Pet Insurance After Diagnosis — Can You Still Get Cover?

If your pet has already been diagnosed with a health condition, getting insurance becomes more complicated — but it's not impossible. Here's what you need to know about your options.

How Pre-Existing Conditions Affect Insurance

Most pet insurance policies exclude pre-existing conditions — any illness, injury, or symptom that existed before the policy start date or during the waiting period (typically 14 days for illness, 48 hours for accidents). This means the specific condition your pet has been diagnosed with is very unlikely to be covered by a new policy.

However, taking out insurance can still protect you against future, unrelated conditions. A dog diagnosed with a skin allergy could still be insured against cancer, broken bones, or other illnesses.

Your Options After a Diagnosis

1. If you already have insurance:

If your pet was insured when the condition was first noted, your existing policy should cover it (subject to your cover type and limits). The most important thing is to never let your policy lapse. If you cancel and try to reinsure later, the condition becomes pre-existing and will be excluded.

With lifetime cover, the condition resets each renewal year, so you'll continue to have cover as long as you renew. With time-limited cover, you typically have 12 months of cover for that specific condition from the first claim.

2. If you don't have insurance:

You can still take out a new policy, but the diagnosed condition will be excluded. It's still worth doing because:

• Your pet could develop other, unrelated conditions that would be covered
• Accidents and injuries unrelated to the diagnosis would be covered
• The sooner you insure, the fewer additional conditions will be excluded in future

Providers That May Cover Pre-Existing Conditions

A small number of providers offer limited cover for pre-existing conditions under certain circumstances:

• Bought By Many (now ManyPets) — Their "Pre-existing" policy covers conditions that haven't required treatment or shown symptoms in the past two years. This is genuinely unusual in the market.
• Waggel — May cover some pre-existing conditions after a waiting period, depending on the condition and how long it's been since treatment.

Always declare all known conditions honestly when applying. Failure to disclose a pre-existing condition could invalidate your entire policy, not just the related claims.

What Counts as "Pre-Existing"?

Insurers define pre-existing conditions broadly. It includes:

• Any condition your pet has been diagnosed with
• Any symptoms noted in vet records, even if not formally diagnosed
• Bilateral conditions — if your pet has had a problem with one knee, the other knee may also be excluded
• Related conditions — a diagnosis of obesity might lead to exclusions for diabetes and joint problems

Key Takeaway

Even after a diagnosis, insurance is still valuable for protecting against future, unrelated conditions. The best time to insure is always "as soon as possible" — every day without cover is another day a new condition could arise that would have been covered.

Compare providers on our insurance comparison page to find the best options for your situation.