Purchasing Pet Insurance For Older Dogs

What Companies Are Offering Pet Pet Insurance For Older Dogs?

If you're in the market for pet insurance for older dogs, please take a minute and read our article.

Although insurance might not be for every dog owner, with the rising cost of vet care, it's definitely worth looking into. But, there are also some things that you should be aware of before purchasing a policy. We did a little research and found that it's certainly not "black and white" like many of these companies would lead you to believe.

We've put together a chart of the three companies according to petinsurancereviews.com that offer full coverage and pet insurance for older dogs. The chart also includes the ratings of each company.

We've added an additional carrier that doesn't offer "full coverage" (dental, exams, etc.), but they have an excellent rating as well as reviews. We're assuming that petinsurancereviews.com defines "full coverage" as routine and preventative care (ie: exams, dental work, heartworm, etc.), but most of us with older dogs are concerned more about the big bills and not office exams, etc.

Most pet owners of old dogs are looking for insurance that will be there for them should their dog get sick or develop a disease, etc. which is common with age.

If you decide to search around on your own, be careful because while others may offer pet insurance for older dogs, chances are that it's an "accident and injury" plan ONLY and does not include illness. Your dog may be covered if he was hit by a moving car or hurt in a dog fight, but not covered if he developed an illness such as diabetes, because the plan is only for accident and injury. THIS CAN BE CONFUSING FOR MANY, SO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND WHETHER THE POLICY IS JUST ACCIDENT AND INJURY OR ACCIDENT, INJURY AND ILLNESS!.

BEWARE The Pre-Existing Clause - Pet Insurance For Older Dogs

This is where most pet insurance companies are intentionally vague in their policy. Underwriters use vague terms to have better control over the outcome of a claim. What we were told by most of these companies seemed pretty straight forward. "As long as there's nothing in the dog's chart or records to indicate a pre-existing injury, the claim would be covered."

Not quite that simple! READ CAREFULLY and watch out for words, terms and phrases such as symptomatic, pre-existing, signs, limitations, covered, excluded/exclusions, etc.

Pet Insurance For Older Dogs - Don't Wait Too Long!

You're actually better off purchasing pet insurance for older dogs sooner than later. When your dog gets too much older you risk a greater chance of running into a pre-existing condition issues due to his long file history with your veterinarian.

This isn't to say that it's not worth it to purchase a policy for your older dog; it can be well worth it. We recommend getting a copy of your dog's chart from the vet and reading over the notes yourself. Chances are that you'll see a few red flags that may trigger some questions for you.

Companies Offering Pet Insurance For Older Dogs

Understand that the following information is meant to provide you with the very basics in accordance with what the company offers. It's up to you to follow up with the company and get more detailed information.

Question PurinaCare 24PetWatch PetsBest HealthyPaws

Age limit for enrollment No age limit No age limit for the
QuickCareSenior Plan No age limit By 14th birthday

Do you cover hereditary conditions? Yes
Excluding the PurinaCare Accident Only Plan
No restrictions if not pre-existing. Yes
(However, we see no type of hereditary conditions listed. They said hip dysplasia falls under "accidents". Yes
Enroll by age 2 & limited coverage. Yes
There are no restrictions providing no symptoms were noted by the vet.

Are there any waiting periods? Preventative Care - no waiting period; 3 days on Accidents & 15 days for Illness. No waiting period for QuickCareSenior. Coverage the next day. 14 days after enrollment for Illness & 3 days for accidents. Accident & Illness 15 days following effective date; Hip Dysplasia 12 month waiting period;

Do the dog's medical records have to be sent over? They indicate "not ordinarily". Appears to be case-by-case basis. Annual exam & dog's medical history records required once you enroll. No Yes, when you file your first claim.

Is the dog required to get a physical upon enrollment? Dogs over the age of 8 need a physical/bloodwork. Annual exam & dog's medical history records required once you enroll for their QuickCareSenior Plan. No Dogs 6 and over within 15 days of enrollment. If already seen within past 30 days, you're o.k.

How do you pay? Benefits schedule or % of vet bill? 80% of vet bill after deductible. Preventative care paid by benefit schedule. Paid by Illness category. *Alert: Will not pay if noted, diagnosed or treated for strokes,seizures,heart disease & cancer during previous 3 years. 80% of vet bill after deductible. 90% of vet bill after deductible.

Rating Based on 1-10 Scale From

PetInsuranceReviews.com
8.5
66 lifetime ratings

4.5
110 lifetime ratings

8.3
483 lifetime ratings

9.8
124 lifetime ratings

Misc. Notes n/a Do not cover Sharpei's or Sharpei mixes. n/a No routine or preventative care.
Accident, Injury & Illness plan ONLY!
One plan for all.

"Pet Assure" Offering An Untraditional Pet Insurance For Older Dogs - Nice!

If you have an older dog with a pre-existing condition and have trouble finding an insurance carrier; there's another option available. There is a company that accepts all animals at any age and it doesn't matter if the animal has an existing illness or not. They have no or deductibles and there's no waiting to be reimbursed.

The only catch is that your Veterinarian has to participate in the program. We encourage you to talk to your vet about participating in the program if he/she doesn't already. It's a great program and very reasonably priced. A nice by itself or as an addition to one of the above insurance plans. This is a nice little buffer program! Explain to your dog's vet how the program allows you to automatically save 25% at the time of service on all procedures including:

Office and Routine Visits
All Elective Procedures
Any Surgery at All
Hospitalization (Must Be In Network)

Pet Assure provides 25% off of your inovice immediately while right there at your Vet's office with NO deductibles. Check and see if your Vet is a member and if not, ask them join. Click here for more information on Pet Assure.

They offer coverage for a single pet for $99 annually or a family plan that covers four animals for $149 a year.

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