Dog Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

At Petsure, a pre-existing condition in dogs is:

• Anything your dog has had in the last two years before your cover start date or waiting period.
• A condition diagnosed over two years ago needing ongoing treatment, check-ups, or monitoring.

‘Anything’ could be:

• Signs or symptoms of changes in your dog’s health or behaviour
• An existing illness, injury, or physical deformity
• Needs or had treatment, surgery, medication, or a prescribed diet
• Check-ups, investigations, monitoring, or vet advice

Each pet insurer will have their definition of a pre-existing condition so it’s important to find this out when looking into cover.

It’s possible to insure your dog if they have a pre-existing condition but you need to find a provider who offers this kind of cover.

Most pet insurance providers will only cover new illnesses and injuries that develop after your policy has started. Or they may:

• Only cover certain conditions and as long as there have been no symptoms for a set amount of time, e.g. symptomless for two years.
• Offer limited cover for existing conditions or put lots of exclusions on what you can and can’t claim for.

Remember to read the policy wording carefully to understand how pre-existing illnesses are covered, if at all.

Petsure is one of only a few pet insurers that offer pre-existing conditions cover for dogs.

Our lifetime dog insurance gives you a choice of up to £15k vet fee cover with no compulsory excess or bill share, even as your pet ages.

You also get free 24/7 access to vet video appointments with Firstvet. This means you can speak to a professional anytime from the comfort of your home if you’re ever worried about your dog’s symptoms.

It’s important to tell us about all of your dog’s pre-existing conditions when you get a quote for insurance. Without this, your dog may not be covered if you need to make a claim in the future.

And remember, you’ll be automatically covered for any new conditions that develop after your policy cooling-off period.

“It’s not always easy to know if your dog has a pre-existing condition, so speak to your vet if you aren’t sure.

They can check your dog’s medical records for any symptoms or illnesses that need to be declared when taking out cover.”

Allie Simpson – Pet insurance specialist

Meet our pet experts

When you tell us about your dog’s pre-existing conditions, we’ll let you know if we’re able to offer cover for these, before you take out your policy. Make sure you let us know if anything changes with your dog’s health before their cover starts.

If you keep up with your payments, your dog’s new or pre-existing conditions will continue to be covered by your policy every year you renew.

You won’t be able to get cover for any undiagnosed conditions your dog may have. If your dog is showing symptoms, you should speak to your vet for any investigations they need to make before diagnosis.