A health guarantee to your puppy's 10th birthday*, administered by a third party.
Three years included with every puppy, extendable to ten at checkout. Year 1 is backed by your breeder, the rest by PetPay, and every claim is reviewed by PetPay, not by the person who sold you the puppy. Plus 1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance included with every puppy†, no waiting period, for immediate accident or illness coverage.
Three years included, extendable to ten at checkout. Every claim reviewed by PetPay, not by the person who sold you the puppy. Plus 1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance included†, no waiting period.
Works alongside your MetLife Pet Insurance policy: 1 month included with every puppy,† no waiting period, plus the Prescription Reimbursement Program for common arrival ailments. Full terms → · MetLife 30-day offer →
A puppy is a newborn. Its immune system isn't finished yet.
The antibodies a puppy gets from its mother fade between six and sixteen weeks, and its own immunity doesn't fully mature until roughly four to six months. That gap is exactly when it leaves its mother, travels, and moves into a new home, the most stressful weeks of its life. Stress is what turns a harmless low-level exposure into symptoms.Maternal antibodies fade between 6 and 16 weeks; a puppy's own immunity doesn't mature until roughly 4–6 months. That gap is exactly when it leaves its mother and moves home, and stress is what turns a harmless low-level exposure into symptoms.
No breeder, no exam and no guarantee can change that biology. What can change is whether anyone planned for it. We did, in three layers.
AVMA the maternal-immunity gap ↗Licensed vet, 3–5 days out, with a fecal test. A finding puts travel on hold.
No waiting period, immediate accident or illness coverage, in place before your 72-hour vet visit.
72 hours, 14 days, then hereditary and congenital coverage to year 3, or the 10th birthday.
Someone independent stands behind your puppy, for years.
- Mandatory vet exam + fecal test before travel; a finding stops travel
- Veterinary Health Report reviewed by our staff and explained to you before travel
- Contagious illness covered the first two weeks
- Hereditary & congenital coverage to year 3, or 10*
- Common arrival ailments treated on us
- PetPay, not the seller, decides every claim
Everything else a newborn gets into, from day one.
- No waiting period, immediate accident or illness coverage
- The swallowed sock, the broken toe, the 2 a.m. emergency
- Any licensed vet
- The guarantee covers the unexpected diagnosis; insurance covers everyday life
- Keep it after month one, strongly recommended
Nothing here is an upgrade. It comes with the puppy.
3–5 days out, nine body systems, vitals, required fecal test. A finding puts travel on hold.
Every finding, vaccine and deworming, signed by a DVM. Hard copy travels; digital copy in your PetPay account.
Administered by PetPay. Extendable to the 10th birthday at checkout for most breeds.*
No waiting period, immediate accident or illness coverage.
Medication for giardia, coccidia, cough and ear infection, reimbursed once per ailment.
You never pay a breeder directly. The breeder isn't paid out until your puppy is delivered.
A named person who calls you with exam findings and stays with you through delivery and the 72-hour visit.
Our first-72-hours guide: vet visit, food, parvo precautions, sleep, crate, ready before your puppy is.
A guarantee is only as good as whoever decides the claim.
Most breeders offer one. It's a paragraph on their site, judged by them, and it lasts as long as they answer the phone. Ours is a contract between you, the breeder and PetPay, with PetPay reading the vet records and making the call.
| Breeder-only guarantee | Pawrade Health Guarantee | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides a claim | The breeder who sold you the puppy. | PetPay, an independent administrator, reading your vet's records. |
| Where the terms live | A paragraph on a personal website, editable any time. | One public contract, identical for every Pawrade breeder, incorporated by reference at checkout. |
| If the breeder stops breeding | The guarantee usually goes with them. | Years 2 and 3 are backed by PetPay, not the breeder. |
| Before the puppy travels | Parents' paperwork. Often no exam of the puppy itself. | Licensed-vet exam and fecal test 3–5 days out. A finding puts travel on hold. |
| The first weeks home | "Take it to your vet." Then you're on your own. | MetLife month, 72-hour and 14-day coverage, and medication reimbursed for the four common arrival ailments. |
| What's asked of you | Usually nothing, and nothing enforceable. | A dated checklist that protects the puppy: vet visit in 72 hours, no vaccines for 10 days, same food, spay/neuter on schedule. |
Ask any seller these seven questions. Here are our answers next to theirs.
| # | The question to ask | Classifieds / social | Pet store | Direct from a breeder | Pawrade · every puppy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Was this puppy examined by a licensed vet before it travelled? | Rarely. Often no records at all. | Sometimes; records vary by store. | Depends on the breeder. | Always, 3–5 days out, with a fecal test. Report uploaded in your PetPay account. |
| 02 | Who decides if a health claim is valid? | Nobody. The seller is often unreachable. | The store. | The breeder. | PetPay, an independent administrator, against published terms. |
| 03 | How long does the guarantee last, and who backs it after year 1? | None, or a verbal promise. | Typically 1 year, store-backed. | Varies; ends if the breeder stops. | 3 years, extendable to 10. Years 2+ backed by PetPay, not the breeder.* |
| 04 | Is pet insurance included on day one? | No. | Occasionally a trial offer. | Rarely. | 1 month of MetLife with no waiting period.† |
| 05 | Where does my money go? | Wire, Zelle, gift cards, unrecoverable. | To the store. | Directly to the breeder, up front. | Through PetPay; the breeder isn't paid out until your puppy is delivered. |
| 06 | Has the breeder been screened? | No. | Store-dependent; often brokers. | You do the screening. | Identity-verified, signs the Breeder Code of Ethics, audited annually. |
| 07 | Who do I call at 9 p.m. when something feels off? | No one. | Store hours. | The breeder, if they answer. | A real person, daily 9AM–11PM EST: (888) 729-8812. |
A good breeder can answer yes to most of these. What no single seller can offer is someone independent reading the exam, deciding the claim, and a breeder who isn't paid out until your puppy is delivered.
From the hour your puppy arrives to its third birthday, or its tenth, if you extend.
Life-threatening, contagious or infectious illness
If your 72-hour vet visit finds a life-threatening, contagious or infectious disease, fair and reasonable documented veterinary expenses are reimbursed up to the original purchase price, in excess of what pet insurance pays (deductibles and uncovered percentages excluded). Parasites found on the required fecal float are handled through the Prescription Reimbursement Program instead.
- Upload delivery photos and transfer-of-ownership to PetPay on arrival
- Activate MetLife before the vet visit
- Licensed-vet wellness exam within 72 hours (not Banfield)
PCR-confirmed illness the first exam didn't catch
After the first 72 hours and before day 14, an illness confirmed by a PCR test administered within the first 7 days, and not found on the initial fecal float, is covered the same way: documented treatment up to the purchase price, in excess of pet insurance. Life-threatening blood parasites and protozoans go through the Prescription Reimbursement Program. Using your own ground shipper cancels this stage.
- PCR test within the first 7 days; SNAP tests aren't admissible
- Fecal float at the first visit
- Puppy transported by the breeder's arranged carrier
1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance included†
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage, 1 month, with every puppy.† You activate it by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details, and the call happens after you upload proof of delivery and before any vet visit. The Health Guarantee sits on top of that policy (it reimburses what insurance doesn't), so activation is what puts the guarantee in force. Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended. †NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded.
- Call MetLife to activate; instructions come with your travel details
- After uploading proof of delivery, before the 72-hour vet visit
- Continue coverage after the first month, strongly recommended
Hereditary or congenital disorder
If two licensed veterinarians diagnose a hereditary or congenital disorder that interferes with your puppy's ability to lead a normal life, and it isn't a breed-specific ailment, you receive, at the breeder's discretion, a replacement puppy of equal value or reimbursement of documented treatment costs up to the purchase price. The breeder is the liable party; PetPay administers the claim.
- Two DVM diagnoses
- Written report to PetPay within 5 days of the first diagnosis
- Report submitted before treatment begins
Hereditary or congenital disorder
From your puppy's first birthday to its third, the same hereditary or congenital diagnosis (two DVMs, interfering with a normal life, not breed-specific) earns a credit toward another puppy of up to 50% of the original purchase price, or a reimbursement of up to 25%. PetPay is the liable party; this stage doesn't depend on your breeder. Bulldog breeds are excluded from this stage.
- Two DVM diagnoses
- Written report to the breeder and PetPay within 5 days
- Puppy continuously residing in the continental U.S.
Extended 10-Year Health Guarantee: most breeds, $250 at checkout
Life happens. For $250 at checkout, the Years 2–3 terms extend to your puppy's tenth birthday: same two-DVM diagnosis standard, same PetPay administration, same independence from the breeder. Most breeds are eligible; bulldog breeds are excluded. Seven extra years of coverage for less than one specialist consult.
- Selected at time of purchase
- Non-bulldog breed
- All buyer obligations kept current
A pet insurance policy with no waiting period. Only with Pawrade.
Buy pet insurance on your own and you wait (typically 14 days for illness and six months to a year for joints) before a claim counts. Those first two weeks are exactly when a puppy is most likely to need a vet.
Only with Pawrade, you receive a pet insurance policy with no waiting period included for immediate accident or illness coverage. In MetLife's words: coverage begins immediately following policy activation, so your 72-hour vet visit happens with a policy already in force.
- Immediate accident or illness coverage, no waiting period
- 1 month included with every puppy†
- Activate by calling MetLife; instructions arrive with your travel details; coverage begins immediately following policy activation
- The Health Guarantee rides on top: MetLife pays first, the guarantee reimburses what's left
- Continuing MetLife coverage after the first month is strongly recommended
†NH, NY, RI, SC and TN residents excluded. Activated by calling MetLife; coverage begins immediately following policy activation. See the offer for full terms.
View the MetLife 30-day offer →A waiting period is how long after you buy a pet insurance policy before a claim counts. Anything that shows up during the wait is "pre-existing" and never covered. Here is the wait for accidents, illness and joint problems: ours versus what you'd get buying on your own.
Industry figures: NerdWallet, 2026. Waiting periods vary by state; your policy governs. Source ↗
| Wait before a claim counts | Accidents | Illness | Orthopedic (joints) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetLife policy included with your Pawrade puppy† | None | None | None |
| MetLife, bought directly | None | 14 days | 14 days · 6 mo cruciate |
| Industry standard | 0–14 days | 14 days | 6–12 months |
| Nationwide | 14 days | 14 days | 12 months |
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Embrace · Figo · Progressive | 0–3 days | 14 days | 6 months |
Your puppy is coughing at the 72-hour exam. With a policy you bought yesterday: inside the wait, so pre-existing. Here: a covered claim.
A PCR test comes back positive for giardia. MetLife pays first; the Health Guarantee and Prescription Reimbursement cover what's left.
A limp turns out to be a joint problem. If you kept your MetLife policy going, you're already past the point most policies would still be waiting.
The four things puppies most often pick up in their first weeks home: medication covered.
These four are not a sign of a bad breeder. Giardia and coccidia live in soil, puddles and grass wherever animals have been; a litter raised the right way (outdoors, on a farm, socialized with other dogs) is exposed to them by definition, the same way a toddler at daycare meets every cold.
So we plan for it instead of pretending it won't happen: a required fecal test before travel, a 72-hour vet visit after, and PetPay reimbursing the first-choice medication your vet prescribes, once per ailment, on top of whatever pet insurance pays.
Giardia
Up to $30A microscopic gut parasite. Often no symptoms at all; sometimes soft stool. Clears with a 5-day combination course.
Coccidia
Up to $30A single-celled parasite most puppies carry at low levels without ever showing it. Stress tips it into symptoms. Treated in 5 days.
Cough
Up to $30"Kennel cough": canine infectious respiratory disease. A dry, honking cough; the puppy equivalent of a daycare cold. Up to 10 days of antibiotics.
Ear infection
Up to $35Otitis externa: inflammation of the outer ear canal. Head-shaking, scratching, odor. Up to 7 days of otic treatment.
The bills nobody budgets for.
A puppy's immune system isn't finished at eight weeks; neither is its skeleton. These are the diagnoses that turn a joyful first year into a financial one, and what the guarantee does about each.
Cost ranges are U.S. averages from the sources linked on each card. Your vet's pricing will differ.
Highly contagious; hits puppies 6–20 weeks hardest. Hospitalization is the big line.
A hereditary joint malformation. Surgery ranges from a juvenile procedure to a full replacement.
The two most common arrival parasites. Cheap to treat, if treated right the first time.
Some murmurs are innocent and fade; a true defect can need a specialist and surgery.
Every puppy on Pawrade already comes with all of this.
Examined before travel · 3-year guarantee, extendable to 10 · 1 month of MetLife† · Rx reimbursement · a real person to call, daily 9AM–11PM EST
A guarantee that asks nothing of you protects no one. Here's the checklist.
Confirms delivery and transfers ownership. Nothing activates until this is done.
Instructions arrive with your travel details. After the upload, before the 72-hour exam; this puts the guarantee in force.
Baseline exam with a fecal float. Any licensed vet except Banfield; those claims are denied.
Your puppy arrives up to date. Re-vaccinating early risks over-vaccination unless the next round is due.
The breeder's brand and formula are on the listing. Transition over 5–7 days if you change.
Dog parks, pet-store floors, parking lots: parvo lives there. Carry, don't walk.
Under 45 lb by 9 months, over by 12 (some large males 12–18). Breeding voids the guarantee. Registry papers follow proof.
Licensed-vet exam and fecal test 3–5 days before travel. A finding puts travel on hold. The Veterinary Health Report is uploaded to your PetPay account.
How the exam works →Every breed carries known risks. You should know them before you buy, not after a claim.
Every health guarantee in this industry excludes conditions a breed is known to be prone to, because a guarantee can't insure against a probability you chose. A French Bulldog will breathe like a French Bulldog. That is what pet insurance is for.
Where we're different is who decides and when you find out. The exclusion isn't a line a breeder pulls out after the fact. It's published, identical for every breeder, decided by PetPay on veterinary consensus, and we'll tell you your breed's list before you commit.
- Decided by PetPay, not the breeder. The seller has no say in whether your claim is a "breed ailment." An independent administrator does, on published veterinary consensus.
- Published before you buy. The same exclusion list applies to every breeder on Pawrade. Nobody can add to it after your puppy comes home.
- Ask us first. Call before you commit and we'll walk through your breed's known tendencies and how a given diagnosis would be treated under the guarantee.
- Congenital is still covered. A defect this puppy was born with that its breed isn't known for is a congenital disorder, and that's exactly what the three-year guarantee is for.
| Breed | Known tendency · not covered | Congenital disorder · covered |
|---|---|---|
| French Bulldog | Brachycephalic airway (BOAS), stenotic nares, elongated palate, skin allergies | Cleft palate; congenital heart defect (e.g. pulmonic stenosis) |
| Cavalier King Charles | Mitral valve disease (MVD), syringomyelia | Patent ductus arteriosus; congenital kidney malformation |
| Dachshund | Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), back injury | Liver shunt (portosystemic); congenital deafness |
| Golden / Labrador Retriever | Hip and elbow dysplasia, cancers later in life | Congenital heart defect (subaortic stenosis) in a puppy; cleft palate |
| Yorkie / Maltese / Toy breeds | Collapsing trachea, luxating patella, dental crowding, hypoglycemia | Liver shunt; hydrocephalus; congenital megaesophagus |
| German Shepherd | Hip dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, bloat | Congenital heart defect; congenital kidney disease (renal dysplasia) |
Is this a condition the breed is documented to be prone to, or a defect this puppy was born with that its breed isn't known for? The first is a tendency. The second is covered.
Pet insurance. It's the product designed for known breed risk, and it's why we say carry it from day one. The guarantee handles the unexpected; insurance handles the expected.
We'd rather you read this now than discover it later.
Every guarantee has limits. Ours are written down, grouped here in plain language, and the same for every breeder on Pawrade. Most fall into one of five categories.
- Exam and office-visit fees, routine vet care, vaccines, flea and heartworm prevention
- Food, supplements, grooming, medicated baths
- Elective, cosmetic and preventive procedures: microchipping, dew claws, teeth cleaning
- Behavior and training, including potty training
- Grade 1–2 heart murmur; grade 1–2 luxating patella found after the first exam
- Umbilical hernia identified after the first exam; hiatal, perineal, diaphragmatic and inguinal hernias
- Cherry eye, localized demodectic mange, testicle problems
- Bulldog-normal traits: entropion, loose hips, stenotic nares, elongated palate, skin allergies
- Stress-related illness from the move: pneumonia, diarrhea, hypoglycemia and low blood sugar
- Parvo diagnosed after the first 72 hours, or by SNAP test rather than IDEXX PCR
- Illness diagnosed more than 7 days after arrival (parvo excepted)
- Injury or illness from ingestion, accidents, bug bites; diseases preventable by vaccine or prophylaxis
- Conditions a breed is prone to by veterinary consensus: dysplasia in giants, collapsing trachea in toys, brachycephalic breathing, MVD in Cavaliers
- Years 2–3 coverage for Bulldog breeds
- Results of genetic testing; cancer of any type; coronavirus; X-rays
- Breeding the puppy, or asserting breeding rights
- Skipping the buyer obligations, or using Banfield Pet Hospital
- A chargeback after delivery; legal action or defamation against the breeder or PetPay
- Your vet mismanaging breed-specific vaccine protocols
Four steps. One place. A person reads it.
Any health concern, file at petpay.com/manage/fileclaim. Attach the vet records so far.
An official diagnosis in writing, dated. For hereditary claims, before any treatment begins.
Send PetPay MetLife's Summary of Benefits or denial letter. The guarantee pays what insurance doesn't.
All supporting documents in by day 30 of diagnosis. PetPay reviews and may seek a second opinion; we help you gather what's needed.
Year 1 claims are filed with your breeder and PetPay together. The breeder is the liable party; PetPay reviews the records and holds both sides to the terms.
Years 2 and 3 claims are filed with PetPay directly. PetPay is the liable party, so coverage doesn't depend on whether a breeder is still breeding, or still answering.
What families say after their puppy came home.
4.7 from 18,917 verified buyers · 96.5% satisfied · 4.7 "Excellent" on Trustpilot.
“Everything was perfect! They made the process super smooth. We did the puppy delivery option with a driver and no delays or anything and the little guy was perfect when we got him! Highly recommend if you want a puppy”
“Fergus is GREAT !! He is acclimating just fine.. Such a joy !!!”
“Expensive but worth it. Such a great experience”
“Great service and great communication. Puppy came to us on time and is very healthy.”
Questions families ask before they commit.
Every puppy on Pawrade comes with this guarantee. No upgrade, no add-on.
Examined before travel. Covered after. Administered by someone independent for three years, or to the 10th birthday if you extend at checkout. Plus 1 month of MetLife Pet Insurance included†; you start covered on both.
Browse puppies Ask us anything · (888) 729-8812Don't take our word for it.
Why a guarantee and a policy do different jobs.
AAHAThe schedule behind "no vaccines for 10 days."
AVMAWhy paws stay off public ground until the 4-month booster.
Merck Veterinary ManualHow a well-raised puppy picks up giardia from ground and water.
Cornell Riney Canine Health CenterWhy puppies under 6 months carry it and adults don't get sick.
AVMAAirborne, like a cold; vaccines don't cover every strain.
Federal Trade CommissionWhy wire, gift-card and app payments to a seller are unrecoverable.
Humane World for AnimalsWhat "USDA licensed" and "guaranteed healthy" claims in stores actually mean.
Michigan State University · Animal Legal & Historical CenterBreeding, sale-age, health-certificate and buyer-remedy rules by state.
USDA APHISThe federal document every puppy crossing a state line needs.
Cornell Riney Canine Health CenterWhy a grade 1–2 murmur in a puppy is usually innocent.
This page is informational. The governing Health Guarantee is administered by PetPay, Inc. and its terms take precedence. Health Guarantee Terms →