Pumpkin & Pets Best: Key Differences

While Pumpkin and Pets Best both offer pet insurance plans for accidents & illnesses and optional wellness packages or plans, there are some key coverage differences you should be aware of when choosing which provider is right for you and your pet. Let’s dig in…

Pumpkin plans cover treatment for parasite infections. Pets Best plans don’t.

Heartworms, ticks, fleas, and intestinal parasites (or worms) are year-round threats to dogs and cats across the US, indoors and out. While routine vaccines and preventive meds can help protect against some parasites and catch infections early, research shows that most dogs and cats will suffer from a parasite-borne illness in their lifetime.¹⁷ For these reasons, Pumpkin Pet Insurance plans cover treatment for parasite infections. Pets Best pet insurance plans do not offer this coverage.

Pumpkin plans cover Rx food & supplements. Pets Best plans don’t.

Rx food & supplements can be very helpful for pets suffering from a range of illnesses, from kidney disease to diabetes. That’s why Pumpkin insurance plans cover any food or supplement prescribed to treat a covered condition (and not for general health or weight maintenance). Pets Best insurance plans don’t offer coverage for Rx food or supplements at all.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover take-home Rx medications.

Pumpkin insurance plans cover take-home medication prescribed by a vet to treat a covered accident or illness. This coverage is automatically included in your plan. With Pets Best insurance plans, coverage for take-home Rx medications is an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an extra monthly fee to include it. In addition, this optional coverage is limited to a list of approved meds determined by Pets Best. If your vet prescribes a take-home Rx medication that is not on their list, it will not be covered.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover vet exam fees for accidents & illnesses.

Pumpkin insurance plans cover vet exam fees for accidents & illnesses as a basic benefit. This can be a huge cost saver since these fees are included in nearly every vet bill. With Pets Best insurance plans, coverage for vet exam fees is an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an additional monthly fee to include it.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover rehab therapies for accidents & illnesses.

With more vets using rehab therapies like hydrotherapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic to help pets recover from orthopedic injuries and manage chronic conditions like arthritis and hip dysplasia, having coverage for advanced and alternative rehab therapies can drastically change a pet’s quality of life. Pumpkin insurance plans include this coverage as a basic benefit. With Pets Best insurance plans, it’s an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an additional monthly fee to include it.

Pumpkin plans don’t have a list of preventive care requirements for coverage.

Pets Best insurance plans require that you take a series of preventive care measures with your pet. These include following their vaccination guidelines (unless your vet advises otherwise) and any vaccine or preventive medication recommendations from your vet to protect against illness (e.g. parasite preventatives). Regarding these items, their policy states, “We do not pay claims for conditions that result from failure to comply with these requirements.” While we encourage you to get your pet vaccinated and take your vet’s preventive care recos, your Pumpkin insurance plan would not decline to pay a claim for a serious illness like parvovirus or lyme disease because they missed a vaccine or dose of preventive medication!

All pets 8 weeks & up are eligible to enroll in a Pumpkin plan, regardless of their health.

We believe every pet parent – regardless of their pet’s health – should be able to enroll in accident & illness insurance, and with a Pumpkin plan, they can. This isn’t the case with Pets Best insurance plans. When you request a quote online, they ask “Has your pet ever shown symptoms, received treatment for, or been diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, Cushing’s Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Feline Leukemia or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus?” If you answer yes, you’re only given the option to enroll in accident insurance. While Pumpkin plans (and most other providers’ plans) wouldn’t be able to cover those specific pre-existing conditions, they would be able to cover any new and unrelated illnesses that occur in the future.

Pumpkin plans don’t have a 180-day waiting period for cruciate ligament events.

Cruciate ligament events AKA knee ligament conditions or injuries are very common and can happen at any age. If surgery is needed to repair a ligament, it can cost thousands. With Pets Best insurance plans, you have to wait 6 months after you enroll to be eligible for this coverage. Pumpkin insurance plans don’t have an extended waiting period for cruciate ligament conditions. It’s the same as for all conditions: 14 days or less, depending on your state.*

It’s ALWAYS possible to get full value each year from Pumpkin’s optional wellness package.

Pumpkin’s wellness package is called Preventive Essentials. It’s not insurance, but an optional benefit you can add to your insurance plan for a monthly fee. Designed to help you plan and pay for crucial routine care that vets recommend, Preventive Essentials gives you a 100% refund each year for your pet’s annual wellness exam (we cover the exam fee), key vaccine(s), and important parasite screenings test(s). To get full value from your package each year – all you have to do is use these 3 benefits.

Pets Best offers 2 optional wellness plans – EssentialWellness is the lower-priced option, and BestWellness is the higher-priced option. Both wellness plans can be added to your insurance plan for a monthly fee and offer reimbursement for 10 or 12 different services up to a capped amount per service, per year. The reimbursement amount per service depends on the state in which you and your pet reside. These plans can be helpful if you use most of the services offered, but not everything on the menu is a typical yearly expense (e.g., deworming, microchipping, spaying/neutering). Whatever benefits you don’t use in the year term, you lose – there are no carryovers.

Compare Plans


Type of Insurance	Accident & Illness	Accident & Illness
Reimbursement Rate	80% or 90% of covered vet bills	70%, 80%, or 90% of covered vet bills
Annual Coverage Limit	$5k-unlimited	$5k to unlimited
Deductible	Annual Deductible with flexible pricing options	Annual Deductible with flexible pricing options
Illness Waiting Period	14 days in most states*	14 days in most states*
Accident Waiting Period	14 days in most states*	3 days in most states*; 180 days for cruciate ligament events
All Pets Ages 8 Wks. & Up Are Eligible to Enroll
All Pets Eligible to Enroll, Regardless of Health
Hereditary & Congenital Conditions
Chronic Conditions
Behavioral Issues		Yes, but limited to behavioral consults with and/or Rx meds prescribed by a licensed vet
Dental Illnesses, including Periodontal Disease		Yes, but a vet-administered teeth cleaning under general anesthesia is required for pets ages 3+ in the 13 mos. prior to the periodontal disease claim service date
Preventable Conditions		Only if the condition occurs despite following their vaccination guidelines and your vet’s preventive medication & vaccine recommendations
Parasite Infections
Exam Fees for Accident & Illness Related Vet Visits		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Diagnostics, including Radiology & Lab Tests
Surgery, Emergency Services & Hospitalization
Specialized Care
Rehab Therapies, including Acupuncture & Chiropractic		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Prescription Meds		Take-home prescription medication coverage is an optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Prescription Supplements to Treat Covered Conditions
Prescription Food to Treat Covered Conditions
Microchip Implantation		^*
End of Life Services		Limited to euthanasia
Wellness Package / Plan	*Preventive Essentials package:* (Not insurance, but an optional add-on) 100% refund of the following routine care services each year: + 1 Annual Wellness Exam Fee + 4 Vaccines for Puppies, 2 for Dogs, 1 for Cats + 1 Fecal “Poop” Test for Intestinal Worms + 1 Blood Test for Heartworm & Tick Diseases or Heartworm Only (for Dogs)	*EssentialWellness plan:* Reimburses a set amount per service per year from a list of 10 different routine care services *BestWellness plan:* Reimburses a set amount per service per year from a list of 11 different routine care services Reimbursement amounts vary by state
Discount for Multiple Pets	10% off for each additional pet	5% off for each additional pet
Money Back Guarantee	30 days, as long as you have not received approval or payment for a claim (except in NY)	30 days, as long as you have not received approval or payment for a claim (except in NY)
Claims Submission Period	270 days (in states that permit time restrictions)	180 days (in states that permit time restrictions)