Which Pug conditions are still not claimable after twelve months?

We list the conditions a Pug 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: the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds

Insurers read 4 Policy documents, not marketing pages

Longest wait before cover 14 to 30 days Figo, Lemonade and Spot start soonest, Trupanion 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
Figo	0 of 4	14 days	IAIC FPI POL AI KS 1025
Lemonade	0 of 4	14 days	LEM-PET (09-23)
Spot	0 of 4	14 days	PET-P-20000-1024
Trupanion	0 of 4	30 days	TRU-00001 (08/11)

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.

Figo
- covered the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds: 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 nostrils too narrow to breathe through properly: 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 an ulcer on the surface of the eye: 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 sore, infected skin folds: 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)
Lemonade
- covered the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds: 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 nostrils too narrow to breathe through properly: 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 an ulcer on the surface of the eye: 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 sore, infected skin folds: 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)
Spot
- covered the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds: 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 nostrils too narrow to breathe through properly: 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 an ulcer on the surface of the eye: 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 sore, infected skin folds: 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)
Trupanion
- covered the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds: 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 nostrils too narrow to breathe through properly: 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 an ulcer on the surface of the eye: 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; definition at 7.c, page 6 of 9, which names cherry eye, entropion/ectropion and cataracts)
- covered sore, infected skin folds: 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)

Where each condition comes from. Sorted by how much this breed stands out, strongest first.
Condition	How much it stands out	Sample	Source
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome the breathing problems of flat-faced breeds	53.92×	n = 4,308	VetCompass 2022
Stenotic nares nostrils too narrow to breathe through properly	51.25×	n = 4,308	VetCompass 2022
Corneal ulceration an ulcer on the surface of the eye	13.01×	n = 4,308	VetCompass 2022
Skin fold dermatitis sore, infected skin folds	10.98×	n = 4,308	VetCompass 2022

VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. O'Neill DG, Sahota J, Brodbelt DC et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics, 2022: UK first-opinion practice data from 2016, comparing 4,308 Pugs against 21,835 non-Pugs. The odds ratios are adjusted for age, sex-neuter status, bodyweight relative to breed mean, insurance status and veterinary group. The authors state the figures are more likely an underestimate than an overestimate, because 18.74 per cent of dogs under primary care are themselves from brachycephalic breeds, which dilutes the comparison group. They also note the study cannot describe lifetime risk: it measures one age cohort in one year. The biology carries over to the US; referral patterns and recording habits do not. An odds ratio compares this breed against other dogs and is not the chance that your dog will be affected.
What was measured: dogs under UK primary veterinary care during 2016.

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

What makes insuring a Pug different?

The Pug's two largest figures describe one problem seen from two angles: a nose and an airway built shorter than the tissue inside them. The VetCompass study behind this page put brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome at 53.92 times the adjusted odds of other dogs, and stenotic nares at 51.25. Read those against their own comparison group and not against the rest of this register: they are measured against every other dog in the study population, where most figures here are measured against crossbred dogs, and the two are not interchangeable. What makes it an insurance question rather than only a veterinary one is that both are visible from the outside, on a conscious dog, at the first examination. The study also found the breed had 1.86 times the adjusted odds of being diagnosed with at least one disorder in a single year, and that 73.4 per cent of the Pugs in it were.

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

Enrolment timing decides more here than the choice of insurer. Narrow nostrils and noisy breathing are the two things a veterinarian records at a first health check, and once either is in the notes it predates any policy bought afterwards. Skin fold dermatitis behaves the same way and, because it is managed rather than cured, it never resets into a fresh condition. The window that matters is the one between bringing the dog home and the policy taking effect, and on this breed it is measured in days rather than weeks.