Pet Insurance for Older Dogs: 8 Things to Know

Sponsored by Figo Pet Insurance

It’s no secret that your dog may need more medical care as they get older, and that means increased veterinary costs. If you’re trying to decide if pet insurance can help you afford your senior dog’s veterinary care, there are a few things you’ll want to know beforehand.

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Why Insuring Older Dogs Is Different

Pet insurance for older dogs often comes with higher premiums and more exclusions. This is because senior dogs are considered higher risk for the insurance company. Giant- and large-breed dogs can be considered senior as young as 7 or 8 years of age. For small and medium dogs, senior status may be reached around 10 or 11 years of age.

Senior dogs are at higher risk because they are more likely to have chronic health conditions like hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, osteoarthritis, or cancer. These conditions require more frequent and expensive payouts than the occasional kennel cough or urinary tract infection that a younger dog may experience.

Dog insurance for older dogs usually has more exclusions as well. This may be based on your dog’s individual history. For example, if your dog has a history of mast cell tumors before getting insurance, future mast cell tumors may not be covered. Some pet insurers also exclude senior dogs above a certain age from coverage for illnesses, including heart disease and cancer.

Some Providers Have Age Limits

A maximum enrollment age is the highest age at which you can enroll your dog in pet insurance for the first time. It does not necessarily mean that your dog will suddenly lose coverage when they reach that age if they’re already insured.

Embrace Pet Insurance, for example, allows dogs to be enrolled in accident-and-illness coverage when they’re 14 years of age or less at time of enrollment. Once they’re 15 years old, they can only enroll in accident-only coverage.

Pet insurance with no age limit can be found from providers like Pets Best, Pumpkin, Figo, Spot Pet Insurance, and ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. You should still expect to pay higher premiums, and your pet is still more likely to have pre-existing conditions excluded. Keep in mind that almost all plans will have a lower limit for the pet’s age, usually somewhere in the range of 6–8 weeks old.

Pre-Existing Conditions Are Usually Excluded – And This Can Be More Limiting for Senior Pets

Insurance plans for both young and senior dogs tend to exclude pre-existing conditions. The difference here is that your senior dog is much more likely to have conditions that are considered pre-existing than a younger dog.

For example, if your senior dog has a history of elevated kidney values on their labs prior to plan enrollment and then develops kidney failure after becoming insured, costs associated with renal disease may not be covered.

Some insurance plans will cover pre-existing conditions for pets if they’re considered curable and if the pet has had a predetermined symptom-free period. For example, Embrace Pet Insurance will cover curable pre-existing conditions if the dog hasn’t had symptoms for over 12 months and if the dog was enrolled by age 14. ASPCA Pet Insurance requires a symptom-free period of 180 days (except knee and ligament conditions). Pumpkin Pet Insurance has a similar policy.

So, does pet insurance cover pre-existing conditions for senior dogs? The answer is usually no, but you may doublecheck to see if the individual insurance company differentiates pre-existing curable conditions from incurable pre-existing conditions.

Premiums Can Be Higher—But So Are Potential Vet Costs

Your dog’s premium is usually set depending on the insurance provider’s assessment of your individual pet’s risk and the current cost of veterinary care. As previously mentioned, older dogs are more likely to have chronic illnesses and to need more frequent veterinary care when compared with young adults.

Though the premium may be higher, you could still save a significant amount of money on diagnostics, chronic care, and emergencies. For example, if your premium is $150 per month, you’d pay $1,800 in insurance premiums throughout the year. Chemotherapy for dogs with lymphoma can easily exceed $10,000, and that’s not including the diagnostics needed to diagnose the condition in the first place. Even with higher premiums, pet insurance for senior dogs can still be a great safety net when major unexpected costs occur.

Obviously, what is considered affordable pet insurance for senior dogs is highly subjective. If your premium is too high, you could potentially decrease your premium payment by:

Not All Plans Cover What Older Dogs Need

When choosing pet insurance for older dogs, make sure to look for exclusions. You’ll especially want to note if the plan covers chronic illnesses, prescription medications, diagnostics, and specialist visits for senior dogs.

For example, if your dog is 15 years or older at the time of enrollment, Embrace Pet Insurance will not cover illnesses like osteoarthritis, diabetes, or heart disease. These chronic illnesses are extremely common in senior dogs, and you may find yourself paying for high veterinary costs despite having pet insurance.

A wellness add-on may not be worthwhile for your senior dog unless you get all routine care, including recommended exams, parasite treatments, vaccination, and other items covered by the plan.

Some Insurers Offer Better Senior Dog Coverage

The best pet insurance for senior dogs will often have:

Here are four providers that may be good options for pet insurance for dogs over 10 years old:

Timing Matters: Sooner Is Better Than Later

The earlier you insure your aging dog, the more coverage you’ll lock in. Remember that senior dogs are more likely to have pre-existing conditions. For example, if your dog develops diabetes at age 11, this would be covered by most insurers if your dog was enrolled at age 10. However, if you enrolled your dog when they were 12 years old, all costs associated with diabetes would be excluded.

Do not forget to check out the waiting periods for your plan before paying. Some plans may exclude certain conditions, such as orthopedic issues, for a certain amount of time after enrolling.

If accident-and-illness coverage is too expensive for your senior dog, your pet may still benefit from accident-only coverage. Accident-only coverage usually has lower premiums. This will continue to provide coverage for issues that can affect dogs of any age, such as getting hit by a car, heatstroke, foreign body ingestion, or poisoning.

Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Policy

Here are questions you should ask before choosing a policy for your senior dog:

Alternatives to Traditional Insurance

While pet insurance can certainly be worthwhile for senior pet owners, it may not always be feasible. Other options to consider besides traditional pet insurance include:

Pet savings accounts: Rather than paying for insurance, you can save money in an account to use towards your senior pet’s healthcare. Even with insurance, this may be a good idea. Keep in mind that you often have to pay the veterinarian upfront and then get reimbursed. A word of caution—veterinary costs can easily exceed what you might have in your savings account.

Discount veterinary plans: Some clinics may offer discount veterinary plans or membership plans that help distribute the cost of care throughout the year. In some cases, this may only include specific items, like exams or wellness care.

Low-cost clinics: Low-cost or nonprofit clinics may see your senior dog for a lower cost than a typical private practice.

Fundraising or charitable aid: Consider creating a fundraiser or looking into pet charities to help you afford unexpected major health expenses for your pet.

Smart Coverage Can Still Make a Big Difference

Senior dog insurance can still make a big difference in the affordability of care for your aging pet. Make sure to look for maximum age limits and understand how the plan addresses chronic and pre-existing conditions. Before selecting a plan for your older dog, you’ll want to read the fine print to ensure a plan meets your needs. Remember—it’s never too late to protect your pet and your pocketbook, and pet insurance may still be able to benefit your senior pet.