If your pet experiences an emergency injury or has a severe condition requiring ongoing treatments, your vet bills may pile up and put a serious dent in your finances. Since a pet’s health is paramount to many pet parents, pet insurance is a great way to ensure you can pay for the care it needs.
To help you find a policy for your dog or cat in the Lone Star State, we at the Guides Home Team analyzed the best pet insurance companies in Texas on factors such as customer care, monthly pricing and plan options. Keep reading to learn more about the top pet insurance providers in Texas.
Best Pet Insurance in Texas in 2023
Here are our top picks for pet insurance in Texas:
Lemonade: Most Affordable Plans
To Learn More: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review
To Learn More: Spot Pet Insurance Review
Embrace: Our Pick for Savings
To Learn More: Embrace Pet Insurance Review
Trupanion: Most Flexible Deductible
To learn more: Trupanion Pet Insurance Review
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Most Experienced
To Learn More: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Review
Fetch by The Dodo: Our Pick for Therapy Coverage
To Learn More: Fetch by The Dodo Pet Insurance Review
Wagmo: Most Wellness Plan Options
To Learn More: Wagmo Pet Insurance Review
Healthy Paws: Our Pick for Unlimited Coverage
To Learn More: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review
How Much Does Pet Insurance in Texas Cost?
You can typically expect to pay around $20–$100 per month for a pet insurance policy in Texas on animals younger than 9 years old, but the exact cost varies depending on your pet’s age, species, breed, zip code and gender. Getting quotes from a few companies is the best way to compare pricing based on your pet’s custom information.
According to our market research, pet insurance costs for dogs typically range from $18 to $50 but can increase with age, specific conditions, or increased coverage selections. The table below reflects pricing for a medium (20-70 lb) mixed-breed male dog in Dallas, TX.
Pet insurance for cats in Texas typically stays under $20 per month but may increase with preventative care add-ons, older cats, or cats with pre-existing conditions. The chart below shows quotes for a two-year-old mixed-breed cat in Dallas, TX.
Which Is the Best Pet Insurance in Texas for You?
When looking for a Texas pet insurance policy, consider factors such as coverage, pricing and add-on options before making a final decision. For instance, you might lean toward Lemonade if you want something more affordable.
However, Fetch by The Dodo, while pricier than some of its competitors, might be an attractive option for pet parents who want alternative therapies and coverage of behavioral issues.
Whatever your preference, we recommend getting quotes from at least three of the best pet insurance companies to compare plan pricing based on your pet’s species, breed, age, gender and zip code.
Types of Pet Insurance Plans
Before choosing a Texas pet insurance provider, familiarize yourself with the common plan options most companies offer to determine which one is best for your pet. Here are more details about each pet insurance plan:
- Accident-only plan: This plan pays for costs related to accidental incidents, such as injuries, broken bones, sprains, toxic ingestions and swallowed objects. It’s typically the most affordable option since it doesn’t cover illnesses or other conditions.
- Accident-and-illness plan: This comprehensive plan covers accidents that are covered in the accident-only plan, plus general illnesses, diseases, hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, genetic conditions and cancer, as long as they show up after the policy’s coverage start date.
- Preventive care add-ons: These add-ons help pay for your pet’s routine care, such as wellness exams, vaccinations, bloodwork, fecal tests, deworming and more. Preventative coverage is provided by many top companies, including Lemonade, Embrace, Prudent Pet, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance and Spot.
Preventative care add-ons can be especially valuable for pet parents who have puppies or kittens and want to get them up to date on vaccinations and other treatments without breaking the bank. Of the roughly 600 pet owners we surveyed who got their pets before they turned 1 year old, 42% remember paying between $200 and $500 for initial vaccines and treatments, while 27% of respondents spent more than $500.
After choosing your coverage plan, you can customize your annual deductible, annual coverage limit and reimbursement percentage, which affects your monthly premium. The annual deductible is the amount you owe during a claim before coverage and reimbursements kick in. The annual coverage limit is the total amount your provider will pay during one year of coverage. The reimbursement rate is the amount your provider agrees to copay for each vet bill.
How To Choose the Best Pet Insurance in TX for Your Pet
When looking for a Texas pet insurance policy, consider factors such as coverage, pricing and add-on options before making a final decision. For instance, you might lean toward Lemonade if you want something more affordable.
However, Wagmo may be a better fit if you want preventive coverage. While pricier than some of its competitors, Fetch by The Dodo might be an attractive option for pet parents who want alternative therapies and coverage of behavioral issues.
When choosing, keep these considerations in mind:
- Plans: Look at each provider’s coverage details to ensure your pet’s needs are covered. Look for that coverage if your pet’s breed is prone to certain conditions. Also, check out the add-ons, if any are offered to see what kind of preventive care and other forms of coverage you can pair with your base plan.
- Customization: Most providers allow you to adjust your coverage limit, deductible and reimbursement rate. Selecting the levels that are right for you will likely help you get a monthly premium you’re comfortable with.
- Provider specifics: Read a policy’s fine print before committing to coverage. Some providers have enrollment requirements, age limits, longer waiting periods, policies around preexisting conditions, etc., to be aware of.
We recommend getting quotes from at least three of the best pet insurance companies to compare plan pricing based on your pet’s species, breed, age, gender and zip code.
Methodology: Our system for ranking the best pet insurance companies
Our review of pet insurance companies is based on in-depth industry research that includes reading hundreds of customer reviews, scoping quote and purchasing processes by secret shopping, speaking to representatives on the phone to assess the customer service experience, and surveying 1,000 dog and cat owners nationwide to determine the most important elements of pet insurance coverage.
We scored each provider on a 100-point scale based on those elements. We then divided this final score by 20 to calculate an overall star rating out of 5.0 stars.
Here are more details about each factor and how it’s weighted:
- Monthly pricing (25 points): The best pet insurance companies combine comprehensive coverage and plan options with affordable rates.
- Plans (15 points): The top pet insurance companies offer accident-and-illness plans, accident-only plans and wellness or preventive care add-ons to give customers the option to choose a plan that’s best for their pet.
- Covered treatments (15 points): We scored companies based on the treatments and procedures they cover. Companies with a breadth of included treatments and unique coverages received more points than providers with more standard or general policies.
- Customization options (10 points): Providers with more annual-limit, deductible and reimbursement-rate options earned the highest scores.
- Customer care (10 points): We scored companies on their website accessibility and overall usability, customer service availability, mobile apps (if any), money-back guarantees and veterinarian telehealth options, awarding points to the insurers with more customer experience offerings.
- Industry reputation (10 points): We reviewed up-to-date ratings and accreditation information from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and scored companies on their years of experience in the industry and their state availability.
- Waiting periods (10 points): Companies with shorter accident, illness and orthopedic waiting periods between the sign-up and coverage start date scored higher than companies with longer waiting periods.
- Eligible age (5 points): Some companies don’t offer policies for pets that are over a certain age. We deducted points from providers that have age limits for covered pets.
We use our rating system to compare and contrast each company against key factors to help us determine the best pet insurance companies in the industry. To learn more, read our full pet insurance methodology for reviewing and scoring providers.
Amanda Lutz has been working as an editor, writer and content strategist for almost a decade. In that time, she has contributed to over 15 highly regarded publications covering home services and wellness, focusing on insurance products, lawn care and pest control. In her spare time, Amanda enjoys riding her Vespa around East Nashville, remodeling her 1960s home and songwriting at her grandmother’s piano.
Jessica Wimmer is a veteran writer and content producer with experience in the home, pet insurance and tech industries. She’s a Pushcart Prize nominee and Write Well Award winner who has been published in Deep South magazine, The Dead Mule Journal of Southern Literature and the Deep Water Literary Journal. She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English and had a previous life as an English teacher.
link
More Stories
Merging rural and urban ACA rating areas improved health insurance choice and premiums for rural consumers in Texas
Texas Drops More Than 810,000 Children from Its Medicaid Rolls
Texas Children’s Hospital should be clearer about clinic closures