You might be familiar with Desjardins, the credit union and caiseses populaires with locations in Ontario and Quebec, but did you know it offers insurance products too? Desjardins Insurance offers pet insurance under three different plans: Bronze Paw, Silver Paw and Gold Paw. Generous coverage for dental care and cleanings is included with the Silver Paw and Gold Paw, and $500 coverage is available as an add-on to the Bronze Paw plan. While the maximum coverage amounts are slightly lower than other plans surveyed (except for the Gold Paw unlimited plan), Desjardins offers a more affordable option and good coverage.
Pros
- Low deductible across all plans.
- Dental care, including annual cleanings, covered with the Silver Paw and Gold Paw plans.
- Comprehensive preventive care with the Gold Paw plan.
- Multi-pet discount for three or more pets.
- Vet direct pay is possible with complex cases.
Cons
- Dental care not included with the Bronze Paw plan.
- Not able to customize deductible or reimbursement rate.
- Age-based deductible applied as your pet gets older.
- No 24/7 pet health hotline.
Table of Contents
- What Does Desjardins Cover?
- Desjardins Extra Coverage Options
- What Desjardins Doesn’t Cover
- Desjardins Waiting Periods
- Compare Desjardins With Other Insurers
- Desjardins Coverage Levels
- Sample Quote for Five-Year-Old Male Labrador Retriever Based in Toronto (as of February 2023)
- Desjardins Discounts
- About Desjardins
- Desjardins Partners
- Methodology
What Does Desjardins Cover?
Desjardins offers coverage for unexpected illnesses and injuries, as well as preventive care, including:
- Exam fees
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Diagnostics, including X-rays and MRIs.
- Prescription medications
- Specialist referral
- Chemotherapy
- Dental care, including annual cleaning and teeth and gum problems (included with the Silver and Gold Paw plans).
- Medical devices (included with the Gold Paw plan).
- Alternative therapies, including homeopathy, massage therapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic services and physiotherapy (included with the Gold Paw plan).
- Behavioural therapies (included with the Gold Paw plan).
- Preventive care, including annual exam and vaccinations, annual routine blood work wellness profile, flea control medication, fecal exam and deworming, annual routine wellness urinalysis, annual heartworm test, heartworm prevention medication (included with the Gold Paw plan).
Desjardins Extra Coverage Options
Desjardins gives pet parents extra benefits that can be added to a policy for an additional cost. These benefits include:
- For Bronze Paw: Optional $500 dental care.
- For Silver Paw: Optional $350 (per category) for alternative therapy, behavioural therapy and medical devices.
What Desjardins Doesn’t Cover
Like all pet insurance companies, Desjardins does not cover pre-existing conditions, defined as “any condition that starts or shows symptoms, with or without a confirmed diagnosis” prior to enrollment or within any applicable waiting period.
In addition, Desjardins does not cover:
- Flea control
- Food, including prescription and therapeutic diets
- Spay or neuter surgery
- Euthanisia, unless recommended as a result of an insured accident or illness.
Desjardins Waiting Periods
Pet insurance companies have what’s called a waiting period, which is the amount of time before your policy is effective and you can be reimbursed for claims.
With a Desjardins policy, there is a 48-hour waiting period for accidents and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. You’ll also have to wait six months for dental coverage and six months for claims relating to cruciate ligament injuries or intervertebral disc disease.
Compare Desjardins With Other Insurers
Desjardins Coverage Levels
Maximum annual limit options
- Bronze Paw: $2,000 per accident, $2,000 per illness, optional $500 dental
- Silver Paw: $4,000 per accident, $4,000 per illness, $700 dental, optional $350 (per category)alternative/behavioural therapy
- Gold Paw: Unlimited per accident, unlimited per illness, $1,000 dental, $615 preventive, $350 (per category) alternative/behavioural therapy
Deductible options
$100 *
Reimbursement options
80%
* An age-based deductible adjustment is applied to your policy as your pet gets older. Your $100 deductible increases to $250 at five years of age and $350 at 10+ years.
Sample Quote for Five-Year-Old Male Labrador Retriever Based in Toronto (as of February 2023)
Desjardins Discounts
If you insure three or more pets, you’ll receive a 10% discount off your monthly premiums. With six or more pets, you’ll save 15% off.
About Desjardins
The Desjardins Pet Insurance Program was launched in January 2013 and is available to all Canadians. Desjardins Pet Insurance is underwritten by Petline Insurance. Petline has provided coverage for over 1.2 million pets over its 28 year history. Headquartered in Quebec, in addition to pet insurance Desjardins offers health, auto and home insurance. It is part of the Desjardins Group, a Canadian financial services cooperative and the largest federation of credit unions in North America.
Desjardins Partners
Desjardins does not have any external partnerships.
Methodology
To find the best pet insurance we reviewed each company’s policy wording and used data provided by PetInsurer.com to score each pet insurance company based on the following:
Pet insurance rates: 40% of score. We calculated average rates for plans with $5,000 or unlimited coverage, a $100 deductible and an 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available.
Special waiting period: 10% of score. Many pet insurance companies have a special waiting period for problems such as cruciate ligament issues and hip dysplasia. Plans that had no waiting period, a waiting period of six months or less, or the ability to have the waiting period waived scored higher.
Direct payment to vet: 10% of score. Pet insurance companies that have the ability to pay a vet directly earned points.
24/7 vet health line: 10% of score. Insurers that provide access to a 24/7 vet health line scored in this category.
Routine wellness plans: 10% of score. Insurers that offer wellness plans, either included with a plan or as a rider, earned points.
Dental coverage for illness: 10% of score. While most insurers cover dental accidents, not all insurers cover dental illnesses, such as gum disease or cleanings. Plans with more extensive dental coverage scored higher.
Pet ownership assistance: 5% of score. Insurers that include coverage for pet owner expenses, such as advertising and reward for lost pets, boarding for medical emergencies, end of life expenses and/or vacation cancellation, scored in this category.
Any discount: 5% of score. Insurers that offer any kind of discount, including a multi-pet discount, healthy pet discount, loyalty discount, etc., earned points.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is an age-based deductible?
Some insurance companies apply an age-based deductible adjustment to your policy as your pet ages to help offset the increase in health care costs with senior animals. The deductible automatically increases on the policy anniversary following your pet’s birthday. Different companies use varying age brackets and increases for the adjustments. For example, OVMA offers a $100 deductible option for dogs up to five years old that increases to $300 from age five to 10 years and $500 for dogs aged 10 and over. However, Spot Insurance offers a $100 annual deductible for dogs under two years, $150 for two to five years, $200 for dogs five to eight years, $250 for dogs eight to 10 years and $300 for dogs over 10 years. It’s important to check your policy wording so there are no surprises on your policy anniversary.
Will pet insurance cover senior pets?
Most pet insurance companies in Canada will extend coverage to senior animals, but there may be certain conditions prior to enrollment. For example, if your dog has turned eight years old when you apply for a policy with Petsure, Pets Plus Us or OVMA Pet Health Insurance, you are required to provide your pet’s medical history, including comprehensive exam, complete urinalysis and blood work, within two months before enrollment. Failing that, any condition noted on your pet’s first comprehensive exam after enrollment will be deemed a pre-existing condition and thereby is excluded from any coverage.
Are there any disadvantages to pet insurance?
Like all types of insurance, medical pet insurance is there to provide financial assistance to pet parents when faced with unexpected emergencies. You could pay into your insurance policy for 10 years and never make a big claim. But you could also pay for the same period of time and when your pet develops a chronic condition or has a devastating accident, your coverage falls short of the full cost of the required treatment because your plan has a maximum payout limit. Your choice of pet insurance products and coverage limits is a factor of your emotional ability to deal with risk and your financial ability to deal with a big vet bill.
What factors affect your pet insurance costs?
Several factors affect your pet insurance costs. Age is a factor, as older animals cost more to insure than younger animals. The breed of your pet can impact your premium cost in several ways: Some breeds, such as French Bulldogs, are more expensive to insure because they are prone to expensive joint issues including hip dysplasia, patellar luxation and intervertebral disc disease. Larger breeds are usually more expensive to insure than small breeds, as are males. Where you live is another factor, as urban centres often have access to better, and more expensive, treatment options.
Does pet insurance increase if I make a claim?
Most pet insurance companies state that your premium will not increase if you make one (or several claims). However, large or frequent claims can have an affect on your reimbursement rate. Some companies, such as OVMA Pet Health Insurance, Petsecure and Peppermint, review all policies every six months as part of their Claims Risk Management process. If you make a lot of expensive claims, your reimbursement rate may decrease. So, a 90% reimbursement might be adjusted to 80% on your policy’s anniversary. (The lowest readjusted reimbursement rate is 50%.) Your pet insurance premiums will also go up as your pet ages, and your deductible may also increase if your insurance provider applies an age-based deductible adjustment.
Forbes Advisor adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. To the best of our knowledge, all content is accurate as of the date posted, though offers contained herein may no longer be available. The opinions expressed are the author’s alone and have not been provided, approved, or otherwise endorsed by our partners.
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