Pet Insurance for Older Dogs

If your pet is getting old, or you’ve re-homed a pet heading for its twilight years, getting pet insurance can be trickier.

But how old your pet has to be before age becomes an issue depends on the type of animal. Cats and dogs are usually classed as ‘old’ when they reach eight, whereas rabbits reach senior status earlier – at about five. Horses, on the other hand, don’t become ‘old’ until they are about 15.

Why does my pet’s age matter?

Unfortunately, animals are like humans. As they age, they are more likely to become ill or develop a condition which needs medical treatment. 

Where pet insurance for an older animal is available, it may be more expensive than cover for a younger animal. And in some cases you may struggle to find insurance for an older pet at all.

Some insurers limit the cover they offer to older pets. For example, pet insurance policies normally cover the purchase price of your pet if it dies from prematurely from an illness or accident. But most won’t cover the death of a pet classed as ‘older’ if he or she dies from an illness.

What insurance is available for older pets? 

There are four main types of insurance for older pets:

• Accident-only
• Time limited
• Maximum benefit
• Lifetime

Accident-only pet insurance

This is the most basic pet insurance, and usually represents the budget option. An accident-only policy covers vets’ fees if your older pet has an accident. But nothing more – it won’t cover illnesses or offer any other benefits. 

Accident-only policies include a maximum pay-out for each accidental injury per year. Some policies will also include a lifetime limit per accident, or have a time limit (usually 12 months) for treatment following each accident.

Accident-only cover is cheap but it might not be suitable if you’re worried about an older pet falling ill or developing a medical condition. 

Time limited pet insurance

This type of policy will cover an accident or illness for a set time period, normally a year. It will also have a financial limit for each condition. 

So, for example, if your pet becomes ill eight months into the policy you’d be covered for the next four months of your policy, and the eight months after renewal (assuming you renew with the same insurer). 

But you’d also have to watch out for the financial limit per condition – once this has been reached, you’d need to pay for any further treatment yourself.

This type of policy might also have an annual combined pay-out limit. Once reached, cover would stop for all conditions until the policy is renewed the following year.

Time limited pet insurance won’t be very suitable for older pets with ongoing health conditions as they’ll soon stop paying out. Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered either.

Maximum benefit pet insurance

With a maximum benefit policy, your older pet is covered up to a specified cover limit for each illness or injury while you’re with the same insurer. Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered.

Once you’ve reached the claim limit for a condition, you’ll have to pay for any further treatment yourself. 

This type of policy can be a good halfway house between a cheaper time-limited policy and a more expensive lifetime policy for an older pet.

Lifetime pet insurance

This is the most expensive pet insurance option, but it offers the most comprehensive cover.

Lifetime pet insurance offers continuous cover, up to an annual limit for each condition, that refreshes when you renew the policy each year.

Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered so it’s a good idea to take out this kind of policy when your pet is young, before it has any diagnosed medical conditions, then renew the policy with the same insurer each year. Doing so means any conditions your pet develops when it’s older will be covered.

What else does older pet insurance cover? 

Policies vary but, as well as vets’ costs, pet insurance for older animals also might also cover:

• Death from accidental injury or illness
• Advertising and reward if your pet is lost or stolen
• Boarding fees if you have to stay in hospital
• Holiday cancellation cover if you need to cancel or curtail a trip because your pet is ill.

Dog insurance for older dogs

Some pet insurers will only let you take out a new policy if your dog is under eight-years-old – or younger for some breeds. Getting insurance for older dogs can be a bit more difficult. Pet insurance for older dogs is often known as ‘senior pet insurance’.

However, if you stay with the same insurance company, some will insure your dog throughout their life. But you are likely to find the cost of cover rises as your dog ages, and that the excess on the policy (the amount you pay to pay towards any claim) increases too.

As well as paying the excess in the event of a medical claim, once your pet reaches a certain age some insurers obligate you to contribute towards the cost of any claim above the excess. This is called ‘co-insurance’. For example: You may have to pay 20% of any claim, plus the excess amount.

Is it worth insuring an old dog?

If you signed up for lifetime dog insurance when your dog was young and healthy, it will usually be worth renewing the policy each year as your dog ages. While this isn’t the cheapest option, it guarantees your dog is always covered, even for long-term illnesses.

Alternatively you might buy accident-only cover for an older dog, and save up the money to pay the costs of medical treatment necessary to treat illnesses yourself.

However, the cost of vet’s treatment can vary enormously, depending on where you live, your dog’s breed and the type of illness or injury. Certain breeds are more prone to particular conditions than other breeds – so do your research to see what issues your dog may face as he or she ages.

Conditions such as arthritis and joint problems are likely to need long-term treatment, while the size of your dog matters too – as larger animals require a greater dose of anesthetic during an operation.

Where can I pet insurance for older dogs?

There are a number of insurance companies that sell pet insurance for older dogs. 

You should shop around and compare premiums and policies in order to get the best pet insurance for older dogs.