Insurance guide, not financial advice. Prices and policy terms come from public sources and change often, so check the details of your own policy. Last reviewed October 28, 2026. How we research
In this guide
- Quick answer
- What a waiting period is, and the three kinds
- Orthopedic waiting periods, and how to shorten them
- State laws that limit waiting periods
- If your pet gets sick or hurt during the waiting period
- How to get through the waiting period safely
- The bottom line
- Frequently asked questions
- How we researched this
- Sources
Quick answer
Pet insurance doesn’t pay for illnesses that start in the first 14 to 30 days, and knee, hip and spine problems can be excluded for up to 12 months. The illness waiting period is usually 14 to 30 days. Accident waits run from none to 15 days. The orthopedic wait is the one that costs owners most. In the 16 states that have adopted the NAIC’s model pet insurance law, the model bans accident waiting periods and caps the others at 30 days.
| Insurer | Accidents | Illnesses | Orthopedic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trupanion | 5 days | 30 days | Same as illnesses |
| Healthy Paws | 15 days (none in 16 states) | 15 days | Hip dysplasia: 12 months (30 days in 16 states) |
| Embrace | Not stated on its help pages | 14 days | Dogs: 180 days for IVDD, cruciate injury, luxating patella and hip dysplasia; cats: 14 days |
| Lemonade | Not stated on its product page | 14 days | 30 days |
| ASPCA | 14 days | 14 days | Varies by policy form and state |
| Fetch | None (Fetch’s dog insurance page, October 2026) | Up to 15 days | 6 months; can be waived with a vet exam |
Sources: each insurer’s own website or help pages, checked September 2026. Waiting periods vary by state and policy version; your policy document decides.
What it means in practice: if your dog tears a cruciate ligament in month three of an Embrace or Fetch policy, that knee, and at many insurers the other one too, can be excluded for good. TPLO surgery runs $3,500 to $6,000 per knee.
What a waiting period is, and the three kinds
A waiting period is the stretch after your policy starts when some or all claims aren’t covered. Anything that starts or shows symptoms during it is usually treated as pre-existing, often for life. The waiting period stops people from buying a policy only after a pet is already sick or hurt.
| Type | Typical length | What it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Accident | None to 15 days | Injuries: fractures, bite wounds, swallowed objects, cuts |
| Illness | 14 to 30 days | Infections, digestive problems, cancer, diabetes and other diseases |
| Orthopedic | 14 days to 12 months, depending on insurer and state | Cruciate ligament tears, luxating patella, hip and elbow dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease |
Sources: Trupanion; Healthy Paws; Embrace; Lemonade; ASPCA; Fetch.
Waiting periods start again with every new policy. If you switch insurers, you go through the waits again, and anything already in your pet’s records becomes pre-existing. See our guide to pre-existing conditions.
Routine care usually isn’t affected. ASPCA’s preventive care coverage starts the day the plan takes effect, and Lemonade’s preventive package can be used the day after you buy.
Orthopedic waiting periods, and how to shorten them
Orthopedic waits are the longest and the most expensive to get wrong, because knee, hip and spine surgery costs thousands. Several insurers let a vet exam shorten them.
| Insurer | Orthopedic wait | Conditions included | How to shorten it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embrace | 180 days (dogs); 14 days (cats) | IVDD, cruciate ligament injury, luxating patella, hip dysplasia | Orthopedic exam with Embrace’s “Orthopedic Report Card”: done in the first 14 days, the wait ends with the illness wait; done later, it ends on the exam date. Availability varies by state |
| Fetch | 6 months | Elbow and hip dysplasia, disc disease, luxating patella, ruptured cruciate ligaments | For knee injuries: a vet exam within 180 days of enrolling, with the exam notes sent in with the first claim |
| Healthy Paws | 12 months for hip dysplasia (only for pets enrolled at age 5 or younger) | Hip dysplasia | In 16 states, 30 days and waived with a complete exam |
| Lemonade | 30 days | Orthopedic conditions | Not stated |
| Trupanion | Same as illnesses (30 days) | All conditions | Not applicable |
Sources: Embrace help center; Fetch FAQ; Healthy Paws FAQ; Lemonade; Trupanion; checked September 2026.
A routine exam can be the best $95 you spend. A regular vet visit averages about $95 nationally, according to CareCredit. With Embrace or Fetch, an early orthopedic exam that finds no problems can shorten a 6-month exclusion. Against a $3,500–$6,000 TPLO, it’s cheap protection.
Why it matters: a cruciate tear during the orthopedic wait is treated as pre-existing, and at several insurers so is the other knee. See our guides to TPLO surgery costs and pre-existing conditions.
State laws that limit waiting periods
Sixteen states, and New Jersey from 2027, have adopted the NAIC Pet Insurance Model Act, which limits waiting periods. Under the model, accident waiting periods aren’t allowed, and illness and orthopedic waits can’t exceed 30 days. The model also allows the waits to be waived after a vet exam.
| States that have adopted the model law (as of summer 2026) |
|---|
| California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey (in effect January 1, 2027), Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington |
Source: NAIC, Model Laws, Regulations, Guidelines and Other Resources (Summer 2026). Alaska, Idaho, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas and Utah have earlier or related rules.
You can see the difference in insurers’ own policies. Healthy Paws, for example, uses different waiting periods in 16 of these states, all except New Jersey:
| Healthy Paws | Most states | The 16 model-law states |
|---|---|---|
| Accidents | 15 days | No waiting period |
| Illnesses | 15 days | 15 days, waived with a complete clinical exam |
| Hip dysplasia | 12 months | 30 days, waived with a complete clinical exam |
Source: Healthy Paws FAQ, checked September 2026.
The model law also gives you 15 days to review a new policy and return it for a full refund if you haven’t filed a claim. Each state’s statute can differ in the details, so check your state’s version or ask the insurer which waiting periods apply where you live.
If your pet gets sick or hurt during the waiting period
The bill isn’t covered, and the condition is usually excluded from then on as pre-existing. Embrace says so explicitly: symptoms or a diagnosis during the waiting period make that condition pre-existing. ASPCA’s and Lemonade’s definitions of pre-existing also include the waiting period.
What that can cost, using bills from our cost guides:
| What happens | When | Typical bill | Covered? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight ER stay for vomiting | Day 10 of a 14-day illness wait | About $1,536 | No, and a recurrence may be excluded |
| Swallowed sock needs surgery | Day 3 of a 15-day accident wait (Healthy Paws, most states) | About $4,383 | No; in the 16 model-law states there’s no accident wait, so it would be |
| Cruciate tear | Month 3 of Embrace’s 180-day orthopedic wait for dogs | $3,500–$6,000 per knee | No, and the other knee may be excluded too |
| Bloat emergency | Day 20 of Trupanion’s 30-day illness wait | About $7,725 | No |
Bills from our guides to emergency vet costs, foreign body surgery, TPLO surgery and bloat surgery. Coverage depends on your policy and state.
What to do if it happens:
- Get your pet treated first. The insurance question doesn’t change what your pet needs tonight.
- Pay with a plan that fits the bill. See vet financing options and financial assistance for vet bills.
- Keep the policy. Everything else that happens after the waiting period is still covered, and switching would only restart the waits.
- Ask about the free-look period. In model-law states you can return a policy within 15 days for a refund if you haven’t filed a claim.
How to get through the waiting period safely
Buy before you need it, book a vet exam right after you enroll, and don’t restart the clock by switching.
- Enroll early. The waits run out while your puppy or kitten is young and healthy. For hip dysplasia at Healthy Paws, coverage also depends on enrolling by age 5. See the best age to get pet insurance for a puppy.
- Check your state’s rules. If you live in one of the 16 model-law states, accident coverage should start right away and a vet exam can waive the other waits.
- Book an exam in the first two weeks. With Embrace, an orthopedic exam in the first 14 days can end the orthopedic wait along with the illness wait. With Fetch, an exam within 180 days can waive the orthopedic wait for knee injuries. Ask the insurer for its form before the visit.
- Match the policy to the breed. If your dog’s breed is prone to knee, disc or hip problems, the orthopedic wait matters more than a few dollars of premium. Compare that line before the price.
- Keep an emergency fund for the first month. Nothing new is covered until the waits end. See vet financing options as a backup.
- Don’t switch without a reason. A new policy means new waiting periods, and everything in your pet’s records becomes pre-existing.
For how deductibles, reimbursement and limits work once coverage starts, see how pet insurance works.
The bottom line
Expect about two weeks before illnesses are covered and up to six months or more before knee, hip and spine problems are. Accident coverage may start almost immediately, especially in the 16 states that have adopted the NAIC model law. The orthopedic wait is where owners lose the most money, so check it, book an early vet exam to shorten it where allowed, and avoid switching policies once you’re past it.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the waiting period for pet insurance?
Usually 14 to 30 days for illnesses and none to 15 days for accidents. Orthopedic conditions can have longer waits: 180 days for dogs at Embrace, 6 months at Fetch and 12 months for hip dysplasia at Healthy Paws in most states.
Is there pet insurance with no waiting period?
For accidents, sometimes: in the 16 states that have adopted the NAIC model law, accident waiting periods aren’t allowed, and Healthy Paws has none there. Every insurer we checked has an illness wait, but in those states a vet exam can waive it.
Can I waive the orthopedic waiting period?
With some insurers, yes. Embrace shortens it after an orthopedic exam, to the end of the 14-day illness wait if done in the first 14 days. Fetch waives it for knee injuries with a vet exam within 180 days of enrolling.
What happens if my pet gets sick during the waiting period?
That bill isn’t covered, and the condition is usually treated as pre-existing afterward. Your policy still covers new, unrelated problems once the waiting period ends.
Does the waiting period start over if I switch pet insurance?
Yes. A new policy comes with new waiting periods, and conditions already in your pet’s records become pre-existing with the new insurer.
Does wellness coverage have a waiting period?
Often not. ASPCA’s preventive care coverage starts the day the plan takes effect, and Lemonade’s preventive package can be used the day after you buy.
Which states limit pet insurance waiting periods?
California, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have adopted the NAIC model law, and New Jersey’s takes effect in January 2027.
How we researched this
We took each insurer’s waiting periods from its own website, help center or FAQ (Trupanion, Healthy Paws, Embrace, Lemonade, ASPCA and Fetch), checked in September 2026. Where an insurer didn’t state a figure, we left it blank rather than use comparison sites, which often disagree with the insurers. The state list comes from the NAIC’s summer 2026 record of states that have adopted its Pet Insurance Model Act, and the rules on waiting periods and the free-look period come from the model act itself. Example bills come from our own cost guides. Waiting periods vary by state and policy version, so your policy document is what counts.
Sources
- NAIC: Pet Insurance Model Act
- NAIC: States that have adopted the model (Summer 2026)
- Trupanion: When does my coverage begin?
- Healthy Paws: Frequently asked questions
- Embrace: What waiting periods does Embrace have?
- Embrace: Orthopedic waiting period
- Lemonade: Pet insurance
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Pet insurance in plain English
- ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Notice to California residents
- Fetch: Pet insurance waiting period
- CareCredit: Veterinary cost data
Corrections: On October 17, 2026, we updated Fetch’s waiting period for accidents to none, per its dog insurance page. On October 22, 2026, we changed the TPLO cost from $4,000–$6,000 to $3,500–$6,000 per knee, to match our TPLO cost guide. On October 28, 2026, we corrected the number of states that have adopted the NAIC model law from 17 to 16, per the NAIC’s March 2026 state implementation report.