US pet-insurance directory
Your older dog deserves to be covered.
She's family. The expensive years are the ones most policies dodge. We map who still takes seniors, what they call pre-existing, and what a quote will exclude, before you find out at the vet. Then a real quote. We are not an insurer and not a broker.
10-second answer
A 9-year-old Frenchie with a prior ACL: can you even quote?
Quote
Usually yes at Embrace, Fetch, Pets Best, Spot, and Trupanion (under their published age caps). Lemonade: breed- and state-specific upper age — verify on the quote form.
The ACL
Not covered as pre-existing at every carrier we reviewed. Ligament/knee conditions are typically bilateral: the other knee is often excluded too. None of the official pages we fetched will cover that prior tear.
What might still be
New, unrelated accidents and illnesses after waiting periods. Wellness add-ons pay routine care, not ACL surgery. This directory does not tell you to buy anyone.
- Lemonade:Nine is under many published 10/14 caps, but Lemonade’s upper age is breed- and state-specific. Run the quote form.
- Embrace:Nine is under 15, so accident-and-illness enrollment is the product Embrace describes for this age. Still run the quote.
- Fetch:No upper age on Fetch’s coverage page. A 9-year-old Frenchie can typically start a quote.
- Pets Best:No upper age. A 9-year-old can typically quote accident-and-illness unless the application routes to Accident Only because of listed chronic conditions.
- Trupanion:Under 14, so the quote form should accept the age. Run it.
- Spot:No upper age on Spot’s older-pets page. A 9-year-old can typically quote.
Four questions this directory answers
Pre-existing conditions
Signs during a waiting period usually become lifetime exclusions. Curable paths exist at some carriers. ACL/cruciate typically does not get a second chance.
Senior dogs over 8
Age 8 is not a magic cutoff. Some carriers cap new accident-and-illness enrollment at 14 or 15. Others have no upper age. Pre-existing history matters more than the birthday.
French bulldogs (and pugs, Goldens)
High-risk breeds are usually eligible to quote, then priced accordingly. BOAS, IVDD, and cruciate are common. If signs already exist, those conditions are out.
Accident-only vs accident-and-illness vs wellness
Three different products. Wellness does not treat cancer. Accident-only does not treat diabetes. Mixing them up is how people buy the wrong thing.
Carriers we list
Lemonade vs Embrace vs TrupanionSix US carriers with public enrollment pages. We quote only facts from official pages fetched 30 August 2026. We do not invent prices, ratings, or claim-payout stats. Quote links go to the carrier. We may earn a commission later; see disclosures.
Lemonade
Public pages say you can enroll from two months old. Upper enrollment age is breed- and state-specific (third-party reviews cite 10 or 14). A Lemonade city page notes a 13-year-old dog might be declined due to age. Verify on the quote form and the issued policy. Terms vary by state.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: A prior ACL/cruciate is a ligament condition. Lemonade says knee/ligament conditions cannot use the 12-month ‘cured’ path.
Embrace
Puppies from 6 weeks. Dogs up to 14 can enroll in accident-and-illness. Dogs 15+ can enroll in accident-only. Already insured pets can continue for life, per Embrace’s dog-insurance page.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: Prior ACL is a bilateral ligament condition. Embrace: if one side is pre-existing, the other side is not covered.
Fetch
Fetch’s coverage page: pets of every age from 6 weeks. No upper-age limit stated on that page. Premiums typically rise with age — verify on the quote form.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: Fetch lists torn ligament as incurable. Bilateral orthopedic: the other knee is typically treated as pre-existing too.
Pets Best
Pets Best FAQ: enroll from 7 weeks. No upper age limit. Senior dogs and cats get the same accident-and-illness product types as puppies, subject to pre-existing exclusions.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: A documented ACL is pre-existing. Cruciate events also have a long waiting period on the sample policy. Bilateral rules often take the other knee with it.
Trupanion
Trupanion’s quote form states you can enroll pets up to 14 years old. Trupanion’s eligibility FAQ (retrieved via public search Aug 2026; a later direct fetch was blocked by Trupanion’s CDN): cats and dogs under 14 are eligible; pets enrolled before the 14th birthday keep coverage for life. Pets 14 and over cannot newly enroll.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: A documented ACL is an injury with signs before the effective date. Trupanion’s own allergy example shows long-quiet chronic issues staying excluded.
Spot
Spot’s older-pets page: no upper age limit; pets 8 weeks and older can enroll and keep coverage. A healthy 10-year-old dog can obtain coverage; pre-existing conditions documented before enrollment are excluded.
Prior ACL on a 9-year-old Frenchie: Ligament and knee conditions are excluded from Spot’s 180-day curable path and are treated as bilateral.
How to use this site
- Read the eligibility box. If the condition already exists, assume it is excluded.
- Check enrollment age. A quote is not coverage for the thing you already know about.
- Open the carrier quote form. Waiting periods and premiums are state-specific.
- Ask the carrier for a medical-history review if they offer one, before you need a claim.
We will not tell you to buy Lemonade, Embrace, Fetch, Pets Best, Trupanion, or Spot. We will tell you what their public pages say about whether this animal is even eligible to quote.
Sources (fetched 30 August 2026)
Facts below come from official public carrier pages. Waiting periods, age caps, and premiums change by state and over time. Label anything operational as stale-prone: verify on the quote form.
- Lemonade: Lemonade — pre-existing conditions · Lemonade — waiting periods · Lemonade — Golden Retriever page · Lemonade — French Bulldog page
- Embrace: Embrace — coverage FAQ · Embrace — dog insurance · Embrace — waiting periods · Embrace — orthopedic waiting period
- Fetch: Fetch — pre-existing conditions · Fetch — coverage
- Pets Best: Pets Best — coverage · Pets Best — FAQ
- Trupanion: Trupanion — pre-existing conditions FAQ · Trupanion — get a quote (age copy on form)
- Spot: Spot — pre-existing conditions · Spot — CA insurer disclosure · Spot — older pets