Best pet insurance in Canada: As a pet parent, you want to provide the best possible care for your dog or cat. But with the rising cost of veterinary care, that can mean racking up huge credit card debt or taking out a personal loan just to cover vet fees. Some pet parents may have to forgo the care their pets need simply because of the high cost.
That’s where pet insurance comes in. For an affordable monthly premium — like human health insurance — you can get reimbursed, or even have the company pay your vet directly, to cover costs and prescriptions. The best pet insurance in Canada should have a strong mix of coverage options with short waiting periods, few exclusions, and reasonable premiums.
Below, we’ll share some of our favorite pet insurance companies in the Great White North – and also take a look at the cost of pet insurance in different Canadian cities.
Pet Insurance in Canada
For most pet owners, pet insurance is worth the cost because it provides peace of mind. When your pet gets injured or sick, you know you can afford the care they need – without going into debt.
Read:New Scientific Discovery Unveils Surprising Benefits of Sleeping 10 Hours Daily!But not all pet insurance companies in Canada are created equal. The market is saturated with pet insurance companies, so we compared costs, coverages, exclusions, application reviews, and resources available to pet owners to compile a list of the best pet insurance companies in Canada.
Find our seven top picks below. Click on the company name in the table to read all about its pet insurance for Canadians.
| a company | Best for | LendEDU Rating (out of 5) |
| Trupanion | Direct Veterinarian Payments | 4.4 |
| Bring | Best coverage | 4.9 |
| spot | A variety of terms | 4.5 |
| OVMA Pet Health Insurance | There is no better classification | unclassified |
| Live PHI | There is no better classification | unclassified |
| Beats Plus US | There is no better classification | unclassified |
| gardens | There is no better classification | unclassified |
Trupanion – Best for Direct Payments to Your Vet
4.4 out of 5 stars
Read:The Dark Side of Social Media: What You Need to Know- Program for direct payment to the veterinarian
- Unlimited payments
- No price increases due to old age
Trupanion is one of the best pet insurance companies in Canada, but the way it works is different from the other companies on this list. You’ll pay a deductible for certain problems or illnesses (instead of an annual deductible); Once this deductible is reached, the issue is covered for life.
Trupanion does not charge rate increases for elderly pets, covered expenses are always reimbursed at 90%, and you can choose a deductible of up to $0. We also like Trupanion because of its direct payment option to your vet, which means you don’t need to wait to get reimbursed.
Trupanion offers some of the best pet insurance coverage, but it can come at a high cost. In particular, a $0 deductible can lead to huge monthly premiums.
- Annual coverage : unlimited
- Payment : 90%
- Discount : $0 to $1000
- Waiting period : 5 days for injuries, 30 days for illnesses
- Pet Age Restrictions : Pets 15 years or older are not eligible for new registration
Read our full Trupanion pet insurance review for more details.
Read:How to Master Any Skill in Just 30 DaysBring – Best Coverage
4.9 out of 5 stars
- Comprehensive coverage with three health plans
- Home and virtual care covered
- No limits for life
Fetch has some of the most comprehensive coverage. With a Fetch policy, you’ll get reimbursement for a wide range of pet care expenses, including x-rays and CT scans, genetic and congenital issues, diabetes, cancer treatment, chiropractic care, separation anxiety treatment, and gum disease.
Fetch seems to have it all, but some of the company’s hallmarks are what it lacks . Puppies have no breed restrictions, upper age limits, or lifetime limits. This makes fetch policies more achievable for each pet.
You can’t get unlimited refunds with Fetch; The maximum amount reaches $15,000.
Note : Fetch is not available in Quebec at the time of writing.
- Annual coverage : $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000
- Payment : 70%, 80%, or 90%
- Deductible : $300, $500, or $700
- Waiting period : up to 15 days in case of accidents and illness; 6 months in case of hip and knee injuries
- Pet Age Restrictions : Pets must be at least 6 weeks old; there is no maximum age.
Read our full pet insurance review for more details.
SPOT – The best variety of terms
4.5 out of 5 stars
- More than 100 political combinations
- Discount on the electronic chip
- Coverage with all licensed Canadian veterinarians
If you want to customize your pet insurance plan with the deductible, reimbursement rate, and coverage limits that best fit your needs, Spot is the best choice. When you get a quote, you can customize your policy into over 100 combinations to get the right amount of coverage (and the right price) for you.
It’s more expensive, but unlimited coverage provides the greatest peace of mind. You can make things a little cheaper by sharing your pet’s microchip information; Spot gives Canadians a 5% discount for sharing that data.
- Annual Coverage : $2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited
- Payment : 70%, 80%, or 90%
- Deductible : $100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
- Waiting period : 14 days for accidents and illness
- Pet age restrictions : Dogs must be at least 8 weeks old and can be registered up to 10 years of age; Kittens must be at least 8 weeks old and can be registered up to 12 years of age; Accident policies are only available for older pets
Read our full pet insurance review for more details.
OVMA Pet Health Insurance
- There are no age restrictions.
- Dental coverage included
- Loyalty discounts
OMVA Pet Health Insurance is the only pet insurance company designed and backed by Ontario veterinarians. You won’t find a lot of flexibility with OMVA — you can choose from three specific plans, all with 80% coverage, with one of two deductible options for each plan.
But what it lacks in customization it makes up for in great coverage. All three plans come with some level of dental coverage, and all available deductibles are low. The Unlimited+ plan offers unlimited accident and sickness payments and also includes health visit coverage.
OMVA covers a wide range of treatments, including behavioral therapy, alternative therapy, and medical devices. OMVA also offers direct veterinarian payments and loyalty discounts when you renew your policy.
- Annual coverage : $2,500 per accident and illness and $300 dental; $5,000 for each accident and illness and $400 for dental; Or unlimited, $600 dental, $450 wellness
- Recovery : 80%
- Deductible : $100 or $300 for comprehensive or extended; $250 or $400 for Unlimited+
- Waiting period: 48 hours for accidents, 14 days for illness, 6 months for dental, ACL and IVDD; No waiting period for Wellness (Unlimited+ only)
- Pet Age Restrictions: N/A
Live PHI
- Reduced costs through “new condition coverage”
- 24/7 Helpline for Pet Owners
- Multiple pet discounts
PHI Direct is the cheapest pet insurance in Canada. The site claims to offer premiums that are 45.8% lower for dogs and 37.7% lower for cats, compared to premiums from other Canadian pet insurance companies.
How? By offering new condition coverage. If your pet gets sick or injured, you’ll only be covered for 12 months (when costs are at their highest). After that, it’s considered a pre-existing condition and no longer covered. You can also save with PHI Direct through the multi-pet discount.
Prices are much lower with PHI Direct, but new condition coverage may mean your pet may develop an expensive ongoing condition that you may eventually have to pay out of pocket to treat. You also don’t get many options with PHI Direct: it’s always a $200 deductible, an 80% refund rate, and a maximum annual coverage of $5,000 or $10,000.
Note : PHI Direct is not available in Quebec at the time of writing.
- Annual coverage : $5,000 or $10,000
- Recovery : 80%
- Discount : $200
- Waiting period : 48 hours for accidents and 14 days for illness
- Pet Age Restrictions : Pets must be at least 7 weeks old and under 14 years old for new registration.
Beats Plus US
- There are no age restrictions.
- Preventive care options available
- Blue Ribbon benefits include subscription to the helpline and magazine
Pets Plus Us offers excellent coverage options, with plans for accident, illness, and preventive care. If you choose accident and sickness insurance, you can choose an annual limit of $7,500 or $15,000, with your choice of three reimbursement rates and three deductibles.
The hallmark of Pets Plus Us is the Blue Ribbon benefits the company offers. This includes a 24/7 helpline, a 24/7 poison control line, a compassionate care line when you have to make tough decisions, and even a paid subscription to “Modern Cat” or “Modern Dog” magazine.
Pets Plus Us has no age restrictions and offers discounts on multiple pets to keep prices low.
- Annual coverage : $5,000, $7,500, or $15,000
- Refund : 70%, 80%, or 90%
- Deductible : $100, $200, or $300
- Waiting period : 48 hours for accidents and 14 days for illnesses
- Pet age restrictions : Not available
gardens
- Dental coverage on all plans (optional on basic plan)
- Preventive care, alternative therapy, and behavioral therapy are available
- There are no age restrictions.
Desjardins makes choosing pet insurance for your best friend easy: Simply choose from three plans (Bronze Paw, Silver Paw, and Gold Paw) with a specific deductible and reimbursement rate. If you find all the policy options at other companies overwhelming, you’ll likely appreciate the limited options here.
Although it’s expensive (average price is $136 per month for dogs and $87 per month for cats), the Gold Paw plan is top-notch, with preventative care included — plus coverage for alternative therapy, behavioral therapy, and medical devices.
- Annual coverage : $2,000 per accident and illness; $4,000 per accident and illness and $700 dental; unlimited per accident and illness, $1,000 dental, $350 additional coverage (alternative therapy, behavioral therapy, medical devices), and more coverage for preventive care
- Recovery : 80%
- Discount : $100
- Waiting period : 48 hours for accidents, 14 days for diseases, and 6 months for cruciate ligament and IVDD.
- Pet Age Restrictions : N/A (Examination and blood test required for dogs 8+ and cats 10+)
How much is pet insurance in Canada?
The average cost of pet insurance in Canada is $89.15 per month , or just under $1,070 per year . To calculate this cost, we ran 26 quotes across six pet insurance companies in five major cities across Canada.
Our quote was for a beloved mixed breed named Carl. Carl is three years old, neutered, and has no pre-existing conditions . We sought accident and illness coverage for Carl but did not include preventative or dental care unless it is automatically covered under a standard plan.
We’ve done our best to keep coverage types consistent across all insurance companies listed, but note a few caveats:
- Some insurance companies don’t offer policies in Quebec yet , so we pulled less data for Montreal and Quebec City.
- The mandatory copay rates and insurance deductibles charged by some insurance companies do not exactly match those of competitors, which means we cannot always make a true comparison between similar products.
- Some companies offer unlimited coverage , some insurers have per-accident and per-illness limits , and one has new condition coverage that only lasts 12 months . This makes apples-to-apples comparisons more difficult for consumers looking for the best pet insurance in Canada.
How much is pet insurance in Toronto?
The average cost of pet insurance in Toronto is $80.63 per month based on six quotes for a three-year-old dog named Carl who lives happily downtown (M5V 0H7). Across the six insurers studied, we kept policies as similar as possible, although some insurers had very different settings than others.
To keep your pet insurance costs in Toronto low, choose higher deductibles, lower copay rates, lower coverage limits, and the lowest available plan.
| rival | Annual coverage limit | Payment rate | monthly installment | |
| Trupanion | 500 dollars | Unlimited | 90% | $105.31 |
| Bring | 500 dollars | $10,000 | 90% | $74.00 |
| OMVA Pet Health Insurance | $300 | $5,000 per accident
$5,000 per accident $400 for teeth |
80% | $98.57 |
| Live PHI | $ 200 | $10,000 | 80% | $30.13 |
| Pets Plus Us | $300 | $7500 | 90% | $100.44 |
| gardens | $100 dollars | $4,000 per accident
$4,000 per illness $700 for dentistry |
80% | $84.30 |
How much is pet insurance in Vancouver?
The average cost of pet insurance in Vancouver is $104.89 per month based on six quotes for a three-year-old mixed breed named Carl living his best life in the heart of the city (V6B 1A1). Across the six insurers we analyzed, we kept as many policies as possible the same, although some insurers had significantly different setups than others.
Vancouver is the most expensive city in Canada for pet insurance. To keep your pet insurance costs in Vancouver low, choose higher deductibles, lower reimbursement rates, lower coverage limits, and the lowest plan available.
| rival | Annual coverage limit | Payment rate | monthly installment | |
| Trupanion | 500 dollars | Unlimited | 90% | $201.94 |
| Bring | 500 dollars | $10,000 | 90% | $91.80 |
| OMVA Pet Health Insurance | $300 | $5,000 per accident
$5,000 per accident $400 for dentistry |
80% | $98.57 |
| Live PHI | $ 200 | $10,000 | 80% | $52.30 |
| Pets Plus Us | $300 | $7500 | 90% | $100.44 |
| gardens | $100 dollars | $4,000 per accident
$4,000 per illness $700 for dental |
80% | $84.30 |
How much is pet insurance in Montreal?
The average cost of pet insurance in Montreal is $90.39 per month based on four quotes for a three-year-old mixed breed named Carl living his best life downtown (H3B 0A1). (We ran fewer quotes because there are fewer insurance companies available in Quebec.)
Across the four insurers analysed, we kept as much of the policies the same as possible, although some insurers have significantly different settings than others.
To keep your Montreal pet insurance costs low, choose higher deductibles, lower copay rates, lower coverage limits, and the lowest available plan.
| rival | Annual coverage limit | Payment rate | monthly installment | |
| Trupanion | 500 dollars | Unlimited | 90% | $101.06 |
| OMVA Pet Health Insurance | $300 | $5,000 per accident
$5,000 per accident $400 dental |
80% | $91.26 |
| Pets Plus Us | $300 | $7500 | 90% | $90.64 |
| gardens | $100 dollars | $4,000 per accident
$4,000 per illness $700 for dentistry |
80% | $78.05 |
How much is pet insurance in Quebec City?
The average cost of pet insurance in Quebec City is $78.43 per month based on four quotes for a 3-year-old boy named Carl who lives downtown (G1L 3L5). (We ran fewer quotes because there are fewer insurance companies available in Quebec.)
Across the four insurers analysed, we kept as much of the policies the same as possible, although some insurers have significantly different settings than others.
Quebec City is the most expensive city we surveyed to buy pet insurance. To keep your Quebec City pet insurance costs low, choose higher deductibles, lower reimbursement rates, lower coverage limits, and the lowest available plan.
| rival | Annual coverage limit | Payment rate | monthly installment | |
| Trupanion | 500 dollars | Unlimited | 90% | $79.67 |
| OMVA Pet Health Insurance | $300 | $5,000 per accident $5,000 per accident $400 dental |
80% | $82.14 |
| Pets Plus Us | $300 | $7500 | 90% | $81.66 |
| gardens | $100 dollars | $4,000 per accident $4,000 per illness $700 for dentistry |
80% | $70.26 |
How much is pet insurance in Edmonton?
The average cost of pet insurance in Edmonton is $86.86 per month based on six quotes for a three-year-old fit boy named Carl who lives in the heart of the city (T6G 1Y5). Across the six insurers analysed, we kept policies as similar as possible, although some insurers had very different settings than others.
To keep your pet insurance costs in Edmonton low, choose higher deductibles, lower copay rates, lower coverage limits, and the lowest available plan.
| rival | Annual coverage limit | Payment rate | monthly installment | |
| Trupanion | 500 dollars | Unlimited | 90% | $161.67 |
| Bring | 500 dollars | $10,000 | 90% | $60.51 |
| OMVA Pet Health Insurance | $300 | $5,000 per accident
$5,000 per accident $400 dental |
80% | $91.26 |
| Live PHI | $ 200 | $10,000 | 80% | $39.05 |
| Pets Plus Us | $300 | $7500 | 90% | $90.64 |
| gardens | $100 dollars | $4,000 per accident
$4,000 per illness $700 for dentistry |
80% | $78.05 |
How does pet insurance in Canada compare to the United States and other countries in the world?
The average cost of pet insurance in the United States is $56.81 per month for dogs and $32.89 per month for cats — or $44.85 per month , combined.
Keep in mind: That’s in US dollars. Converted to Canadian dollars, that’s about $62 per month (and up to $78.43 per month for dogs, specifically). That’s much closer to the average $89.15 per month insurance cost we found in Canada — but costs are still higher in the Great White North.
Best pet insurance in Canada
The best pet insurance in Canada depends on several factors, including your preferences and needs:
- Cost Preferences : Some pet owners may prefer the less expensive option. Even having minimal coverage makes them feel like their pets are safe in the event of an emergency.
- Customization : If you have a deeper understanding of how pet insurance works , you may prefer an insurance company with customization in reimbursement rates, coverage limits, deductibles, and add-ons. But if you’re overwhelmed with pet insurance, you may prefer companies that offer simple levels and options.
- Location : Some insurance companies only offer pet insurance in certain Canadian provinces. The best pet insurance for someone living in another province may not be available because it is not available.
- Age : The best pet insurance for seniors may differ from the best insurance for small dogs and cats. Why? Some companies have age limits for older pets, and others don’t allow policies to start until the puppy or kitten is a little older.
Ultimately, finding the best pet insurance in Canada depends on what you want from your policy and what is available to you. Our list is a great place to start your search and get some quotes.
Instructions
What is the cheapest pet insurance company in Canada?
The least expensive pet insurance company in Canada is PHI Direct . The company uses what is called new case coverage. When your pet develops a problem, they are only covered for the next 12 months.
This reduces costs, but it means you will be paying out of pocket for the condition after a year.
What is the most expensive pet insurance company in Canada?
The most affordable pet insurance company in Canada is Trupanion , but Trupanion’s pet insurance policies are different from most other types of pet insurance. Deductibles are per issue, not annually, and everything is 90% reimbursed.
This makes Trupanion one of the best pet insurance companies anywhere, but also one of the most expensive.
Can I use my current vet with pet insurance?
When you get a quote for pet insurance, many providers ask about your current vet and will tell you if that vet is covered under their policy. The best pet insurance companies in Canada offer coverage across the country with any licensed veterinarian.
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