Best Pet Insurance in Iowa (IA)

Inhabitants of the Hawkeye State love to adventure with their pets, whether exploring the historic streets of Des Moines or walking the art scene of Cedar Rapids. Purchasing pet insurance in Iowa can provide peace of mind during an accident or emergency, leaving you free to focus on your recovering pet instead of unexpected veterinary bills.

In our research of the best pet insurance in Iowa, we scored top companies on factors including their plans, pricing, coverage, and benefits to find the best options for pet parents.

Compare Other Pet Companies

• Lemonade: Best Overall
• Spot: Most Customizable Plans
• Embrace: Best Deductibles
• Figo: Best Extra Coverage Add-On
• ASPCA: Best for New Pet Owners
• Fetch: Best Holistic Coverage
• Healthy Paws: Best Coverage Limit

Lemonade

Lemonade is our top choice for pet insurance in Iowa due to its flexible coverage with add-on options, affordable pricing, and shorter waiting period than many of its competitors.

• Our score: 96 out of 100
• Coverage caps are adjustable and range from $5,000–$100,000
• Provides a 10% discount for bundling pet coverage with Lemonade homeowners insurance or Lemonade renters insurance
• Offers add-ons for physical therapy, wellness, and vet visit fees, allowing you to create a customizable plan for your pet’s individual needs

While some may be put off by the C rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we’ve found that the negative reviews come from unhappy homeowners or renters insurance customers rather than pet insurance complaints.

Lemonade Pros and Cons

✔ Preventative care add-on gives extra benefits for puppies and kittens less than 2 years old
✔ Consistently offers lower prices than competitors for diverse pet breeds and ages
✔ Has a short 48-hour waiting period for accident coverage

✘ Requires a veterinary exam for your dog or cat from within the past 12 months before you can enroll in coverage
✘ Doesn’t provide coverage for behavioral treatments

Lemonade Plans and Coverage

Lemonade’s standard plan covers broken bones, toxic ingestions, heart disease, cancer, sprains, diagnostic tests, prescription medications, specialist care, hospitalizations, emergency and outpatient care, and other veterinary bills for unexpected accidents and illnesses.

Add-on options include coverage for vet bills, physical therapy, and preventative care costs such as fecal tests, up to three vaccines, heartworm medications, and a blood test.

Lemonade coverage doesn’t include pre-existing conditions, elective and cosmetic procedures, behavioral treatments, alternative therapies, or dental illnesses.

Learn More: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review

Spot

Spot is a top pet insurance provider for its plan customizability. You can purchase an accident-only or accident and illness coverage plan with one of up to seven different annual coverage limit options depending on your exact needs or budget.

Some highlights include these:

• Our score: 91 out of 100
• Has an extensive resource blog to help pet owners stay informed on tips to keep their animals healthy
• Has a 10% multi-pet discount for each additional policy
• Provides a wide range of annual coverage between $2,500 and unlimited

Spot Pros and Cons

✔ Pays for exam and vet visit fees without requiring extra coverage
✔ Includes microchipping coverage in standard policies
✔ Doesn’t require you to provide your pet’s medical records upon signing up for a policy

✘ Has less experience than many other insurers
✘ Has a longer waiting period for accidents than many competitors

Spot Plans and Coverage

Spot’s accident-only pet insurance plan is a less expensive option for pet owners who only want coverage on injuries, broken bones, bite wounds, toxic ingestions, and things not related to illnesses or conditions. Its accident and illness plan includes those accidents in addition to congenital conditions, cancer, hip dysplasia, and similar conditions.

For added coverage to help pay for your pet’s routine vet bills, such as vaccinations, wellness checkups, deworming, and dental care, you can add the Gold or Platinum preventative plan. The Gold plan is the cheapest pet insurance option with up to $250 per year for wellness treatments, and the Platinum plan comes with $450 of coverage per year.

Learn More: Spot Pet Insurance Review

Embrace

Embrace pet insurance could appeal to pet owners who are looking for flexible deductibles and discounts for pet wellness that accrue each year.

• Our score: 93.5 out of 100
• Has 18 years of experience insuring pets, which is more than most providers in the industry
• Its Healthy Pet deductible will credit policyholders $50 toward their deductible for each year without filing a claim
• Covers preventable conditions, such as parvo, Lyme disease, and parasites
• Offers five deductible options to choose from: $200, $300, $500, $750, and $1,000

Embrace lost points in our review because its coverage requires an exam at sign-up and it has more limited options for customer service than some of its competitors.

Embrace Pros and Cons

✔ Offers discounts to military members and customers who insure multiple pets
✔ Offers plans for pets of all ages, rather than ending coverage at a certain age limit
✔ Its optional Wellness Rewards add-on covers 100% of vet bills up to the specified limit, rather than reimbursing a certain percentage of each routine care item

✘ Doesn’t provide coverage caps beyond $30,000
✘ Larger dogs are often quoted higher premiums than competitor rates

Embrace Plans and Coverage

Embrace’s accident and illness plan covers treatments such as cancer, allergies, dental trauma, genetic and chronic conditions, hospitalization, surgery, emergency care, and prescription drugs, along with diagnostic tests such as physical therapy, allergy testing, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRIs, and more.

The wellness add-on for Embrace includes preventative and routine care costs for items such as microchipping, pet activity monitors, nail trimming, and grooming.

Embrace doesn’t cover pre-existing conditions, DNA testing, cloning, deliberate injuries, or breeding.

Learn More: Embrace Pet Insurance Review

Figo

Figo is the best provider for pet owners who want extra coverage with an affordable add-on. For $6.62, you can add Figo’s Extra Care Pack to your policy, which uniquely covers extra costs, such as third-party property damage your pet causes and lost-pet advertising fees.

Some highlights include these:

• Our score: 93 out of 100
• Has a useful and fun mobile app for managing your pet’s medical records and connecting to social groups of other pet owners in your area
• Provides a 30-day money-back guarantee
• Offers a 24/7 live vet chat to help answer your pet health questions before needing to take your animal to the vet

Figo Pros and Cons

✔ Offers a 100% reimbursement rate for pet owners who don’t want to have to pay a copay during a claim
✔ Has a deductible option of $100, which is lower than many competitors’ lowest deductible options
✔ Comes with a one-day waiting period for injuries for quick coverage

✘ Varies deductible options based on your pet’s age or breed
✘ Doesn’t cover your animal’s behavioral treatments

Figo Plans and Coverage

Figo offers only one plan option for coverage of treatments, procedures, and other costs related to both accidents and illnesses. Those covered conditions can include broken bones, bite wounds, toxic ingestions, chronic conditions, hip dysplasia, ligament issues, cancer, and similar issues.

The Extra Care Pack comes with coverage for extra unexpected costs, including third-party property damage up to $10,000, lost-pet advertising and reward money, emergency boarding costs if you’re hospitalized, vacation cancellation fees if your pet’s treatments cause you to change plans, replacement costs if your pet is lost or stolen, and end-of-life expenses.

Figo offers vet visit and exam fee coverage for an additional cost per month, and it also provides wellness care coverage options at two levels and prices to help pay for vaccinations, annual checkups, and more.

Learn More: Figo Pet Insurance Review

ASPCA

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance is our top pick for new pet owners in Iowa. The compans includes  wealth of pet resources on its website, from information about specific cat or dog breeds to common pet illnesses and remedies. Its accident-only and accident-and-illness policies are highly customizable, with five annual coverage limit options, three deductible options, and three reimbursement options. 

• Our score: 89 out of 100
• Insures horses, cats, and dogs 
• Provides a 10% multi-pet discount
• Underwritten by Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group, which has over 25 years of experience in the industry

ASPCA Pros and Cons

✔ Doesn’t require a vet exam to qualify for coverage

✔ Includes microchipping coverage in its base plan

✔ Covers exam fees for accidents and illnesses

✘ Has a maximum annual coverage limit of $10,000, lower than other providers

✘ Doesn’t provide vet assistance or customer service on weekends or past 8 p.m. ET on weeknights

ASPCA Plans and Coverage

ASPCA customers can choose between an accident-only and accident-and-illness plan (referred to as Complete Coverage). The accident-only plan is basic and affordable. It includes reimbursement for care related to an injury or accident, such as broken bones, bite wounds, and toxic ingestions. The Complete Coverage plan is more comprehensive, covering everything from the accident-only plan plus illnesses and conditions such as cancer, hip dysplasia, arthritis, diabetes, certain infections, and digestive issues, hereditary conditions.

ASPCA also has a preventive care add-on. It’s offered at two levels that each reimburse routine vet visits up to a set annual limit (Basic up to $250 and Prime up to $450). This includes services such as vaccinations, wellness checkups, and dental cleanings. 

Learn More: ASPCA Pet Insurance Review

Fetch Pet Insurance

Fetch is a popular choice among pet owners seeking more holistic treatment coverage for their pets, with options for homeopathy, stem cell therapy, and more.

• Our score: 91.5 out of 100
• Provides a 10% discount for adopted pets from shelters or rescues, as well as up to 10% off for licensed medical service animals
• Offers a 30-day money-back policy
• Covers dental illness as well as dental injury

While Fetch offers holistic coverage, it can often quote larger or older pets higher premiums than its competitors, which caused us to dock points when reviewing the company’s terms and conditions.

Fetch Pet Insurance Pros and Cons

✔ Covers up to $1,000 of veterinary telehealth bills for virtual visits
✔ Provides up to $1,000 of behavioral therapy coverage
✔ Doesn’t have age limits on coverage

✘ Requires a vet exam from the past six months before you can enroll your pet in coverage
✘ Has a lengthy 15-day waiting period for accidents and illness

Fetch Pet Insurance Plans and Coverage

The accident and illness plan covers tests like X-rays, ultrasounds, CAT scans, and MRIs along with costs for boarding kennel fees if you are sick or hospitalized and can’t take care of your pet, prescription medications, sick visits exam fees, treatment for chronic and hereditary conditions, specialist treatments, and more.

Fetch will not cover expenses for routine, wellness, or preventative care, pre-existing conditions, or cosmetic procedures.

Learn More: Fetch Pet Insurance Review

Healthy Paws

Healthy Paws is a great option for pet parents who want one straightforward plan with no coverage limits and want to work with a company that has a long history of charity work for animals.

• Our score: 93.5 out of 100
• Coverage caps have no annual, per-incident, or lifetime limits
• Mobile app provides pet health and training tips
• Has donated more than $1 million toward ending pet homelessness

Healthy Paws had points deducted in our research for its long waiting period as well as for its lack of customization options.

Healthy Paws Pros and Cons

✔ Each filled-out quote provides a donation to charity
✔ The site’s pricing comparison tool will direct you to other pet insurance providers if it deems your quote to be high
✔ Provides a direct deposit option that gives quick reimbursement for claims

✘ Doesn’t provide add-on options for routine and preventative care
✘ Has a 12-month waiting period for hip dysplasia coverage

Healthy Paws Plans and Coverage

The unlimited coverage on Healthy Paws’ plan includes items like diagnostic tests, surgery, hospitalization, imaging, prescription medications, and chronic, congenital, and hereditary conditions. Thanks to its lack of coverage caps, all eligible treatments, testing, accidents, and illnesses will be covered for the duration of your policy.

Healthy Paws does not cover any routine or preventative care costs, exam fees, pre-existing conditions, elective procedures, spaying, or neutering. In addition, pets must wait 12 months after enrollment before becoming eligible for hip dysplasia treatment.

Learn More: Healthy Paws Pet Insurance Review

We recommend getting quotes from at least three pet insurance providers before making a decision.

*Based on sample quotes for a mixed 4-year-old dog in Des Moines, Iowa

Based on sample quotes we received from each provider, pet insurance in Iowa costs $13–$67 per month for dogs and $8–$34 per month for cats.

Many factors affect your monthly premium, including the following:

• Customization: Choosing a higher deductible rate, lower reimbursement rate, and lower coverage cap can reduce your payments on premiums. For example, choosing unlimited coverage, a $250 deductible, and a 90% reimbursement rate with Fetch for a mixed-breed 4-year-old dog would result in a monthly premium of $94.30. Lowering the coverage cap to $5,000 and the reimbursement rate to 70%, along with raising the deductible to $500, would result in a monthly premium of $26.94.
• Breed: Dogs like German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Boxers are more likely to develop certain types of cancer, while larger dog breeds are at a higher risk for hip dysplasia, an expensive-to-treat condition. These can make certain breeds more expensive to insure.
• Species: Pet insurance for dogs is more expensive than pet insurance for cats due to the frequency of dogs developing health conditions as they age.
• Discounts: Many providers, such as Lemonade, ASPCA and Embrace, offer reduced rates for insuring multiple furry friends. They also offer other discounts for military members, people adopted pets, and customers who go each year without making a claim.

If you’re looking for lower prices on coverage and a variety of add-on options, Lemonade may suit your needs, while Embrace offers a larger range of deductibles and credits for healthy pets. If your pet has behavioral or alternative treatment needs, Fetch covers a wide scope of therapies.

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The This Old House Reviews Team is dedicated to thorough, in-depth reviews of each product or service that we detail in our content. Determined to build trust with our readers through transparency, accuracy, and accountability, we’ve built a detailed rating system to score pet insurance brands. Included in this methodology are the following six factors with their respective scoring weights:

• Coverage (25)
• Plan options (20)
• Monthly cost (20)
• Company reputation (15)
• Customer service (10)
• Species eligibility (10)

Our researchers keep all data in each company’s score up to date, making any changes to our content when necessary to provide our readers with the most accurate information on relevant metrics, such as plan options, customer service, reputation, and monthly cost.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.