When comparing pet insurance companies and plans there are number of factors you need to take into consideration. Probably the most basic thing you need to decide is what level of coverage you are interested in. Do you simply want some coverage in case of emergencies so that you'll never be stuck paying for a huge bill? Or do you want a more comprehensive plan that will cover checkups and more minor treatments? You can decide your personal needs in conjunction with your budget.

When comparing companies you need to look at quality of customer service, honesty in honoring payouts, and increases in premiums in future renewals. We will look at a few US-based companies below. For Canadian pet insurers click here.

One company is Hartville. They receive fairly standard average ratings. Some people like them, some don't, and others are in the middle. Some notable comments about them are that they insure older pets that other companies reject.  Other comments include the "fine print" of their coverage and exclusions, particularly recurring conditions. Hartville pays 80% of what it considers to be covered. Most customers seem to get back 50-60% of what they claim. They cover accidents but not illnesses, there is a $100 deductible, and their premiums are low, at $8.99/month for dog coverage. This is essentially just emergency insurance.

Another company at a higher price range is PetFirst. Their premiums are $24.95 per month to cover a pet dog, and deductible is $50. It covers accident and illness up to $7000. They are rated overwhelmingly positive in consumer reviews, for good customer service and hassle-free claim payment. The only negative reviews I have heard have been issues that are industry-wide, namely the non-coverage of longterm chronic illnesses. If you pet becomes sick with a chronic illness, for example diabetes, they will likely pay your initial bills but start to deny your claims later on because longterm illnesses are not covered. But as I said, this exclusion is industry-wide and not specific to PetFirst.

A company in a more central price range is VPI, with premiums of around $13 per month. They have a $50 deductible, and pay 90% of eligible claims. Note that says "eligible", because according to consumer reviews VPI's benefit schedule is complex and contains a large number of exclusions. Customer reviews vary in tone depending on whether their claims were excluded or not. Several customer reports suggest that they were lied to by VPI reps who told them their claims would be approved in order to encourage renewal, but after renewing their claims were denied. I can't confirm those customer reports, but I can suggest that you read the benefit schedule carefully before signing up. On average, VPI gets average ratings because of the great variance in customer experience. Many rate them 10/10, and others rate them 1/10 or 2/10.

Those are just 3 examples of companies in three different price ranges. I hope they made you think about some of the issues you need to examine when buying pet insurance. When you do further research, I hope you take such issues into account.

To read customer reviews of these and other companies, visit http://petinsurancereview.com.