The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.

Pet Insurance for Dogs over 9 or 10 Years Old

Compare Cheap Pet Insurance for Older Dogs

Get help with vet bills for your older dog today.

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Once your dog reaches the age of 9 or 10 years old, you'll notice significant changes to how your pet is insured. We've researched the market to find insurance plans that still offer Lifetime cover for older pets and explain changes to cover, excess and even age limits on certain types of policies. Before you buy, be sure to compare prices to find a good deal. You can start with our pet insurance comparison tool.

Changes in Insurance for Dogs Aged 9 or 10

When insuring an older pet, you'll notice the following differences compared to policies for younger pets:

  • Excess: Usually the excess increases for older pets through the addition of a variable excess/copay of 10% or 20% (payable after the fixed £ excess)
  • Death Due to Illness Cover: Understandably, as pets age they are no longer covered for death due to illness, where applicable
  • Age Limits on New Lifetime Policies: A number of pet insurers won't sell Lifetime cover to pets once they reach a certain age. (Insurers that do sell new Lifetime cover to older pets are likely to charge quite higher rates.)

Age Limits, Euthanasia and Cremation/Burial Cover

Once a pet reaches 8, 9 or 10 years old, it's not uncommon to see a change in excess, Death Due to Illness or restrictions on new Lifetime policies. Below is a comparison of pet insurance features for older pets. Some breeds are treated differently with policy restrictions coming in at even younger age limits (e.g., 5 years old).

Insurance for Older Pets: Age Limits on New Policies and Death Due to Illness

InsurerNew Lifetime Policy Age LimitDeath Due to Illness Age Limit
Animal Friends no limit8
Direct Line10 years 11 months9
John Lewisno limit9
LV= no limit9
More Thanno limit9
PDSA no limit9
PetPlan 88
Tesco no limit9
Asda no limit9
Pet Protect8n/a
pet-insurance.co.uk no limit8
Agria99
Argos no limit9

Excess for Older Pets Around 9 Years Old

In most cases your insurance company will increase the excess once your dog reaches a certain age. Typically, this age limit is around 9 years old and involves the addition of a 10% or 20% excess, as you can see in the following table.

Changes to Excess for Older Dogs

InsurerExcess/Copay Changes at Age …Excess for Older PetsHas Excess Changed for Older Pets?
Animal Friends 8£99 + 20%yes - addition of 20% copay
Direct Line10 years 11 months£95 or £190NO CHANGE
John Lewis9Greater of the fixed £ excess and 20% of the treatment costsyes - greater of fixed £ excess and 20% of treatment costs
LV= 8Fixed excess (£100 or £75) + 20% copayyes - addition of 20% copay
More Than9£150yes - fixed excess increases from £75 to £150 per condition
PDSA n/a£75NO CHANGE
PetPlan 8£85 (accident only) or £120 + 20%yes - addition of 20% copay
Tesco 9£60 or £200NO CHANGE
Asda 5£85 + 10%yes - addition of 10% copay
Pet Protect8
  • Under 1 year: £95 + 5%
  • 1 - 5 years: £95 + 15%
  • 5 - 10 years: £100 + 20%
  • Over 10 yrs: £150 + 25% - 30%
Yes
pet-insurance.co.uk no change£145 (Lifetime)NO CHANGE
Agria 9no changeYes
Argos no changeno changeNo

Some insurers don't increase the excess for older pets. However, be aware that an insurer that doesn't raise the excess may instead raise the premium to compensate for higher expected claims as pets pass 8 to 10 years of age.

Which Insurers Don't Increase Excess for Older Dogs?
TescoPDSA
pet-insurance.co.ukArgos
Agria (depends)

Euthanasia, cremation and/or burial

To prevent them suffering, your vet may recommend that your older, ill dog be put to sleep. Here is a comparison of cover across a variety of UK pet insurers.

Euthanasia, Cremation and Burial Cover for Older Pets

InsurerEuthanasia CoverCremation/Burial Cover
Animal Friends YesNo
Direct LineUp to £100 (Advanced Plans Only)n/a
John LewisYes up to £100Yes up to £100
LV= n/an/a
More ThanOptional Farewell cover up to £150 for euthanasia, cremation, burial
PDSA Yes up to £100n/a
PetPlan n/an/a
Tesco With Standard, Extra and Premier plans, cover up to £200 for putting to sleep and cremation or burial
Asda Yes up to £100n/a
Pet ProtectUp to £50n/a
pet-insurance.co.uk n/an/a
Agria YesYes up to £150
Argos YesYes up to £100

Hopefully, this information can guide you towards choosing the best pet insurance for your older pet. We have done our best to present accurate information here, but please check details with the insurer before buying a pet insurance policy.

Prices tend to rise for older pets. If you're very price sensitive, there are some decent, cheap Lifetime pet insurance options available in the UK that you may find suitable—even for older pets.

Comments

The guidance on this site is based on our own analysis and is meant to help you identify options and narrow down your choices. We do not advise or tell you which product to buy; undertake your own due diligence before entering into any agreement. Read our full disclosure here.