Pet insurance and pre-existing conditions

Written by Helen Kinsella

Last updated: 24 January 2025

If you’re a new pet parent, or considering taking out pet insurance, it’s important to fully understand pre-existing conditions. It could have a big impact on how your dog or cat receives treatment for injuries and illnesses.

What are pre-existing conditions?

Pet insurance providers consider a pre-existing condition to be an injury or illness that your pet had, or showed symptoms of, before the insurance cover started. In addition, most pet insurers will stipulate something called a ‘waiting period’ in a policy. If your pet is diagnosed with an injury or illness during this waiting period, you won’t be covered for it in your policy.

The length of waiting periods may vary by insurer, from something like 14 days to several months for more serious conditions like hip dysplasia.

So let’s say your five-year-old Golden Retriever has been diagnosed with a cruciate ligament injury, and your vet has recommended surgery. You don’t have insurance, so you take out a plan. Will the cost of the surgery be covered by your insurer? The answer is no, because your dog had the injury before you took out the insurance.

Does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions?

In general, a pet insurance company won’t cover pre-existing conditions.

It’s fair, when you think about it. If your dog has been diagnosed with, or displayed the symptoms of, a type of canine cancer before taking out a policy, it’s not fair for your chosen insurer to have to pay for the treatment.

You should always disclose a pre-existing condition when signing up with a pet insurance provider – whether it’s the first time you’ve taken out cover, or you’re switching to a new insurer.

In the event of your dog or cat needing treatment for an injury or illness, your insurance company will typically always ask for your pet’s veterinary records to check its medical history. And yes, if you’ve switched vets recently, your insurers are likely to want medical records from your previous vet, too.

If your dog has been displaying symptoms of hip dysplasia — even if not officially diagnosed — 12 months previously and now needs treatment for the condition, your claim is highly likely to be rejected.

What are ‘curable’ pre-existing conditions?

Some pet insurers make a clear distinction between ‘incurable’ and ‘curable’ conditions.
Incurable pre-existing conditions usually include serious health issues such as cancer, arthritis, hip dysplasia, diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, allergies, to name a few. These conditions can’t really be considered cured, only managed, and some are lifelong.

Curable pre-existing conditions may include those issues that can be treated, and cured, but may still occur at some point in the future. Issues typically considered to be curable pre-existing conditions include ear infections, bladder infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs) and gastrointestinal issues, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

For pet insurance providers that do cover curable conditions, most have stipulations in place for you to be able to make a claim. Some insurers require your pet to be free of symptoms for six months, some for 12 months.

Insurers that do cover curable conditions in some form include ASPCA, Embrace, Figo, Pets Best, Pumpkin and Spot.

Find out about your provider’s terms around pre-existing conditions coverage — including their criteria of ‘curable’ pre-existing conditions – and any waiting or symptom-free periods before taking out a policy. That way, you’ll know exactly what your pet is covered for.