Pet insurance with no waiting periods
It’s possible to get pet insurance with no waiting periods for accidents, but not for illnesses or long-term health conditions.
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Key takeaways
- Pet insurance with no waiting periods is usually only available for accidents, such as a bone fracture or a fight wound.
- For illnesses, you will have to wait between 14 to 30 days and around 6 months for long-term conditions, such as a cruciate ligament or paralysis tick.
- Waiting periods can differ between insurers so it's worth comparing your options.
Waiting periods for specific conditions and illnesses
Waiting periods vary depending on the ailment and the provider offering pet insurance. Below is an outline of how long you will likely have to wait for specific conditions and illnesses.
Use the Compare checkbox in the table to compare provider waiting periods side-by-side.
Typical waiting periods for pet insurance
Accidents: 0 days
Generally, accidents have no waiting period but in some cases, you may have to wait a day or two. Typically, accidents you can claim for include:
- A motor vehicle incident
- A burn or electrocution
- Allergic reaction to insect or spider bite excluding flea bites
- A traumatic ligament or tendon injury other than cruciate ligament condition
- Snake bite toxicity
- A bone fracture
- Bite wound or fight wound abscesses
- Lacerations or abrasion of tissue, skin or mucous membrane due to external violence
Routine care and illnesses: 14 - 30 days
Routine treatments and most illnesses usually come with a 14-30 day waiting period. These treatments might include:
- Eye trauma
- Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV)
- Heat stroke
- Ingestion of foreign object
- Poisoning
- Soft tissue injury
- Tick paralysis
- Torn nail
- Trauma-induced respiratory impairment
- Traumatic spinal disc rupture
Specified conditions: 6 months
Most pet insurance policies have a 6 month waiting period for certain serious conditions. These can include:
- Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS)
- Cherry eye
- Cruciate ligament condition
- Ectropion
- Elbow dysplasia
- Entropion
- Hip dysplasia
- Intervertebral disc disease
- Lumps
- Osteochondritis dissecans
- Patella luxation
Do I need to re-serve waiting periods when I switch pet insurance policies?
It's common to take out one pet insurance policy when your dog or cat is young and switch to a different policy when your pet gets older. While this may seem like a cost-effective strategy, it could result in you having to re-serve waiting periods. There are some providers that won't reset the waiting periods if you switch to a new policy with the same level of cover as your previous one. You'll have to get in touch with them to see if they'll waive them for your circumstances.
If you upgrade your policy with the same company, for example, from accident and illness cover to comprehensive, you may still have to re-serve the waiting periods, depending on your provider and what you're being covered for. Your best bet is to call them and chat through your options.
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