Pets Best vs Spot
Spot wins for most dogs on score and orthopedic speed: 8.3/10 against 8.1 for Pets Best, with no separate orthopedic or cruciate wait beyond its 14-day illness period. Pets Best holds cruciate ligament events for 6 months unless a participating veterinarian certifies the pet. Spot offers the widest limit menu here, from $2,500 to unlimited, and treats both knees as linked.
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
| Pets Best | Spot | |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial score (dogs) | 8.1/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Annual limit | $5k-unlimited | $2.5k-unlimited |
| Deductible | Annual, $50/$100/$200/$250/$500/$1,000 | Annual, $100/$250/$500/$750/$1,000 |
| Reimbursement options | 70%, 80% or 90% | 70%, 80% or 90% |
| Accident wait | 3 days (waivable entirely with a qualifying vet exam submitted within 30 days of enrollment) | 14 days (next-day in select states) |
| Illness wait | 14 days | 14 days |
| Orthopedic / cruciate wait | 6 months for cruciate ligament events. Waiting periods may be reduced or waived when a participating veterinarian certifies the pet (exam up to 3 days before or 7 days after the effective date; form back within 30 days of the exam) | No separate orthopedic or cruciate wait , the standard 14-day illness period applies |
| Wellness add-on | Available | Available |
| Direct vet pay | No, reimbursement only | No, reimbursement only |
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
Pets Best: Not covered, standard exclusion for signs shown before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Spot: Not covered, standard exclusion for signs shown before enrollment or during the waiting period.
Choose Pets Best if
You want a short accident wait or you are insuring a cat. Pets Best scores 8.4 against Spot at 8.2 for cats and waits 3 days for accidents, waivable with a qualifying vet exam. Cruciate events wait 6 months unless a participating veterinarian certifies the pet. Exam fees cost extra on the base Essential plan.
Choose Spot if
You want orthopedic coverage sooner, or you want to tune the annual cap precisely. Spot applies no separate orthopedic wait beyond the 14-day illness period, scores 8.3/10 for dogs, and sells caps from $2,500 to unlimited. Accidents wait 14 days, next-day in select states. Two warnings: the same flexibility makes Spot the easiest plan to under-buy, and a prior cruciate injury on one side excludes the other.
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.