Pet insurance for senior dogs: is it worth it?

There is no single best pet insurance for senior dogs. The best policy for an older dog is one that will still enroll a dog of that age, covers illness as well as accidents, does not cut cover as the dog gets older, and has exclusions you have read and can live with. It tends to be worth the money when your dog's medical record is still fairly clean and a sudden bill of several thousand dollars would be hard for you to pay.

This page explains how cover commonly works for older dogs in the United States and how to judge a quote. For insurers that currently accept seniors, see our pet insurance comparison for older pets.

Can you get insurance for an old dog?

Usually, yes. Each insurer sets its own rules. Some have no upper age for enrolling. Some stop taking new dogs for full cover at a set age, often somewhere between 10 and 14. Some offer only accident cover above a certain age.

A dog that is already enrolled can generally stay on the policy for life as long as the premiums are paid, but check that the policy says so. Many insurers ask for recent vet records or an exam before they pay a first claim.

Senior also means different ages for different dogs. A giant breed is old at 7, and a small terrier may not be until 10 or 11. See when a dog is considered a senior, or check your dog's life stage with the pet age calculator.

How senior dog insurance works

You pay the vet, send in the invoice, and the insurer pays back part of the covered cost. Five terms decide how much.

Pre-existing conditions: the main catch

Almost every policy excludes pre-existing conditions. That means anything that showed signs before the policy started or during the waiting period, whether or not it had been diagnosed. A limp noted in the records two years ago can be used to refuse a later claim for arthritis or a torn ligament in that leg. Some policies also treat a knee or hip problem on one side as pre-existing for the other side.

Some insurers will cover a problem again if it cleared up and the dog has gone a set time without signs or treatment. Ear infections and stomach upsets are typical examples. Long-term conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, allergies and Cushing's disease generally stay excluded.

New, unrelated problems can still be covered, subject to the policy's other terms. Ask the insurer to review your dog's records and tell you in writing what it will exclude.

Cheap pet insurance for a 10-year-old dog with pre-existing conditions

Most policies will not pay for the conditions your dog already has, at any price. The few that say they will usually make you hold the policy for a long time first and limit what counts, so read that wording closely. What you can buy cheaply is cover for new problems: an accident-only policy, or an accident and illness policy with a high deductible and a lower annual limit. Whether that is worth having depends on how much is left to cover once the exclusions are taken out.

Waiting periods

Cover does not start the day you pay. Accidents are commonly covered after a few days and illness after about two weeks. Some policies make you wait much longer, sometimes months, for cruciate ligament injuries, hip dysplasia and similar problems.

Anything that shows up during the wait counts as pre-existing. Buying a policy after your dog starts limping or losing weight will not get that problem covered.

How premiums climb with age

Premiums are set by age, breed, size, where you live and the cover you choose. Older dogs cost more to insure because they claim more, and large and giant breeds cost more than small ones.

With most policies the price also goes up at each renewal as the dog ages and as vet costs rise, whether or not you have claimed. The quote you get for an 8-year-old is not the price you will pay when the dog is 12, so plan for increases. A higher deductible, a lower reimbursement rate or a lower annual limit brings the premium down, and each moves more of a large bill back to you.

Accident-only or accident and illness?

Accident-only policies pay for injuries: broken bones, bite wounds, road accidents, swallowed objects, and usually poisoning. They are the cheapest kind, are often sold at any age, and are less affected by a long medical history.

Accident and illness policies also cover disease. That matters for an older dog, because the large bills late in life are mostly illness: cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, and joint and spinal problems. If you can only afford accident cover, be clear that it will not help with any of those.

Wellness add-ons pay set amounts toward routine care such as checkups, vaccines and dental cleaning. They are a budgeting tool more than insurance, so compare what the plan pays out in a year with what it costs.

Is it worth it at 8, 10 or 12?

Nobody can tell you in advance whether a policy will pay back more than it costs. You can check whether it would make a large bill payable.

1. Get a real quote for your dog's age, breed and zip code.
2. Add a year of premiums to the deductible. That is what you pay in a bad year before the policy pays anything.
3. Work out the payout on a large bill. With round numbers that are not a quote: on a 6,000 dollar bill, a 500 dollar deductible and 80 percent reimbursement would pay back 4,400 dollars and leave you 1,600, plus that year's premiums. Insurers apply the deductible and the percentage in different orders, so ask for a worked example.
4. Cross out what is already excluded. If the things your dog is most likely to need treatment for are pre-existing, the policy is worth much less to you.
5. Ask whether you could pay that bill another way. If you could cover it from savings without it deciding the treatment, saving the premium yourself is reasonable. If you could not, the policy is buying you the choice.

Read the ages by size. A 10-year-old Chihuahua may have many insurable years ahead. A 10-year-old Great Dane is very old, and there is less time for a policy to pay its way.

What a policy may not pay for

Beyond pre-existing conditions, common gaps are routine care, exam fees, dental disease, prescription diets and supplements. End-of-life costs vary: some policies pay for euthanasia and not cremation, and some pay for neither. See what it costs to put a dog down.

Most insurers reimburse you after you have paid the vet, so you still need the money or credit on the day. A few can pay the clinic directly.

If insurance does not add up

• A vet fund. Put the amount of the premium into a separate savings account every month. It can be spent on pre-existing conditions, and it is still yours if you never need it. Its weakness is a large bill early on.
• Accident-only cover as a backstop, with savings for illness.
• Veterinary discount plans. These are memberships, not insurance. They take a percentage off bills at participating clinics and generally do not exclude pre-existing conditions.
• Payment plans. Ask your clinic what it offers, and read the interest terms on any medical credit line.

If you are taking on an older dog, our guide to adopting a senior dog covers the other costs to plan for.

Questions to ask before you buy

• Is there an upper age for enrolling, and does cover or the reimbursement rate change at any age?
• Can the policy be renewed for life, and is a condition that starts this year still covered next year?
• Which of my dog's existing conditions will be excluded? Can I have that in writing?
• What are the waiting periods for accidents, illness and orthopedic problems?
• Is the deductible per year or per condition, and are exam fees covered?
• How have premiums changed at renewal for dogs of this age and breed?

This article is general information about how pet insurance commonly works for older dogs. It is not insurance, financial or veterinary advice, and it does not rank or endorse any insurer. Terms, age limits, exclusions and prices differ by insurer, policy and state and change over time, so read the policy wording and confirm the details with the insurer before you buy. Decisions about your dog's health and treatment should be made with your own veterinarian.