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- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
There’s no getting around it: pet insurance is time sensitive. Because virtually no pet insurance company will cover pre-existing conditions—that is, health conditions that your pet has before your policy goes into effect—it’s often better to get pet insurance early.
But how early? What’s the earliest you can get insurance for a newly adopted pet? And is it ever too late to get pet insurance? We break down the timing, plus the costs and benefits to striking early or dragging your feet.
The Benefits of Buying Pet Insurance Early
If you’re interested in getting the best pet insurance coverage, earlier in your pet’s life is usually better. There are several reasons you’ll likely benefit from buying sooner:
- Your pet is less likely to have developed a pre-existing condition that could limit future coverage.
- Younger pets tend to see the lowest premiums, making pet insurance the best deal when your pet is young. As they age, premiums will increase.
- Puppies and kittens can really rack up vet bills, thanks to their curiosity and vulnerable immune system, making pet insurance a useful tool.
Buying when your pet is young can mean better coverage for the rest of their life
The first and best reason to get pet insurance while your dog or cat is young is because pre-existing conditions will impact your coverage. Virtually no pet insurance company will cover treatment for a condition that your pet has shown symptoms of prior to your policy’s start date.
As dogs and cats age, they tend to accumulate health conditions, and their medical records get longer—which means more conditions and treatments won’t be eligible for coverage.
If, however, you purchase a policy and clear the relevant waiting periods before your pet starts showing symptoms of a condition, your pet insurance company will be on the hook for eligible treatments for that condition for the rest of your pet’s life (or until you hit your policy’s limit).
If you’re worried about long waiting periods, especially a long orthopedic waiting period for a large breed, prioritize a provider with short waiting periods. Spot offers relatively quick 15-day waiting periods for illnesses, including hip and knee problems.
Premiums are typically lower for younger pets
Pet insurance rates are calculated based on a variety of factors, and your pet’s age is a big one.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), providers may charge two to four times as much for a senior pet as a young one.
That means your puppy or kitten is likely to see much lower premiums now than they will when they’re older. You can have several years of relatively low rates before they start to rise with your pet’s age, and that coverage can be especially valuable for rambunctious youngsters.
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Puppies and kittens can benefit from accident and illness plans
Young animals are good at getting into trouble. A good accident and illness plan can cover things like ingestion of foreign objects (think socks, toys, and unfriendly plants), sprains and scrapes, bacterial and viral infections, and exam fees—and the sooner you buy your policy, the sooner you’ll be covered.
Some plans also come with 24/7 vet telehealth, which can be a valuable service for new pet parents with late-night and weekend health questions.
You might also choose to supplement your regular pet insurance plan with a wellness add-on. Wellness add-ons often offer partial reimbursement for the routine and preventive care that puppies and kittens particularly need, like vaccinations, microchipping, and spaying/neutering.
When Should You Get Pet Insurance for a Puppy or Kitten?
Because there are so many advantages to getting pet insurance early, it’s often recommended that you buy a policy as soon as your pet is old enough to qualify. That age varies from company to company, but it typically ranges between 6 and 10 weeks.
In most cases, it’s not worth choosing your pet insurance provider solely on the basis of how soon they’ll let you get coverage for your young pet. There are better criteria you can use to find the best fit for your pet and your wallet, including the following:
- Your plan will cover the health conditions your pet’s breed is most vulnerable to, with reasonable waiting periods
- Your provider offers the extra benefits and add-ons that most interest you
- Your plan lets you customize your premium, reimbursement rate, deductible, and limit in a way that meets your needs
What about newly adopted adult pets?
If you’ve recently adopted an adult cat or dog, you can still enroll them in pet insurance, and similar principles apply: the sooner your policy kicks in, the more likely their future care is to be covered.
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Can I get pet insurance if my pet is already sick?
There’s one situation when you might want to wait to get pet insurance, and that’s if your pet is sick or injured and needs care.
It might be tempting to scramble to buy a policy before you go to the vet. However, even if you could get a policy within hours, you would still need to clear your plan’s required waiting periods, which will delay your pet’s care not by hours but by days or weeks, depending on the nature of your pet’s problem. Understandably, many pet parents will want to prioritize getting their pet the treatment they need.
If you wait to get pet insurance until after your vet visit, you might still be covered for the same kind of illness or injury next time. Many eligible conditions that aren’t part of an underlying or chronic condition, like a one-off ear infection or an upset stomach, are considered a “curable” pre-existing condition. A curable pre-existing condition can often be covered in the future, as long as your pet has recovered or tested negative for a sufficient interval of time (usually a couple months).
Some providers, like Spot and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Program, have comparatively short “curable” windows of six months, while Lemonade, Fetch, and Prudent Pet have 12-month windows.
When Is It Too Late To Get Pet Insurance?
In many cases, it’s never too late to get pet insurance—but it may become harder to find a plan that meets your needs.
There are some good reasons pet parents with older pets might choose not to get pet insurance:
- Some pet insurance companies have age limits beyond which you can no longer enroll a pet, narrowing your choice of providers (see Spot, Fetch, Pets Best, or Prudent Pet for no upper age limit)
- Premiums for senior pets are significantly higher than those for puppies and kittens
- Pre-existing conditions may shrink the scope of coverage beyond what a pet parent considers worthwhile
That said, just because your pet has some pre-existing conditions doesn’t mean they won’t develop any new ones down the road, and pet insurance potentially could help offset the cost of treatment for those.
For more on the pros and cons of getting pet insurance for an older pet, read “Is Pet Insurance Worth It? How To Know If It’s a Good Deal for Your Pet.”
Further Reading
- The Best Pet Insurance: A Pet Parent’s Guide
- What Does Pet Insurance Cover? Everything You Need to Know
- How To Choose the Right Insurance for Your Pet
- How Much Does Pet Insurance Cost?
- Pet Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions—What To Know Before You Buy
- The Best Pet Insurance Wellness Plans: How Preventive Care Add-Ons Work
- What To Know About Waiting Periods and Pet Insurance
- What Are Pet Insurance Deductibles, and How Do You Pick One?
- Savings Account Versus Pet Insurance: Which Is Better?
Insurance advice, products, and links contained in this article are currently intended for and only available in the states where Rover Pet Insurance Services, LLC is currently licensed as an insurance producer. As we expand our licensing to other states we will update our websites and links.
If you are located in a state in which we are not currently licensed, but would like to learn more about pet insurance products available in your state, you may contact a licensed insurance agent or broker in your state.
