Lemonade vs Healthy Paws
Healthy Paws is the better choice for most dogs: it is our top-scored plan at 9.3/10 and pays out with no annual cap. Its accident wait is 15 days in most states (no wait for accident-related conditions in a named group of states). The tradeoffs: as of August 2026 Lemonade is not sold in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming, has a 30-day orthopedic wait currently advertised for new coverage (check your state policy), and caps out at $100,000 a year. Quote your ZIP. For most owners who want the deepest coverage, Healthy Paws wins this head-to-head.
Get a Lemonade quote
Lemonade is the one insurer on this site we can send you to for a live quote. That does not make it the right plan for every pet. As of October 2, 2026, Lemonade Pet is not yet available in Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, or Wyoming.
Get a quote from LemonadeSide by side
| Lemonade | Healthy Paws | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score (dogs) | 9/10 | 9.3/10 |
| Annual limit | $100k | Unlimited |
| Deductible | Fully customizable, $100 to $750 (up to $1,000 on some policies) | One annual deductible, chosen at enrollment: $100, $250, $500 or $1,000 |
| Reimbursement options | 70%, 80% or 90% | 70%, 80% or 90% |
| Accident wait | Current marketing: no accident wait from the effective date, at 12:01 AM the day after purchase. State and policy terms can differ; check your policy | 15 days after the policy effective date in most states. 0 days in CA, DE, FL, HI, LA, MD, ME, MS, MT, NE, NH, OH, PA, RI, VT, WA for accident-related conditions (those states still apply a 15-day wait to illness, injury and orthopedic conditions not from an accident) |
| Illness wait | 14 days | 15 days after the policy effective date |
| Orthopedic / cruciate wait | Current marketing: 30 days, including cruciate injuries. The general FAQ also describes policies with a 6-month cruciate wait; your state and policy documents control | Hip dysplasia waits 12 months in most states for pets enrolled at age 5 or below, or 30 days in CA, DE, FL, HI, LA, MD, ME, MS, MT, NE, NH, OH, PA, RI, VT and WA (depends on state). Pets enrolled at 6 or older are not covered for hip dysplasia at all |
| Wellness add-on | Available | Not offered |
| Direct vet pay | No, reimbursement only | Yes (VetDirect Pay) |
Compare current quotes for the same pet and ZIP code, using the same deductible, reimbursement rate, annual limit, and add-ons. Older catalog price examples do not establish which insurer costs less today.
Pre-existing conditions
Lemonade: Base accident-and-illness coverage excludes conditions that showed signs before enrollment or during the waiting period. In most states, temporary or curable pre-existing conditions or injuries can be covered again after 12 consecutive months without recurrent symptoms or continued treatment. Chronic conditions and knee or ligament conditions cannot be covered as curable pre-existing conditions. Where offered, the separate Dental Care add-on covers pre-existing dental conditions; Dental Illness excludes them. The end-of-life add-on can cover vet-recommended euthanasia due to a pre-existing condition, subject to its terms.
Healthy Paws: Not covered. A condition counts as pre-existing if it showed any sign, even undiagnosed, before your policy started or during the 15-day waiting period. If one knee's cruciate ligament was hurt before enrollment or during the wait, the other knee's cruciate is excluded too.
Choose Lemonade if
You want Lemonade's optional add-ons and live in a state where it is sold. Its claims run through the app. Just go in knowing the currently advertised orthopedic wait is 30 days, including cruciate injuries (check your state policy) and the annual cap, while configurable up to $100,000, is not unlimited.
Choose Healthy Paws if
You want the strongest core coverage and do not care about wellness add-ons. Healthy Paws pays out with no annual limit and scores highest in our rankings at 9.3/10. Accident cover waits 15 days in most states. The catches: no wellness option at any tier, premiums climb steeply after age eight, and dogs enrolled at 6 or older are not covered for hip dysplasia at all.
The exclusions cheat sheet
A plain-English guide to waiting periods and key exclusions across eight insurers, with links to the full reviews.
Questions
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Written by the WhichPetPlan editorial team. Scores are our own editorial ratings, not an industry standard. See our methodology for how scores are set.