Pet insurance for older dogs

20 September 2021 - 3 min read

As dogs get older, it's more likely they'll need vet treatment. As a result, some pet insurance companies won’t insure dogs aged over 7 or 8 years.

There's still plenty of choice out there although you should be aware that cover is likely to be more expensive than it is for younger dogs. That's because older dogs are much more likely to need vet treatment at some point.

ManyPets can cover dogs of any age and we even have a policy that covers pre-existing conditions. Check out our dog insurance.

Some of the other things you'll want to consider or be aware of when looking for cover for older dogs include:

  • Whether the policy covers pre-existing conditions

  • Whether there's a compulsory excess and when it kicks in

  • That some limits, like cover for death from illness, won't pay out for pets over a certain age.

ManyPets pet insurance for older dogs

We've designed comprehensive policies for dogs of any age.

We offer up to £15,000 of vet fee cover and all our policies include 24/7 access to an online vet.

If your dog is aged 9 or over we do have a compulsory excess of £99 and a 20% co-payment.

Most of our policies are open to dogs of any age and they all cover conditions that ended at least two years ago.

We also have a policy that covers pre-existing conditions (as long as your pet hasn't received treatment or advice for them in at least three months If they have, they'll only be covered once they've been free from treatment, medication or advice for at least three months).

Our Complete policy offers £15,000 of lifetime vet fee cover a year and includes dental cover for accidents and illness. This is useful because older pets are much more likely to suffer from dental health issues, and not all policies cover dental illness claims.

We also offer a range of other policies.

Here's what Alan, one of our customers, says about our Complete cover: "This policy is excellent for older dogs particularly if you want to move insurance providers and upgrade to lifetime. £15,000 a year cover with full dental is also very comprehensive. I am delighted with my dog's policy."

Other things to consider when insuring older dogs

Pet insurance policies don't pay out for older dogs if they die due to illness or injury. So if you have pet insurance for a dog aged 11 that passes away because of natural causes, you won't be able to claim for its death.

The age limit this starts at may vary between different insurers. ManyPets policies won't pay out for death claims if your pet is over 9.

Not all companies provide comprehensive dental cover with their pet insurance policies, which can become more of a consideration as dogs enter their senior years.

Why is it hard to find cheap pet insurance for older dogs?

As dogs get older, insurance premiums go up because pets are more likely to suffer from medical conditions and injuries.

It's a cause of frustration for many senior dog owners that the cost of insurance increases at every renewal.

Many people feel pet insurance companies are trying to take advantage of them - especially if they have already claimed on their insurance and will find it difficult to switch to another pet insurer.

However, in fairness to the pet insurance companies, the increase in costs for senior dogs does boil down to the statistics, which show that the probability of making a claim for vet treatment increases exponentially each year of a dog's life from age 2 onward.

Find out more about what dog insurance costs.


Irina Wells
Content Marketing Executive

Irina is a former content marketing executive for ManyPets. She has contributed to a number of personal finance sites, including Loot Financial Services and Claro Money.