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Dog insurance is pet insurance that reimburses part of your vet bills when your dog is injured or becomes ill, up to the policy's limits. You choose the level (accident only, accident and illness, or a comprehensive policy with routine care), a benefit percentage, usually between 70 and 90 per cent, and an annual limit. Most policies then pay back that percentage of eligible bills after any excess.
Dogs are the most insured pets in Australia, and the policy terms that matter most for them are the ones that don't show up in the headline: the waiting period for cruciate ligament injuries, sub-limits on orthopaedic surgery and tick paralysis, and how hereditary conditions common to a breed are treated.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team ยท Last reviewed
An accident and illness policy covers vet treatment for injuries (being hit by a car, swallowing a foreign object, a torn ligament) and illnesses (infections, skin and ear disease, cancer, gastrointestinal problems), subject to waiting periods, sub-limits and exclusions. Accident-only policies cover injuries only. Comprehensive policies add a routine care benefit for things like vaccinations, worming and dental cleans.
Most Australian policies work on reimbursement. Moneysmart notes that most insurers make you pay the vet in full and claim afterwards. Some clinics use on-the-spot claiming, such as the GapOnly system run by PetSure, so you pay only the gap at the counter.
The claims that dominate for dogs tend to be orthopaedic injuries, ingested objects, skin and ear conditions, and in eastern Australia, tick paralysis. Policies handle these through specific waiting periods and sub-limits, which vary a lot between products.
| Term | What it means | Examples from current PDSs |
|---|---|---|
| Cruciate ligament waiting period | Cruciate conditions are not covered until this period ends | 6 months in the RSPCA, Bupa, Budget Direct and Knose PDSs; 90 days in Fetch's |
| Cruciate sub-limit | The most paid per year for cruciate treatment, regardless of the annual limit | $2,600 on RSPCA Economy and Ultimate and Budget Direct Essential and Comprehensive; no sub-limit on RSPCA Ultimate Plus |
| Orthopaedic sub-limit | A cap on joint and bone conditions such as hip dysplasia | $4,000, $8,000 or $25,000 across Budget Direct's three levels |
| Tick paralysis sub-limit | A cap on treating tick paralysis | $1,000 to $3,000 on Budget Direct; $1,000 or $1,200 on RSPCA Economy and Ultimate |
| Hereditary and congenital conditions | Conditions a dog is born with or predisposed to | Covered as illnesses in the RSPCA and Bupa PDSs unless they are pre-existing |
Moneysmart notes that some breeds have health risks that make insurance for them expensive or unavailable. Insurers price by breed because conditions such as hip and elbow dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) are much more common in some breeds than others.
How each policy treats those conditions differs. Knose applies a 6-month waiting period to a list of orthopaedic and hereditary conditions including dysplasia, IVDD and patellar luxation, and does not cover BOAS unless you apply with a BOAS form and are accepted. Fetch applies a 90-day waiting period to BOAS, IVDD and dysplasia. The RSPCA and Bupa PDSs cover hereditary and congenital conditions as illnesses unless they are pre-existing. Several insurers do not insure dangerous or restricted breeds at all.
The benefit percentage decides how much of each eligible bill you get back; the annual limit decides the most you can get back in a year; sub-limits cap particular conditions within that. A policy with a high annual limit but low sub-limits on the conditions your dog is prone to can pay less than a policy with a lower headline limit.
Excesses are structured differently too. Some policies charge an excess per claim, some per condition per year and some once per year, and some offer $0 excess. For a dog likely to have several unrelated vet visits a year, an annual excess can work out very differently from a per-condition one.
The earlier the better, for one reason: anything that shows signs before the policy starts, or during the waiting period, is generally treated as pre-existing and excluded. Many policies accept dogs from 8 weeks old and set a maximum entry age of 9 years, so an older dog may have fewer options. See our guides to puppy insurance and older pet insurance for the age-specific detail.
It depends on whether you could pay a large, unexpected vet bill yourself. Work out what the policy would pay on a realistic bill after the excess, benefit percentage and sub-limits, and compare that with the premium over several years. Moneysmart suggests weighing insurance against putting money aside in a savings account.
Six months is common: the RSPCA, Bupa, Budget Direct and Knose PDSs all use 6 months. Fetch's PDS uses 90 days. Some insurers will waive it if a vet examines the dog and finds no existing problem.
Some policies cover hereditary and congenital conditions as ordinary illnesses as long as they are not pre-existing, which is how the RSPCA and Bupa PDSs treat them. Others apply longer waiting periods or specific conditions for them, so check the PDS for the conditions common to your dog's breed.
We do not publish averages, because premiums depend heavily on breed, age, postcode and the limit and benefit you choose. Get quotes on the same cover level, benefit percentage, annual limit and excess, and compare the sub-limits too.
