Why a pet wellness plan is worth considering

Yahoo

3 hours ago

Your pet isn't just an animal — they're part of the family. That's why their health and well-being are a top priority. Regular trips to the vet and vaccinations can help keep them happy and healthy, but those bills can pile up fast. A pet wellness plan can help you offset some of those routine costs and stay ahead of your pet's care needs.
Knowing how these plans work can help you decide if a wellness plan is a good fit for you and your furry friend.
Learn more: How does pet insurance work? A complete guide.
While pet insurance covers unexpected costs from accidents and illnesses, pet wellness plans help cover the expected costs of preventive care for your pet. They're usually offered as an add-on to an accident and illness pet insurance policy, but some companies — like Pumpkin pet insurance — offer standalone plans for essential routine vet services.
Wellness plans can help you plan and budget for the regular care your pet needs to stay happy and healthy. Taking your furry friend in for annual vet visits can help spot health problems early on, which can make treatment more manageable and help your pet avoid pain. These visits also keep your pet up to date on vaccines and preventatives, which protect them from serious illnesses in the future.
Pet wellness plan coverage details typically depend on the insurance provider and the type of plan. Wellness plans are often grouped into either basic or comprehensive coverage. While basic plans typically cover the essentials — like annual checkup fees and vaccinations — comprehensive plans tend to include a wider range of services, such as dental cleanings, supplements, and more.
Common routine care services covered by basic wellness plans:
Annual checkups
Routine diagnostics like blood, urine, and fecal tests
Vaccinations (such as rabies, DHPP, and Bordetella)
Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention
Spaying and neutering procedures
Microchipping
Comprehensive wellness plans may also include:
Dental cleanings
Dietary foods and supplements
Behavioral training
Grooming
Nail trimming
Anal gland expression
Deworming
Preventive ear cleanings
Cremation and burial
Learn more: Your guide to what pet insurance covers
Combining pet insurance with a preventive care plan can give your pet more robust coverage, helping with both unexpected illnesses or injuries and routine care like checkups and vaccines. That said, wellness plans on their own won't cover emergency trips to the vet if your pet gets hurt or sick. For example, if your dog gets sick from eating leftovers off the counter or sprains a leg while running in the yard, you'd need a pet insurance policy to help with those costs.
There are also a few things that neither type of plan typically covers, including:
Preexisting conditions with signs or symptoms showing before coverage kicked in. For example, if your pet's medical records show past issues with vomiting, that condition likely won't be covered.
Pregnancy or breeding-related costs
Cosmetic or elective procedures like claw removal or tail docking
Learn more: Pet insurance that covers preexisting conditions
Here's how pet wellness plans usually work:
You pay the vet up front for the preventive service.
You submit a claim to your pet insurance company.
The insurer reviews your claim and reimburses you for the cost, up to the limits in your plan.
Unlike standard pet insurance, which often gives you a total amount of coverage for the year, wellness plans typically come with a list of maximum reimbursement amounts for each type of service (up to the plan's overall annual limit). This means that things like vaccines, dental cleanings, and spay/neuter surgery all have their own annual coverage caps.
For example, say your wellness plan covers up to $30 per year for vaccines. If you take your dog in for a $25 rabies shot and submit a claim, you'd be reimbursed $25. You'd still have $5 left for other vaccines until the plan resets at renewal.
Pet wellness plans usually cost between $10 and $56 a month. However, the exact price you pay can depend on the company and the plan you choose. Remember that some plans may only cover the basics, while others include extra services like dental cleanings, supplements, bloodwork, and grooming.
According to Synchrony's CareCredit data from 2023–2024, a routine vet visit typically costs around $70 to $174 for dogs and $53 to $124 for cats. But just like with wellness plan costs, what you actually pay can vary. Costs typically depend on factors like where you live, the type of vet you visit (general clinic vs. specialty), and how healthy your pet is.
According to Synchrony data, here's a look at what you can expect to pay for some common routine care services for dogs and cats.
Companies that offer pet wellness plans include:
Pets Best
Embrace
Fetch
Liberty Mutual
Hartville
Lemonade
Spot
MetLife
AKC
Nationwide
Chewy
Banfield
Trupanion
ASPCA
Pumpkin
One thing to note is that the ASPCA doesn't directly provide pet insurance; instead, it partners with third-party providers, including United States Fire Insurance Company and Independence American Insurance Company, to underwrite the policies. Learn more about ASPCA pet insurance in our review.
If you're considering a pet wellness plan, it's important to understand what's included before you enroll. Most importantly, look first at the coverage in the main pet insurance policy and the cost – the details of the main policy are more important than the wellness plan add-on because the main policy will be providing the core insurance in case of an expensive accident or illness.
Learn more: The best pet insurance companies of 2025
Nonetheless, here are a couple things to look for when reviewing wellness plan options with pet vaccination coverage:
Reimbursement caps. Some wellness plans limit your reimbursement amounts for each service, like deworming or dental cleanings. While others give you a yearly allowance to use on covered preventive care. For example, Embrace pet insurance offers Wellness Rewards plans with annual limits of over $300, $500, or $700. On the other hand, AKC pet insurance sets per-service limits that add up to a total yearly cap.
Coverage details. Most wellness plans include coverage for basic services like vaccinations, checkups, and parasite prevention. But some plans go a bit further by offering coverage for things like grooming, training, or prescription supplements.
Extra perks. Some pet insurers offer added benefits in the main pet insurance policy, like multi-pet discounts and 24/7 vet helplines. These extras can help make caring for your pet a little more manageable.
Whether a pet wellness plan is worth it really comes down to your budget and your pet's specific needs. Because preventive care plays a big part in your pet's overall health and quality of life, a wellness plan can make those costs a little more manageable by breaking them into predictable monthly payments.
Learn more: Is pet insurance worth it? How to decide.
On the other hand, some plans may end up costing more than what you'd actually spend on routine care. Services like spaying, microchipping, or even flea prevention might not apply if your pet only needs them once (or not at all). If that's the case, it may make more sense to set aside money each month for expected routine vet visits.
Ultimately, if you'll use most of the services included, a wellness plan can be a helpful way to stay on top of your pet's preventive care needs. If not, budgeting on your own may be the better option.
Tim Manni edited this article.