Which Labrador Retriever conditions are still not claimable after twelve months?

We list the conditions a Labrador Retriever 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 4 Strongest signal: arthritis in the leg joints

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.

4 documented conditions for this breed, checked against 4 insurers. Sorted by fewest restrictions first.
Insurer	Blocked in year one	Longest wait	Policy read
Spot	0 of 4	14 days	PET-P-20000-1024
Lemonade	0 of 4	30 days	LEM-PET (09-23)
Trupanion	0 of 4	30 days	TRU-00001 (08/11)
Figo	0 of 4	180 days	IAIC FPI POL AI KS 1025

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
- covered an ear infection: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. This comes from the policy’s general illness rule; it names no separate rule for this class. (WAITING PERIODS, page 4; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 2; Exclusions c and f, page 5)
- covered bone cancer: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (WAITING PERIODS, page 4; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 2; Exclusions c and f, page 5)
- covered arthritis in the leg joints: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (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 a fatty lump under the skin: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (WAITING PERIODS, page 4; Definitions, Bilateral Condition, page 2; Exclusions c and f, page 5)
Lemonade
- covered an ear infection: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. This comes from the policy’s general illness rule; it names no separate rule for this class. (Waiting periods; Pre-existing conditions; Definitions page 14)
- covered bone cancer: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (Waiting periods; Pre-existing conditions; Definitions page 14)
- covered arthritis in the leg joints: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. (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)
- covered a fatty lump under the skin: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (Waiting periods; Pre-existing conditions; Definitions page 14)
Trupanion
- covered an ear infection: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. This comes from the policy’s general illness rule; it names no separate rule for this class. (Exclusions & Limitations 5.b(2) and 5.c(1); page 3 of 9)
- covered bone cancer: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. (Exclusions & Limitations 5.b(2) and 5.c(1); page 3 of 9)
- covered arthritis in the leg joints: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. (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 a fatty lump under the skin: Covered after the 30 day waiting period. (Exclusions & Limitations 5.b(2) and 5.c(1); page 3 of 9)
Figo
- covered an ear infection: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. This comes from the policy’s general illness rule; it names no separate rule for this class. (Definitions 44, Waiting Period, page 3 of 13; What We Cover, Illnesses including Genetic Conditions, page 4 of 13)
- covered bone cancer: Covered after the 180 day waiting period. (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 arthritis in the leg joints: Covered after the 180 day waiting period. (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 a fatty lump under the skin: Covered after the 14 day waiting period. (Definitions 44, Waiting Period, page 3 of 13; What We Cover, Illnesses including Genetic Conditions, page 4 of 13)

Where each condition comes from. Sorted by how much this breed stands out, strongest first.
Condition	How much it stands out	Sample	Source
Appendicular osteoarthritis arthritis in the leg joints	2.56×	n = 455,557	VetCompass 2018
Lipoma a fatty lump under the skin	2.19×	n = 384,284	VetCompass 2018
Otitis externa an ear infection	1.64×	n = 22,333	VetCompass 2021
Osteosarcoma bone cancer	1.57×	n = 905,552	VetCompass 2023

VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. O'Neill DG, Volk AV, Soares T et al., Frequency and predisposing factors for canine otitis externa in the UK, Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2021: This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. Crossbreed is the baseline category in the final model. Random sample of 22,333 dogs from a population of 905,554; sixteen breeds showed increased odds. The study did not extract laterality or chronicity, so it cannot say how often ear disease recurs or whether it usually affects both ears. 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, Edmunds GL et al., Dog breeds and conformations predisposed to osteosarcoma in the UK, Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2023: This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog, and the distinction changes the number. Crossbreed is the baseline category in the multivariable model. UK first-opinion data from 905,552 dogs containing 331 osteosarcoma cases, so the condition is rare in absolute terms even where the odds ratio is high. The confidence interval on this row runs from 1.05 to 2.36, so it only just clears significance and the true effect could be close to no difference at all. The biology carries over to the US; referral patterns and recording habits do not.
VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College with the University of Cambridge and the University of Lincoln. Anderson KL, O'Neill DG, Brodbelt DC et al., Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care, Scientific Reports 8:5641, 2018: This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. Crossbreed is the baseline category of the breed variable in the final multivariable model at Table 5, adjusted for insurance status, age, sex, neuter status and bodyweight relative to the breed mean; eleven breeds showed increased odds. The authors note that only dogs under veterinary care were included, so the results may not generalise to dogs that rarely attend a practice, and that most participating practices sat within larger practice groups. 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, Corah CH, Church DB, Brodbelt DC, Rutherford L, Lipoma in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK: prevalence and breed associations, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 5:9, 2018: This figure compares the breed against CROSSBRED dogs, not against every other dog. Crossbreed is the baseline category of the breed variable in the final breed multivariable model at Table 2, adjusted for bodyweight relative to the breed and sex mean, age, sex-neuter status and insurance, with clinic as a random effect. The univariable odds ratios in Table 1 differ from these and the two sets must not be mixed. The study did not require laboratory confirmation, so the diagnosis rested on the attending veterinarian; the authors note this could over-represent the condition, while dogs not presented during 2013 are missing from it. 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 during 2016; dogs under UK primary veterinary care during 2013.

Last checked: September 1, 2026. This is the oldest check date of the rows on this page, not the newest.

What makes insuring a Labrador Retriever different?

The Labrador is the breed where nothing looks alarming and the total still adds up. Its four documented figures are the mildest set in this register, topping out at 2.56 times the odds of crossbred dogs for osteoarthritis, and yet in three of those four studies the Labrador supplied more cases than any other purebred. That is a numbers problem rather than a severity problem: a very common breed with modestly raised odds on several long-running conditions produces a great many moderate claims. Arthritis and lipomas both arrive late and both stay.

Why does the timing of enrolment matter so much for this breed?

Timing matters less here than on the flat-faced breeds, and the reason is arithmetic. Three of this breed's four documented conditions declare themselves in the second half of life: the median age at a lipoma diagnosis was 10.02 years, osteoarthritis is associated with being older than eight, and bone cancer later still. Ears are the exception and the one to watch, because a first note about a sore ear can be written at any age, including inside a waiting period. What decides a Labrador policy is less the start date than the annual limit and how the insurer handles a condition that recurs for years.