Prudent Pet Insurance Review 2024

Prudent Pet offers several pet insurance plans that cover many of a pet’s potential care costs.

Essential Plan

Prudent Pet says its most popular plan is the Essential plan, which covers expenses resulting from accidents and illnesses. Expenses covered in this plan include:

• Accidents such as bite wounds and broken bones
• Illnesses such as cancer and urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Hereditary conditions
• Congenital disabilities or abnormalities
• Emergency care
• Hospitalizations
• Surgery and specialized care
• Diagnostics such as bloodwork, MRIs and CAT scans
• Prescription medications
• Radiology and diagnostic testing

Ultimate Plan

The Ultimate plan is the most comprehensive accident and illness plan Prudent Pet offers. This plan covers all of the expenses in the Essential plan as well as the following:

• Advertising and rewards if your pet is lost or stolen
• Boarding fees
• Vacation cancellation reimbursement if you must stay home due to a sick or injured pet
• Mortality benefits
• Loss due to theft or stray

Accident-Only Plan

These plans are typically suitable for older pets who may not qualify for an accident and illness plan. It’s also a good solution for pet owners on a tight budget and only want coverage for catastrophic events. An accident-only plan from Prudent Pet covers problems such as:

• Broken bones
• Bite wounds
• Injuries to teeth or mouth
• Swallowed objects
• Emergencies and hospitalizations
• Surgeries
• Specialized care
• Diagnostic tests, such as bloodwork, MRIs and CAT scans
• Prescription medications

Pet Insurance Add-Ons

Prudent Pet offers two coverage add-ons you can include in your plan for an extra cost.

Wellness coverage

Keeping a pet healthy requires routine wellness care. To help pay for some of these preventive care costs, Prudent Pet offers a wellness add-on. This add-on covers expenses including:

• Wellness exams
• Wellness blood screen
• Vaccines
• Fecal exams
• Microchip
• Deworming
• Dental cleanings or spaying/neutering
• Health certificate

Keep in mind—there are three levels of the wellness coverage add-on. All plans apply coverage caps on each expense.

Exam or consultation fees

You can add this coverage to help pay for veterinary exams and consultation fees of your pet for accidents and illnesses covered by your policy.

Although Prudent Pet covers an array of health-related expenses, there are some expenses that are not covered, such as:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Bathing (unless your vet deems it medically necessary)
• Breeding, pregnancy, or nursing costs
• Elective or specialty procedures, such as tail docking, ear cropping, dewclaw removal, and cosmetic dentistry
• Experimental procedures and treatments
• Grooming
• Obedience training
• Non-veterinary fees, such as waste disposal, bank fees, credit card charges and federal, state or local taxes

Exam fees and wellness care also won’t be covered if you don’t purchase the add-ons. Continue comparing providers with Forbes Advisor’s list of best pet insurance.

After purchasing a pet insurance policy, you typically have to wait for a certain amount of time for coverage to begin, known as the waiting period. All pet insurance companies apply waiting periods to policies.

Prudent Pet has three different waiting periods:

• Five-day accident waiting period
• 14-day illness waiting period
• 180-day knee or ligament issue waiting period

Prudent Pet’s five-day accident waiting period is pretty good compared to other insurers like Nationwide or the ASPCA that have 14-day accident waiting periods. However, other insurers offer only one to two days of accident waiting periods, such as Figo and Embrace.

Prudent Pet’s 14-day illness waiting period is typically what you find with most insurers. Prudent Pet also has a six-month waiting period for knee and ligament issues. However, you can get this period waived if your pet passes a vet exam and is clear of knee or ligament issues within the first 30 days of coverage. Some insurers, such as ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, do not have a waiting period for knee and ligament issues.

Compare Prudent Pet With Other Insurers

1

Paw Protect

Maximum annual coverage

$5,000, $10,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500

1

Paw Protect

Compare Plans

Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website

2

Embrace

Maximum annual coverage

$5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000

2

Embrace

Compare Plans

Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website

3

Spot

Maximum annual coverage

$2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, Unlimited

Reimbursement choices

70%, 80%, 90%

Deductible choices

$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000

3

Spot

Compare Plans

Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website

Maximum Annual Limit Options

Many pet insurance companies apply a limit to the amount of total benefits they will pay annually. Prudent Pet’s Essential plan has a $10,000 cap, while the Ultimate plan has an unlimited cap.

Deductible Options

Most pet insurance policies come with a deductible amount you must pay toward vet bills before the insurance company begins reimbursing you for expenses. Prudent Pet offers several deductible options:

• $100
• $250
• $500
• $1,000

Reimbursement Options

Pet insurance companies also apply a reimbursement level to each claim payment. The reimbursement level is the percentage of total expenses the pet insurance company will reimburse you for. Prudent Pet has three options to choose from:

• 70%
• 80%
• 90%

Your Prudent Pet insurance costs will depend on several cost factors, including:

• The breed of your pet
• Your location
• The plan you choose
• Your annual coverage limit
• Your deductible amount and reimbursement level

If you buy pet insurance from Prudent Pet for more than one dog, you will have separate policies for each dog, but you’ll be able to manage your policies through one account. You’ll get a 10% discount on each policy.

Also, if you refer a fellow pet owner to Prudent Pet and they request a free quote, you can receive a $15 Amazon gift card.

Prudent Pet insurance is available in all 50 states.

Company	Company - Logo	Forbes Advisor Rating	Forbes Advisor Rating	Reimbursement Choices	Deductible Choices	Learn More CTA text	Learn more CTA below text	View More
Pets Best		5.0		70%, 80%, 90%	$50, $100, $200, $250, $500, $1,000	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Embrace		4.5		70%, 80%, 90%	$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Paw Protect		4.5		70%, 80%, 90%	$100, $250, $500	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Fetch		4.0		70%, 80%, 90%	$300, $500, $700	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Figo		4.0		70%, 80%, 90%, 100%	$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000, $1,500	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Healthy Paws		4.0		50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%	$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Lemonade		4.0		70%, 80%, 90%	$100, $250, $500, $750	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website
Spot		4.0		70%, 80%, 90%	$100, $250, $500, $750, $1,000	Compare Plans	Via PetInsurer.com's Secure Website

Reimbursement and deductible choices may vary by state.

The waiting periods and coverage benefits will vary by insurer. For example, Prudent pet insurance has a five-day accident waiting period compared to Healthy Paws’ 15-day accident waiting period. But Prudent has a 180-day waiting period for knee and ligament issues, while Trupanion pet insurance does not have a waiting period for knee and ligament issues.

Prudent Pet Insurance vs. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance

Coverage details	Prudent pet insurance	Healthy Paws pet insurance
Accident coverage waiting period	5 days	15 days
Illness coverage waiting period	14 days	15 days
Special waiting periods	180 days for knee and ligament issues	12 months for hip dysplasia; coverage for hip dysplasia not available for pets age six or older at time of enrollment
Pays for the vet exam fee?	Yes, if you buy the exam or consultation fee add-on	No
Optional wellness plan available?	Yes	No
24/7 vet helpline available?	Yes	Yes

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Prudent Pet Insurance vs. Pets Best Pet Insurance

Coverage details	Prudent pet insurance	Pets Best pet insurance
Accident coverage waiting period	5 days	3 days
Illness coverage waiting period	14 days	14 days
Special waiting periods	180 days for knee and ligament issues	6 months for cruciate ligaments, 14 days for hip dysplasia
Pays for the vet exam fee?	Yes, if you buy the exam or consultation fee add-on	Included
Optional wellness plan available?	Yes	Yes
24/7 vet helpline available?	Yes	Yes

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Prudent Pet Insurance vs. Spot Pet Insurance

Coverage details	Prudent pet insurance	Spot pet insurance
Accident coverage waiting period	5 days	14 days
Illness coverage waiting period	14 days	14 days
Special waiting periods	180 days for knee and ligament issues	None
Pays for the vet exam fee?	Yes, if you buy the exam or consultation fee add-on	Yes
Optional wellness plan available?	Yes	Yes
24/7 vet helpline available?	Yes	Yes

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Prudent Pet Insurance vs. Trupanion Pet Insurance

Coverage details	Prudent pet insurance	Trupanion pet insurance
Accident coverage waiting period	5 days	5 days
Illness coverage waiting period	14 days	30 days
Special waiting periods	180 days for knee and ligament issues	None
Pays for the vet exam fee?	Yes, if you buy the exam or consultation fee add-on	No
Optional wellness plan available?	Yes	No
24/7 vet helpline available?	Yes	No

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You can cancel your Prudent pet insurance policy by contacting an agent at (888) 820-7739.

Prudent Pet Insurance offers both comprehensive and accident-only plans to fit your needs and budget. Until January 2021, Prudent Pet’s insurance policies were underwritten by the United States Fire Insurance Co. All new policies are underwritten by Markel.