Welcoming a puppy or a kitten into your home is a commitment to an adventure and a bond of more than 10 years. Therefore, it is important to anticipate the various expenses that you will have to face. For health costs, specific insurance offers numerous guarantees. From what age can a pet be insured? Can an elderly dog benefit from health insurance? Discover the criteria required to insure your pet.
Why take cat and dog insurance?
Even if it is still young, your pet is not safe from developing an illness or having an accident. Broken leg, kennel cough or kidney problems, take your dog or cat to the vet entails numerous costs. Insurance can cover:
- preventive measures: anti-tick, anti-flea, etc.;
- more serious procedures: surgical intervention, additional examinations, etc.;
- costs related to death.
L'health insurance for dog or cat relieves you by partially or completely reimbursing veterinary costs
Race and age: determining criteria
If animal health insurance allows you to take care of your companion, its price depends on two main criteria: the breed and age of your dog or cat. At the time of subscription, the age of the animal determines its eligibility and the monthly rate to pay. You may be refused dog/cat health insurance.
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For most insurers offering health insurance for dogs and cats, the animal must be aged at least 3 months to benefit from health coverage. This period corresponds to the adaptation of the dog or cat to its new diet and its physiological development. To validate the subscription, your animal must meet a few other conditions in addition to age:
- he must be weaned;
- it must be identified. Tattoo and microchip are accepted;
- their vaccinations must be up to date;
- he must not suffer from illnesses (chronic, congenital or hereditary). This may motivate a refusal to subscribe or a higher contribution amount.
There age limit to take out mutual health insurance for dogs or cats is specific to each insurer. In a large majority of cases, insurance such as dog or cat insurance will be refused. if the animal is 8 years old or older. As with humans, the older an animal gets, the more its health deteriorates. Insurers are reluctant to cover these elderly people because they present more risks. Likewise for insurance premiums, they will increase proportionally to the age of the animal.
The breed of your dog or cat is the other determining criterion for insuring your pet. Some breeds of dog or cat are more fragile compared to others. They present more health risks and therefore have a lower life expectancy. The insurer takes this data into account to define the deadline for coverage and calculate the amount of contributions. The amount of the mutual insurance will be different for a dachshund or a German shepherd, the same for a Maine Coon cat or a Siamese.
Good to know: revoked!
Some insurance companies indicate an age limit in their contract. Even if the contract is several years old, it is terminated when your pet reaches the indicated age. You then find yourself with a senior animal without insurance.
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Find insurance without age limits
These elderly animals are more exposed to diseases. Diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or even cancer, veterinary care for these diseases can be very expensive. If they suffer from vision problems or imbalance, they will be more exposed to the risk of accidents compared to younger animals. Some dog and cat insurance companies offer, for owners of an elderly animal, mutual insurance without age limit or specific for senior cats and dogs. These formulas allow care of the animal, even elderly.
With this type of contract without age limit, the amount of contributions can quickly increase. The insurance company anticipates potential reimbursements for care for these elderly animals. Contributions can be multiplied by two or three compared to the amounts offered for a younger dog or cat.
Insurance companies have put in place three elements to cover veterinary costs:
- Franchise. It corresponds to the minimum amount to be paid by the owner (generally from €20 to €150).
- The reimbursement ceiling. This is a maximum annual amount of support (between 1,000 and 1,500 euros per year on average).
- The waiting period. This period corresponds to a number of days following subscription, during which your companion is not covered. It can vary from a few days to several months depending on the insurers, depending on the age and state of health of your dog or cat.
Other key points of dog/cat health insurance
To be able to take out health insurance for your dog or cat, insurance companies will ask you health status of your pet. You will therefore need to provide either A declaration with the organization, or a veterinary certificate Or a health check. Be careful not to make false declarations! This could backfire and you prevent you from benefiting from guarantees if applicable.
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Your dog or cat should also be up to date with your vaccinations and not present chronic diseases, hereditary Or congenital to benefit from the guarantees of the contract. Therefore, the earlier you subscribe, the more likely you will be that your animal does not present this type of illness and you will be able to take out insurance. To finalize the subscription to your cat or dog's mutual health insurance, it must be identified: chipped or tattooed.
On the other hand, don't just think about dog/cat health insurance when problems arise. It is necessary to anticipate potential illnesses and accidents. Waiting periods are very often applied, after signing the contract, to avoid abuse. The delay may vary between one week and three months.
To find out if your dog or cat is eligible for health insurance and to find out the price of a contract, use a dog/cat insurance comparator. This service without engagement, made available free of charge, gives you the opportunity to view offers from different insurance companies as quickly as possible. You can then compare the costs but also the guarantees and services offered by each insurer.
Comparison of ages for taking out a health insurance contract for dogs and cats
Each insurance company sets its own minimum and maximum age limits.
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here is a comparative table of age limits for taking out health insurance for your dog or cat:
| Insurance | Minimum age | Age limit |
|---|---|---|
| SELF-ASSURANCE | 3 months | 10 years |
| ACHEEL | 2 months | 7 years |
| FIDANIMO | 2 months | 8 years |
| SOLLY AZAR | 3 months | 7 years |
| KOZOO | 2 months | 13 years |
Insuring an already sick animal: what are the possibilities?
Some insurance companies offer cover your pet's veterinary costseven if he is already sick. Insure your pet if it is sick is an excellent initiative. He is not immune to suffering another illness or accident. You cannot receive refunds for illnesses declared before subscriptionbut you can benefit from support for veterinary care linked to a new disease. This helps reduce your health budget. If your pet suffers from acute or chronic illness, it may be a sign of fragile health. It is then best to take your pet to a veterinarian regularly. Thanks to health insurance, you will be able to obtain coverage for these veterinary costs.
THE “dog or cat” mutual insurance for already sick animals cover, under certain conditions, veterinary costs, with the exception of:
- Illnesses that appeared before membership or during the waiting periods, including their costs and consequences throughout the insurance contract. They could only be covered if the first symptoms appear after the waiting period.
- Hereditary and congenital diseases.
- Accidents occurring before subscription or during the waiting periods.
A health certificate, to be completed by your veterinarian, is necessary, and vaccinations must be up to date to finalize membership. The waiting period increases depending on the age of your animal or its state of health. It can last several months.
In addition to covering veterinary costs for your elderly dog or cat, some insurances offer prevention packages for a few euros more per month. Preventive care is covered. You can thus obtain reimbursement for antiparasitic treatments, sterilization, vaccines, etc. Some insurance companies contribute to the purchase of accessories such as brushes, shampoos, or toothpaste. These prevention packages reduce health costs for the rest of your pet's life, ensuring their well-being.
In order to know everything about the health insurance for dogs and cats or find out the price of a contract, use our online insurance comparator. You view all the offers from the different partner insurance companies then choose the one best suited to the needs of your animal and your budget.
