Petco Wellness vs. Wag! Wellness

Pet parents are keenly aware of how much it costs to provide veterinary care to keep their fur babies healthy and happy. Emergency illnesses and injuries can raise costs into the thousands of dollars, but everyday preventative care can put a dent in your wallet, too. At an average cost of $120 to $650 a year for preventative care that includes routine exams and tests, many parents are looking for wellness plans that cover these expenses.

Read on as we compare two popular wellness plans: Petco’s Vital Care and Wag! Wellness. In both cases, these wellness plans are separate from any illness/injury pet health insurance. One of them might be just right for you and your furries. 

The Petco Vital Care wellness plan is a one-stop shop that covers dogs and puppies, cats and kittens all in the same plan. One monthly premium covers all felines and canines, regardless of age, breed, or other criteria. As with all pet wellness packages, Petco's carries some pros and cons:

Pros:

• Unlimited vet visits when using the Petco in-store vet clinic network  

• A $2 monthly discount per pet when more than one pet is enrolled

• Unlimited nail trims and teeth brushing at Petco locations with a grooming salon  

Cons:

•  Must enroll for 12 months

•  Reimbursement rate is lower and visits are limited when using a vet of your own choice outside the network

• Participating Petco locations are limited, although more may be added

Petco’s Vital Care wellness plan costs a fixed premium of $19 per month. If additional pets are enrolled, there is a $2 discount, making the premium $17 a month for each pet. Quotes don't take into account specific breeds, ages, or spay/neuter status. If you take your pet to the veterinary clinic inside some Petco stores, the plan covers as many visits as they need, along with some grooming services.

The Petco Vital Care wellness plan includes the following:

Petco Vital Care Wellness

• Unlimited preventative care vet visits and exams at Petco clinic locations, typically including a nose-to-tail exam and bloodwork as appropriate. If vaccinations are due, they will be administered. X-rays are covered if they are necessary to demonstrate health status.

• Two wellness visits per year with $35 PALS Rewards for each at non-Petco clinics

• Unlimited nail trims at Petco grooming salon locations

• Unlimited tooth brushing at Petco grooming salon locations

• A welcome gift containing a free bag of pet food and a certificate for $25 off one vaccination at a Petco clinic

• $10 monthly PALS Rewards with payment of premium

• 30% discount off full-price grooming services, including grooming packages and add-on services

Wag! Wellness offers comprehensive coverage at any veterinary clinic in the U.S. It isn’t necessary to enroll in a special rewards plan for coverage, and there are no extra fees attached to your bill – everything from free enrollment to reimbursement is clear upfront so there are no surprises. With three-tiered plans, what you purchase becomes your choice, not the plan’s. No yearly commitment is required, and each plan enrollment is month to month to make it easy to change plans.

Pros:

•  Visit the vet of your choice

• There are no caps on eligible procedure reimbursements. Reimbursements are for 100% of the cost

•  Plan enrollments are conveniently month to month, with no enrollment fees and no hidden extras

Cons:

•  Senior health screens aren’t covered

•  Dental cleaning isn’t covered in the basic Gold plan, but an add-on is available for an additional fee in the Platinum and Diamond plans

• The Gold plan doesn’t cover anal gland expression, deworming and urine or fecal tests. These are covered under the upper two tiers.

Wag! Wellness plans carry flat-rate monthly premiums that contain no hidden fees:

• Gold: $14.95/month

• Platinum: $29.95/month

• Diamond: $59.95/month

Services that aren’t covered in the three wellness tiers are available as optional add-ons:

• Flea, tick, and heartworm meds: $19.95/month

• Grooming: $19.95/month

• Dental cleaning: $29.95/month

• Spay/neuter: $29.95/month

What's covered?

Gold Plan

• 1 physical wellness exam per year

• 3 vaccinations and boosters per year

• 1 blood test per year

• 1 round of diagnostics per year (including heartworm

  https://wagwalking.com/condition/heartworms

  tests, liver, pancreas, thyroid, muscle, and bone panels)

Platinum Plan

• 1 physical wellness exam per year

• 6 vaccinations and boosters per year

• 1 blood test per year

• 1 round of diagnostics per year (including heartworm tests and liver, pancreas, thyroid, muscle, and bone panels)

• 1 deworming treatment per year

• 1 urine and fecal test per year

• 1 anal gland expression procedure per year

• Unlimited access to Wag! Health Vet Chat

• 10% discount on all pet care services through the Wag! app (including dog walking, dog boarding and sitting, in-home and virtual dog training, and cat sitting)

• Waived booking fees and VIP support for all Wag! services

Diamond Plan

• 2 physical wellness exams per year

• 9 vaccinations and boosters per year

• 1 blood test per year

• 1 round of diagnostics per year (including heartworm tests and liver, pancreas, thyroid, muscle, and bone panels)

• 2 deworming treatments per year

• 2 urine and fecal tests per year

• 2 anal gland expression procedures per year

• Unlimited access to Wag! Health Vet Chat

• 10% discount on all pet care services through the Wag! app (including dog walking, dog boarding and sitting, in-home and virtual dog training, and cat sitting)

• Waived booking fees and VIP support for all Wag! services

Flea, tick, and heartworm meds add-on

The flea, tick, and heartworm meds add-on covers all brands, including:

• Nexgard

• Bravecto

• K9 Advantix

• Advantage Multi

• Heartgard

Grooming add-on

Covers up to $300 of grooming costs per year, including:

• Blow-dry

• Haircut

• Nail trims

Dental cleaning add-on

Wag! Wellness’s dental cleaning add-on covers up to $400 of dental cleaning expenses per year, including:

• Pre-anesthesia blood tests and electrocardiograms

• Anesthesia

• Tooth extraction

• Dental clean and polish

• Prescribed medications for post-op pain management

Spay/neuter add-on

The spay/neuter add-on covers up to $400 of spay/neuter costs per year, including:

• Pre-anesthesia blood tests and electrocardiograms

• Anesthesia

• Surgery

• Prescribed medications for post-op pain management

The choice of wellness plans is ultimately in your hands. Your choice will depend on factors that include your budget and the amount of coverage you’ve decided your pet needs.

With Wag!, you’ll pay one flat rate per month for routine care – there are no hidden fees or costs for extras you don’t need. Our add-ons can provide additional care at an affordable price and allow you to choose the services you want. There’s no annual contract, and you can take your pet to whichever veterinary clinic you choose.

Use our Wag! Wellness Plans comparison tool to find the right plan for your pup or kitty. If you have more questions, please leave a comment below!