A free vet portal brings pet insurance into the cost conversation
Clarus Technology launched a free portal that shows vets a client's pet insurance coverage and financing options at the point of care, and more than 500 U.S. practices have already planned to integrate it. The company is a subsidiary of Independence Pet Holdings, the platform behind Pets Best and Spot, and how the portal presents other carriers' coverage is the detail practices will want to see next.
Nearly eight in ten pet owners underestimate what their pet will cost over a lifetime, up to $61,000 for a dog, according to a 2025 Synchrony study. Clarus Technology is betting a free piece of practice software can close that gap: a point-of-care portal showing vets a client's insurance coverage, financing options, and claims status, live as of September 28th, 2026. More than 500 U.S. practices have already planned to integrate it.
Clarus opens a free insurance-visibility portal
The Clarus Practice Portal bundles a Financial Navigator that surfaces a client's pet insurance policy, financing options, and claims data inside the same screen a veterinary team already uses for cost-of-care conversations. Clarus, a financial-visibility company for the veterinary industry, says onboarding takes 10 to 15 minutes and the platform is free to any U.S. practice.
More than 500 practices have already planned to integrate the platform, the company says, not yet confirmed live usage. Set against an estimated 34,000 veterinary practices in the U.S. (AVMA-sourced), that is roughly 1.5% of the market with a commitment in hand before the product has been live a week.
The rollout leans on a 2025 Synchrony study in which 74% of pet owners reported an unexpected bill over $250, and only 31% said they felt prepared to handle a major expense.
An insurer has good reasons to build this
Clarus's own hiring materials describe it as a subsidiary of Independence Pet Holdings, the underwriting and administration platform behind pet insurance brands including Spot and Pets Best. That connection helps explain why the portal is free.
Pet insurance still has plenty of room to grow. NAPHIA's 2026 State of the Industry report puts U.S. pet insurance penetration at 4.27%, with dogs at 5.99% and cats at 2.29%. That means fewer than one in twenty U.S. dogs and cats is insured. A tool that brings coverage into the cost conversation in the exam room could help close that gap for the whole category, not just one carrier.
An insurer also already handles the policy and claims data a tool like this depends on. Building on that is a logical step for a company that runs the back end for several brands.
Clear rankings would answer the question practices will ask
Practices weighing Clarus will reasonably want to know how the portal presents coverage and financing for clients insured by Trupanion, Lemonade, Nationwide, or other carriers, alongside Independence Pet Holdings' own brands. The launch announcement does not cover that yet.
A clear answer would make the pitch stronger. A portal that shows every client's coverage the same way, whatever the carrier, would save veterinary teams real time on insurance paperwork and make cost conversations easier for owners.
The number to watch is how quickly the free version grows past its first 500 practices.
Every insurer benefits when more pets are covered.
Other News
More stories shaping the pet industry this week. From funding rounds and product launches to regulatory shifts and retail strategy, stay ahead of what's driving the market.
Vet AI use hit 83.7%, and the biggest returns go to practices with a plan
AI use among veterinary professionals jumped from 39.2% to 83.7% in two years, according to a Digitail and AAHA study released October 1st. Most practices added AI without changing workflows, and the ones that built strategy and governance report six times the business outcomes.
A Free Pet Memorial Builder Puts Grief Care on the Pet Industry's Map
Jasper, a pet loss grief community founded in 2024, launched The Forever Space, a free and shareable online memorial builder. With more than 1,000 members and a closely engaged community, it gives families a place to remember their pets and gives the pet industry a reason to think more carefully about the end of life.
Vets beat owner self-research by just six points in a supplement seller's survey
A Lillie&Lee survey of its own community finds 35.3% of pet parents pick supplements on a vet's recommendation and 29.2% decide on their own. The vendor-sponsored data suggests the vet's influence at the point of purchase is thinner than the trust numbers imply.