Pets Plus Us Pet Insurance Review 2024

Pets Plus Us offers an accident-only plan that covers treatment of injuries caused by an accident. An accident is defined as an event that is unforeseen and unexpected, involves an external force, impact or contact with an inanimate object and is independent of other causes, or is not secondary to another contributing condition. For example, say your pet has arthritis and falls down the stairs, hurting his leg. That accident is not covered as it’s caused by a “contributing condition,” namely the arthritis.

Injuries that are considered accidental and eligible for coverage include:

• Cuts and lacerations.
• Fractured bones or nails that had no underlying pathology or cause.
• Poison or toxin ingestion.
• Ingestion of a foreign body (such as a toy) that caused an obstruction, requiring surgery.

Benefits for the accident-only coverage include:

• Hospitalization
• Consultations and professional fees.
• Specialist referral
• Surgery
• Diagnostics
• Dental fractures
• Prescription medications
• Prescription food to a maximum of $75 per year for all conditions combined.
• Medical devices up to $1,000.
• Alternative therapies, including acupuncture, chiropractic services, naturopathy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, physiotherapy and laser treatments.
• Pet boarding fees if you’re hospitalized (up to $1,000 per incident).
• Holiday trip cancellation if your pet has a medical emergency (up to $1,000 per incident).
• Lost pet advertising and reward if your pet goes missing (up to $1,000 per incident).
• Euthanasia and cremation or burial if your pet passes away from a covered accident or illness (up to $1,000), plus a $50 tribute donation to a pet charity in honour of your pet.

Pets Plus Us also has two accident and illness plans. Benefits include:

• Hospitalization
• Consultations and professional fees.
• Surgery
• Specialist referral
• Hereditary and congenital conditions.
• Diagnostics
• Prescription medications
• Prescription food to a maximum of $75 per year for all conditions combined.
• Alternative therapies, including acupuncture, chiropractic services, naturopathy, hydrotherapy, massage therapy, physiotherapy and laser treatments.
• Behavioural therapy by a certified animal behavioural therapist.
• Coverage for hereditary and congenital conditions.
• Pet boarding fees up to $1,000 per incident if you’re hospitalized.
• Holiday trip cancellation if your pet has a medical emergency (up to $1,000 per incident).
• Lost pet advertising and reward if your pet goes missing (up to $1,000 per incident).
• Euthanasia and cremation or burial if your pet passes away from a covered accident or illness (up to $1,000 per incident), plus a $50 tribute donation to a pet charity in honour of your pet.

Pets Plus Us also offers what they call Blue Ribbon Benefits that are free products and services that “make being a pet owner easier.”

These include:

• Access to 24/7 PetHelpFone.
• A Compassionate Care Line to offer support after the loss of a pet.
• Access to a 24/7 Pet Poison Helpline.
• Emergency Medical Coverage: $1,000 in insurance coverage if your pet incurs a life-threatening injury while lost.
• A paid subscription to Modern Dog or Modern Cat magazines.

Flex Care is a wellness add-on to the accident and illness policy that helps pet parents budget for routine care, including annual exams, vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, nail trimming, dental care and even spay or neuter surgery. The Flex Care policy can also be used to supplement the coverage offered in the primary policy. Policy owners choose the dollar amount, starting at $250 to a maximum of $1,250, in $100 increments. The monthly payment is the total amount divided into 12 equal payments. The Flex Care contract is for one year and dollar amounts cannot be carried forward to future years. However, you can make a claim for any amount up to the maximum at any time. For example, say you select a maximum of $750, which is $62.50 per month. After two months, you’re given a veterinary bill for $250 for your pet’s annual vaccinations, but you’ve only paid $125 into your plan. You can claim the entire $250 bill and Pets Plus Us will reimburse you for it 100%. There is also a $25 administrative fee charged annually. It’s worth noting that Flex Care is not currently available in Quebec.

Like all pet insurance companies, Pets Plus Us does not cover pre-existing conditions, also called foreseeable conditions, defined as “any condition that starts or shows symptoms, with or without a confirmed diagnosis” prior to enrollment or within any applicable waiting periods.

With the accident and illness plan, Pets Plus Us does not cover:

• Behavioural training, including classes or correctional devices.
• Kennel fees for an owner’s hospitalization due to a pre-existing accident or illness, for pregnancy or birth, for treatment of drug or alcohol addiction or for cosmetic surgery.
• Dental cleaning and illness.
• Elective procedures, including cosmetic surgery, debarking and tail docking.
• House calls
• Innovative therapies, such as regenerative therapy, stem cell therapy, prolotherapy, platelet rich plasma therapy, hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy, veterinary orthopedic manipulation, osteopathy and cryotherapy.
• Expenses related to pregnancy or whelping.
• Post-mortems
• Vaccinations
• Non-essential expenses including grooming, restraint devices (leashes, crates), supplement and vitamins.

In addition to the exclusions listed for the accident and illness plan, the accident-only plan does not cover:

• Anaphylaxis
• Bloat
• Lameness
• Cruciate ligament and patella luxation injuries, which are considered
  caused by a progressive and degenerative disease, even if the tear happens due to a trauma.
• Expenses related to drinking contaminated or stagnant water.
• Expenses related to your pet eating something that causes illness, not an obstruction requiring surgery.
• Any illnesses.

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.

There is a standard 48-hour waiting period for accidents and 14 days for illnesses. However, additional benefits, such as holiday trip cancellation, lost pet advertising and cremation or burial, kick in after 48 hours. There is no special waiting period for cruciate ligament injuries or intervertebral disc disease, which is common with other plans.

Maximum annual limit options
$5,000 accident-only
$7,500
$15,000

Deductible options *
$100 annual for accident-only
$100
$200
$300 for accident and illness

Reimbursement options
80% for accident-only
70%
80%
90% for accident and illness

* An age-based deductible adjustment is applied to your policy as your pet gets older. For example, your $100 deductible increases to $300 at five years of age and $500 at 10+ years. Your $200 deductible increases to $400 at five years of age and $600 at 10+ years. Your $300 deductible increases to $500 at five years of age and $700 at 10+ years.

Pets Plus Us offers a multi-pet discount of up to 15% off.

Launched in 2013, Oakville-Ont.-based Pets Plus Us is underwritten by Northbridge General Insurance Corporation and is available across Canada. The company’s goal is to build a community that empowers and informs responsible pet ownership.

Pets Plus Us has a robust (and growing) list of brand affiliates and partners that offer discounts to their members for pet insurance, including:

• Costco Executive members receive a 15% off discount while Gold Star and
  Business members receive a 10% discount, as well as the first month free if they are new clients.
• CAA members receive a 12% discount.
• BCAA members receive a 12% discount.
• Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) members receive a 5% discount on accident and illness coverage.
• Prairie Pet Insurance members get a preferred rate of 5% off Pets Plus Us plans.
• Stride Credit Union members receive a preferred rate of 5% off.
• 24Petwatch no longer issues insurance policies (but continues to honour existing policy holders) and is now partnered with Pets Plus Us.

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.