CostByBreedThe two policies side by side, from each insurer's own documents, captured on October 27, 2026. This page does not crown a winner. It lines up the terms that decide claims, so the difference between the two is visible.
| Policy point | Trupanion | Embrace |
|---|---|---|
| Accident waiting period | 5 days for injuries | 2 days in the V5 sample policy. Note: Embrace's current waiting-period page says accident coverage starts on the policy effective date, with no extra waiting period, which conflicts with the V5 policy wording. |
| Illness waiting period | 30 days for illnesses | 14 days |
| Orthopedic waiting period | No separate longer orthopedic period in the disclosure checked; illnesses are 30 days and injuries are 5 days, and Trupanion states it has no extended waiting periods in its comparison pages. | 6 months for orthopedic conditions for dogs in the V5 sample policy, reducible on review of a vet orthopedic exam to 2 days for accidents or 14 days for illnesses, or the exam date, whichever is later. State pages vary: some states have a 30 day period for IVDD, cruciate, patellar luxation and hip dysplasia, with other orthopedic conditions at 14 days, and cats at 14 days. |
| Hereditary and congenital conditions | Covered. Trupanion's puppy and coverage pages list hereditary and congenital conditions, including breed-specific conditions such as hip dysplasia, as covered like any other illness, if not pre-existing. | Covered. Embrace says it covers congenital and hereditary conditions, including genetic and breed specific conditions, provided they are not pre-existing when the policy begins. Illness coverage in the V5 policy lists genetic conditions. |
| Two sided (bilateral) conditions | Trupanion's own cruciate FAQ says if a pet had cruciate problems on the same leg or the opposite leg 18 months prior to the policy effective date, they will be considered pre-existing and will not be covered. | If a pet had clinical signs of a bilateral condition on one side of the body before the end of the waiting period, future occurrences of the same condition on the other side will not be covered. The V5 policy gives the example of a cruciate tear in the left leg before the end of the waiting period making a later cruciate tear in the right leg a pre-existing condition. |
| Pre-existing conditions | Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Trupanion's disclosure defines them as conditions for which, before the policy effective date, a vet provided medical advice, the pet received previous treatment, or the pet had signs or symptoms directly related to the condition, from verifiable sources. No curable condition symptom-free re-instatement period was stated in the Trupanion policy disclosure or pages checked, so no cure window is recorded for Trupanion. | A pre-existing condition is a chronic condition observed before the end of the waiting period, or an illness or injury that first occurred or showed clinical signs before the end of the waiting period, including related and undiagnosed conditions with the same signs. Temporary, curable conditions are no longer treated as pre-existing after 12 consecutive months with no clinical signs and no treatment. Embrace's own pre-existing page says curable conditions are reevaluated after the pet has been symptom free and treatment free for 12 months. Chronic conditions are not cured under this rule. |
| Exam fees | Not covered. Trupanion's what-is-not-covered page lists exam fees and taxes as not included in the plan. | Offered as an option in current Embrace marketing, not described as standard on every policy. Embrace's own homepage says it offers the option to get vet exam fees reimbursed, up to $100 to $200 per visit. The V5 policy benefits list does include Physical Examination among reimbursable treatments. |
| Dental illness | Covered. Trupanion's puppy page lists dental coverage including tooth extractions, abscesses, fractures and gum disease. Its not-covered page says preventable dental problems that arise from missed routine cleanings are excluded. | Covered to a $1,000 annual maximum sub-limit per policy year in the V5 policy, for dental illness treatment except dental prophylaxis. Embrace's homepage states the same $1,000 per policy year limit for dental illnesses, while dental accidents are covered under the policy limit. |
| Age rules | Coverage can start at 8 weeks old, and pets can be enrolled at any time before their 14th birthday, according to Trupanion's age limits FAQ and kitten page. Once enrolled before 14, coverage continues for life. | Minimum enrollment age was not stated in the Embrace pages and policy checked. Embrace's own homepage says accident-only coverage is still offered for pets 15 years or older, which implies new accident and illness enrollment is not offered at that age. No other maximum was stated in the documents checked. |
| How claims are paid | Actual cost of veterinary treatment, at 90 percent coinsurance in the disclosure checked, after a per-condition lifetime deductible. Trupanion describes this as a lifetime per condition deductible: the deductible is met only once per condition for the pet's entire life. There are no payout caps in the pages checked. | Actual vet bill. The V5 policy defines Allowable Charges as the costs of the actual treatment provided, applies the annual deductible first, then applies the chosen reimbursement percentage to the remainder. |
| Direct payment to the vet | Yes. Trupanion offers VetDirect Pay at participating veterinary hospitals, paying the vet directly at checkout when available, according to its how-it-works page, which says the system is available in over eleven thousand veterinary hospitals across North America. | No direct payment to the vet stated. Embrace's own how-it-works page says reimbursement involves paying the vet bill upfront, submitting a claim, and receiving reimbursement by direct deposit. |
Their own published examples
Embrace: Embrace's Virginia page shows dog insurance starting at $56 per month and cat insurance starting at $33 per month, footnoted as based on internal Embrace claims data from 2025.
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