5 Best Pet Insurance Companies For Goldendoodles 2023

Did you recently have a nightmare where your Goldendoodle had an accident and the vet bill left a feeling of “why did I not save for this?”. Well, there’s good news. You don’t need to save…all you need is a good pet insurance plan that will cover you and prevent these nightmare situations.

With the average dog dental trip in the US costing between $300 and $700 just for cleaning, and surgical procedures at the vet costing up to $7ooo, it’s easy to see why people want to be covered.

In this piece, we’ll discuss the best options on the market, so you can choose one that will be best for you and your pooch.

 

Why Get Pet Insurance?

Ever visited the vet and been overwhelmed with the shock of vet bills? As pet parents, we are all familiar with this, and that is why pet insurance policies exist. 

The main reason we recommend you have insurance for Goldendoodles is so that you never have to make a life-or-death decision based on your current financial situation.

Having your best friend adequately covered will save you a world of heartache, especially if something major happens to your furry loved one.

What do the statistics say about our furry friends?

A National Pet Owner’s Survey by the American Pet Products Association for the years 2020 to 2022 showed some astounding figures.

An estimated 90.5 million families, almost 70% of all households in the USA, own pets. The scary fact is that only 2% of dog owners have insurance. That’s around 3.5 million people that have pet insurance.

The best care for your furry friend is expensive

The American Kennel Club did a study which found that pets cost anywhere from $23,000 to $40,000 in a lifetime.

This is due to required costs like the cost of the pet itself, the pet food, pet toys, vet visits, shots, leash, and collar. Then there are optional costs, too, like pet insurance.

Studies show that the costs of taking your doggy to the vet can range anywhere from $100 to up to $1000 per visit.

So, protecting your furry little friend without breaking the bank is why we have provided you with the best pet insurance options.

 

What Will My Goldendoodle Pet Insurance Policy Cover?

Insurance for Goldendoodles could cover an estimated 70 to 90% of your costs, depending on the plan you get. That’s A LOT of help if you think about usual surgery-related bills.

In most cases, you will be responsible for covering the charges out of pocket at first. After that, you can submit your claim.

 

Best Pet Insurance For Goldendoodle

The first piece of advice is simply to ask your vet what they recommend based on their past experience with your dog. You should also do your homework and see what health issues Goldendoodles are prone to.

This will help you better understand what plan to go for (routine check-ups or in-hospital cover, or both).

We have listed some of the top pet insurance providers to help you get the best cover for your Goldendoodle.

Best overall: Nationwide Pet Insurance

 

Nationwide Pet Insurance for Goldendoodles offers coverage for hereditary conditions, diagnostic testing, chronic, common, and serious illnesses, as well as injuries and accidents.

Their wellness plans are for preventative care such as physical exams, vaccinations and heartburn prevention. Medical coverage is like a financial safety net for accidents and major illnesses. If there’s no plan that grabs your attention, you can tailor-make one.

The company also offers a 24/7 helpline which lets you speak to knowledgeable veterinarians, ideal for identifying issues and any urgent needs.

You will also receive discounts on pet descriptions from Nationwide PetRxExpress.

Best for flexible cover: Embrace

 

Embrace Pet Insurance offers comprehensive cover through their policies to cover any conditions associated with your dog, whether it is congenital, chronic, allergies or breed-specific. This includes diabetes, cancer, lymphoma, fractured tooth, anxiety and pneumonia.

They offer special and emergency care, dental plans, and for more extreme incidents, even prosthetic limbs, and associated devices.

If the above isn’t what you’re looking for, they offer a flexible wellness plan. It’s a preventative care plan that will reimburse you for grooming, training, and routine care.

Covered claims are usually paid two days after processing. They offer 90% back in bills at all vets, and they have the best diminishing deductible.

Best for routine care cover: Figo Pet Insurance

Figo Pet Insurance, also known as Figo Healthy Paws, will cover a pre-existing condition that is curable. This means that if, after receiving 12 months of treatment, your pup no longer shows any symptoms of the condition, you will qualify for coverage.

Their policies also cover routine care wellness check-ups with yearly exams, and they accelerate your claims process by processing and dealing with your claim in an average of 2.6 working days.

The cherry on top is that there are NO limits on per-incident payments, meaning that irrespective of the claim value, they will not cap it as most pet insurance companies do.

Best starter plan: Fetch Pet Insurance

Previously known as PetPlan Pet Insurance, this provider is now known as Fetch by the Dodo. Fetch covers the basics, like emergency vet visits, prescription medications, cancer treatments, allergies, blood tests, gum disease, ultrasounds, surgeries, acupuncture, specialists and SO MUCH MORE!

Routine care, preventative care and pre-existing conditions, prescription food, grooming and claims filed 90 days after the treatment occurred are not covered.

A feature that makes them stand out is their offering to assist you and advertise your Goldendoodle’s picture if your dog is lost or stolen.

Best for direct payments: Trupanion

Trupanion Pet Insurance will cover your doggy for life. They make direct payments to your vet, which is a rare find with pet insurance companies, and include some prescription medications as part of their eligible cost plan. There are no payout caps!

They cover new illnesses, hereditary conditions, medications, breed-specific conditions and surgeries.

Once you reach your annual deductibles, they offer 90% coverage, removing the limit on your reimbursement amounts.

 

Dog Insurance Plan Options

Since humans started adopting pets more often, pet insurance companies started to evolve. The main goal is to let pet owners pay a premium for peace of mind when it comes to their dogs.

An accident-only plan is your basic entry-level coverage for your doggy, and better than nothing if you are on a budget. Explore the different plan options available from your chosen provider and upgrade later when your pocket allows it.

 

9 Factors To Consider When Choosing The Best Pet Insurance

1. Pre-existing conditions

As dog owners, it is important to establish whether the pet health insurance provider you are opting for will cover pre-existing conditions.

Having an insurance policy is a huge benefit for those unforeseen rainy days. Still, if your insurance policy does not give you illness coverage for existing health issues, then you have to reconsider your insurance plan or insurance company.

The best time to sign up for pet insurance is when your pet is 100% healthy. Not when something happens to your pet, as you could be denied altogether if it has a serious pre-existing condition.

2. Dog’s age

Pet insurance for Goldendoodles will be cheaper the younger your dog is.

Insurance companies impose a waiting period before approving your doggy, so it’s best to embrace insurance for your dog sooner rather than later, as your dog’s age should not be the reason you wait.

Whether your Goldendoodle is a puppy, a mature dog, or a senior dog, unexpected things happen, and your fur baby needs insurance coverage if it does.

3. Illness coverage

Pet insurance providers usually cover new illnesses and ailments as part of the policy plan. A pre-existing condition is not usually covered.

4. Prescription medications

Prescription medications are not always included in your policy, so if this is a huge must for you, find a policy that states they are covered.

If you have a plan where you reach an annual deductibles target, you may qualify for a partial percentage reimbursement, determined on a sliding scale.

5. Reimbursement

Waiting periods

Depending on the payment policies of your veterinarian and the procedure/ reason for the visit to the vet, there may be a waiting period applicable to being reimbursed.

Sometimes diagnostic testing has to be conducted, and test results are only made available much later. The fee has to be paid while you wait and only then can you claim your reimbursement percentage.

Once you submit your claims, you’ll get reimbursed after the fact.

Don’t expect to get that money right away. Generally speaking, it can take anywhere from seven days to up to two months.

Submitting a claim

When it comes to submitting a claim, you will unlikely get 100% of the cost back. On average, you will receive anywhere from 70% to 90% back. The reason for this is that you will be responsible for a co-payment (a fee you will have to pay from your own pocket).

6. Approval waiting periods

Unfortunately, there is no time like the present.

You can’t simply sign up and start using that insurance on the same day. Generally, there are waiting periods of two to three weeks to prevent people from signing up just because they noticed that their dog might be sick or injured.

7. Wellness rewards

Pet insurance plans may offer you discounts or wellness rewards for not submitting any claims. It’s almost like getting a red lollipop at the doctor’s office when you behave well!

8. Physical therapy

If your doggy has a limp, suffers from hip dysplasia, or is involved in an accident requiring rehabilitative treatment, then ongoing physical therapy can be very expensive for Goldendoodle owners.

Physical therapy will usually be with an independent specialist and not at the vet’s office itself (this is dependent on the nature of the problem or whether it is the continued treatment for hip dysplasia), so these costs are seldom covered by your standard pet insurance policy.

Find out what physical therapists’ rooms are covered, if any, before making any further decisions.

9. Exam fees

Depending on how often you take your Goldendoodle to the vet, remember that NOT ALL policies cover preventative care visits or annual examinations.

Exam fees can be costly, so when choosing a policy, enquire with the pet insurance company whether you qualify for reimbursement and what the co-payment options are.

 

Your Pet Is Worth The Premium!

Even though pet owners may not be used to paying monthly premiums for their pets, pet insurance’s worth outweighs the worries of vet bills.

Most insurance companies offer you the choice to allocate your pet insurance cost as an annual deductible, helping you save money while having Goldendoodle pet insurance coverage.

With the high number of households owning pets there is a myriad of pet insurance companies, and pet insurance premiums are lowered as a result.

 

4 Tips On Saving On Your Pet Insurance For Goldendoodles

1. Take on more risk

If you want to keep your premium and your monthly payment to a minimum, you need to take on more risk.

When it comes to your deductible and your co-payments, there are some companies out there, like Trupanion, where you can use a slider to see how these offset one another. You can be very specific about your deductible and your co-payments.

See how that impacts your premium, as you may pay less right now monthly, but you take on more risk if something happens in the future.

2. Employer Benefits

Working for the right employer could also benefit your furry friend! Pet insurance is one of the fastest-growing benefits that employers offer.

Over 150 major companies offer pet insurance to their employees. Companies like Delta Air Lines, T-Mobile, UPS, Microsoft, and Chipotle are on board with insurance for your doggy.

3. Discounts

The most common discounts apply to policies that cover multiple pets. If you don’t have multiple pets, consider your memberships.

If you are a member of a group like AAA or AARP, are a part of the military, or are a student, then you may be eligible for certain discounts.

Consider Honey, a Google Chrome extension that helps you find promo codes for insurance discounts.

4. Start young

Get pet insurance when your pet is still young. Policies will be cheaper for young pets, and the age will impact your monthly premiums.

 

FAQs

How much is dog insurance for Goldendoodle?

The North American Pet Health Insurance Association estimates that pet insurance for dogs is, on average, $47 a month.

The best way to get started is to start applying for free quotes online to determine costs and get comparisons.

In most cases, all you have to do is hand over your e-mail address to get that free quote to see how much it costs to get covered.

Does pet insurance get more expensive as your dog gets older?

Yes. Older dogs are more prone to health issues, so the cost is higher. Most pet insurance companies charge a standard premium that is fixed, with increases only occurring annually.

 

Closing Thoughts

So, is pet insurance worth it?

Even healthy Goldendoodles get sick sometimes, and that’s why we chose Nationwide Pet Insurance as our number one pick. Their range of wellness plans and medical coverage is great for preventative care as well as accidental coverage.

Plus, we love the fact that you can tailor-make your plan.

Your Doodle is your family, so protect them like it.