Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion Comparison

A sick or injured pet can break your heart — and your finances. Investing in a pet insurance plan can drastically decrease unexpected veterinary bills. In recent years, there’s been an influx of pet insurance providers on the market to help pet owners care for their four-legged friends.

Two of the leading pet insurance companies are Trupanion and Healthy Paws. This guide will compare Trupanion vs. Healthy Paws coverage to help you decide which one is right for you and your pet.

In this comparison:

• Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion: Which is right for you?
• Where to find other pet insurance alternatives
• How we rated Healthy Paws and Trupanion Pet Insurance

Neither company covers pre-existing conditions. But Healthy Paws does offer coverage for an array of veterinary care services, including accidents, cancer, surgery, emergency care, and hospitalizations. It has no annual limit or lifetime coverage caps, so you’ll be covered in most scenarios.

Healthy Paws has an annual deductible, which can be beneficial if your pet experiences any issues in that year, but expensive if your pet has a chronic condition. Healthy Paws earned a LendEDU rating of 3.8 out of 5. You can learn more in our Healthy Paws Pet Insurance review.

In addition to standard pet health insurance policies, Trupanion covers many hereditary conditions, congenital conditions, illnesses, hospital stays, and unidentified issues. It has an unlimited lifetime per condition deductible, so you’re not stuck paying for a chronic condition every year.

Trupanion’s policy premiums vary by location, and it offers customizable add-ons, but due to many of its inclusions, premiums may be higher than other carriers. Trupanion earned a LendEDU rating of 4.4 out of 5. You can learn more in our Trupanion Pet Insurance Review.

Healthy Paws vs. Trupanion: Which is right for you?

Pet insurance companies tend to offer similar coverage and rates, so it can be tough to choose one that will fit your pet’s needs specifically. However, if you dig deep enough, there are subtle differences in each policy.

Below, we’ve outlined some scenarios where either Healthy Paws or Trupanion may be better.

• If you need prescription food
• If your pet is younger than eight weeks
• If you want alternative care covered
• If you have a breed prone to hip dysplasia
• If you want insurance to pay your vet directly

If you need prescription food: Trupanion

If your veterinarian recommends prescription food for the treatment of an illness or injury, Trupanion will cover 50% of the cost for up to two months. Although, it does not cover prescription food for preventative or routine care.

Healthy Paws doesn’t reimburse any expenses related to special diets or foods. 

If your pet is younger than eight weeks: Trupanion

If you want to insure your puppy or kitten immediately, Healthy Paws has a minimum age limit of eight weeks, whereas, you can take out a policy from Trupanion regardless of your pet’s age.

If you want alternative care covered: Healthy Paws

With Healthy Paws, rehabilitative and alternative care like acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and chiropractic therapy is included in the policy as long as your pet is recovering from an accident or illness.

For alternative care, Trupanion has a Recovery and Complementary Care rider for an extra cost. In addition to acupuncture, hydrotherapy, and chiropractic treatment, it covers behavioral modification, homeopathy, and naturopathy.

Note that prosthetic devices and carts are included in the core policy.

If you have a breed prone to hip dysplasia: Trupanion

Hip dysplasia is common in large dogs, but it can also happen in cats. Hip dysplasia is covered in Trupanion’s core policy, but Healthy Paws only covers costs 12 months after the policy effective date and before your pet turns age six.

If you want insurance to pay your vet directly: Trupanion

Trupanion boasts the ability to pay your veterinarian hospital directly within five minutes, so you don’t have to wait for a reimbursement check.

As long as it is a participating hospital and you pay your portion of the vet bill, Trupanion will take care of the rest without paperwork or calls on your behalf. This could prevent you from having to deal with out-of-pocket costs in an emergency situation.

While Healthy Paws does offer to pay your veterinarian directly, it is subject to their business hours and processing a claim, which might not be as seamless as Trupanion’s system. 

Where to find other pet insurance alternatives

Fortunately, when it comes to pet insurance, you have a lot of options. There are many pet insurance companies and pet wellness care plans on the market in addition to Trupanion and Healthy Paws, so you may want to consider other options before deciding which is right for your furry friend.

You can read our guide to the best pet insurance companies to compare more options. You may also be interested in our Healthy Paws vs. Embrace comparison.

How we rated Healthy Paws and Trupanion Pet Insurance

Trupanion earned a LendEDU rating of 4.4 out of 5. Healthy Paws earned a LendEDU rating of 3.8 out of 5.

LendEDU uses multiple data points, such as coverage, cost, customer reviews, discounts, and more to rate pet insurance companies.