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Which West Highland White Terrier conditions are still not claimable after twelve months?

We list the conditions a West Highland White 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.

A West Highland White Terrier
Photo by Christopher Walker, CC BY 2.0, resized and converted to WebP · original
Conditions on record 4 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.

4 documented conditions for this breed, checked against 4 insurers. Sorted by fewest restrictions first.
Insurer Blocked in year one Second-side risk Longest wait Not documented Policy read
Spot 0 of 4 2 14 days 0 PET-P-20000-1024
Trupanion 0 of 4 2 30 days 0 TRU-00001 (08/11)
Figo 0 of 4 2 180 days 0 IAIC FPI POL AI KS 1025
Lemonade 1 of 4 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 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)
    • 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)
    • 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 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 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)
    • 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)
    • 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 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 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)
    • 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)
    • 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 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 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)
    • 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)
    • 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)
    • 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)
Where each condition comes from. Sorted by how much this breed stands out, strongest first.
Condition How much it stands out Sample Source
Patellar luxation slipping kneecap 2× n = 210,824 VetCompass 2016
Cranial cruciate ligament rupture torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear) 1.8× n = 1,000 VetCompass 2023
Otitis externa an ear infection 1.72× n = 22,333 VetCompass 2021
Periodontal disease gum disease 1.47× n = 22,333 VetCompass 2021
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. Population of 210,824 dogs. UK first-opinion data: the biology carries over to the US, referral patterns and recording habits do not. An odds ratio is not the chance that your dog will be affected.
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 sample of the wider population, so the sample size recorded here is the case count rather than the whole population. Six breeds showed increased odds and eight showed reduced odds. 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, 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, 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; eighteen breed types showed increased odds. The confidence interval on this row runs from 1.15 to 1.88. 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 attending 119 primary-care clinics in England; dogs under UK primary veterinary care, case-control design; 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 West Highland White Terrier different?

Four conditions across four body systems, and not one of them dramatic: knees, ligaments, ears and mouth, all between 1.47 and 2.0 times the odds of crossbred dogs. That is the Westie's insurance problem in a line. None of the four is catastrophic on its own, but each is chronic, each is managed rather than cured, and each accumulates a record of its own. A dog with four separate long-running conditions meets per-condition limits from four directions at once, and the per-condition limit is the part of a policy that buyers compare least.

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

Knees are the entry that lands earliest and least dramatically. Patellar luxation is often picked up incidentally at a routine examination, including the first one, which puts it on the wrong side of a policy start date before anyone was worried about it. Gum disease reaches the file by the same route, through a grade written at a check-up. Ears and the cruciate ligament arrive later and with a complaint attached. So the window that matters here is the one around the first veterinary visit, and what it protects is the two conditions nobody was looking for.