Pet 09 May 2025

Should You Get Puppy Insurance, or Can It Wait Until They're Older?

When you bring a puppy into your home, you’re filled with excitement and love as you watch your new fur baby grow through their cheeky adolescent phases. But with the joy of having a new furry friend, also comes the responsibility of ensuring their health and well-being.

As a pet parent, one of the most important decisions you’ll make is whether to get puppy insurance, and if so, when to purchase the insurance.  

 

Below are some tips on how pet insurance can help maintain your pups wellbeing!  

 

1. Coverage Before Any Conditions Happen 

The biggest advantage of purchasing puppy insurance for your puppy early, is that you’ll be covered before medical conditions arise for the first time. If you wait until after your puppy has developed an issue, that condition may be considered a pre-existing condition, which may further be permanently excluded from your coverage. Puppy insurance is designed to cover unexpected accidents, illnesses, and injuries. By getting insurance while your puppy is young and healthy, the insurance may cover your puppy’s condition for the rest of their life, even if yearly treatment is needed! 

 

2. Cost-Effective When They're Young 

It’s a common misconception that puppy insurance is expensive. When, in fact, if your puppy is young, the cost of insurance is generally relatively low.  

 

While puppies bounce back from most small injuries without trouble, the average cost of a vet bill can be quite costly in an emergency, especially when resulting in surgery. 

 

3. One Incident Can Impact Your Finances 

Whilst most issues occur as a pet ages, without insurance you may end up paying a large amount out-of-pocket for treatments or surgeries. 

 

It’s also important to check how your excess works in your insurance policy. Some plans have a maximum excess across multiple conditions per year or per condition for life, meaning you can mitigate more of your costs over time.  

 

Understanding how your policy works ensures that you can make the most of your coverage when you need it. 

 

4. Peace of Mind for Your Bank Account and Your Pet’s Well-Being 

Whether it’s an emergency treatment or ongoing care for a chronic condition, having insurance for your pup from a young age can provide peace of mind. 

 

It is entirely your choice if you want to wait until your puppy is older to get puppy insuranceHowever, insuring a pet at a young age minimises the risk of having any pre-existing conditions excluded from coverage.  

 

By starting early, you ensure that your puppy is covered for unexpected accidents, illnesses, and future health issues throughout their life. 

 

With Tailored Coverage and Optional Extra Benefits, insurance.com.au empowers you to personalise your pet’s coverage. By giving you more options to protect and treat your petmatch your pet's requirements and your budget. 

 

Interested in insurance for your pup? Visit our pet insurance page here. 

This article has been prepared by insurance.com.au Pty Ltd (insurance.com.au) ABN 27 163 909 073, an Authorised Representative (AR Number 443422) of Insurance House Pty Ltd ABN 33 006 500 072 AFSL 240954. A copy of insurance.com.au’s Financial Services Guide (FSG) is available here 


The information in this article is of a general nature and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a decision based on any of the information, you should consider whether it is appropriate to your particular circumstances. You should also obtain and consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and, where available, Target Market Determination (TMD) before making any decision to acquire a financial product.  


The information is current at the time of publication. While every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information, insurance.com.au, its officers, representatives, employees and agents disclaim all liability (except for any liability which by law cannot be excluded), for any error, inaccuracy in, or omission from the information contained in this material for any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on the information. 

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