Imagine your dog tears a cruciate ligament. You rush to the vet, relieved you’ve been paying for pet insurance faithfully for the past year — only to find out the claim is declined because of a “Pre-Existing Symptom or Condition.”
A limp you barely noticed six months ago is now an exclusion that costs you thousands. It’s one of the most common complaints in the pet insurance industry, but it can be avoided.
This guide explains what Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions mean in pet insurance, why most pet owners find out about them too late, and what questions to ask before you choose a policy.
What are Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions in pet insurance?
Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) Definition
Pre-existing Symptom and Condition means an Injury, Illness, Dental Illness, Behavioural Condition or Specified Condition (including Bilateral Condition and other conditions that are related to, secondary to, or result from) that:
1. first occurred or showed symptoms of, or
2. was identified or investigated by a Vet, or
3. You were aware of or a reasonable person in the circumstances could be expected to have known about,
before Your Pet’s First Date of Cover, before any applicable Exclusion Period has finished, or if You increase Your cover before a change of cover becomes effective.
What surprises many pet owners is how broad this definition is. It’s not just a formally diagnosed condition — it includes undiagnosed symptoms like limping, recurring issues like ear infections, and even things you may not have considered significant at the time.
Under most Australian pet insurance policies, Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions are excluded from cover. That’s a reasonable and standard practice in insurance. The problem is when you find out about those exclusions.
The problem: most pet owners find out too late
The typical approach in the industry goes something like this: you take out a policy, you pay premiums, your pet gets sick or injured, you lodge a claim — and only then does the insurer review your pet’s medical history to determine whether the condition was pre-existing. If it was, the claim is declined.
COMMON EXPERIENCE
Finding out at claim time
A pet owner insures their two-year-old Labrador. Eighteen months into the policy, the dog develops hip dysplasia. When they claim, the insurer requests the full vet history and discovers the dog had a minor gait abnormality noted at a puppy check-up. The condition is deemed pre-existing. The claim — worth several thousand dollars — is declined.
A better approach: knowing before you need to know
Some insurers offer what’s called a Pre-existing Symptoms and Conditions Assessment — a proactive review of your pet’s medical history that identifies exclusions before you ever need to make a claim.
Knose offers this assessment for free, and importantly, you can request it right from the start of your policy — even during the 30-day cooling-off period.
A BETTER EXPERIENCE
Knowing upfront with Knose
The same pet owner requests a free Pre-existing Symptoms and Conditions Assessment when they take out their Knose policy. After reviewing the vet history, Knose confirms the minor gait note and flags it as a potential Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions exclusion. The owner now knows what’s covered and what isn’t — and can make an informed decision about their policy, with no nasty surprises down the track.
The key difference: It’s the same information, but the timing changes everything. Knowledge before making a claim is empowering. Knowledge at claim time can be devastating.
How the Knose Pre-existing Symptoms and Conditions Assessment works
The process is straightforward and designed to be as easy as possible for pet owners:
1. You request the assessment
You can ask for the assessment at any point — ideally early on, and especially during your 30-day cooling-off period. There’s no cost involved (however please note any routine costs incurred in check-ups or having Application forms filled out are not covered under the Policy).
2. You help gather your pet’s vet history
Knose will ask you to provide details of any vets your pet has seen in the past. You’re not left to do this alone — Knose coordinates the collection of records, but your cooperation is needed to help make it thorough.
3. Knose reviews the medical history
The team assesses all available records and identifies potential Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions that would affect your cover.
4. You receive a clear outcome
Knose issues you an updated Certificate of Insurance listing any identified exclusions. You’ll also be told whether each condition may be reviewable in the future — and if so, when and what you’d need to provide.
Good to know
If a condition is listed as potentially reviewable, it means there’s a pathway to reinstating cover in the future — for example, if the condition is temporary and deemed fully recovered. Knose will tell you the earliest date you can request a review and what supporting evidence will be needed. Not all insurers offer this kind of clarity upfront.
What to look for when comparing pet insurance policies
When you’re comparing policies, Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions handling is one of the most important things to examine — yet it’s often buried in the fine print. Here are the key questions to ask:
- ✅ When are Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions assessed? At the start of your policy, or only when you make a claim?
- ✅ Is the assessment free? Some providers charge for this, or don’t offer it at all proactively.
- ✅ Can exclusions be reviewed in the future? A good policy should allow for certain temporary conditions to be reassessed if your pet recovers fully.
- ✅ What counts as Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions? Check whether the definition includes undiagnosed symptoms and recurring conditions — not just formally diagnosed issues.
- ✅ How long are the Exclusion Periods? Different conditions have different waiting or exclusion periods (e.g. 1 day for injury, but up to 6 months for specified conditions like cruciate ligament damage – refer to the PDS and Certificate of Insurance for more information).
| What to check | Typical industry approach | Knose approach |
| When are Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions exclusions identified? | At claim time | Upfront, if you request — even before your first claim |
| Cost of assessment | May be charged, or not offered | Free |
| Clarity of exclusion list | General policy wording only | Updated documentation with specific excluded conditions listed |
| Can exclusions be reviewed later? | Rarely | Yes for some temporary conditions with timeline and criteria provided upfront |
| Cooling-off period for new policies | Varies (but generally 21 days) | 30 days — and you can request a Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions Assessment within this window |
A note on honesty in insurance
It’s worth saying clearly: no pet insurer covers everything, and exclusions are a necessary part of how insurance works.
The goal isn’t to find a policy with no exclusions — it’s to find one that’s transparent about what those exclusions are.
Pet insurance done right should reduce financial stress, not create it. When you know exactly what’s covered before your pet is sick or injured, you can make genuinely informed decisions — whether that’s adjusting your cover, setting aside a savings buffer for known exclusions, or simply knowing that you won’t be blindsided with a declined claim.
That’s what “pet cover by pet lovers” actually means in practice. It means caring enough to have the honest conversation early, rather than at the worst possible time.
Frequently asked questions
When should I request a Pre-existing Symptoms and Conditions Assessment?
As early as possible — ideally within your 30-day cooling-off period. This gives you the most options, including the ability to reconsider your policy if the outcome affects your decision to purchase the policy in the first place.
Does having the assessment done guarantee my claims will be paid?
No. The assessment is based on records available at the time. If new medical history comes to light later, or additional Symptoms or Conditions are noted within a relevant Exclusion Period, it may affect the claim outcome. The assessment is a tool for transparency and informed decision-making, not a guarantee of future claim outcome.
What happens if my pet develops a new condition after the policy starts?
New conditions that arise after your cover begins (and after any applicable waiting or exclusion periods) are generally covered (unless other exclusions apply) — that’s the core purpose of the insurance. Pre-Existing Symptoms and Conditions exclusions apply to conditions that existed before your cover commenced, but can also be identified as happening within an Exclusion Period (which is after the Policy commences). Some types of treatments (For example Specialised Therapies) may only be covered if you have opted in (if applicable) for that level of cover.
Can a pre-existing condition exclusion ever be removed?
In some cases, yes. Knose’s assessment will tell you whether an identified condition is temporary and reviewable in the future — for example, if your pet fully recovers from a previous injury. If it is reviewable, you’ll be given the earliest date you can request a review and the information you’ll need to provide. Once submitted and completed, the Assessment team will then advise whether the Pre-Existing Symptom and Condition has been assessed as resolved.
Is Knose Pet Insurance available for all dogs and cats?
Knose Pet Insurance is available for companion dogs and cats between 6 weeks and 8 years and 364 days old when you first take out cover. Certain breeds that are banned or classified as dangerous in Australia are not eligible. There are no age limits when renewing an existing policy.
Disclaimer: Knose.com.au Pty Ltd, (ABN 70 680 822 986, AR 1311940) (“Knose”) promotes and distributes Knose Pet Insurance as an authorised representative of ThePetInsuranceCompany.com.au Pty Ltd (ABN 38 620 795 735, AFSL 536651) (“The Pet Insurance Company”). The Pet Insurance Company acts under a binding authority from the insurer, Pacific International Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 83 169 311 193, AFSL 523921) (“Pacific”), which underwrites this product. In all aspects of arranging this product, Knose and The Pet Insurance Company act as agents of Pacific, not as your agents.
Any advice provided is general and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Please consider the Product Disclosure Statement (“PDS”), Financial Services Guide (“FSG”), and Target Market Determination (“TMD”) at www.knose.com.au or by calling 1300 356 642 before deciding to acquire or hold the product.
Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Please refer to the PDS.
