--- title: Is Pet Insurance Worth It for Older Dogs and Cats? description: Pet insurance can get more expensive as pets age, but keeping an existing policy may still be worth it. authors: - name: Andrea Agostini Ferrer role: Lead Staff Writer url: https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/ bio: Andrea has been our in-house insurance expert since 2021. She's dedicated hundreds of hours to researching and evaluating a wide range of insurance products — from niche plans like pet insurance to everyday essentials like auto and homeowners coverage — and applies her knowledge to help readers understand the ins and outs of these policies. education: University of Puerto Rico at_money_since: 2020 articles: 62 covers: - Insurance - Banking - Business - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes editors: - name: Kristen Bahler role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/kristen-bahler/ bio: Kristen Bahler has spent more than a decade turning culture, work and consumer spending trends into conversation-driving stories. Today, she leads Money's sponsored content channel and reader-favorite franchises like Best Places to Live and Best Places to Travel. education: Northeastern University, MA Journalism at_money_since: 2016 articles: 52 covers: - Insurance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-bahler/ published: '2026-07-29T11:05:21.000Z' section: Insurance tags: - adopting a pet - cost of pet - cost of pets - Pet Care - pet insurance - Sponsored - sponsorship word_count: 737 canonical: https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![A senior dog being examined](https://img.money.com/2026/04/Sponsorship-Pet-Insurance-Worth-It-Older-Pets.jpg) Sponsored by: ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/35944/a7c1bc1c-1ec6-49a0-956b-1ed27dbcb09d.webp) Keep your pets feeling healthy. With Healthy Paws pet insurance, there are no caps on annual or lifetime claims! [Go to HealthyPaws.com](https://money.com/pr/w7ed09dc0516?ap_referrer=%2Fis-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats%2F) ## Key Takeaways - Older pets cost more to insure, but they're more likely to need coverage. - Keeping an existing policy can help you avoid the higher premiums and pre-existing condition exclusions that often come with buying coverage for an older pet. - Buying a new policy for a senior dog or cat comes down to balancing the cost of premiums with the financial protection the policy provides. Pet insurance seems like a no-brainer when you first get a puppy or kitten. Rates are typically at their lowest, and enrolling early helps lock in coverage before medical issues [become part of their health history](https://money.com/pet-insurance-for-pre-existing-conditions/). But that value proposition warrants a second look when it comes to an older pet. On one hand, having insurance at a life stage when chronic illnesses are more likely can bridge the financial obstacles standing between your pet and the best care possible. A [study by Money and Healthy Paws Pet Insurance](https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/pet-insurance-research/love-vs-limits-the-new-economics-of-pet-care.html) found that 50% of pet owners with insurance are more likely to pursue all recommended treatment, regardless of cost, compared to 34% of pet owners overall. On the other hand, pet insurance premiums can increase as your pet ages, even if you enrolled early. Here's what you need to know. ## Why older pets cost more to insure Older pets cost more to insure because the number and severity of insurance claims tend to increase as pets get older. Illnesses like cancer, diabetes and arthritis are more likely to develop with age, and often require specialized care. Older pets are also more susceptible to orthopedic conditions like hip dysplasia and torn ligaments. Those factors are reflected in what pet owners pay. In 2024, a [Money price survey](https://money.com/how-much-is-pet-insurance/) found that owners of ten-year-old dogs were quoted between $155 and $310 per month for an accident and illness policy, depending on the breed. Rising veterinary costs have pushed premiums even higher in recent years. In 2021, the average pet insurance premium for a dog was about $52 a month. By 2025, that figure had climbed to nearly $70, according to the [North American Pet Health Insurance Association](https://naphia.org/industry-data/) (NAPHIA). ## Buying pet insurance for a senior pet Buying pet insurance later in your pet's life can be more complicated than enrolling a puppy or kitten. You're likely to be quoted higher premium rates, and pre-existing conditions (any symptom, injury or illness that happened before enrollment) aren't covered. There are also fewer insurers that offer new policies for older pets. Those that do may set additional coverage limits, such as offering accident-only policies, reducing the maximum they'll pay in a year or excluding hereditary and congenital conditions. Common joint problems like arthritis, hip dysplasia and torn ligaments, for instance, may be considered pre-existing conditions by the time a senior dog is enrolled, since the early signs of these conditions can appear months or even years before they're formally diagnosed. “The early signs of joint issues are often detected by veterinarians long before they require additional care” says Dr. Dana Varble, DVM, CAE and Chief Veterinary Officer for North American Veterinary Community (NAVC) in an email to Money. “Those early notations are an essential part of your pet's medical record, but can also lead insurance companies to exclude coverage later on.” ## Keeping coverage as your pet ages As pets grow older, they're more likely to develop serious health conditions that require costly treatment. Cancer is one of the clearest examples. About half of older pets [develop the disease as they age](https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/cancer-pets), according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Thanks to medical advances, there are more treatment options available than ever before, but they often come at a steep cost. For many pet owners, the prospect of facing thousands of dollars in diagnostics, chemotherapy or palliative care can change the way they weigh the cost of keeping pet insurance. The challenge is that the years when pet insurance is most expensive often coincide with the years when pets are most likely to need it. If your pet has been insured since they were young and the premiums still fit your budget, maintaining that coverage may be worthwhile. Should your pet develop a medical condition after you drop that coverage, a new policy typically won't cover it because it's considered pre-existing. Buying insurance for a senior dog or cat for the first time involves a different set of tradeoffs. Weigh your pet's health, the coverage available and the cost of premiums against your ability to pay for unexpected veterinary care out of pocket. If pet insurance isn't the right fit, payment plans and other financing options can help manage the cost of care. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Insurance", "item": "https://money.com/insurance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Pet Insurance", "item": "https://money.com/pet-insurance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is Pet Insurance Worth It for Older Dogs and Cats?" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/", "name": "Is Pet Insurance Worth It for Older Dogs and Cats?", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2026-07-29T11:05:21.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Is Pet Insurance Worth It for Older Dogs and Cats?", "articleSection": "Insurance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2026/04/Sponsorship-Pet-Insurance-Worth-It-Older-Pets.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "Sponsorship-Pet-Insurance-Worth-It-Older-Pets" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrea Agostini Ferrer", "url": "https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/andrea-agostini/#author", "description": "Andrea has been our in-house insurance expert since 2021. She's dedicated hundreds of hours to researching and evaluating a wide range of insurance products — from niche plans like pet insurance to everyday essentials like auto and homeowners coverage — and applies her knowledge to help readers understand the ins and outs of these policies.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2020/12/Andrea-Agnosti.png?w=226&h=247&crop=1", "email": "andrea@money.com", "jobTitle": "Lead Staff Writer", "alumniOf": "University of Puerto Rico", "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2026-07-29T11:05:21.000Z", "description": "Pet insurance can get more expensive as pets age, but keeping an existing policy may still be worth it.", "abstract": "Pet insurance can get more expensive as pets age, but keeping an existing policy may still be worth it.", "@id": "https://money.com/is-pet-insurance-worth-it-for-older-dogs-and-cats/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "editor": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kristen Bahler", "url": "https://money.com/author/kristen-bahler/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/kristen-bahler/#author", "description": "Kristen Bahler has spent more than a decade turning culture, work and consumer spending trends into conversation-driving stories. Today, she leads Money's sponsored content channel and reader-favorite franchises like Best Places to Live and Best Places to Travel.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2016/08/kristen.png?w=350&h=430&crop=1", "email": "kristen.bahler@money.com", "jobTitle": "Managing Editor", "alumniOf": "Northeastern University, MA Journalism", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristen-bahler/" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "wordCount": 737, "keywords": [ "adopting a pet", "cost of pet", "cost of pets", "Pet Care", "pet insurance", "Sponsored", "sponsorship" ], "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Insurance", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pet insurance", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_insurance" ] } ] } ] } ```