Top Dog Policies: How To Find The Best Dog Insurance

Dog insurance can protect your animal should it fall ill or suffer an injury. You can choose to pay monthly or annually for the protection, and peace of mind that if your dog suddenly needs medical attention, you have a financial safety net in place.

Over the last few years a number of underwriters and insurers have entered the pet insurance market. This means there is much more choice in cover for dog owners, and opportunities to find a deal as providers compete for customers. Shopping around is key to finding the levels of protection you need at a suitable price.

Below are our top five favourite policies for dogs, but it’s important to remember that these are our top picks and they may not be best for you or your dog. These five have been drawn from our best policies overall for both cats and dogs. You can read more in our methodology section below.

Note: The below list represents a selection of our top category picks, as chosen by Forbes Advisor Australia’s editors and journalists. The information provided is purely factual and is not intended to imply any recommendation, opinion, or advice about a financial product. Not every product or provider in the marketplace has been reviewed, and the list below is not intended to be exhaustive nor replace your own research or independent financial advice. For more information on how Forbes Advisor ranks and reviews products, including how we identified our top category picks, read the methodology selection below.

Along with considering the company history and general public opinion, including any awards won, the remaining key attributes Forbes Advisor compared were:

• How many levels of cover the pet insurance provider offers;
• If there are any wait periods and, if so, how long they are and what conditions they are for;
• Whether or not dental is covered;
• If the policy has a sub-limit for tick paralysis;
• Whether your pet is still covered if you travel to New Zealand or the Norfolk Islands;
• If there is a choice of excess, as many consumers enjoy this option;
• Any limits on the age of the pets that the policy will insure;
• If the provider will pay for emergency boarding fees, and what the maximum of such cover would be;
• Whether there is a choice to add-on vet bill cover for things such as behavioural treatments or alternative therapies;
• What discount is offered when insuring multiple pets, if there is a discount;
• If there are any other additional bonus features, such as FlyBuys points or discounts on other policies with the same provider; and
• What the average product rating review is of the policy from customers via independent consumer site, ProductReview.

This research formed the basis of our best pet insurance policies overall. For the purposes of this article, we removed any policies related to cats from our best-of list and selected our top six dog policies that received four stars and above. This list is by no means exhaustive: do your own research to find the best policy for you.

Australian dog owners can choose from three main types of policy:

Accident-only: This is the most basic form of cover, and therefore the cheapest. It pays out only if your dog suffers an injury as a result of an accident. It does not cover illness. Accidents you can claim for include those involving vehicles, injuries from other animals, allergic reactions, bone fractures, ligament or tendon injuries and burns.

Accident and illness insurance: On this type of policy you can claim for accidents or illnesses as specified by the insurer. It may also pay out for tick paralysis, cancer treatment, skin conditions and hereditary and congenital conditions. It may also cover procedures on the eyes, ears and cruciate ligaments, as well as euthanasia, if needed.

Comprehensive insurance: This is the most popular type of cover among Australians, although it tends to be the most expensive. It can pay out for accidents, illness, preventative care and certain routine procedures such as vaccinations, worming and desexing. Data collected from the end of November by PetSure found that for 2023, comprehensive policies were its most popular for dog owners in Australia.

Before purchasing a policy, it’s worth checking whether your home and contents insurance provider also offers pet cover as an optional add-on, and comparing its cover to standalone pet insurance policies. Their product disclosure statements (PDS) should detail exactly what they offer and any limitations or exclusions on cover.

A comprehensive policy will cover your dog’s medicines, surgery and hospitalisation. It is unlikely to pay out for routine care, such as microchipping, vaccinations and desexing or dental care and preventative treatment.

It’s important to check for caps on cover. For instance most policies cover vet consultation fees up to a $300 limit. You may also want to check whether your policy covers pre-existing conditions, which are medical conditions your dog had before taking out the policy. Most insurers now cover them if they are fully cured and not chronic conditions. Usually, your dog should have shown no sign of symptoms for a stated period of time to be covered for a pre-existing condition.

Many insurers have also changed their policies to cover emergency care outside of business hours, and illnesses that occur despite a dog having been vaccinated against it.

Dog owners are not legally required to insure their dogs in Australia, but taking out a policy is a must for some. If you worry about how you would cover treatment costs for your dog, you may want to consider purchasing insurance.

Alternatively, you could put aside money in a savings account for any emergency that may arise. You will need to know that this option is realistic and you won’t dip into your savings for any other purpose. Doing so, could be the difference between saving your dog from pain and stress or it suffering, and in the most severe cases needing to be euthanised.

While there’s no single best policy for dog owners, you’ll want to make sure you take out cover that suits you and your dog’s needs, and is affordable.

You may want to look through our pick of Best Comprehensive Pet Policies before running quotes on pet insurance provider sites, which is one of the easiest ways to compare policies.

Key factors to consider include:

Policy type: You’ll need to decide whether an accident-only policy will suffice or whether more comprehensive cover is more suitable.

Waiting periods: Most dog insurance policies require you wait a set amount of time after you sign up before you can start claiming. You can find out how this changes depending on the type of treatment your dog needs in the PDS.

Annual benefit limit: This is the maximum amount a policy will pay out within a year. The policy will also have a benefit percentage— the portion of each vet bill it will cover—usually around 80%.

Excess: This is a pre-set amount that you must pay towards a claim, which is usually stated as a percentage by the insurer

Reviews: If you value good customer service, you can check independent review websites such as productreview.com.au to get an idea of how pleased its policyholders are.

You will need to pay less out-of-pocket expenses when your dog needs treatment on a policy that has a high annual benefit limit or benefit percentage, or there is a low excess, but the policy will likely cost more in premiums.

RSPCA Insurance told Forbes Advisor Australia: “The breed of the dog is an important factor to consider too. Pet parents should research breed-specific pet health conditions, and average treatment costs to understand the type of health conditions their dog may experience to check this would be covered under the policy.

“The Cavoodle was the most popular dog breed in 2022 (as featured in PetSure’s Pet Health Monitor report) and RSPCA Pet Insurance data shows skin conditions were a common claim this year with the highest single claim to treat skin conditions being $7,844.”

Most insurers will require you pay a vet fee in full before claiming. However, some offer GapOnly as a way of claiming, which requires you only pay the difference between the vet’s charge and the claim benefit under the policy. Other policies may require you to pay the vet bill upfront and then the insurer pay you back, which can be an inconvenience as it involves paperwork and upfront costs.

Dog owners can choose a GapOnly® ready pet insurance policy, and then claim in this way for any eligible pet medical issue at one of the 1,100 participating clinics across Australia.

The cost of dog insurance is based on a range of factors, specific to the dog and its owner. These include the policy type, cover level and age and breed of the dog. CHOICE suggests that a policy can cost anything from $180 up to $4500 a year.

“Pet insurance is a risk-rated product, which means there are several factors that impact the risk profile and pricing. From general veterinary inflation to the age and breed of the dog (including the rapid ageing of pets) there are many variables that could influence pet insurance premium costs,” says RSPCA Pet Insurance.

“For instance, the accelerated rate at which pets age increases the likelihood the pet will need veterinary care, so there is a significant change in risk profile over a 12-month period. While pets experience accidents and illness at every age, older pets are more likely to experience more health conditions like arthritis and cancer, which increases the risk profile.”

While many dog owners welcome technological advancements, such as more effective diagnostic testing and equipment such as CT scans and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MIRs) to enhance care for their animals, these also play a part in rising vet costs, and in turn higher pet insurance premiums.

“While technological innovations, sophisticated diagnostic testing and better drugs like pain relief medication have a positive impact on pet healthcare outcomes, these come at an additional cost to the pet parent,” says RSPCA Pet Insurance.

Pet healthcare costs are also subject to inflationary pressures. Data from PetSure, RSPCA Pet Insurance’s administrator, shows over the last year, they have risen at a rate that exceeds the high inflation seen across the economy. For example, the cost of treatment for common pet ailments such as elbow conditions and arthritis, has increased year-on-year by over 50%.