To know if an upcoming or specific treatment for your pet will be covered, you will need to provide us with:

• An itemised estimate of costs from your vet for the upcoming treatment
• Details of the treatment required
• Relevant clinical records and/or veterinary history

To make it easier, you can complete this form and return to us with the above information.

Once received, you can expect to hear back from us within two business days. If the treatment has already started, a claim should be submitted.

Note: A pre-approval will not be deemed to be valid unless we have agreed to it in writing. The reimbursed amount may vary from the pre-approval if the treatment provided by your vet differs from the treatment request in the pre-approval.

For more information or to submit a pre-approval of treatment costs, Contact us via phone or email.

You can change your level of cover at any time, provided you haven’t made a claim in your current policy period.

If you have made a claim, then the level of cover can be changed when your policy is due for renewal – just contact us when you receive your renewal documents to discuss your cover options. Please refer to your PDS in My documents for further information. 

However, just bear in mind you cannot upgrade your pet's cover after its 9th birthday (whether or not you have made a claim).

Note: There may be waiting periods that apply when upgrading your cover and pre-existing conditions may not be covered.

If a condition exists or occurs within an applicable waiting period, it may be excluded from cover as a pre-existing condition. Some conditions are eligible for review after an 18-month period - see What is a pre-existing condition? and your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.

Depending on your level of cover, there may be different waiting periods that apply. Please see the 'What's covered' section of My pets to get a personalised overview of your waiting periods.

Yes, provided you have the right level of cover, hereditary and congenital conditions will be eligible for cover if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before the commencement date of the first policy period or during any applicable waiting period.

See How can I check if a treatment or condition will be covered? for more information.

A pre-existing condition is:

•  condition that existed or occurred prior to the commencement date of your first policy period or within any applicable waiting period.
• A condition that you or your vet were aware of, or a reasonable person in your circumstances would have been aware of.

This is irrespective of whether the underlying or causative condition was diagnosed at the time.

Whether it is a pre-existing condition will depend on its nature and experience. If your pet has a temporary condition that has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality in the 18-month period immediately prior to your claim treatment date, it will no longer be excluded from cover as a pre-existing condition. This will apply to claims for temporary conditions with a treatment date occurring on or after 01 December 2020. Chronic conditions and several other specified conditions cannot fall within this category and will be excluded from cover.

Some conditions are eligible for review after an 18-month period – this can be done on application or simply by submitting your claim. Your pet must have been free of noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality of the condition deemed a Pre-existing conditions, and any related condition(s) for a minimum continuous period of 18 months.

Applying for a review

If you would like us to review whether a temporary condition/s which has been subject to the pre-existing condition exclusion in your policy remains excluded, you may apply to us to review the condition using the Pre-existing Condition Review Form.

Your vet will need to certify and provide veterinary records verifying that the condition remains a temporary condition and has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality for a period of 18 months.

If your pet has a chronic condition that existed or occurred before the commencement date of your first policy period or during any applicable waiting period, and otherwise falls within the definition of ‘pre-existing condition’, that Condition will always be excluded from your policy.

Once completed, you can email the form back to us, your review may take up to 15 business days to be completed and you will be notified of the outcome in writing.

As with most insurance products, there are certain situations in which you will not be covered. There are some general exclusions such as:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Fractured teeth
• Dental procedures
• Routine or preventative treatments (unless Routine Care cover is purchased, which provides a contribution up to the Routine Care limits)
• Some Elective procedures
• Breeding or obstetrics

There may also be specific exclusions which may apply to specific levels of cover.

For a full list of Exclusions and further details of the above exclusions, see your PDS which can be found in My documents.

A consultation fee is usually charged for an examination performed by or under the supervision of a veterinarian.

You can only claim for consultations in relation to conditions covered by your policy and in some cases and under some policies, consultations may be an exclusion. See your PDS and Certificate of Insurance for further information. 

If you have cover for consultations, a consultation fee will usually be shown on an itemised invoice as a ‘consultation’ or other derivative – medication, diagnostic procedures and treatments are charged separately. The consultation fee sub-limit will apply if shown on your Certificate of Insurance and this is an annual limit for what you can claim.

Also see: What is a benefit limit or a sub-limit?

Illness means a sickness or disease which is not included under Specified Accidental Injury Cover. Illness cover is applicable if it is shown on your Certificate of Insurance and there is a 30-day waiting period.

Examples of illnesses we generally cover include but are not limited to:

• Cancer
• Skin conditions
• Eye/ear conditions
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Hereditary and congenital conditions
• Ingestion of a foreign object
• Tick paralysis treatment

If an illness condition exists or occurs before the commencement date of the first policy period or within an applicable waiting period, it may be excluded from cover as a pre-existing condition.Whether that is the case will depend on the nature and experience of the condition, and some conditions are eligible for review after an 18-month period.

Refer to your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.

A Specified Accidental Injury means physical harm or injury arising from an accident. For the purposes of pet insurance, an accident is:

• A single specific, unpredictable, unusual and unintended external event which occurs at a particular time and place, with no apparent or deliberate cause but with marked effects; and
• Is independent of any other cause including any Pre-existing Condition.

Conditions covered by Specified Accidental Injury Cover are specified in your PDS, and are defined as the following eight events:

• A Motor vehicle incidents
• A Burns or electrocution
• An Allergic reaction to the following insect and arachnid bites: ants, bees, flies, mosquitoes, scorpions, spiders and wasps
• A Bone fracture
• Snake bite toxicity
• A Traumatic ligament or tendon injury
• A Bite wound or fight wound abscesses
• Lacerations or abrasion of tissue, skin or mucous membrane due to external violence

There is no Waiting Period after the commencement of your policy for Specified Accidental Injury items, except Cruciate ligament conditions, which has a 6 month waiting period from the commencement date of your first policy period.

We will pay the benefit percentage for the cost of boarding your pet at a licensed kennel or cattery up to the Emergency Boarding sub-limit (specified on your Certificate of Insurance) if you (the insured and sole carer of the pet):

1. Are hospitalised one or more consecutive days during the policy period.

2. Require emergency accommodation due to family violence.

You will be responsible for any excess (if applicable) as shown on your Certificate of Insurance.

Emergency Boarding cover does not apply when you are hospitalised for cosmetic surgery or other forms of elective surgery and pregnancy (unless you were hospitalised due to an unexpected complication). It will also not apply if someone else living with you can reasonably be expected to look after your pet whilst you are in hospital.

A benefit limit is the applicable total amount payable under your policy as specified on your Certificate of Insurance. This includes an overall annual benefit limit or sub-limits for a particular cover, item, condition or treatment.

For instance, sub-limits generally apply to consultation fees, emergency boarding, cruciate ligament conditions and tick paralysis treatments, depending on your level of cover.

If a benefit limit or sub-limit is specified on your Certificate of Insurance, we will not pay more than that amount. Additionally, we will not pay more than the overall annual benefit level specified in your Certificate of Insurance.

Note: benefit limits are subject to any applicable excess.

A waiting period is a period starting from the commencement date of the first policy period that applies to specific conditions or a group of conditions.

If a condition exists or occurs within an applicable waiting period, it may be excluded from cover as a pre-existing condition. Some conditions are eligible for review after an 18-month period - see What is a pre-existing condition? and your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.

A temporary condition is a condition, which normally resolves with treatment, other than:

• Cruciate ligament conditions

• Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)

• Hip dysplasia

• Elbow dysplasia

• Patella luxation

• Endocrine diseases

• Any other chronic condition

If your pet has a temporary condition which has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality in the 18-month period prior to your claim treatment date, it will no longer be excluded from your policy as a pre-existing condition. This will apply to claims for temporary conditions with a treatment date occurring on or after 01 December 2020. Chronic conditions and several other specified conditions will not be categorised as a temporary condition and will always be excluded from cover.

For example: Your pet has dietary related gastroenteritis prior to the commencement date of the first policy period that is resolved with medication. Your pet does not suffer any further instances of dietary related gastroenteritis until three years later, when your pet suffers another gastroenteritis episode. This condition would be a temporary condition which has not existed, occurred or shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality in the 18-month period immediately prior to the second gastroenteritis episode, so would not be a pre-existing condition and would be coverable subject to your policy terms and conditions.

Refer your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.

A chronic condition is long-lasting or recurring in its effects and affects (or is present in) a pet over a period greater than three months in total. The three-month period does not need to be consecutive.

Chronic conditions may also be intermittent or managed with medication and/or prescription diets with intervals of remission. If your pet has a chronic condition that occurred or existed prior to the commencement date of the first policy period or during any applicable waiting period, it will always be excluded from your policy as a pre-existing condition.

For example: Your pet first showed signs of diabetes and has been receiving ongoing treatment for four months immediately prior to the commencement date of the first policy period. Diabetes will be considered to be a pre-existing condition and a chronic condition, so all expenses incurred for diabetes or related to diabetes will not be covered.

Refer your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.

A related condition is something that results from the same disease process, arises as a consequence of or has the same diagnostic classification as another condition. This is regardless of the number of areas of your pet’s body that are affected.

For example:

1. If your pet suffers from arthritis in its legs, all future occurrences of arthritis (e.g. in the back or neck) will be related conditions.

2. If your pet suffers from diabetes and then develops a cataract as a consequence of the diabetes, the cataract will then be a related condition.

3. If your pet suffers from a skin hotspot, then later suffers from ringworm on its skin, these are not related conditions, as the ringworm is not as a consequence of the hotspot, nor do they follow the same disease process or diagnostic classification.

A bilateral condition relates to conditions that may impact your pet in two areas of the same body part – like eyes, ears, knees and joints. Bilateral conditions are generally covered under your pet insurance policy given you have the appropriate level of cover, and the condition is not pre-existing or subject to a general exclusion as outlined in the policy’s Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

However, when applying a limit or exclusion, a bilateral condition will be considered a single condition. For example, if your pet is treated for a cruciate ligament condition in the left leg before the pet insurance policy commenced, cruciate ligament treatment for the right leg would also be considered pre-existing (because it’s the same condition across two of the same body parts), and is therefore not covered under the policy.

Refer your PDS and Certificate of Insurance in My documents for further information.