Which Jack Russell Terrier conditions are still not claimable after twelve months?
We list the conditions a Jack Russell Terrier is documented to face, then read each insurer's own policy wording for every one. The number under each insurer is how many are still not claimable twelve months after you sign.
Conditions on record 3 Strongest signal: slipping kneecap
Insurers read 4 Policy documents, not marketing pages
Longest wait before cover 14 to 180 days Spot starts soonest, Figo latest
This page sorts on one thing only: how many of the breed's documented conditions are still not claimable after twelve months. It ignores premium, payout speed, annual limit and customer service.
| Insurer | Blocked in year one | Second-side risk | Longest wait | Not documented | Policy read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spot | 0 of 3 | 2 | 14 days | 0 | PET-P-20000-1024 |
| Trupanion | 0 of 3 | 2 | 30 days | 0 | TRU-00001 (08/11) |
| Figo | 0 of 3 | 2 | 180 days | 0 | IAIC FPI POL AI KS 1025 |
| Lemonade | 1 of 3 | 2 | 30 days | 0 | LEM-PET (09-23) |
Each number counts only what the insurer's own policy document states. Where a document is silent on a rule, the row says so instead of guessing.
How each number is counted
A condition counts as not claimable when any of these is true on day 365: the waiting period for its class has not passed, the policy excludes it by breed or by age, the policy does not cover its category at all, or the condition is usually bilateral and this insurer treats the second side as pre-existing.
- Spot
- conditional torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear): This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Definitions, Ligament and Knee Conditions, page 2; Exclusion o)
- conditional slipping kneecap: This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Definitions, Ligament and Knee Conditions, page 2, which names ligament, patella, meniscus and soft tissue disorders of the knee and calls them bilateral and related regardless of cause; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 2; Exclusions c and o)
- covered gum disease: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (Exclusions a and h, page 5 of 8 of form PET-P-20000-1024; WAITING PERIODS, page 4)
- Trupanion
- conditional torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear): This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Waiting period at 5.b(2), page 3 of 9; bilateral exclusion at 5.c(2), page 3 of 9, which names anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) weakness explicitly; definition at 7.c, page 6 of 9, which names cruciate issues)
- conditional slipping kneecap: This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Waiting period at 5.b(2), page 3 of 9; bilateral exclusion at 5.c(2), page 3 of 9, which names luxating patella by example; definition of a bilateral condition at 7.c, page 6 of 9, which names elbow dysplasia including fragmented coronoid process, ununited anconeal process and osteochondritis dissecans, cruciate issues, luxating patella, hip dysplasia, cherry eye, entropion/ectropion, panosteitis and cataracts)
- covered gum disease: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. (Exclusion (8), page 4 of 9 of form TRU-00001 (08/11); general illness waiting period at 5.b(2), page 3 of 9)
- Figo
- conditional torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear): This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Definitions 22, Ligament and Knee Conditions, page 2 of 13: conditions involving a ligament, patella, meniscus or soft tissue disorder of the knee, considered bilateral and related regardless of cause; Definitions 44, Waiting Period, page 3 of 13; Pre-Existing Conditions, page 5 of 13, which states that ligament and knee conditions are not considered curable)
- conditional slipping kneecap: This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Definitions 44, Waiting Period, page 3 of 13, which sets the orthopedic waiting period for dogs at six months; Definitions 26, Orthopedic Condition, page 2 of 13, which defines the class by the musculoskeletal system and adds that for the purposes of this policy it includes IVDD, any condition affecting the intervertebral spaces and osteosarcoma; General Conditions 6, page 4 of 13, on the Orthopedic Waiver Form)
- covered gum disease: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (Exclusion 19 a to d, page 6 of 13 of form IAIC FPI POL AI KS 1025; Definitions 44, Waiting Period, page 3 of 13)
- Lemonade
- conditional torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear): This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Definitions, Orthopedic Conditions, page 14, which names ruptured cranial cruciate ligaments; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 14: "a chronic condition that affects both sides of your pet's body, even if clinical signs or symptoms do not present at the same time"; Pre-existing conditions, which excludes bilateral conditions whose signs were present before the start date or before the end of a waiting period; Waiting periods)
- conditional slipping kneecap: This condition usually affects both sides. If one side was already known before you enrolled, this insurer treats the other side as pre-existing. (Waiting periods; Definitions, Orthopedic Conditions, page 14, which names elbow dysplasia, hip dysplasia, intervertebral disc degeneration, patellar luxation and ruptured cranial cruciate ligaments; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 14: "a chronic condition that affects both sides of your pet's body, even if clinical signs or symptoms do not present at the same time"; Pre-existing conditions, which excludes bilateral conditions whose signs were present before the start date or before the end of a waiting period)
- blocked gum disease: This policy does not cover this class of condition at all, so no waiting period applies. (Conditions not covered, page 4 of form LEM-PET (09-23), which lists "Any dental illness"; Definitions, Dental Illness, page 15: "An illness affecting the teeth and/or gums"; Definitions, Routine Dental Cleaning, page 19)
| Condition | How much it stands out | Sample | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patellar luxation slipping kneecap | n = 210,824 | VetCompass 2016 | |
| Cranial cruciate ligament rupture torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear) | n = 1,000 | VetCompass 2023 | |
| Periodontal disease gum disease | n = 22,333 | VetCompass 2021 |
- VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. Pegram C, Brodbelt DC, Diaz-Ordaz K et al., Risk factors for unilateral cranial cruciate ligament rupture diagnosis, The Veterinary Journal 292, 2023
- This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. The study is a case-control design: 1,000 cases of unilateral cruciate rupture against a random selection of 500,000 non-cases, so the sample size recorded here is the case count rather than the whole population. The confidence interval on this row runs from 1.10 to 1.87, so it clears significance without much room to spare. The published version sits behind a paywall; the figures here were read from the open repository copy at University College London. UK first-opinion data: the biology carries over to the US, referral patterns and recording habits do not.
- VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. O'Neill DG, Meeson RL, Sheridan A et al., The epidemiology of patellar luxation in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology, 2016
- This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. Crossbred is the baseline category in the final mixed-effects multivariable model, which is adjusted for breed-relative bodyweight, age, sex, neuter status and insurance status, with clinic as a random effect. The confidence interval on this row runs from 1.1 to 2.0, so it clears significance without much room to spare. Population of 210,824 dogs. UK first-opinion data: the biology carries over to the US, referral patterns and recording habits do not.
- VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. O'Neill DG, Mitchell CE, Humphrey J et al., Epidemiology of periodontal disease in dogs in the UK primary-care veterinary setting, Journal of Small Animal Practice, 2021
- This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. Crossbreed is the baseline category in the final breed-focused random effects multivariable model at Table 3, adjusted for bodyweight relative to the breed-sex mean, age, sex-neuter and insurance status, with clinic as a random effect. This is the lowest of the eighteen breed figures that showed increased odds, with a confidence interval of 1.14 to 1.65. The study recorded cases without severity and expects to undercount. UK first-opinion data: the biology carries over to the US, referral patterns and recording habits do not.
- What was measured
- dogs under UK primary veterinary care, case-control design; dogs attending 119 primary-care clinics in England; dogs under UK primary veterinary care during 2016.
Last checked: . This is the oldest check date of the rows on this page, not the newest.
What makes insuring a Jack Russell Terrier different?
The Jack Russell has the mildest set of figures of any breed in this register: 1.37 to 1.5 times the odds of crossbred dogs across gum disease, a slipping kneecap and a torn cruciate ligament. Four of the studies behind this page found it at reduced odds instead — for ear infections, arthritis, fatty lumps and bone cancer it sits well below crossbred dogs. That is worth saying plainly, because a register of documented problems can make every breed look afflicted. On the evidence we have read, this one is not.
Why does the timing of enrolment matter so much for this breed?
With modest odds across three chronic conditions, the lever here is the wording rather than the start date. Two of the three are conditions a policy may treat as reaching both sides of the body, so the question to ask is what happens to the second knee. All four policies in this register turn both a cruciate rupture and a slipping kneecap on one side into a pre-existing condition for the other, which means the second side is decided by the date of the first, not by when the second went.