Why is a Comparison Worthwhile for Dog Insurance?
The health of your dog is close to your heart – after all, they accompany you through thick and thin and are part of your family. But without insurance, treatments can quickly blow the budget. This is even more true since the new veterinary fee schedule (GOT) was introduced in 2022. It caused treatment prices to rise significantly in some cases.
When searching for the best dog health insurance, you will find numerous providers that differ significantly in their benefits and conditions. And your pet also has individual needs that depend, among other things, on the dog breed, age, and health status. One policy might be the best dog health insurance for older dogs, while another is ideal for puppies. If you opt for a contract with a deductible, you can save a lot on monthly premiums – or would you prefer to pay nothing out of pocket? Making the right choice is not so easy! We compare six dog health insurance policies with full protection and show the differences.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Pet Insurance in Comparison: Dog Health Insurance or Surgery Insurance?
With many insurance providers, you have to choose between different variants of pet health insurance:
- Surgery Insurance: It covers the costs of medically necessary operations, but usually not for regular medical treatments.
- Full Protection: It covers you and your pet completely, for surgeries as well as for illnesses or after an accident.
Tip: It is worth checking the insured benefits of dog health insurance carefully in a test. Which dog health insurance is recommended? If you choose a pure surgery insurance, medications required during the surgery are covered – however, preventive services or medications for diseases such as diabetes are not. Therefore, it is best to look for a full-protection policy.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Dog Health Insurance as Full Protection: Comparison of Benefits
Which pet insurance pays for everything that can happen to your dog – and which criteria do you need to look for when you want to compare dog health insurance?
- The maximum level of reimbursement: Are there reimbursement limits and/or a deductible?
- Start of insurance: Does the insurance take effect only after a waiting period or immediately?
- Scope of benefits: Does the policy include dental protection, vaccinations, and preventive examinations? Are MRI, CT, and X-ray examinations included? Some insurers also offer telemedical treatments.
- Consideration of higher fee rates: In emergency services or for particularly complex services, veterinarians charge higher fee rates. At night, on weekends, or on a holiday (emergency veterinary service), the simple fee rates according to § 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 of the Veterinary Fee Schedule (GOT) increase to double (plus an emergency service fee of €50), and on weekend nights (§ 2 Paragraph 1 Sentence 2) even up to fourfold. The insurance should also cover these.
- Exclusion of certain animals: Not all insurance companies accept older dogs or dogs with pre-existing conditions. For certain breeds, there are often special, more expensive tariffs.
- Freedom of therapy: Free choice of veterinarian should be just as natural as the choice of treatment method.
- Foreign protection: Does the company also insure your dog across national borders?
- Terms and deadlines: In dog health insurance, price comparison isn't everything – the minimum term and deadlines are just as important to be able to react flexibly.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Dog Health Insurance: Comparison of Providers
In the comparison of dog insurance, we focused on full-protection policies that cover both surgery protection and reimbursements for veterinary medical treatments. This simplifies the search for the best dog insurance with a complete package. We have compared the benefits of six dog insurers.
Good to know: There is no single "best" dog health insurance with full protection. Different criteria matter for each owner. Therefore, the prices stated by the insurers are guide values that can be higher or lower depending on the size, age, and breed.
Dalma Dog Health Insurance
Dalma is one of the newcomers among the providers for dog insurance on the German market. In comparison, the company, which originally comes from France, offers a particularly extensive package of inclusive benefits as well as numerous individual options. You select a contract that perfectly fits you and your pet, similar to a modular system. If you insure more than one animal, you benefit from a discount. You won't have to wait long for reimbursement: Dalma reimburses your expenses within 48 hours. Is Dalma among the best dog insurance policies for your requirements? We have listed the most important benefits for you.
Petolo Dog Health Insurance
Petolo offers health insurance for cats and dogs in three different tiers. All of them include surgery cover as well as free video consultations. For preventive care, vaccinations, prophylaxis, and alternative healing methods, a budget of up to €120 is available annually. An additional SOS budget is intended for follow-up costs in emergencies, such as the accommodation of your four-legged friend in a dog boarding kennel if you are hospitalized.
However, under Petolo Premium, 100% cost reimbursement is only granted if the pet owner has previously used a telemedical consultation with a veterinarian. Otherwise, the company only reimburses 80%. In the Komfort tier, the reimbursement level is then 60% instead of 80%. You can find out whether the services of Petolo dog health insurance suit your needs using the table below.
Barkibu Dog Insurance
Barkibu has been active in Spain since 2015 and in Germany since 2018, advertising itself as the best full-protection dog health insurance. Barkibu also explicitly excludes termination after benefits have been claimed. For each additionally insured pet, there is also a discount of €50. Reimbursements are requested digitally via an app.
The provider offers various tariffs that vary according to age, breed, and gender. In the Barkibu 80 tariff, there is an 80% cost reimbursement up to €5,000 per year, while Barkibu 100 has no annual limit. An overview of Barkibu's services:
HanseMerkur Dog Insurance
HanseMerkur is one of the largest insurance companies in Germany. In addition to dog liability insurance, it offers pure surgery insurance and full health protection. The calculation of the policy premium depends, among other things, on the age and breed of your four-legged friend. Inclusive benefits are partly tariff-dependent; for instance, unlimited annual benefit for operations is only guaranteed in the Premium Plus tariff.
Agila Dog Insurance
Three tariffs are available with Agila dog insurance, although the Basic option only accepts new insurance for dogs up to their 5th birthday. However, you can also select policies with a maximum age of 8 years. The regular one-month waiting period does not apply if your animal needs treatment due to an accident or an attack by another dog. You can see whether Agila could be the best dog (surgery) insurance for you from the benefits in the table.
Uelzener Dog Health Insurance
Uelzener dog health insurance was one of the first dog health insurance policies in Germany in the mid-1980s. You choose from three tariffs, which differ primarily in the reimbursement limit. This ranges from €1,500 in the Basic tariff to unlimited reimbursement in the Premium Plus tariff. The benefits of this full-protection dog health insurance are solid in comparison, but the offer is among the most expensive. The insurer offers various services in paid additional packages.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Which Dog Health Insurance do Veterinarians Recommend?
Experts do not name a specific provider. However, the Federal Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons explicitly recommends taking out insurance for your four-legged friend. This should:
- allow free choice of veterinarian and freedom of therapy,
- cover regular prophylaxis and vaccinations, surgeries, and aftercare,
- cover multiple fee rates,
- list all benefits transparently.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Dog Health Insurance in Comparison – The Best Providers
Which pet health insurance is the best for your needs? Our comparison of full-protection dog health insurance showed clear differences in terms of costs and benefits.
Dalma is among the most affordable providers with an extensive benefit package and many individual options. Depending on the chosen tariff, the provider reimburses 80, 90, or 100% of the incurred veterinary costs, including alternative healing methods and physiotherapy – without you having to book additional packages. At 8 years, the maximum age at the start of the contract is one of the highest in the comparison. Dalma also scores points for fast reimbursement.
Petolo is one of two dog insurance policies in the test without a waiting period. However, the maximum annual benefit in the first two insurance years is comparatively low and only becomes unlimited in the third year.
Barkibu advertises on its website that it will not cancel in the event of a claim, even with high bills. According to the T&Cs, however, there is a right of termination for both parties after a benefit case within the first 4 years of the term. Furthermore, there is no tariff with 100% cost reimbursement.
HanseMerkur offers extensive benefits at fair prices, but no included dental protection. For this, an additional package must be concluded. The insurer is one of the few in the test to allow direct billing with the veterinarian.
Agila's benefit package is generous and includes dental prophylaxis and treatments. In return, the insurer has a comparatively low age limit of 5 or 8 years and the lowest annual maximum benefit in the comparison.
Uelzener policies include a solid benefit package but are among the most expensive. Special features include packages for breeding dogs and various additional packages for specific diseases. However, there is a one-year waiting period for special surgery insurance.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Conclusion: Which Dog Health Insurance is the Best?
Only the best for your loyal companion! Dalma emerges as one of the best dog insurance policies in the comparison. The insurer scores with transparent benefit packages and reimburses up to 100% of veterinary costs, including alternative therapies, physio and behavioral therapy, as well as dental treatments. Dalma's inclusive benefits are among the most extensive, and the tariffs among the most flexible in the test: you decide the maximum annual limit and the reimbursement share individually. The terms are also fair. Dalma itself excludes termination after a claim; you are therefore on the safe side and can provide your dog with the best treatment in the future.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
Focus on the cuddles, we'll focus on the costs.
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