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Embrace vs. Pets Best: Which is Better for a Dog Owners?
Pawlicy Advisor has evaluated more than 1,000,000+ unique pet insurance quotes across the U.S. to help pet owners see which pet insurance best fits their needs.
Reviewed by: Kari Steere, Licensed Insurance Producer
Finding the right pet insurance for your dog means choosing coverage that accounts for higher risk of certain health issues like Ear Infections, Periodontal (Dental) Disease, Obesity, Allergic Skin Disease (Atopy), and Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tears.
Because some of these conditions can require costly diagnostics, surgery, or lifelong care, choosing the right pet insurance coverage is key. As a licensed broker, Pawlicy Advisor’s free comparison tool connects directly with Embrace and Pets Best to highlight key coverage details and help you choose the right pet insurance for your dog.
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At a Glance: Key Feature Comparison
Available with add-on
Yes (but only with the "Elite" plan)
Yes
Yes
2 days
3 days
180 days
180 days
14 days
14 days
10 days
5 days
No
Yes, with vet permission
Yes, offered through PawSupport via chat, call, and video.
Yes, Pets Best pet insurance offers a 24/7 Pet Helpline to policyholders, providing access to veterinary experts via phone, live chat, and email.
Coverage Breakdown
While both Embrace and Pets Best cover accidents and illnesses, it’s important to understand how their policies handle chronic, hereditary, and breed-specific conditions for dogs.
Exam Fee Coverage
Pet insurance may cover exam fees for a covered accident or illness. It’s important to note that this generally does not include routine care exams (though some plans offer separate “wellness” add-ons that can reimburse for routine/preventive care).
Does Embrace and/or Pets Best cover exam fees for a covered accident or illness?
- Embrace: Available with add-on
- Pets Best: Yes (but only with the "Elite" plan)
Hereditary and Congenital Conditions
Hereditary and congenital conditions are especially important for dogs because their breed is susceptible to Ear Infections, Periodontal (Dental) Disease, Obesity, Allergic Skin Disease (Atopy), and Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tears (which are all under this coverage category).
Does Embrace and/or Pets Best cover hereditary conditions?
- Embrace: Yes
- Pets Best: Yes
Pre-Existing Conditions
Generally, pet insurance policies do not cover pre-existing conditions (though some may cover “curable conditions” after a certain period with no recurring symptoms or treatments).
As a rule of thumb, if your dog was showing symptoms or received a diagnosis of a condition before enrolling in a pet insurance policy, or during the policy’s waiting period, that condition will not be covered.
For dogs, this includes early symptoms of any injuries or this includes early symptoms of any injuries or Ear Infections, Periodontal (Dental) Disease, Obesity, Allergic Skin Disease (Atopy), and Cranial Cruciate Ligament (CCL) tears.
Here’s how Embrace and Pets Best each define pre-existing conditions within their policies:
- Embrace: Any injury, illness, or irregularity noticed by you or your veterinarian before the end of your waiting period, even if your pet never went to see the vet for it. This includes conditions that are symptomatic or diagnosed before your policy started and through the waiting periods.
- Pets Best: Any Condition for which a Veterinarian provided medical advice, the Pet received treatment for, or the Pet displayed signs or symptoms consistent with the stated Condition prior to the effective date of a Pet insurance policy [Policy Effective Date] or during any Waiting Period.
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Plan Structure and Cost
How much you pay for coverage (also known as your “premium”) and how much you get reimbursed depend on your pet’s breed-specific health risks, veterinary costs in your area, and how you customize your policy.
Customization Options
One of the biggest factors in policy customization is the deductible, reimbursement rate, and annual coverage limit you select. Below are the available options from Embrace and Pets Best for your dog:
Annual Deductibles:
- Embrace: $100, $250, $500, $750, $1000 (higher deductibles may be available if requested)
- Pets Best: $100, $200, $250, $500, $1000 (higher deductibles may be available if requested)
Reimbursement Rates:
- Embrace: 70%, 80%, 90%
- Pets Best: 70%, 80%, 90%
Annual Coverage Limits:
- Embrace: $2,000; $5000; $8000; $10,000; $14,000; $15,000; $20,000; $30,000; Unlimited
- Pets Best: $5,000; $10,000; Unlimited
Discounts
Some pet insurance companies offer discounts! Here’s a look at some from Embrace and Pets Best:
Multi-Pet Discounts:
A discount is applied when a policyholder insures two (2) or more pets. This discount is applied to each additional pet insured in a plan.
- Embrace: 10%
- Pets Best: 5%
Veterinary Staff and Veterinary Student Discounts:
Discounts available to eligible Veterinary Clinic employees or veterinary students.
- Embrace: N/A
- Pets Best: 5%
Military Discounts:
Discount available to serving and retired members of the Armed Forces.
- Embrace: 5%, not available in NY or TN
- Pets Best: 5%
Waiting Periods and Eligibility
Waiting periods determine when conditions become eligible for reimbursement after enrollment. Eligible enrollment ages determine how old your dog must be at the time of enrollment to be eligible for coverage.
Disclaimer
The waiting periods provided on this page are for general reference and can vary from state to state as well as from company to company. Check the specific terms of your policy's details to confirm the actual effective date of coverage.
Waiting Period for Accidents:
- Embrace: 2 days
- Pets Best: 3 days
Waiting Period for Illnesses:
- Embrace: 14 days
- Pets Best: 14 days
Waiting Period for Hip Dysplasia:
- Embrace: 180 days
- Pets Best: 14 days
Waiting Period for Ligament Conditions:
- Embrace: 180 days
- Pets Best: 180 days
Eligible Enrollment Ages:
- Embrace minimum: 6 weeks
- Embrace maximum: 14 Years
- Pets Best minimum: 7 weeks
- Pets Best maximum: N/A
Health-Check & Preventive Treatment Requirements
Some pet insurance companies have requirements regarding initial health checks to be eligible for coverage.
Does Embrace and/orPets Best require baseline health check for coverage to kick in?
- Embrace: Embrace Pet Insurance requires that your pet be examined by a veterinarian in the twelve (12) months prior to the pet's original start date, or within fourteen (14) days of the pet's original start date. Failure to do so will result in your policy defaulting to an Accident Only policy. Meaning, you will have no illness coverage and illness premiums will be refunded. You may add illness coverage back into your policy once a qualifying veterinarian has examined your pet and detailed records for the exam are available to Embrace Pet Insurance. This will result in your Illness Waiting Period end date changing to the date of the first exam. No illness coverage is available until a qualifying veterinarian has examined your pet, and pre-existing conditions, if any, may be determined upon the date of the qualifying veterinarian's examination.
- Pets Best: While Pets Best does not require initial exams, waiting periods for cruciate ligament injuries may be reduced or waived when the health of your pet is certified by a participating veterinarian prior to coverage being purchased.
Does Embrace and/or Pets Best require an annual health check to maintain coverage?
- Embrace: No
- Pets Best: No
Does Embrace and/or Pets Best require any preventive treatment to be eligible for coverage?
- Embrace: Embrace requires pets to receive core vaccines, as defined by the American Animal Hospital Association, in order for coverage of those related illnesses to be kept.
- Pets Best: Dogs: distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, parvovirus, rabies, and any other condition for which vaccination was recommended by your veterinarian. Cats: leukemia, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, rabies, and any other condition for which vaccination was recommended by your veterinarian. Administer appropriate preventive medication as recommended by your veterinarian to protect against illness, including, but not limited to internal and external parasites."
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