverage is when you sign up for pet insurance or renew your policy.
Yes, many pet wellness plans cover neutering. However, the neuter/spay package is often included in a higher tier preventative care plan or one made specifically for kittens or puppies. Be sure to check the coverages of your wellness plan before purchasing.
No, treatments for accidents are not considered preventative care and are not covered under wellness plans. However, you can purchase accident-only pet insurance for this type of coverage.
A wellness package for dogs is an add-on for dog insurance that expands coverage to include preventative care treatments like blood and urine tests, vaccinations and exam fees.
If you have questions about this page, please reach out to our editors at editors@marketwatchguides.com.
