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Pet insurance with no waiting period: How it works

You may not appreciate the full value of pet insurance until your dog or cat has a medical emergency. But you can’t wait until that point to buy the coverage. Most pet insurance policies have a waiting period before they will cover accidents and illnesses, and they don’t cover preexisting conditions.

Here’s what you need to know about pet insurance waiting periods and which companies let you avoid them.

Learn more: How does pet insurance work? A complete guide.

A waiting period is the amount of time that must pass between when you buy the insurance and when the policy can start to pay claims. The waiting period usually begins on the first effective date of the coverage and may last for several days or months, depending on the type of claim.

“Pet insurance waiting periods vary by state and insurance provider, but generally range from zero to 30 days for illnesses and accidents, with some companies having longer waiting periods for specific conditions like orthopedic issues,” said Janet Ruiz, a spokesperson for the Insurance Information Institute.

Most pet insurance policies have a longer waiting period for illnesses than they do for accidents, and you may have to wait several months before the policy will cover certain orthopedic conditions, such as cruciate ligament issues, which could require expensive surgery.

The waiting period takes effect when you first buy the insurance, and it doesn’t start over if you renew the policy without a break in coverage. However, you may have a new waiting period if you change coverage or switch to a different insurance company.

Learn more: Is pet insurance worth it? How to decide.

A waiting period is different from a preexisting condition exclusion.

Waiting periods apply to all coverage for that type of claim, whether or not the pet had any symptoms in the past. For example, if the policy has a 15-day waiting period for illnesses and your dog starts vomiting and goes to the vet 10 days after you buy the coverage, the pet insurance policy wouldn’t pay those vet expenses.

Preexisting conditions are medical conditions the pet already had when you bought the policy or that started before the end of the waiting period. You can still buy a pet insurance policy if your dog or cat has preexisting conditions, but medical expenses related to that condition won’t be covered.

“If signs or symptoms were present before the policy started, there will be no coverage for that condition, even if you weren’t sure what was wrong with your pet,” said Walter Haugland, chief marketing officer of Pets Best Insurance.

Learn more: Pets Best pet insurance review 2025

The pet insurance policy may cover some curable preexisting conditions if a certain time period — often 180 or 365 days — has passed without any symptoms or treatment. “Some conditions, like broken legs or kennel cough, heal or are curable and require no further treatment,” Haugland said. “Once healed or cured, these are not considered preexisting conditions.”

The specifics of preexisting condition exclusions can vary by insurer and state; read the policy for details.

Pet insurance companies usually have different waiting periods for accident coverage than they do for illness coverage, and they may have no waiting period for wellness coverage.

The waiting period for accident coverage is often shorter than for illnesses. Some examples of accidents include broken bones, poisoning, a car accident, lacerations, or when your pet swallows a foreign object and needs surgery. A few pet insurance policies have no waiting period for accidents after the policy takes effect; others have three-day or five-day waiting periods before covering accidents. The time frames vary by insurer and state.

Most pet insurance policies have a 14-day to 30-day waiting period before covering illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, allergies, skin and ear infections, urinary tract infections, and epilepsy.

If the pet had one of these conditions before the policy was purchased, it may be excluded as a preexisting condition for a year or more, but other illnesses would be covered after the 14- or 30-day waiting period is over.

Most pet insurance policies have longer waiting periods for orthopedic issues that can lead to expensive surgery for dogs. For example, they may have a six-month waiting period before covering costs related to cruciate ligament issues or hip dysplasia. You may be able to get this waiting period reduced if your dog has an orthopedic exam after you purchase the policy, showing no preexisting conditions.

Pet wellness plans help cover the cost of routine care, such as teeth cleaning, preventive medications, vaccinations, and diagnostic tests. They tend to have annual benefit limits and no waiting period.

Learn more: Your guide to what pet insurance covers

The three pet insurance companies below have no waiting period for accident coverage, but insurers can waive the accident waiting period in certain states.

Embrace Pet Insurance has no waiting period for accidents after the policy takes effect, which is 12:01 a.m. ET two days after enrollment. Illnesses are covered 14 days after the policy’s effective date. There’s a special six-month waiting period for certain canine orthopedic conditions in most states, which can be reduced to 14 days with an orthopedic exam.

Learn more: Embrace pet insurance review

Lemonade pet insurance has no waiting period for accidents — accident coverage begins at 12:01 a.m. ET the day after you purchase the policy. Illnesses are covered 14 days after the policy’s effective date, and orthopedic issues have a 30-day waiting period (policies issued before mid-February 2025 may also have a six-month waiting period for cruciate ligament issues in some states, but new policies have the 30-day waiting period). There's no waiting period for wellness coverage.

Learn more: Lemonade pet insurance review

MetLife pet insurance has no waiting period for accidents — accident coverage begins at midnight EST of the day after you buy the policy. Illnesses are covered after a 14-day waiting period. There's no waiting period for the optional preventive care plan.

Learn more: MetLife pet insurance review

Insurance is based on the pooling of risk — many pets are insured, and some may have large claims while others may have very few medical expenses for the year. If pet owners were allowed to wait to buy a policy until after they knew they were going to have a claim, the cost to provide that coverage would rise. Pet insurance companies use waiting periods and preexisting condition exclusions to help manage their risks and costs.

“A key reason pet insurance does not cover preexisting conditions is because it would drive the cost of policies up for all policyholders,” said Haugland. “If a pet enters the insurance pool expecting a known medical condition to be covered, it’s a certain cost to the pool.”

Even without a waiting period, the coverage doesn’t take effect immediately; it typically begins at midnight the day after you purchase the policy. That way, you can’t wait until your pet has an accident and then buy the insurance. There is no retroactive coverage.

Some states have different rules for waiting periods. Several states have adopted the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Pet Insurance Model Act, which prohibits waiting periods for accidents.

In those states, accidents can be covered on the effective date of the policy. This applies to California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington, said Ilana Chernenko, a Lemonade pet insurance spokesperson.

The NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act also limits the length of the orthopedic waiting period to 30 days or less, while other states may allow a waiting period of up to six months for certain orthopedic conditions.