“Full coverage” sounds simple: Your pet gets sick or hurt, you take them to the vet and insurance helps with the care they need. But pet insurance doesn’t actually have one universal definition of full coverage, and the details can change quite a bit from one provider to another.
That matters when veterinary care is such a big part of how people look after their pets. In a 2024 survey of more than 2,300 pet parents, high-quality veterinary care ranked as their number-one priority, ahead of food, exercise and attention.
The best full-coverage pet insurance options go beyond basic accidents and illnesses, but what they include can differ. Exam fees, dental disease, behavioral care, rehabilitation and prescription medication are just a few areas where plans can separate themselves.
In this guide, we’ll break down those differences so you can see what each provider actually offers and which policies give you more ways to support your pet’s health over time.
“Full coverage pet insurance” isn’t an official type of policy with one standard list of benefits. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) generally separates pet insurance into accident-only, accident-and-illness and wellness coverage, so what people call “full coverage” usually means broader accident-and-illness plans, but exactly what is included varies by provider and policy.
That said, a stronger full coverage policy may help reimburse:
Two providers can both sell accident-and-illness coverage while handling reimbursement amounts or coverage differently. For example, some providers exclude sick-visit exam fees or make dental illness, behavioral treatment or rehabilitation optional, while others include them in the core plan.
Preventive care is generally separate from standard accident-and-illness coverage. Annual wellness exams, vaccines, preventive dental cleanings and parasite prevention are typically covered through a wellness plan or optional add-on rather than the accident-and-illness policy.
So when comparing full-coverage pet insurance, focus less on the label and more on how much of your real vet bills the policy can cover.
Every provider below sells accident-and-illness coverage, the category most people mean by "full coverage," and compares the details that determine how much of a vet bill it reimburses. That includes reimbursement rates, deductible structure, annual limit options and whether benefits like sick-visit exam fees, dental illness, behavioral care and alternative therapies are built into the core plan or sold as add-ons.
Fetch Pet is a full coverage pet insurance provider for dogs and cats. The core plan goes beyond the basics, covering areas like sick-visit exam fees (typically costing up to $250 out-of-pocket), dental illness, hereditary conditions, behavioral therapy and alternative treatments that competitors exclude or charge extra for. Fetch Pet also reimburses up to 90% of eligible vet bills and lets members visit any licensed veterinarian in the U.S. or Canada. Members also get access to Fetch Deals, which offers savings on health and wellness products and services from your favorite pet brands.
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All reviews sourced from ConsumerAffairs.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
Use the comparisons below to see where each provider is strong, where coverage gets limited and what may cost extra.
Spot is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats with accident-only, accident-and-illness and optional preventive-care plans. Its accident-and-illness coverage is fairly broad, including exam fees, dental illness, behavioral care and alternative therapies, while policyholders can choose annual limits from $2,500 to unlimited and reimbursement rates of 70%, 80% or 90%.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Spot covers many of the same basics, but Fetch Pet goes further with full-mouth dental coverage including root canals, 100% reimbursement on qualifying Fetch Pet Rx medications and up to $1,000 per year each for behavioral therapy and online vet visits with no copay or deductible.
Pumpkin is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats offering accident-and-illness coverage with optional preventive care. Its core plan includes several benefits that some insurers charge extra for, including vet exam fees, dental illness, behavioral conditions and hereditary conditions. Pumpkin offers 80% or 90% reimbursement and annual limits ranging from $5,000 to unlimited.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Pumpkin covers many of the same basics, but Fetch Pet goes further with full-mouth dental coverage that includes root canals, 100% reimbursement for qualifying Fetch Pet Rx medications and up to $1,000 per year each for behavioral therapy and online vet visits with no copay or deductible.
Trupanion is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats known for unlimited payouts and VetDirect Pay, which can pay participating veterinarians directly at checkout. Its standard structure uses a lifetime per-condition deductible rather than one annual deductible, and it reimburses up to 90% of eligible costs.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Trupanion’s direct-pay model can be useful if you see participating vets, but its core policy excludes veterinary exam fees. Fetch Pet includes eligible sick-visit exam fees and uses one annual deductible rather than requiring a separate deductible for each new condition.
Pets Best is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats offering customizable accident-and-illness plans, accident-only coverage and optional wellness plans. Customers can choose 70%, 80% or 90% reimbursement, annual deductibles from $100 to $1,000 and annual limits from $5,000 to unlimited.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Pets Best offers customization, but benefits such as exam fees, acupuncture, chiropractic care and take-home prescriptions can add fees depending on the plan. Fetch Pet builds sick-visit exam fees, alternative therapies and eligible prescription coverage into its broader coverage story rather than making pet parents piece together separate benefits.
Embrace is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats with customizable accident-and-illness coverage and an optional Wellness Rewards program. Its core coverage includes dental illness, behavioral therapy, hereditary conditions and complementary treatments, but exam-fee and prescription-drug coverage can require optional additions.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Embrace caps dental-illness reimbursement at $1,000 per policy term. Fetch Pet covers eligible injury and disease across all adult teeth and gums without a separate dental sublimit, up to the policy’s annual maximum.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance offers accident-only and Complete Coverage plans for dogs and cats, plus optional preventive care. Complete Coverage includes several benefits that are sometimes optional elsewhere, including exam fees, dental illness, behavioral treatment and alternative therapies.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: ASPCA includes several benefits, but Fetch Pet gives approved behavioral-therapy claims a separate benefit of up to $1,000 per year at 100% reimbursement with no copay or deductible. Fetch Pet also has full-mouth dental coverage without a separate dental sublimit.
Healthy Paws is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats with one accident-and-illness plan and no annual or lifetime payout caps. It covers eligible accidents, illnesses, hereditary conditions, cancer, emergencies and alternative therapies, with reimbursement and deductible options that can vary by age and enrollment.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Healthy Paws excludes veterinary exam fees and behavioral treatment from its standard policy. Fetch Pet includes eligible sick-visit exam fees and behavioral therapy, giving pet parents more coverage.
Figo is a pet insurance provider for dogs and cats built around customizable accident-and-illness plans and its Pet Cloud app. It offers annual limits of $5,000, $10,000 or unlimited and can reimburse up to 100% of eligible expenses depending on the plan selected.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: Figo offers some customization, but veterinary exam-fee coverage is an optional Powerup and behavioral coverage can also require added coverage. Fetch Pet includes sick-visit exam fees and behavioral therapy within its core accident-and-illness coverage.
MetLife Pet Insurance offers accident-and-illness coverage for dogs and cats, optional preventive care and highly customizable plan settings. Pet parents can choose reimbursement rates from 50% to 90%, deductibles from $0 to $2,500 and annual limits from $500 to unlimited, subject to availability and restrictions.
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All reviews sourced from Trustpilot.
How it stacks up against Fetch Pet: MetLife offers ways to customize deductibles and limits, but Fetch Pet’s standard coverage goes further in several areas. Fetch Pet includes 100% reimbursement on qualifying Fetch Pet Rx medications and lets members use any licensed vet in both the U.S. and Canada, whilst MetLife doesn’t offer the same medication benefit or Canadian coverage.
Reddit discussions show that pet parents tend to judge insurance by what happens after enrollment: whether claims get paid, how premiums change over time and what the policy leaves out. In one Fetch vs. Pets Best discussion, a commenter called Fetch a solid option with a good reputation for covering things other providers may not, while cautioning against switching insurers after a pet develops a condition.
Coverage details come up repeatedly in other comparison threads too. One discussion recommends Fetch Pet specifically for its dental coverage, while pet parents comparing Trupanion, Pets Best and other providers also weigh claim speed, reimbursement structure and long-term premium changes.
The best way to compare full coverage pet insurance is to picture how the policy would work if your pet actually needed care. Instead of counting features, look at the treatments your pet may need, how much of a bill you could comfortably handle yourself and where each insurer puts its limits. Here are a few details to look at closely when researching providers:
The best full coverage pet insurance should help with more than the obvious emergencies. Look at how a policy handles the entire vet visit, including the exam, diagnostics, treatment and recovery, then check whether areas like dental illness, hereditary conditions and behavioral care are included or pushed into add-ons.
Fetch Pet stands out because its accident-and-illness coverage includes many of those benefits from the start. Eligible sick-visit exam fees, dental disease, physical therapy, acupuncture and other treatments are built into its coverage, where pet parents can get up to 90% reimbursement on eligible vet bills.
Fetch Pet gives pet parents more ways to say yes when their dog or cat needs care, whether it’s an unexpected injury today or treatment that helps support their health for years to come.
Pet insurance can be worth it if you want help paying for unexpected veterinary care without covering the entire bill yourself. Its value depends on how much coverage you get for the premium, deductible and reimbursement rate you choose. Protection can add up when pets need care. In fact, NAPHIA reported that insurers paid more than $3 billion in pet insurance claims in the U.S. in 2024. It works best as protection against larger, unpredictable expenses rather than something you expect to “make your money back” on every year.
There is no standard price for pet insurance because insurers price policies based on the pet and the plan you choose. As a current benchmark, NAPHIA reported average U.S. accident-and-illness premiums of about $62 per month for dogs and $32 per month for cats. Fetch Pet’s current averages are lower at $35 per month for dogs and $22 per month for cats. However, your quote can vary based on factors like age, breed, location, deductible, reimbursement rate and annual limit. The more useful comparison is what each premium buys you, since two similarly priced policies can include very different types of care.
Routine care such as vaccinations, annual wellness exams, dental cleanings and parasite prevention usually isn't included in standard accident-and-illness coverage. Instead, insurers may offer separate preventive or wellness coverage; Fetch Wellness, for example, can be added to Fetch Pet's core insurance for expenses such as routine exams, vaccines and dental cleanings. Check whether a plan you're considering includes preventive care, offers it as an add-on or doesn't offer it at all.
Pet insurance generally doesn’t cover conditions that began or showed signs before the policy took effect, so enrolling while your pet is healthy can preserve more coverage for conditions that develop later.
There are limited exceptions: Fetch Pet, for example, can cover certain curable pre-existing conditions after 12 consecutive months without signs, symptoms or treatment. It also has separate Pre-Ex Protection for certain conditions in pets adopted from participating shelters. Insurers define pre-existing and curable conditions differently, so check the actual policy rather than assuming a past condition will or won't qualify.
The Dig, Fetch Pet Insurance's expert-backed editorial, answers all of the questions you forget to ask your vet or are too embarrassed to ask at the dog park. We help make sure you and your best friend have more good days, but we’re there on bad days, too.
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