Prudent Pet Insurance Review 2024

Prudent Pet has similar plans to what you’d find from the best pet insurance companies. It offers accident and illness plans, as well as an accident-only plan. You can also purchase additional coverage like wellness coverage and vet exam fee coverage.

Accident and Illness Insurance

Prudent Pet offers different levels of accident and illness plans. Prudent Pet says its Essential plan is the most popular, while its Ultimate plan is the most comprehensive accident and illness plan it offers.

You can normally expect a policy to cover the following:

	Accidents Such as bite wounds, broken bones and teeth, getting hit by a car and ingesting foreign objects.
	Illnesses Such as arthritis, cancer, urinary tract infections (UTIs), eye, ear and skin issues, hereditary conditions and congenital disabilities or abnormalities, such as hip dysplasia.
	Hospitalizations Includes emergency care and surgeries.
	Specialist Care Can include specialized care by veterinarians, internal medicine experts and oncologists. Alternative therapies overseen by a veterinarian are also included, like acupuncture, physical therapy and stem cell therapy.
	Prescription Medication This includes prescription medicine for a problem covered by your policy, such as a skin infection. It also covers prescription food for covered problems like food to treat bladder crystals and stones.
	Diagnostics This includes tests like bloodwork, MRIs, X-rays and CAT scans.

Beyond these basic coverage types, the Ultimate plan also covers 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 limited 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

Prudent Pet 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
• Herbs or natural remedies
• Grooming or grooming supplies
• Obedience training
• Vet house calls or travel expenses
• 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.

Prudent Pet offers a variety of annual limits, deductibles and reimbursement options.

Maximum Annual Limit Options

Many pet insurance companies apply a limit to the amount of total benefits they will pay annually. Prudent Pet has three coverage limit options:

• $2,500 (Essential 2500 plan)
• $10,000 (Essential plan)
• Unlimited (Ultimate plan)

Deductible Options

Pet insurance policies usually 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%

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
• 6-month waiting period for knee or ligament issues (can be waived with a vet exam within the first 30 days of the policy).

You can insure any dog or cat of any age. Prudent Pet says it doesn’t deny coverage based on a dog or cat’s age.

Company	Accident waiting period	Illness waiting period	Special waiting period
Pets Best Essential	3 days	14 days	6 months for cruciate ligament conditions
Figo	1 day	14 days	6 months for cruciate ligament conditions (can be waived with an orthopedic exam)
Chewy Essential Plus	5 days	14 days	None
Prudent Pet	5 days	14 days	6 months for knee or ligament issue (can be waived with a knee and ligament exam)

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The Prudent Pet Essential plan costs an average of $61 per month for a dog and $36 per month for a cat, according to our analysis of pet insurance costs. That’s for $10,000 of annual coverage, a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level. The average cost of the Prudent Pet Ultimate plan is $80 per month for a dog and $43 per month for a cat for unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level.

Prudent Pet Ultimate Plan Price Comparison for Dogs

Dog breed	Average cost per month for puppies age 3 months	Average cost per month for dogs age 3 years
Beagle	$72	$81
Bulldog	$131	$146
Dachshund	$67	$74
French bulldog	$131	$146
German shepherd	$90	$100
Golden retriever	$89	$100
Labrador retriever	$89	$100
Mixed breed (large)	$76	$85
Mixed breed (medium)	$61	$68
Mixed breed (small)	$47	$52
Poodle	$67	$74
Rottweiler	$162	$181

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on the Prudent Pet Ultimate plan with unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level.

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Prudent Pet Ultimate Plan Price Comparison for Cats

Cat breed	Average cost per month kittens age 3 months	Average cost per month for cats age 3 years
Abyssinian	$41	$46
Bengal	$41	$46
Bombay	$41	$46
British shorthair	$41	$46
Exotic shorthair	$41	$46
Maine coon	$41	$46
Mixed breed	$33	$37
Persian	$41	$46
Ragdoll	$41	$46
Siamese	$41	$46

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on the Prudent Pet Ultimate plan with unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level.

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Prudent Pet Ultimate Plan Costs vs. Other Top Insurers

Pets BestEssential

5.0

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$46

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$22

Figo

4.3

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$75

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$30

Chewy Essential Plus

4.2

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$89

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$44

Spot

4.2

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$93

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$45

Embrace

4.1

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$75

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$63

Healthy Paws

4.0

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$60

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$28

Prudent Pet

3.5

See Plans

Average Monthly Cost For Dog Insurance

$80

Average Monthly Cost For Cat Insurance

$43

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level for dogs and cats, ages 3 months, 2 years, 5 years and 7 years. Chewy Essential Plus does not offer a 80% reimbursement level, rates are based on 90% reimbursement level.

Company	Forbes Advisor rating	Average monthly cost for dog insurance	Average monthly cost for cat insurance	Learn more
Pets BestEssential	5.0	$46	$22	See Plans
Figo	4.3	$75	$30	See Plans
Chewy Essential Plus	4.2	$89	$44	See Plans
Spot	4.2	$93	$45	See Plans
Embrace	4.1	$75	$63	See Plans
Healthy Paws	4.0	$60	$28	See Plans
Prudent Pet	3.5	$80	$43	See Plans

Source: Forbes Advisor research. Costs are based on unlimited annual coverage with a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level for dogs and cats, ages 3 months, 2 years, 5 years and 7 years. Chewy Essential Plus does not offer a 80% reimbursement level, rates are based on 90% reimbursement level.

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Prudent Pet insurance is available in all 50 states.

You can file a pet insurance claim with Prudent Pet through its online portal.

Log in to the customer portal to fill out a claim form and submit your paid veterinarian invoice and any necessary medical records. Prudent states it processes 75% of its claims in 24 hours and the reimbursement payment is done through a check or ACH payment.

Our analysis of the digital experience for Prudent Pet found mixed results. There’s no mobile app, which is a big miss because top pet insurers generally have mobile apps. But you can submit claims online and pay online.

Our test of Prudent Pet’s live chat found it was mostly helpful. Responses times were within one minute or less, even though the live chat window said replies typically take eight minutes. And the responses were mostly clear and helpful based on our test questions.

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.

A perk with Prudent Pet Insurance is if you refer a fellow pet owner and they request a free quote, you can receive a $15 Amazon gift card.

To find the best pet insurance, we collected data and scored each pet insurance company for several categories. Only pet insurers offering annual maximum coverage of $100,000 or unlimited were scored, so that comparisons were fair among companies. If a company has more than one top-scoring policy we show only the policy with the highest score.

• Pet insurance rates for mixed breed dogs (20% of score): We calculated average rates for medium sized mixed breed dogs age 3 months, 2 years, 5 years and 7 years for plans with unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible and a 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available.
• Pet insurance rates for purebred dogs (20% of score): We calculated average rates for French bulldogs, German shepherds, golden retrievers, labrador retrievers and poodles age 3 months and 3 years for plans with unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible and a 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available.
• Direct payment to vet (10% of score): Pet insurance companies that have the ability to pay a vet directly earned points. In order to receive points, this feature must be stated on the pet insurer’s website.
• Special waiting period (5% of score): Many pet insurance companies have a special waiting period for problems such as cruciate ligament issues and hip dysplasia. Plans that have no special waiting period, a waiting period of fewer than six months or the ability to have the waiting period waived scored higher. In certain states waiting periods are dictated by state law and may vary.
• 24/7 vet health line (5% of score): Insurers that provide access to a 24/7 vet health line earned points.
• Routine wellness plans (5% of score): Insurers that offer optional wellness plans earned points.
• Multipet discount (5% of score): Many pet insurance companies offer a discount if you insure more than one pet. Insurers that offer a multipet discount earned points.
• Behavioral therapy (2% of score): Insurers that cover behavioral therapy in their base plans earned points.
• Alternative therapy (2% of score): Insurers that include alternative therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic care and hydrotherapy in their base plans earned points.
• Dental illness (2% of score): Insurers that include coverage for dental illnesses, such as gingivitis and periodontal disease, earned points.
• Pays veterinary exam fees (1% of score): Plans that cover the vet exam fee received points. Not all insurers cover exam fees, even if the fee is for an illness or accident-related visit that’s covered by insurance.
• Stem cell therapy (1% of score): Insurers with coverage for stem cell therapy in their base plans earned points.
• Coverage for prescription food and supplements (1% of score): Insurers reimburse for food and supplement prescribed by a veterinarian earned points.
• Euthanasia or end of life expenses (1% of score): Insurers that cover end of life expenses, such as euthanasia, cremation or burial fees, received points.
• Digital experience (5% of score): We evaluated pet insurers on: mobile app ratings for both Android and Apple, if there’s a useful website search function and if there’s live chat that provides helpful information.
• Likelihood to recommend pet insurers to others (5% of score) and satisfaction with customer service and price (5% of score): We surveyed 1,300 American pet owners with insurance that have purchased a new policy within the last 12 months, 100 per carrier. This online survey was commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from Oct. 11-29, 2024. The margin of error is ± 1.5 point with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
• Satisfaction with claims process (up to 5% of score): We surveyed 1,300 American pet owners who have filed a pet insurance claim within the past 12 months. This online survey was commissioned by Forbes Advisor and conducted by market research company Talker Research, in accordance with the Market Research Society’s code of conduct. Data was collected from Oct. 11 to Nov. 4, 2024. The margin of error is ± 1.9 point with 95% confidence. This survey was overseen by Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Read more: How Forbes Advisor rates pet insurance companies