VCA Animal Hospitals has been known to the American public as the usual go-to place whenever pets get sick, need emergency care, a simple check-up, or a preventative procedure. But, VCA is much more than a simple healthcare provider.
The Veterinary Centers of America employ over 6,000 veterinarians across more than 1,000 locations in 46 US states and 5 Canadian provinces. Since its foundation in 1986, the company has pioneered research in the veterinary field and continues to break barriers while better understanding illnesses, treatment outcomes, and improvement of pets’ lives.
Their wellness program, the VCA Care Club®, is one of the best pet healthcare products of its kind. By joining this club, pet owners who appreciate an affordable and comprehensive way to keep their pet’s health and happiness in check get to enjoy that all year round.
Continue reading this VCA Animal Hospitals review to learn all the details about this pet healthcare company and figure out how they can enhance your and your cat’s and dog’s life.
VCA’s Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A complete health exam is not a requirement for enrolling in one of VCA’s CareClub coverage plans. | Lack of transparency of pricing. |
| Excellent rating by the BBB. | No multi-pet discount is available. |
| Coverage is available at over 1,000 locations in the US and Canada. | No free-trial option is available. |
| No waiting periods. | The monthly fee is more expensive than alternative wellness options. |
| Six comprehensive plans that cover spaying/neutering, dental cleaning, extensive lab testing and diagnostics, and more. | Coverage isn’t available with any licensed veterinarian. |
| A thorough knowledge base packed with helpful tips and articles. | |
| High-end mobile app (myVCA) for managing your membership and scheduling all veterinary appointments. | |
| 24/7 virtual live chat with veterinary professionals. | |
| Up to 25% in savings when bundled with other VCA products or services. |
VCA’s Key Attributes
- Underwriter: VCA Animal Hospitals are a small world on their own. With so many locations and staff, they can practically be called a veterinarian empire. With that said, they’re not associated with any type of insurance product and, therefore, not underwritten by a financial institution. AM Best only ranks those on their website.
- AM Best Rating: N/A
- BBB Rating: A+
- Exam period: VCA’s pet coverage plans revolve around pet wellness care. This type of pet coverage is seldom restricted by requirements for complete health exams as that is its purpose anyway. VCA will accept your pet on one of their wellness plans without requesting their medical history records.
- Increase in monthly fee: One thing we don’t appreciate about VCA’s model is their secrecy around pricing. While we do have some information on how much their plans cost initially, there is no information available if they bump their prices as years go by. Pet insurance companies usually do this for a myriad of reasons, but VCA is not an insurance agency, so we’re willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they would increase your monthly fee over time.
- Claim submission time limit: All VCA CareClub members use their coverage in one of VCA’s veterinary facilities. This coverage will either cover your visit or procedure or not. Therefore, there are no claims to be filed.
- Claim processing times: You can use your pet wellness coverage immediately. As there are no claims, which is the case with pet insurance providers, there’s nothing to be processed either. Before you schedule an appointment with your VCA clinic, you’ll be notified if your visit/procedure will be covered by your coverage or not.
- Waiting periods: The great thing about the VCA CareClub is that it doesn’t impose a waiting period on its wellness plans. If you’ve researched pet insurance companies that also offer wellness options, you’re probably already familiar with this aspect as they don’t usually stick a waiting period on this type of pet coverage as well.
- Pet coverage with VCA is valid all around the US but limited only to VCA locations. There are over a thousand of these clinics, so there’s a good chance there’s one in your area of residence as well. Access their “Find a Hospital” section and learn where the nearest VCA location is. Note that VCA is located in all US states except Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
VCA’s Coverage Plans
To have exclusive access to premium pet care is a privilege that should never be overlooked by anyone. The VCA CareClub® is a membership program offered by the VCA that provides just that – personalized pet health care and first-rate benefits.
Becoming a VCA CareClub member is only possible in person at one of their locations. The CareClub is a program that allows you to deal with your pet’s routine, preventative, and wellness care with high efficiency by paying a convenient monthly fee.
There are six wellness plans on the CareClub program that are all customized with your cat’s or dog’s age in mind – Junior Paws, Junior Paws+, Adult Paws, Adult Paws+, Senior Paws, and Senior Paws+.
Puppies and kittens require different care than that of senior dogs and cats, and VCA tailors their wellness plans to accommodate this aspect of pet wellbeing.
On all of their plans, you’ll be covered for stuff like wellness exams, vaccinations, microchipping, dental care, diagnostics and lab work, and more. We’ll cover each plan specifically so you’ll know which one is the best option for your pet.
Whatever coverage comes with the CareClub plan you’re willing to choose, rest knowing that it will cover 100% of everything that’s included on it. You won’t have to participate with different types of out-of-pocket payments as is the case with pet insurance. With the VCA Care Club, there are no deductible and copayment amounts that you’ll need to meet in order for your wellness coverage to go into effect.
The CareClub doesn’t impose waiting periods either. As soon as you become a member, your coverage becomes effective immediately.
Now, let’s jump into reviewing each of the VCA CareClub pet wellness plans.
Junior Paws
The first of VCA’s CareClub wellness plans is the Junior Paws – a wellness plan designed for kittens and puppies that are still in the first year of their lives (up to 12 months of age).
Pups and kittens require special care when they’re only babies, and with that in mind, the Junior Paws plan includes what they need most. Vaccines and microchipping are crucial for their age, and this plan includes them all.
Puppies can receive all of their shots for distemper, rabies, leptospirosis, parvo, Lyme disease, influenza, and Bordetella. Kittens also have their sets of vaccines for Panleukopenia, rabies, Calici and Rhino (feline respiratory viruses), and FeLV (feline leukemia).
Both types of pets get two fecal exams, three complete wellness exams, and up to three treatments for deworming.
There are also the unlimited wellness visits to help maintain your little pet’s weight, coat, and skin at optimal levels at all times.
Ultimately, with the Junior Paws plan, you can microchip your pet for free. With this service, you also get one-year access to the Home Again platform which deals with managing your pet’s microchip and works on reuniting lost pets with their owners.
Junior Paws+
Everything that goes into your Junior Paws plan is also included in the Junior Paws+ wellness plan. The same rules apply – only puppies and kittens below the 1-year mark are accepted.
What’s most beneficial about this plan is that your pet will be covered for spaying or neutering. This is important for young pets as it significantly lowers the risks of developing certain conditions at a later stage in their lives.
The Junior Paws+ plan covers not only the surgery for spaying/neutering your pet but also all the procedures that surround it. Your pet will receive a full blood panel prior to the surgery, and IV fluids and pain medication post-surgery. Anesthesia during surgery is also covered.
Adult Paws
For cats and dogs in their prime years, VCA CareClub offers their third wellness plan. The Adult Paws plan is meant for all doggos and cattos older than 7 months and younger than 7 years of age.
This plan focuses on more diagnostic testing and fewer wellness exams per year. It has one less wellness exam than the Junior Paws plan (with Adult Paws you get two wellness exams per year). However, all of the vaccines that were there for puppies and kittens are still included.
The unlimited wellness visits for weight, coat, and skin inspections are all there. More diagnostic procedures and lab work is involved now – your pet will receive lab work tests for all general infections + all the tests such as fecal exams, blood work, and urinalysis that can help detect issues like low platelet count, heartworm, diabetes, kidney and liver disease, tick-borne and parasites-related illnesses, anemia, and inflammation.
The microchipping benefit and the one-year Home Again subscription are also included.
Adult Paws+
The Adult Paws+ plan includes everything that we’ve mentioned about the Adult Paws plan above. The spaying or neutering benefit from the Junior Paws+ is no longer there, but another major benefit is included.
With Adult Paws+, your cat or dog is entitled to one professional dental cleaning per year.
This is crucial for pets if we want to ensure they maintain optimal oral health throughout their lives. The dental cleaning procedure is carried out under general anesthetic which is also covered by the plan.
Dental exam, evaluation, IV fluid, and pain medication are also supplied at no extra charge.
Senior Paws
The Senior Paws plans are the ultimate level of pet wellness protection offered by the VCA CareClub. This plan envelopes all cat and dog breeds aged 7 years old or older.
On it, you can find everything that’s included with the Adult Paws plan with even more coverage tailored for senior pets.
Besides the regular vaccines, biannual wellness exams, unlimited wellness visits, and the microchip benefit, the Senior Paws plan includes more diagnostic and laboratory exams.
Cats and dogs get to have up to five abdominal and chest x-ray exams per year, and also that number of blood pressure checkups.
This plan can be very important, especially for cats, since they can live longer than dogs (up to 20+ years) and can benefit a lot from thyroid and urinalysis.
Senior Paws+
Similar to the Adult Paws+ plan, the Senior Paws+ plan includes coverage for dental cleanings and the accompanying dental exam, anesthetic, and the meds to manage the procedure.
What’s Excluded From VCA’s Coverage
To begin with, let’s make it clear that pet wellness care plans never cover accidents, injuries, illnesses, hereditary conditions, and all of the other unexpected, emergency, and urgent situations. That’s the purpose of pet insurance plans.
However, there are differences even among the many wellness packages that are being offered on the market.
Some companies cover more conditions and provide more benefits, some less. We went through all of what’s covered with the VCA CareClub.
Let’s review what’s excluded from their many packages:
- Grooming, bathing, nail trimming, coat brushing, and similar cosmetic treatments;
- Treatment for flea and tick-borne disease;
- Anal gland expression;
- Deworming.
These instances are sometimes covered by some pet insurance agencies. If you’re interested in getting covered for them, too, browse around Protect My Paws to find your VCA CareClub alternative.
Extra Features
Even though the VCA CareClub is only a pet wellness care package, they still offer some extra features that come included with a membership and are free of charge.
myVCA App
The VCA designed a very convenient companion for every CareClub member – the myVCA app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
With this app, you can manage your VCA CareClub membership, and more.
The app can provide you with reminders about your pet’s routine and preventative procedures. Staying up to date with your scheduled vaccines and wellness visits are only some of the benefits of this app.
Booking your appointments for wellness check-ups or scheduling your annual or semi-annual wellness exams is manageable in just a few taps.
Checking in your appointments and paying for monthly premiums and other expenses that aren’t covered by your CareClub plan are also easily done through the myVCA app.
Ultimately, VCA provides access to a 24/7 live virtual chat through the myVCA app where members are able to ask questions about their pet’s condition at any time and skilled vets provide their professional advice.
“Know Your Pet” Library
With pets taking an important place in our lives as we welcome them in our families, VCA comprises an entire section on their website dedicated to articles and help pieces on cat and dog breeds and the illnesses that might affect them
The “Know Your Pet” library at VCA is a place where you can find valuable information on how to properly care for your fur buddy. There are also case studies of exceptional cases where VCA intervened and saved a pet’s life.
Helpful articles on medications that are relevant to your pet’s breed can also be found in this knowledge base. What’s more, the library is accessible through the myVCA app as well, so everything you need to educate yourself and become a better pet parent is right there in your pocket.
VCA’s Pricing Quotes
Earlier in this article, we mentioned that VCA is quite secretive when it comes to providing concise information about the pricing of its CareClub plans. We’ve witnessed this kind of lack of transparency before with other pet coverage providers, and from what we’ve seen in online reviews, the approach doesn’t go toward increasing the success of a service.
With that said, we did our research and discovered that VCA’s CareClub plans start at about $50/month and can go up to $100/month if you opt for more coverage add-ons (spaying/neutering or dental cleanings on the Paws+ plans).
Also, the VCA allegedly makes their members sign an agreement that they will commit to their CareClub plan for at least a year, so take note of this information before you choose to sign up with them.
Discounts and Savings
Lots of pet insurers and other pet coverage providers offer various discounts as an incentive for more pet owners to sign up for one of their plans. The most usual discount that they provide is the multi-pet discount which becomes effective if you sign up more than one pet with them and amounts to 5-15% off of your monthly fee.
Sadly, VCA doesn’t provide a multi-pet discount. They don’t even have a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can test their services first-hand.
What they do offer is an up to 25% savings option only if you opt to use many of their services. If you choose to become a CareClub member and order from the company’s pet products like pet food, pet supplements, and pet care supplies, you can save by bundling up everything in one order.
How Does VCA Compare With Its Competitors?
It’s time to put VCA’s wellness options to the test. How do they fare against the many other options in the pet insurance sphere, and are they worth your time and money?
In this section, we’ll compare what’s offered by the VCA CareClub wellness coverage plans to prominent players in the same niche. The three competitors that we’ve chosen to compare VCA to are Trupanion, Companion Protect, and Pets Best.
They’re all pet insurers but offer coverage for wellness too, so we advise you to check them out and see if you’ll find them more suitable than VCA.
VCA vs. Trupanion
Your first impression about Trupanion might confuse you as you’ll immediately notice that the pet insurer doesn’t even offer pet wellness care coverage. But, Trupanion partners directly with the VCA to offer you a complete 360° coverage for your pet.
Protecting your pet against all of the illnesses and injuries that might affect them can be reinforced if you provide them with routine and preventative care so the risks of getting sick or hurt are minimized. That’s exactly what Trupanion and VCA bring to the table.
Their 360° pet coverage offer will even grant you one month of free coverage and removal of the waiting periods.
| Feature | VCA | Trupanion |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage Effective | USA | USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico |
| Reimbursem*nt | 100% of covered expenses | 90% |
| Co-Payment | 0% | 10% |
| Deductible | $0 | $0 – $1,000 |
| Type of Deductible | Not applicable | Per condition |
| Claim Limit Options | Limited benefits | Unlimited |
| Accident-Only Plan | Not available | Not available |
| Wellness Plan | Available | Not available |
| Unlimited Benefits Plan | No | Yes |
| Accidents | No | Yes |
| Illnesses | No | Yes |
| Illness Waiting Period | Not applicable | 30 days |
| Accident Waiting Period | Not applicable | 5 days |
| Orthopedic Conditions Waiting Period | Not applicable | 30 days |
| Bilateral Exclusions | Yes | No |
| Chronic Conditions | No | Yes |
| Hereditary and Congenital Conditions | No | Yes |
| Cancer | No | Yes |
| Dental Coverage | Only routine dental care | Yes |
| Prescription Medicine | Only vaccines | Yes |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | No | Optional add-on |
| Behavioral Issues | No | Optional add-on |
| Exam Fees | Yes | No |
| Exam Required for Enrollment | No | No |
| Available At Any Vet Clinic | No | Yes |
| Microchip | Yes | No |
| Minimum Pet Age Limit | No limit | No limit |
| Maximum Pet Age Limit | No limit | 14 years |
| Entry Fee | Unknown | $35.00 |
| Monthly Transaction Fee | Unknown | $0.00 |
| Multi-Pet Discount | Not available | None |
| Claim Repayment | No claims | Within 60 days (14 on average) |
| Direct Vet Bill Payment | Not available | Yes |
| Money-Back Guarantee | Not available | 30 days |
| AM Best Rating | Not available | Unrated |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
*companies compared in December 2021
Read the full Trupanion Pet Insurance review.
VCA vs. Companion Protect
Companion Protect, just like Trupanion, doesn’t offer a wellness care add-on in their insurance products. However, the insurer includes free biannual wellness exams – something you never see with pet insurance providers.
So, if you think wellness plans cover too much for your pet (VCA indeed covers a lot) and that they’d be fine only with wellness exams, Companion Protect is definitely worth a chance. The company’s insurance plan is affordable and amazing for covering tons of veterinary expenses while conveniently removing all waiting periods.
| Feature | VCA | Companion Protect |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage Effective | USA | USA |
| Reimbursem*nt | 100% of covered expenses | 90% of covered expenses |
| Co-Payment | 0% | 10% |
| Deductible | $0 | $100 |
| Type of Deductible | Not applicable | Per incident |
| Claim Limit Options | Limited benefits | $100,000 ($20,000 in Illinois) |
| Accident-Only Plan | Not available | Not available |
| Wellness Plan | Available | Not available (wellness exam included in base coverage) |
| Unlimited Benefits Plan | No | No |
| Accidents | No | Yes |
| Illnesses | No | Yes |
| Illness Waiting Period | Not applicable | No waiting period |
| Accident Waiting Period | Not applicable | No waiting period |
| Orthopedic Conditions Waiting Period | Not applicable | No waiting period |
| Bilateral Exclusions | Yes | No |
| Chronic Conditions | No | Yes |
| Hereditary and Congenital Conditions | No | Yes |
| Cancer | No | Yes |
| Dental Coverage | Only routine dental care | Yes |
| Prescription Medicine | Only vaccines | Yes |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | No | Yes |
| Behavioral Issues | No | No |
| Exam Fees | Yes | Yes |
| Exam Required for Enrollment | No | Yes |
| Available At Any Vet Clinic | No | Yes |
| Microchip | Yes | No |
| Minimum Pet Age Limit | No limit | 6 weeks |
| Maximum Pet Age Limit | No limit | 25 years |
| Entry Fee | Unknown | $0.00 |
| Monthly Transaction Fee | Unknown | $2.00 |
| Multi-Pet Discount | Not available | Up to 15% |
| Claim Repayment | No claims | Within 30 days (3-5 days on average) |
| Direct Vet Bill Payment | Not available | Only for in-network veterinarians |
| Money-Back Guarantee | Not available | Not available |
| AM Best Rating | Not available | A |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
*companies compared in December 2021
Read the full Companion Protect Pet Insurance review.
VCA vs. Pets Best
Pets Best is a prominent name in the pet insurance space and they offer coverage for preventative procedures for cheaper prices than VCA.
Their two plans for taking care of all the wellness needs of your pet are similarly packed with all of the benefits that come on the VCA CareClub plans. What you need to pay most attention to are the maximum benefit limits that are set for each offered benefit on an annual level.
| Feature | VCA | Pets Best |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage Effective | USA | USA, Canada, and Puerto Rico |
| Reimbursem*nt | 100% of covered expenses | Choice of 70%, 80%, or 90% of covered expenses |
| Co-Payment | 0% | 10%, 20%, or 30% |
| Deductible | $0 | $50 – $1,000 |
| Type of Deductible | Not applicable | Annual |
| Claim Limit Options | Limited benefits | $5,000 and Unlimited |
| Accident-Only Plan | Not available | Available |
| Wellness Plan | Available | Available |
| Unlimited Benefits Plan | No | Yes |
| Accidents | No | Yes |
| Illnesses | No | Yes |
| Illness Waiting Period | Not applicable | 14 days |
| Accident Waiting Period | Not applicable | 3 days |
| Orthopedic Conditions Waiting Period | Not applicable | 6 months |
| Bilateral Exclusions | Yes | Yes |
| Chronic Conditions | No | Yes |
| Hereditary and Congenital Conditions | No | Yes |
| Cancer | No | Yes |
| Dental Coverage | Only routine dental care | Yes |
| Prescription Medicine | Only vaccines | Optional add-on |
| Alternative/Holistic Therapy | No | Optional add-on |
| Behavioral Issues | No | Yes |
| Exam Fees | Yes | Optional add-on |
| Exam Required for Enrollment | No | No |
| Available At Any Vet Clinic | No | Yes |
| Microchip | Yes | Optional add-on |
| Minimum Pet Age Limit | No limit | 7 weeks |
| Maximum Pet Age Limit | No limit | No limit |
| Entry Fee | Unknown | $0.00 |
| Monthly Transaction Fee | Unknown | $3.00 |
| Multi-Pet Discount | Not available | 5% for each additional pet |
| Claim Repayment | No claims | Within 40 days (25 days on average) |
| Direct Vet Bill Payment | Not available | Yes |
| Money-Back Guarantee | Not available | 30 days |
| AM Best Rating | Not available | Unrated |
| BBB Rating | A+ | A+ |
*companies compared in December 2021
Read the full Pets Best Pet Insurance review.
Customer Service
VCA’s contact options are in abundance. We’ve already talked about the brilliant myVCA app which you can download on your phone and use to contact VCA whenever you wish. But there are definitely more ways to get in touch with your favorite animal hospital.
Here are all of the available options where you can get a hold of a VCA representative:
- Toll-free number: 1-800-VCA-PETS
- Phone: 1-310-571-6500
- VCA CareClub phone: 1-800-743-8838
- Fax: 1-310-571-6700
- Mailing address:
VCA Inc.
12401 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
If you wish to contact them in writing, you can use their fax number or fill out an online contact form here.
Remember that this contact info is available to you whenever you have questions of administrative and informative native nature. If you need veterinary advice whenever you have pet-related concerns, log in to your myVCA app and access the 24/7 live vet chat service.
Customer Reviews
What others experienced with the service we are interested in doing business with is surely a driver in our decision-making process. Other people’s opinions have a great influence on how we perceive the quality and reliability of a product or service, and therefore, we think it’s essential to include real user testimonies in our reviews.
Below you’ll find some positive and negative outcomes of customers and their time spent with VCA.
Positive VCA pet coverage Reviews
VCA Mountain View is a brilliant hospital. They really care and they are honest. Before I took out my plan, they told me that it is NOT insurance, and that it is simply WELLNESS only. That the cost of the treatments will be spread out over the period of a year instead of being hit by vet bills. I had discounts on my microchip, my consultations and a few other things. Dr. Walker has to be the most compassionate man I have ever received veterinary care from. I love this hospital!
anonymous
I absolutely love this place. First time there. My cat Timmy needed his shot. And I wasn’t allowed to go in. I was really nervous about that. But they made me feel very comfortable and relaxed when they took Timmy. I didn’t even worry. I spoke with a veterinarian. She gave me the rundown on my beautiful cat. and She made me feel very happy that I took my cat there. They brought Timmy back from getting his shots to me. And he looked as happy as ever. I will definitely be back in. This is Timmy’s veterinarian clinic now. I absolutely love this pet clinic. Thank you so much for taking good care of my cat Timmy!!
Tina K.
Michelle M.Not really sure why there are such negative reviews. My sister took her two kittens here a couple months ago and received such great service. I had been considering changing vets for my two small adult dogs for some time. My older dog is 7 and suffers from major anxiety. I was so impressed with how they handled my Addie.
She was immediately comfortable with the vet and her team. They recommended a course of action to help the anxiety which included a new more effective prescription. And her new vet spoke with me on the phone for over 30 min easing my concerns about my baby. In the previous 7 years, I had never had such an amazing vet experience with her old vet.
This was my first experience with any vet and honestly I can’t see myself going anywhere else. Everyone here is super friendly and helpful. My cat Pearl was well taken care of and it didn’t completely break my pocket. The doctor we saw was so sweet and caring about my cat’s wound. She called after both visits to make sure she was doing well. They definitely go above and beyond to make you feel cared for and important to them! Thank you all so much.
Samantha G.
Negative VCA pet coverage Reviews
Alexa’s AdviceThis is specifically about the VCA Animal Hospital in Tempe, AZ on Broadway Road. They did not provide proper follow-up care when my cat’s infection resisted treatment. After I called 3 times, a technician finally called me back and was unable to answer any of my questions! She basically blew off my concerns.
The vet had told me this was a serious infection and the tech acted like it was no big deal. I’ve been a customer for 8 years, spent $296 on this appointment and they can’t be bothered to do proper follow-up? I was told spaying my cat would fix the problem. They wanted to charge me $850 to spay vs $350 elsewhere!
PissedConsumer993103I signed up my dog GG for the CareClub and have basically received nothing over the past year. I did this mainly to cover her teeth cleaning. When I scheduled the teeth cleaning (which is included with signing up for the $50 per month CareClub cost) there were many “add-ons” that were not included in that service – anesthesia, medications, etc. After that, I called within a few months to take advantage of the other covered services that were to be included in this “club”. I wanted a routine exam.
They told me if nothing was wrong with GG don’t bring her in. I just called about having her nails trimmed and was told that was not a covered service. This has been the biggest waste of money and I am in the process of canceling this service.
William L GoaI started taking my puppy to a VCA hospital and had nothing but great experiences. The Doctor did seem to upsell me procedures that my puppy didn’t really need, it was just more of a just-in-case basis, which I didn’t really appreciate. My main issue, however, was that they talked me into VCA CareClub and for the most part loved it.
It wasn’t until I had to emergency relocate from my hometown to a town 6 hours away and they weren’t able to transfer the membership. So, as I write this, I am still paying for a membership that I can’t use. Just pay for the procedures out of pocket, the payment plan is a scam and you’re locked into that location.
Conclusion
It’s time we do a quick rundown on what we’ve covered above about the VCA and their CareClub wellness packages.
In this VCA Animal Hospitals Review, we’ve talked a bit about the company’s history and background and how they rose from a single vet clinic in Los Angeles to a leading chain of veterinary centers dedicated to enhancing America’s pets’ lives.
Nevertheless, we focused more on their pet wellness care options provided through the CareClub program. We elaborate on their six plans that take care of all the routine and preventative treatments for cats and dogs of all ages – from baby puppies and kittens to senior dogs and cats.
However, we also noted that VCA prices these plans a bit above what’s considered to be the industry average for wellness care coverage. The lack of transparency in this department (pricing) is also present.
That being the case, we still highly recommend any of the VCA CareClub wellness options for anyone interested in keeping their pets constantly happy and healthy.
At Protect My Paws, you can find a ton of other options – some similar to VCA and some quite different. All of the resources that we feature on our site are meant to enhance pets’ lives, so we’re positive that here you’ll find the best solution for you and your pet.
VCA Animal Hospitals Alternatives
Before we go, here are some more VCA CareClub alternatives that you can make great use of.
Pet Assure is a unique pet coverage alternative that’s always right for all pet parents that don’t want to bother with immense policies that include tons of conditions and exclusions of coverage. With Pet Assure, you’ll receive discounted prices on all of your veterinary visits and treatments that you schedule for your pet. That includes wellness care too. For a low monthly fee, you can throw away the hassle of managing an insurance policy and simply get a 25% discount on every expense you make at the vet clinic.
TrustedPals is our second alternative to VCA, mainly because of their interesting wellness care rider. The plan comes attached to your TrustedPals pet insurance plan and enables you to spend up to $750/year on all of the benefits that are included on the VCA CareClub plans: vaccines, exams and diagnostics, spaying/neutering, and dental cleaning. They even let you use this coverage to get reimbursem*nt for the pet foods and nutritional supplements that your vet prescribes for your pet.
With wellness coverage that costs only $18.95/month for dogs and $11.95/month for cats, Pumpkin is a great alternative to VCA. The two plans include one of each of the following wellness benefit types per policy period (annually): preventatives for heartworm and deworming, vaccines and vaccine titer, all kinds of wellness diagnostics, a thorough wellness exam, and spay/neuter-related services. Although the plans are quite restrictive to the number of benefits that can be used, for the small fee that you pay, they’re totally worth it.
F.A.Q.
Is the VCA CareClub wellness coverage really worth its price?
Starting at $50/month, the six plans offered on the CareClub program might be a bit pricey when we compare them to what the alternatives cost. However, a CareClub wellness package is a complete solution for keeping your pet’s health always in check. It all goes toward preventing serious illnesses and chronic disorders from developing at a later stage in their life, so in the long run, this coverage might save you tons of money.
Can I cancel my VCA CareClub membership at any time?
VCA lacks transparency regarding their pricing and membership conditions. But, from what we’ve gathered by reading so many online reviews about them, apparently, they commit their members to an annual-binding contract. Whether it’s possible to exit this contract without hassle or not is yet to be determined.
Can I use my VCA CareClub package for free grooming appointments for my pet?
It would be wonderful to find a wellness solution that includes benefits such as grooming, bathing, nail trimming, and similar cosmetic treatments, but the VCA CareClub doesn’t provide that. From the list of all the routine and preventative treatments they include on their plans, grooming, deworming, anal gland expression, and treating parasite-borne illnesses are excluded.
