Pumpkin & Odie: Key Differences

While Pumpkin and Odie both offer pet insurance plans for accidents & illnesses and optional wellness packages or coverage options, there are several key differences to be aware of when choosing which provider is right for you and your pet. Let’s dig in…

Pumpkin plans cover Rx food. Odie plans don’t.

Rx food can be helpful for pets suffering from a range of illnesses, from kidney disease to diabetes, but it can also be a costly recurring expense. That’s why Pumpkin Pet Insurance plans cover food prescribed to treat a covered condition (and not to promote general health or weight maintenance). Odie Pet Insurance plans don’t cover Rx food.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover vet exam fees for accidents & illnesses.

Pumpkin insurance plans cover exam fees for accident- and illness-related vet visits at no extra cost – in-clinic and virtual visits included! This can be a huge cost saver as exam fees typically cost $50 to $75¹⁶ and can be included in nearly every vet bill. With Odie insurance plans, coverage for vet exam fees is an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an extra monthly fee to add it to your plan.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover Rx meds.

Rx medication can be important for the treatment of many accidents & illnesses, whether your pet needs pain medication, help managing a chronic condition, or antibiotics for infections. That’s why Pumpkin insurance plans cover any medication prescribed by a vet to treat an eligible condition. With Odie insurance plans, Rx meds are an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an extra monthly fee to add this coverage to your plan. Also, Odie plans limit coverage to a list of approved Rx meds determined by them. If your pet needs medication that’s not on the list, it would not be covered.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover rehab therapies for accidents & illnesses.

With more vets using rehab therapies like hydrotherapy, acupuncture, and chiropractic to help pets recover from orthopedic injuries and manage chronic conditions like arthritis and hip dysplasia, having coverage for advanced and alternative rehab therapies can drastically change a pet’s quality of life. Pumpkin insurance plans include this coverage as a basic benefit. With Odie insurance plans, it’s an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an extra monthly fee to add it to your plan.

Pumpkin plans don’t charge extra to cover behavioral issues.

With an estimated 40% of cat and dog owners reporting pets with behavioral problems,¹⁰ we believe coverage for behavioral issues like separation anxiety and aggression is a necessity, not a nice to have. That’s why Pumpkin insurance plans cover consultations, treatment, and Rx meds for behavioral issues. Treatment for behavioral issues isn’t covered by Odie’s base insurance plans – they will only cover the cost of consultations for behavioral issues. Odie plans can also cover Rx medications for behavioral issues, but it’s an optional benefit, which means you have to pay an extra monthly fee to add it to your plan.

Pumpkin plans don’t require a dental exam or cleaning to cover periodontal disease.

With 70% of cats and 80% of dogs suffering from some sort of gum disease by age 3,¹¹ having coverage for dental illnesses is crucial, as treatment can get very expensive. Odie insurance plans state that “beginning at three years of age, your pet’s teeth must have been cleaned and examined under general anesthesia by a veterinarian in the thirteen months before the date of service for the periodontal disease claim.” Pets with a Pumpkin insurance plan get coverage for dental illnesses like periodontal disease regardless of whether they have routine dental exams and cleanings or not.

Pumpkin plans don’t have a list of preventive care requirements for coverage.

Odie insurance plans require you to take a series of preventive care measures with your pet in order to be eligible for coverage. This includes following the plan’s vaccine guidelines and taking any preventive medication your vet recommends to protect against illness (e.g., parasite preventatives), unless your vet recommends against it for medical reasons. While we encourage you to get your pet vaccinated and take your vet’s preventive care recommendations, your Pumpkin insurance plan would never decline to cover a serious illness like parvovirus or lyme disease because your pet missed a vaccine or dose of preventive medication!

Pumpkin plans don’t limit coverage options based on your pet’s health.

We believe every pet parent – regardless of their pet’s health – should be able to enroll in an accident & illness insurance plan. That’s why all pets 8 weeks and up can enroll in Pumpkin insurance plans. When you get a quote online, Odie asks you “Has your pet ever shown symptoms, received treatment for, or been diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, Cushing’s Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Feline Leukemia or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus?” If you answer yes, you’re given one option to enroll in an accident-only insurance plan. While your Pumpkin plan (and most other providers’ plans) wouldn’t be able to cover those specific pre-existing conditions, it would be able to cover any new illnesses that your pet could develop in the future.

Pumpkin plans offer a 10% multi-pet discount. Odie plans offer a 5% multi-pet discount.

We know pet care can be expensive – especially when you have more than one four-legged family member to budget for. That’s why Pumpkin insurance plans offer a 10% multi-pet discount for each additional pet you enroll. Odie insurance plans only offer a 5% multi-pet discount for each additional pet.

It’s ALWAYS possible to get full value each year from Pumpkin’s optional wellness package.

Pumpkin’s wellness package is called Preventive Essentials. It’s not insurance, but an optional benefit you can add to any Pumpkin insurance plan. Designed with leading vets to help you plan and pay for crucial routine care your pet needs to stay healthy, Preventive Essentials gives you a 100% refund each year for an annual wellness exam fee, key vaccine(s), and important parasite screening test(s). To get the most out of your package – all you have to do is use these 3 benefits.

Odie offers 2 optional routine care plans – Routine Care and Routine Care Plus – that can be added to an Odie insurance plan for a monthly fee that varies by state. Both plans offer reimbursement for 10 routine care services up to a capped amount per service, per year. The only difference is that Routine Care Plus also offers partial reimbursement for a dental cleaning or spay/neuter procedure each year. These plans can be helpful if you use most of the services offered. However, not everything on the menu is a typical annual expense (e.g., deworming, microchipping, spay/neuter procedure). Whatever benefits you don’t use in the year term, you lose – there are no carryovers.

Compare Plans


Type of Insurance	Accident & Illness	Accident & Illness
Reimbursement Rate	80% or 90% of covered vet bills	70%, 80%, or 90% of covered vet bills
Annual Coverage Limit	$5k, $10k, $20k, or unlimited for dogs $5k, $7k, $15k, or unlimited for cats	$5k, $10k, or $40k
Deductible	Annual Deductible with flexible pricing options	Annual Deductible with flexible pricing options
Illness Waiting Period	14 days in most states*	14 days in most states*
Accident Waiting Period	14 days in most states*	3 days in most states;* 180 days for cruciate ligament events
All Pets Ages 8 Wks. & Up Are Eligible to Enroll
All Pets Eligible to Enroll, Regardless of Health
Accidents
Illnesses
Hereditary & Congenital Conditions
Chronic Conditions
Behavioral Issues		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Dental Illnesses, including Periodontal Disease		Dental exam & cleaning (if vet recommended) required for pets 3 years & up 13 months prior to periodontal disease claim
Preventable Conditions		Only if the condition occurs despite following their vaccine guidelines and all your vet’s preventive medication recommendations
Exam Fees for Accident & Illness Related Vet Visits		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Diagnostics, including Radiology & Lab Tests
Surgery, Emergency Services & Hospitalization
Specialized Care
Alternative Therapies		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Prescription Medication to Treat Covered Conditions		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Prescription Supplements to Treat Covered Conditions		Optional add-on for an additional monthly fee
Prescription Food to Treat Covered Conditions
Microchip Implantation		^*
End of Life Services		Euthanasia only
Wellness Package / Plan	*Preventive Essentials package:* (Not insurance, but an optional add-on) 100% refund of the following routine care services each year: + 1 Annual Wellness Exam Fee + 4 Vaccines for Puppies, 2 for Dogs, 1 for Cats + 1 Fecal “Poop” Test for Intestinal Worms + 1 Blood Test for Heartworm & Tick Diseases or Heartworm Only (for Dogs)	*Routine Care Basic plan:* Reimburses $15-$50 per service per year from a list of 10 routine care services *Routine Care Plus plan:* Reimburses $20-$150 per service per year from a list of 12 routine care services
Discount for Multiple Pets	10% off for each additional pet	5% off for each additional pet
Money Back Guarantee	30 days, as long as you have not received approval or payment for a claim (except in NY)	30 days, as long as no claims have been paid or submitted