Open data for an opaque industry
Pet insurance economics are deliberately complicated. Premium pricing models are proprietary, claims data is fragmented, and the industry’s own published statistics typically arrive 6–9 months after the period they cover. This makes it hard for pet owners, journalists, and researchers to evaluate the actual financial case for or against insurance.
Our research aims to fix that. We model the economics openly: published methodology, documented sources, and quarterly data refreshes. The pages below cover our active research projects. Each one is written so readers can verify the math and journalists can cite the findings.
Active research
A 30-breed comparative analysis of expected lifetime veterinary costs and insurance economics. Includes the most-expensive breeds, the breeds where insurance pays off most clearly, and the cost differential between similar breeds with different genetics.
Read the study → ReferenceFull disclosure of the formulas, parameters, and assumptions behind every calculator on this site. The page that should answer every "how do you know that?" question.
Read the methodology →Complete catalog of every data source feeding our models, with versioning, last-refresh dates, and direct links to source materials where publicly available.
In preparationQuarterly snapshot of pet insurance and veterinary cost changes. What moved, what didn’t, and how it changes our calculator outputs. Most recent NAPHIA data integration.
Publishing in July 2026Analysis of how veterinary costs vary across 50 US metros, plus 10 international cities. Why a TPLO surgery costs $4,800 in Cleveland and $7,400 in San Francisco — and what that means for insurance value.
Research in progressSurvey-based research on the gap between intended and actual self-insurance savings discipline. The most under-studied variable in pet financial planning.
Survey design phaseFor journalists and researchers
Our datasets, breed cost rankings, and methodology details are available for citation. We provide structured data exports, supporting documentation, and direct quote access for journalists working on pet financial stories.
Press inquiries: contact our press team. We typically respond within 24 hours during business days. We do not require embargoes or exclusive arrangements, and our datasets are available without licensing fees with proper attribution.
Research principles
Everything we publish under "research" is held to four standards:
- Open methodology. If we publish a finding, the methodology behind it is publicly accessible. No black boxes.
- Documented sources. Every numerical claim traces to a primary source. No invented statistics.
- Limitations stated. Every analysis includes explicit discussion of what the methodology can and can’t measure.
- Updates dated. Every research page shows when it was last updated. Quarterly refreshes are standard.
We follow these standards because pet financial decisions are real decisions with real consequences for real animals. Sloppy analysis isn’t just unprofessional — it can lead pet owners to either over-pay for unnecessary insurance or skip insurance their dog genuinely needs. Both outcomes are bad. Our standards exist to minimize both.
How to use our research
The research published here is intended to be useful in three ways:
For pet owners making decisions about specific dogs: read our breed-specific analysis pages alongside the research findings, then run the relevant calculators with your actual dog’s details. The research provides context; the calculators provide your specific answer.
For journalists covering pet insurance, veterinary costs, or pet financial planning: our research is citable, our methodology is verifiable, and our team responds to press inquiries quickly. We make it easy to use our findings accurately.
For veterinary professionals and researchers who want to verify, challenge, or extend our analysis: our methodology page documents formulas and parameters; our contact page accepts methodology contributions and corrections. We update our work in response to verified feedback.
For all three audiences, the principle is the same: we publish so you can verify, not so you can take our word.