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Eligibility

Pre-existing conditions and waiting periods

By Bradley Jacobs · Published Aug 31, 2026 · Last checked Oct 26, 2026

If your pet already showed signs of a problem, bills for it almost never get paid back. Waiting periods exist so a limp today cannot be insured this afternoon. You can often still get a quote.

The rule every carrier uses

Every carrier page we read says about the same thing. A problem is pre-existing if there were signs of it before the policy started, or before the waiting period ended.

  • Signs or symptoms count.
  • Vet advice or treatment counts.
  • You do not need a final diagnosis.

A vet note that says your dog was limping on the right back leg can be enough to leave out a later knee tear.

Pets with past problems can still be insured. The policy is for new accidents and illnesses. It does not cover the problem you already know about.

Trupanion looks back 18 months before the policy starts. It asks for your pet's records from every vet who has seen them.

How waiting periods work

Anything that starts during a wait is usually treated as pre-existing for the life of that policy.

  • Switching carriers usually starts the waits over.
  • Letting a policy lapse usually starts them over too.

What each carrier says:

  • Lemonade: 14 days for illness and 30 days for bone and joint problems. Some states differ.
  • Embrace: 14 days for illness. Accidents are covered from the start date. For dogs, some joint, knee, and back problems have a 180-day wait, which a vet exam can sometimes shorten.
  • Fetch: an illness wait of up to 15 days.
  • Pets Best: depends on the state. One state's sample policy: 3 days for injury, 14 days for illness, 6 months for knee ligaments.
  • Spot (California notice): 14 days for accidents and illness, and 14 days for knee and ligament problems.
  • Trupanion: the pages we read do not give one number for the whole country.

Waits change by state. Check the quote form.

Can a problem be covered later?

Some carriers will look again at a short-term problem after a stretch with no signs. Long-term problems and knee or ligament problems usually never come back into coverage.

CarrierPre-existingCurable pathQuote
LemonadeNot covered. A pre-existing condition is any issue the pet showed signs of, was diagnosed with, or was treated for before the waiting period ended. Pets with pre-existing conditions can still be insured; related bills are not reimbursed.In most states Lemonade describes a 12-consecutive-month symptom- and treatment-free path for some temporary conditions. Knee/ligament conditions and long-term conditions (examples Lemonade lists: arthritis, allergies, asthma, cancers, endocrine diseases) cannot be ‘cured’ under that rule.Get a quote from Lemonade
EmbraceNot covered. Embrace defines a pre-existing condition as any injury, illness, or irregularity noticed by you or your veterinarian before the end of the waiting period, even if the pet never saw a vet for it.Embrace lists diabetes and allergies as examples of lifelong pre-existing conditions. Ear infections and undiagnosed vomiting or diarrhea are examples of can-clear-up issues that may be eligible after 12 months symptom-free. Both-sides conditions (hip dysplasia, cruciate tears): if one side is pre-existing, the other side is not covered.Get a quote from Embrace
FetchNot all pre-existing conditions are covered. Fetch says no pet insurance covers all of them. Defined as any injury, illness, or condition noticed before signup, before the effective date, or during the wait of up to 15 days.Fetch describes a two-year path for can-clear-up conditions (UTI, URI, bite wounds, ear infection, diarrhea, etc.): 1 year symptom- and treatment-free, with a second chance in year 2. Lifelong examples Fetch lists: torn ligament, allergies, arthritis, IVDD, diabetes, thyroid disease. Bone and joint both-sides: a prior cruciate on one knee typically excludes the other knee.Get a quote from Fetch
Pets BestNot covered. Pets Best: any condition present before the end of waiting periods, even if not formally diagnosed. Signs or symptoms before the policy started mean no coverage for that condition.Pets Best says some conditions (examples: broken legs, kennel cough) that heal and require no further treatment are not treated as pre-existing once healed. The MN sample policy treats long-term conditions, both-sides conditions, and intervertebral-disc conditions as pre-existing if present at any time before the effective date or wait end, with an 18-month lookback for other conditions.Get a quote from Pets Best
TrupanionNot covered. Trupanion’s US FAQ: a pre-existing condition is any illness, condition, or injury for which signs or evidence of potential manifestation existed within the 18 months prior to the effective date or applicable waiting periods. Recurrence of a prior injury is also pre-existing. Eligibility for a specific condition cannot be determined until a claim is submitted.Trupanion’s US FAQ example: allergies diagnosed as a puppy remain excluded even after years without symptoms. Trupanion does not describe a 12-month ‘cured’ path on the US pre-existing FAQ we fetched. A hip-dysplasia example was covered when Trupanion found a medical disconnect from an old sprain. We do not treat ACL/cruciate as can-clear-up on Trupanion based on that page.Get a quote from Trupanion
SpotNot covered. Spot: any illness or injury that shows signs before the policy and before the wait ends, usually including undiagnosed issues.Spot: cured/can-clear-up pre-existing conditions (examples: broken bones, foreign-object ingestion) may be covered later if the pet has gone 180 days symptom- and treatment-free. This does not apply to ligament and knee conditions. Spot’s CA notice: ligament and knee are both-sides and related regardless of cause, one side affects both.Get a quote from Spot

Example: a past knee tear

Say a 9-year-old dog tore a knee ligament last year. You can often still get a quote.

  • That knee will not be covered.
  • The other knee is often left out too. Spot and Fetch say knee and ligament problems count for both sides.
  • Lemonade says knee and ligament problems can never count as "cured."
  • Spot says its 180-day "cleared up" rule does not apply to ligament and knee problems.

We did not find a carrier page that promises to cover a knee tear that was already in the vet notes.

Common questions

Can I get pet insurance if my dog already has a health problem?

Often yes. The policy covers new accidents and illnesses. The problem that was already there is usually left out.

Does my dog need a diagnosis for it to count as pre-existing?

No. Signs, symptoms, or vet advice before the policy starts, or before the waiting period ends, can be enough. A vet note that says the dog was limping can be enough to leave out a later knee tear.

What happens if my dog gets sick during the waiting period?

It is usually treated as pre-existing for the life of that policy. Switching carriers or letting a policy lapse usually starts the waits over.

Can a pre-existing problem ever be covered later?

Sometimes, for short-term problems that fully clear up. Lemonade, Embrace, and Fetch say some problems can be looked at again after about 12 months with no signs. Spot says 180 days. Knee and ligament problems do not qualify at Lemonade or Spot.

If one knee was hurt before, will the other knee be covered?

Often not. Spot and Fetch say knee and ligament problems count for both sides. So if one knee was hurt before you signed up, the other knee can be left out too.

Get a quote

We do not run a fake quote tool. These buttons open the carrier's own site.

Get a quote from LemonadeGet a quote from EmbraceGet a quote from FetchGet a quote from Pets BestGet a quote from TrupanionGet a quote from Spot

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.