Description: Know the importance of understanding pre-existing conditions in pet insurance.

Why knowing pre-existing conditions in pet insurance is important?

Knowing pre-existing conditions is important while buying a pet insurance policy for your cat or dog. Despite the fact that most pets have health-related problems to different levels, pre-existing conditions can stop pet owners from buying insurance. Similar to human health insurance, the cost and level of pet health insurance is decided by the health of the pet before buying a policy.

What is a pre-existing condition?

Many pet owners don’t precisely understand what pre-existing conditions are and how they influence their pet insurance policy. A pre-existing condition is one that was existent before the original policy effective date or within the waiting period whether identified or not. One norm in the industry is that no pet insurance company would cover for pre-existing conditions. Nevertheless, the meaning of what represents a pre-existing condition might vary from one insurance company to another. A pre-existing condition is basically any condition that took place before the policy. To some companies this might suggest any kind of congenital disorder and to others it’s just a condition that happened before the policy is purchased.      

There are essentially two types of pre-existing condition: curable and incurable.

A) Curable pre-existing conditions

Given below are pre-existing conditions that are considered curable and are covered by pet insurers:

·    Urinary tract infections
·    Diarrhea and/or vomiting
·    Bladder infections
·    Respiratory infections
·    Other curable conditions
B) Incurable pre-existing conditions

The following pre-existing conditions are considered incurable and are not covered by any pet insurer:

·    Injury on the opposite side of an earlier injury or orthopedic illness
·    Cancer
·    Diabetes
·    Skin lumps or lipomas
·    Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
·    Urinary or bladder crystals or obstructions
·    Allergies
·    Hip dysplasia
·    Other chronic illnesses
It’s always the duty of the pet parent to explore and know what disorders are “breed specific” to their pets and make queries as to what would and wouldn’t be covered if the need for medical intervention comes up. You should remember that it’s important for you to know how pre-existing conditions affect the eligibility of your pet for pet insurance. You should be diligent and need to shop around for getting the best insurance coverage for your pet.