Dog insurance has been around for at least 15 to 20 years in the  United States and several European countries, but it is still not widely  used, at least in this country. While the usage has doubled in the last  couple of years in the United States, it is estimated that still only  about 3 percent of all dogs owners utilize the potential life saving  benefits that it offers.

However, in countries such as the UK  where it is very popular, it is estimated over 50 percent of all dog  owners have insurance. The word itself, insurance, can easily evoke  stress, but before comparing the various companies and the benefits that  they offer, it is very helpful to take a second look at what dog  insurance actually is.
Dog insurance should be viewed for exactly  what it is; risk management. However, it really has a two fold purpose  in risk management with the first being to avoid a financial loss and  the second purpose in possibly saving your dogs life. The entire purpose  of dog insurance should be viewed as the ability to ensure proper care  and treatment when an unexpected medical situation does develop.
In  many cases, if your dog was suddenly injured severely in an accident or  develops a life threatening situation like bloat, the medical costs  could easily exceed 2000.00 to 3.000 dollars. If you can afford this  type of expenditure without any hardship, you have no need for  insurance. However, most owners can not, and as a result it may place  you in a very difficult and gut retching situation where you have to  make a decision if your dog lives or dies.
Comparing Insurance  Companies:
There are several factors that you will to consider  when deciding on dog insurance, and the best way is to compare the three  top companies in the United States that offer insurance; Embrace, Quick  Care, and Pets Best Insurance. It deserves to be noted that in the UK  there are over 691 pet insurance companies and they have a list of top  ten companies.
There are several factors you should look at when  comparing companies. The actual cost should be the last deciding factor  instead of the first.
The first factor is the ability to select  your own veterinarian. In the US, all three companies give you the  ability to make this choice. The next factor should be the deductible  you will have to pay. With this factor, Pets Best Insurance has the edge  as they offer a 75, 100, and 200 dollar deductible, Quick Care a 100  and 200 deductible, and Embrace has a 100, 200 and 500 plan.
The  next factor to consider is does the plan pay based on the actual  veterinarian bill. Most companies will only reimburse allowable  veterinary expenses and it will be important that you discuss this with  your veterinarian first. With this factor, all 3 companies offer the  same coverage. The next major factors to consider are the actual  reimbursement percent and the waiting period. With the first option,  Quick Care is the clear leader as they offer 80 to 100 percent  reimbursement, Embrace offers 90, 80 and 65 percent, and
Pets Best  has only one option, 80 percent. The waiting period options are perhaps  where these companies really start to separate.
With this option  in dog insurance the leader is clearly Quick Care. They have a plan that  offers next day coverage for any accident or injury, and two other  plans that have a 30 day waiting period if you choose. Pets Best is next  with 3 days for accidents and 14 days waiting period for illness.  Embrace is way behind with 14 days for accidents and 6 months for a  critical illness. If you have to wait six months, why would you even  consider insurance?
But now it starts to get very interesting and  some of the UK companies are also separated for their top 10  counterparts. The next critical factor is the annual limit for coverage  for your dog. Again, if you are going to pay for dog insurance and go  back to the basic premise of insuring against risk, you want unlimited  coverage just in case you need it. In the US, Quick Care, and Pets Best  Insurance have no limits, but Embrace does. You can choose the limit,  but it again ranks last.
In the UK there are seven companies that  have unlimited coverage; M & S, Homebase, Pet Guard, Pet Plan, Pet  Protect, Helpucover, and Greenbee.
But there are still several  factors to consider, do the three plans cover alternative medicine? All  three do, but both Embrace and Pets Best have restrictions, while Quick  Care has no restrictions. The next factor is prescription medications  which can be very expensive. Both Quick Care and Pets Best have full  coverage, as does Embrace, but it is optional, again placing them last.
But  now there comes a bit of a twist and this should be taken into full  account by owners that have breeds that are prone to certain problems,  especially large breeds. In this particular category, Embrace is the  only company that has no restrictions. Pets Best only has restrictions  on pregnancy for certain breeds, but Quick Care does have breed  restrictions on certain breeds, placing them last in this category.
On  pre-existing conditions which is very important, there is no winner or  loser, as all three companies do not cover pre-existing conditions. The  same is true with specialists and emergency care but the inverse; all  three companies cover this situation.
The next factor in dog  insurance is also very critical to look at, especially in large breeds  or breeds that are prone to congenital or hereditary conditions. Again  with this category, Embrace is the only company that has coverage and  the other two are limited.
Dogs insurance has three more  categories to consider; wellness care, chronic conditions, and dental  problems. Quick Care and Pets Best does cover routine and wellness care  depending on your plan, but Embrace does not. In regards to chronic  conditions, Quick Care and Pets Best cover this potential problem as  does Embrace, but it must be added to your policy.
With dental  disease, only Embrace covers this very common problem in dogs but it is  added, while the other two cover dental care, they do not cover dental  illness.
Summary:
Dog insurance is much more accepted in the  UK than in the United States and there are several more options and  companies to select from. In the US, Embrace is clearly the least  beneficial of the three unless you have a large breed or breeds that are  prone to certain inherited conditions. In this case, they are the clear  leader. In all other categories, although Quick Care and Pets Best are  very close, the edge has to go to Quick Care because of the waiting  period time frame.
Selecting insurance is always a difficult  decision but it could make the difference between life and death for  your dog.
                             I am an avid lover of pets and my wife and I have had several  pets throughout our years. We are especially fond of dogs, and we have a  12 year old Dalmatian (our 3rd) and a "mutt" that we rescued when  someone threw him away to die in a vacant field.
He found us,  nearly starved to death, and weighed about 2 pounds.
After severe  bouts of mange and severe dehydration, and over 1,000.00 in veterinarian  bills, we saved the little guys life, and he is one of the best, if not  the best, dogs we have ever had and today is a muscular, fit, and firm  70 pound best friend.
After finishing my MBA, which at middle age  was not easy, I decided to keep the research work ethics that I  acquired, and devote about two hours each night in understanding the  health benefits of supplementation for both humans and pets and how they  might strengthen our, as well as our pets, immune system in a  pre-emptive approach to health rather than a reactionary approach.
Both  of my daughters are avid cat lovers, and asked me to help them with  health concerns and challenges with their cats.
I am not a  veterinarian nor claim to be, just a lover of pets that loves to  research and pass on some knowledge that might be helpful, or at least  stimulating to the thought process.
Several of the articles that I  have written can be found on my website;
Liquid Vitamins &  Minerals for Humans & Pets
http://www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com/