Best Pet Insurance in Michigan

Pets are family—and as pet parents, we want to provide the same level of care for our four-legged friends as we would any other loved one. But veterinary care is growing more expensive, especially when it comes to emergency accidents or illness.

Protecting your pet with pet insurance in Michigan could mean not having to make the hard decision of going into extreme debt or forgoing the care your pet needs.

Below, we’ll examine typical vet costs in Michigan, how much pet insurance costs in the Great Lake State, and how to choose the best pet insurance in Michigan to keep your dog or cat safe and healthy, no matter your financial situation.

In this guide:

• Why pet insurance is important in Michigan
• How much is pet insurance in Michigan vs. the U.S.?
• Pet insurance costs in Michigan by city
• The best pet insurance in Michigan
• FAQ

Why pet insurance is important in Michigan

The average cost of caring for cats and dogs is on the rise, and veterinary care—for wellness, preventive, and emergency care—is a leading cause of the increase. According to the 2022 Pet Parent Pulse study by MetLife, 84% of pet parents have seen overall pet expenses rise.

Emergency vet visits often range from $800 to $1,500, according to MetLife, and even routine and preventive care costs are cutting into budgets:

• Dog parents are spending an average of $225 per year on routine care and $185 per year on preventive care.
• Cat parents are spending an average of $160 per year on routine care and $140 per year on preventive care.

In Michigan, it costs an average of $63.95 just to take your dog in for an office visit, per data from Banfield Pet Hospital; that’s before any care is offered.

That’s why pet insurance in Michigan can be useful. Across the best pet insurance companies, you can find pet insurance policies that cover accidents or accidents and illness.

You can also purchase pet wellness coverages and add-ons if you want preventive treatments. For instance, you can get pet insurance that covers dental cleanings or pet insurance that includes vaccines, and you can even add end-of-life coverages. Such policies are more expensive.

You may also find policies that cover expenses like flea meds and heartworm preventives. Both are important for pets in Michigan, but it may make more sense to pay for preventive care out of pocket.

How much is pet insurance in Michigan vs. the U.S.?

The average cost of pet insurance in Michigan is $43.01 a month across both dogs and cats. Accident-only policies are more affordable, at $23.49 a month, while accident and illness policies typically cost Michiganders $46.26.

Of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., Michigan pet insurance policies are the 11th most affordable. The average cost nationwide is $48.60—$5.59 more each month than Michigan pet parents pay.

Tip

Cat insurance tends to be cheaper than dog insurance. This is true not just in Michigan but across the United States.

Pet insurance costs in Michigan by city

Pet insurance costs don’t just fluctuate by state. Where you live within that state can also affect the overall cost.

We ran quotes at three pet insurance companies for the same dog (a three-year-old, 40-pound, male mixed breed named Dave—he’s adorable; you’d love him!) with basic coverage* in three cities in Michigan to see how your city might affect the price. Here’s what we found:

• Pet insurance costs in Lansing, Michigan: $45.20 per month average
• Pet insurance costs in Detroit, Michigan: $41.31 per month average
• Pet insurance costs in Kalamazoo, Michigan: $34.82 per month average

*$10,000 limit, $500 deductible, 80% reimbursement rate

Tip

Location is just one of many factors affecting pet insurance prices. The breed and age of your pet and the type of policy you select can all have a major impact on overall costs.

The best pet insurance in Michigan

Click the insurer name in the table to go right to the corresponding section below:

Provider	Best…
Lemonade	For fast claims
Fetch	Coverage
Spot	Variety of terms
Embrace	For quick coverage
Trupanion	For direct payments

Lemonade – Best for fast claims

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4.7 out of 5 stars

• Low prices and multiple discounts
• Easy digital-first platform
• Fast claims process is powered by AI

Lemonade offers some of the best pet insurance in Michigan: Monthly premiums start as low as $10 per month, and you can get discounts by bundling home and auto or insuring multiple pets. But it’s not all just about cost; we also like Lemonade because of its easy-to-use online platform and super-fast claims process.

Don’t just take our word for it. Lemonade garners high praise through customer reviews on sites such as Trustpilot and the App Store, and it takes a helpful a la carte approach to choosing coverage, with affordable add-ons for vet visits, physical therapy, behavioral conditions, dental illnesses, and end-of-life expenses.

The two-day accident waiting period is also one of the best in the industry. Just note the cruciate ligament event waiting period. It’s a common leg injury in dogs, and you’ll have to wait six months before it’s covered.

• Annual coverage: $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100, $250, $500, or $750
• Waiting period: 14 days for illness and 30 days for orthopedic conditions (no accident waiting periods)
• Eligible pets: Cats and dogs 

Read our Lemonade pet insurance review for more details.

Fetch – Best coverage

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4.9 out of 5 stars

• Convenient coverage, including virtual and at-home visits
• Coverage for breed-specific issues, dental, and cancer
• No lifetime limits

Fetch may not offer Michiganders the most affordable pet insurance coverage, but it certainly gives Michigan pet parents the most comprehensive coverage. And it’s not complicated, either; everything—from ultrasounds and CT scans to swallowed objects and gum disease to cancer treatment and separation anxiety—is covered under one plan.

You can make your Fetch pet insurance plan even more comprehensive by opting for wellness coverage at three different tiers. We also like the option for at-home and virtual care reimbursement.

To keep the policy active, you’ll have to take your pet to the vet once a year for an annual checkup. The annual coverage limit also maxes at $15,000; when it comes to certain treatments—cancer, for example—you might find that’s not enough.

• Annual coverage: $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $300, $500, or $700
• Waiting period: Up to 15 days for accident and illness and 6 months for hip and knee injuries
• Eligible pets: Cats and dogs

Read our Fetch pet insurance review for more details.

Spot – Best variety of terms

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4.5 out of 5 stars

• 105 different policy combinations
• Around-the-clock pet helpline for worried pet parents
• Affordable pricing and a terrific multi-pet discount

If you like the power of choice, you’ll love Spot pet insurance. Michigan pet parents have 105 combinations to choose from when selecting policies for their four-legged companions (but don’t worry, the website makes the process easy!).

Another cool—albeit expensive—option: You can choose unlimited reimbursement. That means, no matter how expensive your pet’s care gets in a single year, you’ll never run out of benefits. If you’re worried about how you’ll pay for expensive care that reaches tens of thousands of dollars, Spot could be an attractive choice.

And with multiple options for preventive care, you can make sure your furry friend is completely covered.

• Annual coverage: $2,500, $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000, or unlimited
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
• Waiting period: 14 days for accidents and illnesses
• Eligible pets: Cats and dogs

Read our Spot pet insurance review for more details.

Embrace – Best for quick coverage

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4.7 out of 5 stars

• Accident coverage in just 2 days
• Option for pre-existing conditions
• Unlimited reimbursement available

Embrace is another top-rated pet insurance provider for Michigan pet parents, with a staggering number of positive reviews on sites such as Trustpilot. It’s easy to see why people love Embrace: You can get accident coverage for your pet in just 48 hours, and you can choose unlimited reimbursement.

Embrace has been protecting pets for nearly two decades and is now known for its customizable policies, 24/7 pet helpline, and multi-pet discount.

Most notable, however, is Embrace’s pet insurance for pre-existing conditions. Plenty of fine print comes with this, but Embrace is one of the only insurers to offer any coverage path forward if your pet has already developed a chronic condition before you apply for insurance.

• Annual coverage: $5,000, $8,000, $10,000, $15,000, or unlimited
• Reimbursement: 70%, 80%, or 90%
• Deductible: $100, $250, $500, $750, or $1,000
• Waiting period: 2 days for accidents, 14 days for illnesses, and 6 months for orthopedic conditions (14 days with waiver)
• Eligible pets: Cats and dogs

Read our Embrace pet insurance review for more details.

Trupanion – Best for direct payments

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4.4 out of 5 stars

• Direct payment to vet (no waiting for reimbursement)
• Unlimited payouts for the life of your pet
• No price increases for aging pets

Trupanion offers Michigan pet parents a different kind of pet insurance: You’ll have no coverage limit for the life of your pet. For instance, if your pet develops a chronic issue early on, you’ll pay one single deductible, and it’s covered from there on out.

You’ll pay separate deductibles for each medical issue, though. If your pet has several health problems, Trupanion could be more expensive. But if they develop one or two ongoing problems, Trupanion could be your saving grace.

Trupanion also offers a single level of reimbursement: 90%. Trupanion doesn’t increase prices as your pets age, and it’s the only provider on our list of the best pet insurance in Michigan that offers direct payment to vets—meaning you don’t have to wait days (or weeks!) to get reimbursed.

• Annual coverage: Unlimited
• Reimbursement: 90%
• Deductible: $0 to $1,000
• Waiting period: 5 days for injuries, 30 days for illnesses
• Eligible pets: Cats and dogs

Read our Trupanion pet insurance review for more details.

FAQ

Is pet insurance mandatory in Michigan?

Pet insurance is not mandatory in Michigan, but it can be well worth the cost if you want to ensure you can provide all the medical care your dog or cat needs—without taking on debt or draining your savings.

If I have pet insurance and want to switch companies, how easy it to do that?

Canceling your pet insurance may be as easy as calling your current insurer and asking to cancel the policy or ending the policy on the insurer’s website. And you can get new pet insurance quotes from insurers in Michigan and choose your preferred option.

Ideally, you shouldn’t cancel your current policy until you’ve enrolled in the new policy—and made it past any waiting periods, to be safe.

However, switching pet insurance policies may be unwise once your pet has started to age. Most pet insurance policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions—so a condition covered by your current policy may not be covered if you switch and start over with a new company.

Review our guide to pet insurance and pre-existing conditions to learn more.

Can I use my current veterinarian with these insurance providers?

Unlike human health insurance, which has in-network and out-of-network doctors, pet insurance typically lets you choose your vet. As long as the vet is licensed, your pet insurance policy should apply to covered treatments at the veterinary office.

How does Michigan pet insurance work if I travel out of state?

Pet insurance plans do not have networks like traditional human insurance, so your pet is covered at vets no matter which state you travel to. Just because you live in Michigan doesn’t mean you can’t get covered treatments for your pet reimbursed in neighboring states such as Indiana or Ohio.

Are there any seasonal factors in Michigan that should make me consider specific coverage options?

Michigan is a state with vast outdoors to explore and extreme temperatures in the winter and summer. Choose a Michigan pet insurance policy with solid coverage for injuries that might happen on hikes but also coverage for climate-related illnesses, such as frostbite and hypothermia in the winter and heatstroke in the summer.

Michigan’s summer climate is also ideal for ticks and fleas, so be sure your pet is treated year-round. Your pet insurance policy should also include coverage for diseases caused by these pests, such as lyme disease.

In 2022, a parvovirus-like illness spread through Michigan. It’s important to keep up with vaccines and take your dog to the vet immediately if something seems off. If you don’t want to budget for vaccinations, choose a pet insurance policy that includes preventive care.