Seattle Pet Insurance Guide

Seattle pet parents: Whether you’ve got a Bernese in Ballard, or a Saluki in SoDo, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll take you through the hidden gems and insider tips of being a Seattle pet parent, and while we’re at it, we’ll go through the ins-and-outs of pet insurance so you can keep your furry companion (and your wallet) covered. 

What is pet insurance? 

Pet insurance helps cover the costs of your vet bills. Pet owners pay a monthly premium to the insurance company and in exchange, you can care for your canine or feline fur family members without stressing about the costs. 

With Lemonade pet insurance, there are a few different ways to customize your policy with our coverage options: 

For starters, a base Lemonade pet health insurance policy will help cover the costs of tests, treatments, and medication if your dog or cat has an unexpected accident or illness and requires emergency care.

A base policy is great for the unexpected things in your fur fam’s future, but Lemonade also offers  preventative care   packages designed to keep your pet healthy, and helps cover expenses you’re already paying for, such as routine care. By adding this package to a Lemonade policy you’ll also get access to live medical chat via our mobile app and be covered for all kinds of things—like your annual wellness exam fees, blood tests, vaccinations, and more. Some exclusions may apply.

 Lemonade offers a Preventative, Preventative+, and a Puppy/Kitten Preventative package. Depending on your pet’s age, this package covers things like spaying/neutering, vaccinations, microchipping, and flea and tick treatments.

You can also customize your Lemonade policy with a mix and match of optional add-ons like: physical therapy, vet visit fees, dental illness, behavioral conditions, and end-of-life and remembrance—to help take the bite out of pricey treatments, services, and trips to the vet.

Here’s an example of how a Lemonade pet insurance policy works:

1. Buy a policy. You answer a few quick questions about your German Shepherd, Jet, and build your pet’s policy with the help of our friendly AI chatbot. The monthly premium you pay is determined by a few factors, mostly things that you can customize, like your coverage package, your annual deductible, you co-insurance, and the annual coverage limit on your plan. (If you want, you can take a deeper dive into how pet insurance works to help you build your perfect policy.) Pet insurance coverage with Lemonade can cost as little as $10/month—here’s a handy breakdown of the whole (simple) process.
2. Go to the vet. You rush Jet to the vet after he broke his leg from going too hard at the dog park. The exam, x-ray, and cast for his broken bone cost you $1,000. Woof. But because you have a pet insurance plan, you don’t have to worry about the full amount. Get the scoop on what we cover here. 
3. Get your money back. Jet is safely on the mend and you get up to a $900 reimbursement back in your pocket from Lemonade!

It’s worth noting that as your dog ages, they will require more veterinary care and treatments, which is why it pays to take out a pet insurance policy for your dog as early as possible. If you try to sign your 13-year-old dog up for insurance for the first time, they might be declined due to age-limits; either way, they’re more likely to have pre-existing conditions that won’t be covered by insurance. But if you get your new puppy a Lemonade policy right away, you’ll be able to continue renewing their policy as they age.

Apply now to get peace of mind and your free pet insurance quote

Top Seattle dog parks 

Energetic pup? Let them run wild in one of Seattle’s many off-leash dog parks. Just make sure your pup is up-to-date on their vaccinations and spayed or neutered before you let them cut loose. 

• Magnolia Manor Park. Built in a former reservoir, this half-acre dog park has beautiful views, doggie water fountains, and a “chuck-it” play area where pet parents can play fetch with their pups. In addition, the park itself has some beautiful walking paths and a community vegetable garden.
• Warren G. Magnuson Park. At 8.6 acres, this dog park is the largest off-leash dog park in Seattle. The park is built on a large, flat area for running around, but also features trails down to the water—and the only dog-beach in Seattle. If your dog is a little shy, Magnuson Park also has a separate area for smaller and shy dogs.
• Golden Gardens Off-Leash Park. Surrounded by beautiful coastline and trails, this park has recently been revamped to include new agility equipment. In addition, it features a separate area for shy and small dogs. For pet parents, it offers tables, shade, and benches so you can enjoy the view while your pup enjoys their social life.
• Kinnear Park. Kinnear Park is a two-tiered park. The top park—at the top of a steep hill overlooking Elliot Bay, is on-leash, but the bottom tier has an off-leash area for dogs to play. The park includes wood-chip flooring to keep your pup’s paws nice and clean, wood fencing, and a kiosk for shelter.
• Genesee Park. The Genesee Park off-leash area consists of 2.5 acres of beautiful meadow. At the center, the ground is covered with pebbles, which ensures that your pup’s paws stay clean in the rain. The park also features picnic benches for pet parents and doggie water fountains for the pups.
  

Support local Seattle pet shelters

• Dog Gone Seattle. Dog Gone Seattle rescues dogs from high-kill shelters in Washington and beyond, including California and Texas. They are a foster-based organization. In addition, the dogs receive medical care and grooming before being adopted or fostered. Dog Gone Seattle also does a behavioral evaluation of every single dog so that they can find the home that best suits their needs.
• Seattle Area Feline Rescue. As its name suggests, Seattle Area Feline Rescue focuses its efforts on finding homes for Seattle’s abandoned and homeless cats. It is a non-profit and no-kill shelter. Through the efforts of the rescue’s dedicated staff and team of volunteers, during a typical year, Seattle Area Feline Rescue finds homes for about 2,000 cats.
• Emerald City Pet Rescue. Founded in 2013, Emerald City Pet Rescue rescues neglected, abandoned and homeless dogs from high-kill shelters throughout the United States. It provides the best medical care and rehab for animals that may otherwise have a hard time finding homes. In addition to dogs and cats, they also rescue “critters” such as rabbits, gerbils, as well as larger animals like horses and donkeys.
• Forgotten Dogs Rescue. Forgotten Dogs Rescue focuses on the dogs that most often get forgotten and abandoned—pit bulls and other “bully” dogs. Unfortunately, pit bulls have an unfairly bad reputation and there are more of them in shelters than any other type of dog. In addition, they are the type of dog that is the most likely to be euthanized. Forgotten Dogs Rescue provides all the dogs that come through their system with medical care and behavioral training. Dogs are homed in loving foster homes until they can find forever homes.

• Ginger’s Pet Rescue. Ginger’s Pet Rescue is one of the largest non-profit animal rescues in the Seattle area. It focuses on finding homes for dogs on death row. The rescue does not have a physical location, but relies on a large network of fosters to provide dogs with homes until they find a family of their own. In addition to working with local shelters and rescues, Ginger’s Pet Rescue also saves dogs from shelters throughout the United States—and even internationally.
• Seattle Humane. This rescue believes that the best way to keep pets out of the shelter is to just skip over the shelter part of rehoming pets. It has initiated an innovative program called Home to Home that helps owners who are trying to rehome their pet find suitable new families for their animal companions. Pet owners can create a profile for their pet that is then shared with the Home to Home community. Interested parties can then contact the owners directly if they want to adopt or foster.

Support Seattle-based pet businesses

Support small Seattle businesses while keeping your best friend totally pampered! 

• Next to Nature Market. Next to Nature Market has been “making magic for all pets and their people” since 2001. This independent, woman-owned business prides itself on leaning into the science of nutrition to provide for your pet needs. It offers only the highest quality food, toys and accessories for dogs, cats, small animals, and birds.
• PetPros. Founded in 1986 in Seattle, PetPros has grown to 18 stores throughout Washington State. Their mission is to provide their customers with natural, healthy products, education, and a sense of community. In addition, they have teamed up with BoosterPet, a team of mobile vets and vet technicians to make it easier for people to get good healthcare for their pets. The BoosterPet veterinary van visits PetPros locations throughout Seattle and provides healthcare for pets with no appointment necessary.
• All the Best Pet Care. All the Best Pet Care was founded in 1985 by Susan and Ira Moss. Back then, the store specialized in health and specialty pet foods. Now, almost 40 years later, the store has been handed down to their son and his partners, and has grown into a chain of 15 stores throughout the Seattle area. The stores still have a strong focus on health and specialty items such as CBD products for pets. In addition, as a member of The Pet Sustainability Coalition, All the Best Pet Care is working towards a better future for humans and their animal companions.
• Rover. Founded in Seattle, Rover is an innovative system for finding pet sitters and dog walkers based on your neighborhood. It is essentially a searchable database of well-regarding pet sitters, boarding services, dog walkers, and more based on location. You simply in-put information about your location, the type of service needed, and your pet, and receive a list of potential service providers.

Before we go… 

Isn’t being a pet parent just the best? The companionship, the kisses, the laughter! Pets really add so much to our lives. In fact, according to census data, Seattle has more dogs than children!We love our pets, but sometimes those vet bills can take a real bite out of our wallets, which is why more and more pet parents are choosing to get covered with the best pet insurance. Learn more about how much pet insurance costs, and whether or not pet insurance is worth it for you.