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Is there hope for getting pet insurance at the last minute? Can you buy pet insurance after your pet has been diagnosed? We know the answer, and it’s not as bad as you think!
Hey, there are a lot of people who don’t know about pet insurance. Maybe it’s just never crossed your mind, or you didn’t think you’d need it… until now.
Let’s say you cancelled your pet insurance policy years ago because you didn’t think you were getting enough out of it. Recently, your cat has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour, and the vet bills made your face go pale.
It’s unpleasant to think of your pet getting ill, and even worse to deal with when it actually happens. What’s the game plan,
What Happens If I Buy Pet Insurance After My Pet Gets Sick?
Is there hope for getting pet insurance at the last minute? Can you buy pet insurance after your pet has been diagnosed? We know the answer, and it’s not as bad as you think!
Hey, there are a lot of people who don’t know about pet insurance. Maybe it’s just never crossed your mind, or you didn’t think you’d need it… until now.
Let’s say you cancelled your pet insurance policy years ago because you didn’t think you were getting enough out of it. Recently, your cat has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour, and the vet bills made your face go pale.
It’s unpleasant to think of your pet getting ill, and even worse to deal with when it actually happens. What’s the game plan, then? You get pet insurance to support you with the financial burden of a sick pet.
Discover: The Top 5 Worst Pieces of Advice About Pet Insurance
Of course, it’s going to take some patience before you’re able to claim.
So, what happens if I only buy pet insurance after my pet gets sick?
Pet Insurance and pre-existing conditions
In insurance, a pre-existing condition means that your pet was diagnosed with something before you had pet insurance. Actually, there doesn’t necessarily need to be an official diagnosis. If your pet’s medical records show earlier signs of the illness, that may still be considered a pre-existing condition.
If you look around, you’ll find that most insurers don’t offer cover for pre-existing conditions. You can see how it would be a great risk – people would just wait for their pets to get sick before getting a policy.
And those sicknesses are usually quite costly.
Is it possible to get covered?
Yes. There are certain insurers who do cover pre-existing conditions, but only after a given waiting period. For example, Oneplan Pet Insurance (the pet insurer we recommend) will cover all pre-existing conditions after a 12-month waiting period.
What about hereditary and congenital conditions?
Dog breeds are predisposed to certain illnesses and conditions. For example, Great Danes are prone to hip dysplasia, Dachshunds have spine issues, and Pugs have sinus problems.
Hereditary conditions also have a 12-month waiting period with Oneplan. Here’s how it works: you’re 7 months into your pet insurance policy and your dog is diagnosed with Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome. This is common in French Bulldogs and Pugs.
Related: Cherry Eye in Dogs: What You Need to Know
Congenital conditions are conditions that your pet was born with and have the same waiting period as pre-existing and hereditary conditions if you’re with Oneplan.
Is my dog too old for me to buy pet insurance?
Are you worried that your dog is too old for pet insurance? That may be the case at most insurers, but Oneplan has a plan for senior doggos!
Their age limits are as follows:
- Pets must be older than 8 weeks
- Cats younger than 11 years
- Small Dogs younger than 11 years
- Medium Dogs younger than 10 years
- Big Dogs younger than 9 years
These age limits apply to their Primary Plan, Hospital Plan, Classic Plan, and Super Plan. BUT all hope is not lost. For older pets, there are NO age limits (provided your pet is older than 8 weeks) on the Pet Accident Plan.
Older pets tend to get the wobbles – their eyesight gets poor and they’re clumsier than usual. Having accident cover means you’re covered for the bumps that come with old age.
Read this: Senior Pet Care: The Importance of Pet Insurance
Additionally, there is no waiting period for accidents. From the moment of inception, you can claim for accident cover (subject to policy terms and conditions, of course). This is good news for older dogs, they don’t have much time to wait around on waiting periods.
You can see now why we love Oneplan Pet Insurance so much!
Why it’s important to insure your pets at a young age
You may have gathered this already, but we cannot emphasise enough how important it is to insure your pet from a young age. You can’t turn back time, but take this as a sign to insure your next furry family members as soon as possible.
Once your pet is insured, they’re covered for life. That means when your pet gets sick a few years (or months) down the line, you passed the waiting periods years ago.
Don’t waste any more time, get your pet covered today!
Yours in Not-So-Average Pet Advice,
The Petinsurance.co.za Team
