Prudent Pet Insurance Review 2025

Prudent Pet earned 4.3 stars out of 5 for overall performance.

Prudent Pet insurance offers a range of coverage for accidents, illnesses and wellness expenses. Its accident and illness plans are fairly broad, with coverage for alternative therapies, dental illnesses and some prescription food. It also processes claims quickly and will waive its six-month waiting period for knee injury coverage with a vet exam.

We like that Prudent Pet has a $100 deductible option for some pets, as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee for new policyholders. You can enroll any dog or cat that’s at least 8 weeks old.

However, you'll have to pay extra if you want Prudent Pet to cover sick exam fees. The company doesn’t have a mobile app, so you’ll manage your policy through its website.

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Prudent Pet offers several plans and optional add-ons to choose from.

Essential plan

Prudent Pet’s Essential plan covers accidents and illnesses. It pays for the basics as well as a few nice extras, such as alternative medicine and behavioral therapies. The plan includes:

• Treatment, surgery and hospitalization for any covered illness or injury, including cancer.

• Alternative therapies if prescribed by a vet.

• Dental injuries or illnesses.

• Hereditary conditions and congenital birth defects.

• Hip dysplasia.

• Prescription medications. 

• Diagnostic testing.

• Medical supplies.

• Complications from breeding, pregnancy or whelping if the breeding date is after your policy's waiting period.

• Prescription food to treat bladder stones and crystals.

• Up to $250 per policy year for behavioral disorders.

Ultimate plan

Prudent Pet’s Ultimate plan is the most comprehensive option, with no annual coverage limit. It covers everything in the Essentials plan plus:

• Up to $1,000 per policy year for behavioral disorders. 

• Up to $500 for lost pet advertising and rewards. 

• Up to $500 if you need to board your pet while you’re in the hospital.

• Up to $500 if your pet is stolen or lost.

• Up to $1,000 if your pet dies or has to be euthanized.

• Up to $1,000 if your vacation plans are disrupted because your pet needs life-saving care. 

Accident-only plan

Prudent Pet’s accident-only plan doesn’t cover illnesses but will pay for:

• Treatment, surgery and hospitalization for accidental injuries, including bite wounds and broken bones. 

• Alternative therapy if prescribed by a vet.

• IV fluids and medications. 

• Diagnostic testing.

• Prescription medications. 

• Stem cell therapy.

• Tooth extractions.

• Medical supplies.

Wellness coverage add-on

Prudent Pet has three wellness plan options — Low, Medium and High. They cover most of the same services, but the higher-priced plans reimburse more. Depending on which plan you choose, your wellness plan may cover:

• Wellness exams. 

• Vaccines.

• Heartworm test or FeLV screen.

• Fecal exam.

• Health certificates.

• Microchipping.

• Deworming.

• Dental cleaning or spay and neuter surgery (Medium and High plans only).

• Wellness blood screening (High plan only).

Veterinary exam fee add-on

This add-on helps cover veterinary exam fees for illnesses or accidents. If you add it to your base Prudent Pet plan, you won’t have to pay for exam fees yourself.

Note: Coverage options and availability may vary depending on where you live and the age and breed of your pet.

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Prudent Pet’s insurance plans exclude many of the same things other pet insurers do. They don't cover:

• Pre-existing conditions unless they’ve been cured and symptom-free for at least 365 days.

• Exam fees, unless you’ve purchased an add-on for this coverage.

• Costs related to routine care like grooming, training or flea and tick preventives.

• Elective procedures like spaying, neutering or tail docking.

• Experimental treatments.

• Routine breeding, whelping or pregnancy. 

• Intentional injuries or those resulting from abuse, racing or occupational activities.

• Most prescription food.

• Repetitive poisoning or ingestions.

Deductibles: A pet insurance deductible is the amount you have to pay before your plan reimburses you for vet expenses. With Prudent Pet, you can typically choose a deductible of $100, $250, $500 or $1,000 per year. Wellness plans have no deductible.

Reimbursement amounts: After you meet your deductible, Prudent Pet will reimburse you for a percentage of your vet bills. You can generally choose a reimbursement percentage of 70%, 80% or 90%. Reimbursement percentages don’t apply to wellness plans.

Coverage limits: Prudent Pet’s annual coverage limits may vary based on where you live and your pet’s characteristics. In our quotes, we generally saw a $10,000 limit for accident only plans and limits of $2,500 or $10,000 for Essential plans. There’s no annual coverage limit for Ultimate plans.

» MORE: How much does pet insurance cost?

Age restrictions: Your pet must be at least 8 weeks old to enroll in coverage. Prudent Pet has no upper age limits.

Waiting periods: A pet insurance waiting period is the time between when you buy your policy and when your coverage starts. Prudent Pet’s waiting periods are five days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses and six months for knee issues. Prudent Pet will waive the six-month waiting period if you take your pet in for an exam within the first 30 days of the policy. Your vet must confirm that the pet has no knee issues.

There’s no waiting period for wellness coverage.

The cost of Prudent Pet insurance will depend on where you live and your pet’s age and breed.

Sample rates for dogs

Below are sample monthly rates from Prudent Pet for six common dog breeds at ages 2 and 8. Our sample dogs lived in Katy, Texas, and had accident and illness coverage with a $250 deductible, $2,500 of annual coverage and an 80% reimbursement rate. Your own price will vary.

Sample rates for cats

We also gathered rates for a variety of cat breeds with the same coverage limits as above. Rates below are sample monthly premiums for cats living in Katy, Texas.

Discounts

Prudent Pet offers a multipet discount when you insure two or more pets.

Discounts may also be available over the phone for military, veterans and people working in the veterinary field.

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Prudent Pet is licensed to sell policies in all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C.

Availability may change at any time. Coverage may not be available to all pets in a given state.

Website: You’ll find a free quote tool, sample policies for each plan and an FAQ section on Prudent Pet’s website. This website is also where you go to file a claim and view your policy information.

Mobile app: Prudent Pet insurance has no mobile app. You’ll need to manage your policy through its website.

You can file a claim through your client portal on Prudent Pet’s website. The company says it pays most claims in 24 hours.

When calculating your claim payout, Prudent Pet applies your reimbursement rate first, then your deductible. This results in a smaller payout than you’d get from other insurers that subtract your deductible first.

Say you have a $1,000 vet bill with an 80% reimbursement rate and $500 deductible. Here’s how the math would work for each calculation method.

Phone: Call 888-820-7739.

Email: Send messages to info@prudentpet.com or fill out the form on the company’s contact page.

Live chat: There’s a live chat on the website for customer service questions. Policyholders can also chat with vets through their online portal.

You can live chat with customer service on Prudent Pet’s website, email info@prudentpet.com or call 888-820-7739.

» MORE: Is pet insurance worth it?

Other pet insurance companies to consider

Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other pet insurance companies:

• See all of NerdWallet’s pet insurance reviews

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