Digital Pet Health Insurance Comparison: Telemedicine, App and Therapy Freedom

Therapy freedom means: you decide whether to use a video consultation first or go directly to your vet. Your reimbursement rate stays the same – regardless of the path you choose.

‍

Why this matters in everyday life: if your dog gets injured on the weekend or your cat suddenly stops eating, you want to act immediately. In those moments, a mandatory video consultation before the vet visit can be impractical – especially if you are already on your way to the clinic.

‍

With Dalma, you always receive your chosen reimbursement rate (80% or 100%) – whether or not you contacted FirstVet beforehand. Telemedicine is an additional service, not a prerequisite.

Petolo offers video consultations via FirstVet (branded as Dr. Fressnapf) in all plans. Usage is voluntary. However, in the health insurance (Komfort and Premium), it directly affects the reimbursement rate:

‍

Komfort plan (health ins.): With video consultation up to 80% reimbursement. Without it, only 60%.

‍

Premium plan (health ins.): With video consultation up to 100% reimbursement. Without it, only 80%.

‍

Premium Plus plan (health ins.): Always 100% reimbursement – regardless of video consultation.

‍

Surgery-only plan: The video consultation is available for free but serves purely as an additional service. It has no influence on the reimbursement rate.

‍

Important: in life-threatening emergencies, no prior video consultation is required at Petolo to receive the full reimbursement rate. Additionally, the initial consultation is only needed once per case and at the first examination, not for follow-up treatments.

‍

What this means for you: if you choose Petolo’s Komfort or Premium health insurance plan and go directly to the vet without a video consultation, you receive 20 percentage points less reimbursement. On a €1,000 invoice, that is a €200 difference.

With Dalma, every plan (surgery insurance and health insurance) includes unlimited, free access to video consultations via partner FirstVet. Here is how it works:

‍

Access: Integrated directly in the Dalma App. You book an appointment and are connected via video with a veterinarian.

‍

Availability: Around the clock – including weekends and public holidays.

‍

Cost: None. The teleconsultation is covered at 100% and does not reduce the prevention budget or the annual maximum benefit.

‍

Reimbursement: Using FirstVet has no impact on your reimbursement rate. You receive 80% or 100% – depending on your chosen plan – with or without a prior video consultation.

‍

This sets Dalma apart from most competitors: while full, unlimited telemedicine access at Lassie, Agila and HanseMerkur is tied to the comprehensive health plan, Dalma offers it in the standalone surgery insurance as well – without restrictions, without extra cost.

Barkibu: Fully digital. Invoice submission, contract management and support all run through the app. Barkibu offers its own 24/7 online vet via app. The reimbursement rate is not tied to telemedicine usage. Barkibu exclusively offers comprehensive plans (no separate surgery insurance), so the OP vs. health insurance distinction does not apply.

‍

Lassie: Digital with an app focus. Lassie offers telemedicine via FirstVet. In the health insurance, usage is free and unlimited (365 days, 7am–12am). In the surgery-only insurance, access is restricted: FirstVet can only be contacted free of charge 10 days before and 30 days after a covered operation. The video consultation has no impact on reimbursement in any plan. Instead, Lassie uses a bonus programme: users who complete health courses and quizzes in the app can earn points and premium discounts.

‍

Agila: App and online portal available. Invoices can be submitted digitally (8 working hours processing time). Agila offers telemedicine via two partners: Pfotendoctor (around the clock, bookable directly via the Agila customer app) and Dr. Fressnapf. Cost coverage applies primarily to the comprehensive health plans (including the Exklusiv tier) – Pfotendoctor bills Agila directly, with no excess. In surgery-only plans, the video consultation can be used but costs are not covered. Email and postal submission remain available.

‍

HanseMerkur: ServiceApp and online upload available. HanseMerkur reimburses telemedicine costs in comprehensive plans under the GOT fee schedule, provided the consultation is conducted by a veterinarian. However, it does not offer a dedicated, app-integrated telemedicine partner like FirstVet or Pfotendoctor. In surgery-only plans, telemedicine costs are not covered. Parts of the process can still be handled by post.

‍

Uelzener: Online portal available. As a traditional insurer (founded 1873), still partly postal-oriented. The Uelzener does not offer a video vet service. However, in March 2026 it launched a partnership with Tractive: in selected plans, annual subscription costs for GPS tracking and digital health monitoring are reimbursed. Tractive continuously captures health data such as resting heart rate, respiratory rate and sleep patterns, flagging anomalies early.

If you only take out a surgery insurance plan, look closely: with many providers, full telemedicine access is tied to the comprehensive health plan. In surgery-only plans, restrictions often apply:

‍

Dalma: Unlimited telemedicine (FirstVet) also in the standalone surgery insurance, free, around the clock – without restriction.

‍

Petolo: Video consultation (FirstVet) available and free in the surgery plan, but without impact on reimbursement. The reimbursement mechanism (higher rate with video consultation) only applies in the health insurance.

‍

Lassie: In the surgery insurance, FirstVet can only be used free of charge 10 days before and 30 days after a covered operation. Unlimited access only in the health insurance.

‍

Agila: Telemedicine cost coverage primarily in comprehensive health plans. Usable in surgery-only plans, but at the customer’s own expense.

‍

HanseMerkur: Telemedicine reimbursement only in comprehensive plans. No cost coverage in surgery-only plans.

‍

Barkibu: Only offers comprehensive plans. Distinction does not apply.

‍

Uelzener: No telemedicine access (neither surgery nor health insurance).

1) Telemedicine: service or condition? Check whether the video consultation is voluntary or whether your reimbursement rate depends on it. At Dalma, Barkibu, Lassie and Agila it is voluntary. At Petolo (health insurance Komfort and Premium) it affects the reimbursement rate.

‍

2) Telemedicine: also in surgery-only plans? If you only take out surgery insurance, check whether telemedicine is included. Dalma is the only provider in this comparison that offers unlimited, free telemedicine access in the standalone surgery insurance.

‍

3) App coverage: everything or just parts? Some providers only handle invoice submission digitally. At Dalma, Barkibu and Lassie, contract management, claims and communication all run entirely through the app.

‍

4) Paperwork: does it still exist? At Agila, HanseMerkur and Uelzener, postal submissions remain possible. Purely digital providers like Dalma and Barkibu have eliminated paper entirely.

‍

5) Extra features: bonus or obligation? Lassie offers premium discounts through a gamification system in the app. Uelzener focuses on digital health monitoring via Tractive. At Dalma, price and benefits are fixed in the contract – no app courses or point collection required.

In the German market, there is no longer a clear divide between digital and analogue. Purely digital providers like Dalma, Barkibu, Lassie and Petolo stand alongside providers that are progressively expanding their digital offering – such as Agila with its Pfotendoctor integration, HanseMerkur with telemedicine reimbursement in comprehensive plans, or Uelzener with the Tractive partnership.

‍

A key difference emerges when looking at surgery-only insurance: with most competitors, full telemedicine access is tied to the comprehensive health plan. Dalma is the only provider in this comparison that offers unlimited telemedicine (FirstVet) free of charge in every plan – including the standalone surgery insurance – while also not tying the reimbursement rate to the use of a video consultation.

‍

What this means for you: if it matters to you that you stay flexible in everyday life, can get a veterinary first assessment via video at any time, and do not need a comprehensive plan for that, it is worth taking a close look at the conditions.

• Dalma: Insurance information document (Version 06.01.2026); Table of Guarantees (as of 15.07.2025); dalma.co/de
• Petolo: petolo.de/drfressnapf; petolo.de/hundekrankenversicherung; petolo.de/hunde-op-versicherung; petolo.de/katzenkrankenversicherung; support.petolo.de/hc/de/articles/4407445728018; petolo.de/angebot/15/petolo-premium-organic
• Barkibu: barkibu.com/de; T&Cs (version 12/2025); de.trustpilot.com/review/barkibu.com
• Lassie: de.lassie.co; de.lassie.co/hundeversicherung/hundekrankenversicherung; de.lassie.co/hundeversicherung/hunde-op-versicherung; de.lassie.co/vorgehen-im-schadensfall
• Agila: agila.de/videosprechstunde; agila.de/videosprechstunde/pfotendoctor; kontakt.agila.de/hc/de/categories/22283538243217-Videosprechstunde; AGILA FAQ PDF (as of 05/2021, tariff allocation telemedicine)
• HanseMerkur: hansemerkur.de/tierkrankenversicherung; hansemerkur.de/faq/tier-krankenversicherung; check24.de/hundekrankenversicherung/hansemerkur; T&Cs TKV Premium Plus (customer information PDF)
• Uelzener: uelzener.de; petonline.de (announcement Uelzener x Tractive, 20.03.2026); tractive.com/blog/en/press (17.03.2026); LinkedIn Dr. Sebastian Tiedemann/Uelzener (March 2026)

‍

All information based on publicly available provider data. As of 16.04.2026.