Best Pet Insurance That Covers Pre-Existing Conditions

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Updated: July 20, 2026

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Best Pet Insurance Companies for Pre-Existing Conditions

Not every pet insurance company covers pre-existing conditions, and those that do vary in their coverage terms. My team and I analyzed 18 major insurers and identified three options worth considering for pets with pre-existing conditions:

  1. Pumpkin: Covers curable pre-existing conditions, like infections, injuries and temporary illnesses, that were resolved and have been free of treatment and symptoms for 180 days, with the exception of knee and ligament conditions.
  2. Lemonade: Provides coverage for curable and non-chronic pre-existing conditions that reoccur, as long as those conditions were cured without recurrent signs, symptoms or continued treatment for 12 consecutive months.
  3. AKC: Operates as the only pet insurer to cover both curable and incurable pre-existing conditions after 365 days of continuous coverage, with no requirement for the condition to be symptom- and treatment-free during the waiting period.

Because pet insurance works to provide financial protection against unforeseen events, it considers conditions that occurred before enrollment or during the waiting periods as pre-existing and excludes them from coverage. There are exceptions, like my top recommendations, but you should still read the pre-existing condition terms in online sample policies and reach out to customer service representatives before enrolling to determine whether getting pet insurance is worth it for your specific situation.

Pumpkin
4.70
$31
Curable Pre-Existing Conditions

Curable pre-existing conditions qualify for coverage once your pet has been symptom- and treatment-free for 180 days.

Lemonade

4.51

$40

Curable Pre-Existing Conditions That Reoccur

Non-chronic pre-existing conditions that reoccur become eligible for coverage if your pet was completely free from signs, symptoms and treatment for 12 consecutive months.

AKC
3.94
$53
Incurable Pre-Existing Conditions

Both curable and incurable pre-existing conditions are covered after 365 days of continuous enrollment.

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CURABLE VS. INCURABLE PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS

Curable pre-existing conditions are temporary injuries or illnesses that can be completely cured with treatment, which include ear infections, upper respiratory infections, sprains, urinary tract infections and minor skin conditions. On the other hand, incurable pre-existing conditions are those that require life-long treatment and management, such as cancer, diabetes, hip dysplasia, allergies, arthritis, heart disease and cruciate ligament disease.

Don't just focus on scores when looking into my top recommendations. Below, I summarized each insurer's main strengths and drawbacks to help you determine which option is a better fit for your pet's health needs.

To find the best pet insurance companies for pre-existing conditions, we evaluated coverage, customer experience and affordability across 18 major pet insurers using over 67,000 pet profiles representing mixed breeds and purebreds in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Our analysis used base profiles of a 6-year-old Labrador Retriever and a 7-year-old Ragdoll, each with a $5,000 annual limit, $500 deductible and 80% reimbursement rate to ensure consistent comparisons across providers.

We assessed coverage breadth and flexibility for breed-specific health risks, measured customer experience throughout the policy lifecycle from enrollment to claims and analyzed pricing competitiveness across different breeds and locations. Each insurer received a composite score based on coverage options and terms (50% of overall score), customer experience (30% of overall score) and affordability (20% of overall score).

For a detailed breakdown of the metrics, scoring methodology and analysis approach, see our full methodology.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin

Best for Curable Pre-Existing Conditions

Pumpkin is my top pick for the best pet insurance for curable pre-existing conditions overall. It offers the strongest blend of affordability and customer experience, with the lowest average rate of $31 per month. If a reoccurrence of a curable condition requires your pet's medical records to be reviewed against the 180-day waiting period, Pumpkin’s straightforward claim submission process and fair claims assessment reduce the likelihood of a denial that doesn't reflect what the policy covers. However, Pumpkin offers few customization options for coverage, so you won't have the most flexibility when tailoring your policy according to your pet's needs and your budget.

Read our review: Pumpkin Pet Insurance Review

Lemonade

Lemonade

Best for Curable Pre-Existing Conditions That Reoccur
On Lemonade's site

As the runner-up, Lemonade leads in coverage flexibility, featuring the widest range of deductibles, annual limits and reimbursement rates. You can choose a higher annual limit up to $100,000 if your pet's prior curable condition requires expensive treatments or adjust your reimbursement rate between 60% and 90% to reduce out-of-pocket costs if a reoccurrence would require multiple vet visits before it fully resolves again. Lemonade averages $40 per month, making it one of the cheapest pet insurers in my analysis. However, customer experience isn't one of its strengths, with a claims appeal process that isn't always straightforward when it involves pre-existing condition determinations.

Read our review: Lemonade Pet Insurance Review

AKC

AKC

Best for Incurable Pre-Existing Conditions

AKC rounds out my top three pet insurance companies for pre-existing conditions. It stands out for being the only insurer to cover both curable and incurable conditions after 365 days of continuous coverage, without requiring them to be cured or free of symptoms during the waiting period. Whether your pet has a respiratory infection or is managing diabetes, the condition will be covered after a year of paying premiums with AKC. However, the company is the most expensive among pet insurers I analyzed, averaging $53 per month. It also doesn’t perform competitively for customer experience, with a claims process that can take long and encounter issues when a claim requires additional medical records.   

Read our review: AKC Pet Insurance Review

Compare Provider Pet Insurance Coverage For Pre-Existing Conditions

No two pet insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions the same way. Some only reinstate coverage for curable conditions that reoccur after a symptom-free period, while others cover incurable conditions, subject to terms. Below, I'll break down how eight major pet insurers handle pre-existing conditions to help you determine which one matches your pet's specific health history.

Pumpkin, ASPCA, Spot*

180 days symptom-free and treatment-free
Chronic conditions, ligament and knee conditions, bilateral ligament/knee conditions
14 days
14 days
14 days
Lemonade
12 months symptom-free, recurrence-free and treatment-free
Chronic conditions, knee conditions, ligament conditions, bilateral conditions, intervertebral conditions
0 days
14 days
30 days
AKC
365 days of continuous coverage
IVDD, hereditary and congenital conditions, unless an optional add-on is purchased
2 days
14 days

180 days

Rainwalk

12 months symptom-free and treatment-free in California and New York, 180 days in the rest of states
Chronic conditions, bilateral conditions determined to be pre-existing, ligament and orthopedic conditions
1 day
14 days
14 days

Pets Best

Covers curable pre-existing conditions but doesn't explicitly state its waiting period

Cancer, diabetes, bladder crystals, allergies, heart disease, kidney disease, epilepsy, arthritis, hip dysplasia, bilateral conditions
0 to 3 days, depending on state
14 days
30 days

MetLife

Switch to MetLife's Pet group policy, with the conditions covered by the previous insurer
Conditions not covered by the previous insurer when switching to its group policy
0 day
14 days
14 days

Figo

12 months without clinical signs and considered cured
Cancer, IVDD, hyperthyroidism and related conditions, renal disease, certain masses and related conditions
1 day
14 days

6 months for cruciate ligament conditions in dogs

Embrace

12 months symptom-free and treatment-free
Chronic/incurable conditions, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, orthopedic conditions subject to special exclusion rules
2 days
14 days

180 days

*Pumpkin, ASPCA and Spot are all underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company, so their pre-existing condition terms, coverage requirements and waiting periods are similar.

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WHAT ARE BILATERAL CONDITIONS?

Bilateral conditions are health issues that can affect both sides of your pet's body, such as hip dysplasia, cruciate ligament tears and cataracts. If your pet is diagnosed with a condition on one side before enrollment, most insurers will not cover the same condition on the opposite side, even if it develops after waiting periods pass, because they're considered to be pre-existing.

Best Pre-Existing Condition Pet Insurance Checklist

If your pet has a pre-existing condition or you're unsure whether a symptom or a prior health issue automatically excludes conditions related to it, the checklist below walks you through what to assess, compare and confirm before getting pet insurance.

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    Evaluate your pet's risks and health history

    Request your pet's medical records from your vet and review them, noting down every sign or symptom, condition and treatment mentioned. Pet insurance companies review your pet's health history when you submit a coverage application or file a claim, and any symptom or condition that was observable before your policy's effective date can be considered as pre-existing, regardless of whether it resulted in a formal diagnosis or required treatment.

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    Talk to your veterinarian

    Talk to your vet and ask them to confirm whether each documented condition or symptom that you noted from your pet's records is curable (can be resolved with treatment) or incurable (can be managed with treatments but not cured). You can also use the AskVet subreddit as a resource and get advice from veterinary professionals. Doing so makes it easier for you to find pet insurance companies that can provide coverage for your pet's pre-existing conditions down the line.

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    Find pet insurance companies that cover pre-existing conditions

    Match your pet's health history to providers whose pet insurance coverage terms for pre-existing conditions fit. If your pet's pre-existing condition is curable, you have a larger pool of insurers to choose from, since most of them have curable condition terms explicitly stated in their policies. But if your pet's pre-existing condition is incurable, your pool will be limited to AKC.

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    Review policy details

    Look for sample policies from each pet insurer you're considering. Review its definitions for pre-existing conditions and bilateral conditions, as well as confirm that curable conditions are written into the policy document with a defined waiting period. Beyond those, pay attention to the waiting periods imposed before coverage begins, the list of excluded treatments and the rules for changing coverage. That last one matters because some providers consider requests for coverage increase as new enrollment, which reclassifies any condition that has developed since your original start date as pre-existing under the new policy.

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    Look out for customer reviews

    To make sure the providers in your shortlist are true to their word, read firsthand accounts from policyholders who have submitted claims involving pre-existing conditions or disputed claim decisions. Reddit is particularly useful, since it has specific subreddits where pet owners share their experiences with their pet insurance providers and how their pre-existing condition terms work in practice.

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    Collect quotes

    Get quotes from at least three pet insurance companies using the same deductible, annual limit and reimbursement rate for an accurate and reliable comparison. Also include optional add-ons in the total cost, as insurers that require add-ons for exam fees, take-home medications or alternative therapy may be more expensive than those who include them in the base plan. Once you have your quotes, evaluate how the monthly cost fits into your current financial responsibilities and if you can comfortably afford it while waiting for the pre-existing condition waiting period to pass.

Pet Insurance For Pre-Existing Conditions: FAQ

Get Pre-Existing Condition Pet Insurance Quotes

Before getting pet insurance, make sure to compare quotes from multiple insurers using the same coverage parameters to identify the most cost-effective option for you. Use MoneyGeek's tool below to find the top pet insurance companies that can cover your pet's pre-existing conditions at a price you can afford.

Compare Pet Insurance Rates

Ensure you are getting the best rate for your pet insurance. Compare quotes from the top pet insurance companies.

About Ritchel Mendiola

Ritchel Mendiola, Pet Insurance Writer

Ritchel Mendiola is a Pet Insurance Content Writer at MoneyGeek. She produces coverage guides, provider comparisons and cost analyses so pet owners can understand their options and avoid overpaying.

Ritchel spent over four years as a News and Feature Writer at Asian Journal Publications, where she reported for the Asian Journal newspaper and Balikbayan Magazine, conducted interviews and covered media events. At MoneyGeek, she covers policy terms, exclusions, waiting periods and reimbursement structures the way she treated news facts. They're sourced, verified and reported accurately rather than summarized from marketing copy.

She joined MoneyGeek in late 2021 in the loans vertical and moved to pet insurance content, which she now leads. Her published work includes provider comparisons, breed-specific cost guides, age-specific coverage analyses and state-level pricing studies, all from the vertical's 5 million pet insurance profiles across 18 major providers and all U.S. states.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rianmendi/

Contact Email: ritchel.mendiola@moneygeek.com

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