Winnipeg-based Petline Insurance partners with Pet Valu

Care for a side of pet insurance with that dog toy?

Winnipeg-based Petline Insurance Co. has partnered with national retail chain Pet Valu to spread its services.

The ink is drying on the deal. Petline — which covers veterinary bill claims — is tapping into Pet Valu’s 2.8 million members and 824 stores. (Twenty-nine of those are located in Manitoba.)

It’s the first time Pet Valu has done a marketing collaboration “on this scale” with a pet insurance company, chief executive Greg Ramier wrote in a statement.

“I anticipate there will be growth in the industry,” said Daniel Kennedy, senior vice-president of Definity.

Definity owns Petline Insurance Co., among other insurance brands.

Kennedy aims to expand pet insurance into company benefit plans in the coming years.

For now, he’s focused on the Pet Valu partnership, which was announced earlier this month. Pet Valu members get 10 per cent off the insurance line Petsecure; non-member customers receive a five per cent discount.

Petline sought a national partner, Kennedy said, after growing during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a boom in pet ownership as people stayed home amid social distancing orders.

The average Canadian dog owner spent between $2,500 and $3,000 on veterinary care in 2025, according to HelloSafe, a platform comparing financial products.

Petsecure pointed to recent vet bill examples of $13,296 and $7,927, respectively.

The brand says it’ll cover up to 80 per cent of such bills, not including the deductible.

“We’ve all seen costs going up,” Kennedy said. “Vet bills, just like medical bills, are getting more expensive.”

Kennedy is pitching Petsecure as a backstop to unexpected fees. “I would see us as being a supporter of giving people a little bit more certainty around their economics, if they’re pet owners, in these rather uncertain economic times,” he said.

Pet insurance use grew seven per cent in Canada from 2024 to 2025, HelloSafe reported. Still, just 3.8 per cent of pets were insured last year.

The insurance company will always profit, said Chi Liao, a University of Manitoba finance professor who studies household finances. “When vet prices go up, the premiums for the insurance will typically go up as well.”

Liao opted not to get pet insurance when adopting Grizzly, her 10-year-old dog. “I figured if I set aside some money each month for an emergency fund over the long run, it’s (better),” she said.

Even so, insurance policies can offer peace of mind and offset sizeable bills. It’s important to shop around for insurance, she added.

Petline’s monthly payments depend on factors such as the coverage type. Young dog owners might pay $45 to $50 a month, Kennedy said.

Pet Valu said it didn’t have data on customer demand for pet insurance because its partnership with Petline is new.

Canada is home to five to eight pet insurance companies, according to HelloSafe. Petsecure, Trupanion and Desjardins collectively account for more than 80 per cent of the policies issued, an Insurance Bureau of Canada spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The Winnipeg Humane Society offers Petsecure through its adoption program. Last year, $15,929 in claims was paid during the six-week free trial period; 3,578 people got the trial.

Karly Devlin manages the Winnipeg Humane Society’s adoptions department. She said it’s “impossible” to emphasize how much she recommends pet insurance.

Many pet owners don’t have the money needed for an unexpected vet bill, she added.

“(They) are going to do everything in their power to do whatever they have to do to pay for it, because pets truly are part of the family,” Devlin said. “It’s really utilizing it to be able to help your pet (while) eliminating as much stress as possible.”

Devlin didn’t have statistics on how many adopters continued with pet insurance past the free trial.

A 2025 investigation by CBC’s Marketplace found 10 Winnipeg vet clinics are owned by the same chain: Ontario-headquartered VetStrategy.

Rising operating costs to run a clinic and pharmacies now selling pet medication may contribute to higher vet bills, said Hugh Moran, interim executive director of the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association.

“I quite expect that people will be looking into this,” he said of pet insurance.

Definity counts roughly 130 Winnipeg staff. It also umbrellas Economical Insurance, Sonnet Insurance and Family Insurance Solutions.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com