Which Yorkshire Terrier conditions are still not claimable after twelve months?
We list the conditions a Yorkshire 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 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.
| 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 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)
- covered a leaking heart valve: 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
- 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)
- covered a leaking heart valve: 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)
- 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)
- covered a leaking heart valve: 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
- 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)
- covered a leaking heart valve: 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)
| Condition | How much it stands out | Sample | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patellar luxation slipping kneecap | n = 210,824 | VetCompass 2016 | |
| Periodontal disease gum disease | n = 22,333 | VetCompass 2021 | |
| Degenerative mitral valve disease a leaking heart valve | n = 90,605 | VetCompass 2015 | |
| Cranial cruciate ligament rupture torn knee ligament (the dog version of an ACL tear) | n = 1,000 | VetCompass 2023 |
- 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 1.09 to 2.15, 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. 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. 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 study recorded cases as present or absent without severity, and states it was not always clear whether a record referred to gingivitis, which is reversible, or periodontitis, which is not. It expects to undercount. UK first-opinion data: the biology carries over to the US, referral patterns and recording habits do not.
- VetCompass, Royal Veterinary College. Mattin MJ, Boswood A, Church DB et al., Prevalence of and risk factors for degenerative mitral valve disease in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England, Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 29(3), 2015
- 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 for diagnosed disease at Table 3, adjusted for sex, insurance status, age at last consultation and maximum recorded bodyweight, with practice as a random effect. The confidence interval runs from 1.28 to 3.61, so it clears significance without much room to spare, and the authors describe this breed association as one that had not previously been reported. The study measures diagnosis rather than disease. English 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; dogs attending 93 primary-care practices in England.
Last checked: . This is the oldest check date of the rows on this page, not the newest.
What makes insuring a Yorkshire Terrier different?
The Yorkshire terrier's four documented conditions are spread across knees, mouth, heart and ligaments, and the largest of them, a slipping kneecap at 5.5 times the odds of crossbred dogs, is also the one most likely to be found by accident. Patellar luxation is often noticed when a veterinarian flexes a leg during an appointment booked for something else. None of the four is catastrophic on its own. All four are chronic, and a dog with four separate long-running conditions runs into per-condition limits from four directions at once.
Why does the timing of enrolment matter so much for this breed?
Three of the four leave their first mark at a routine examination rather than in a crisis: a kneecap that moves under the hand, a grade written against the teeth, a murmur heard through a stethoscope. That is what makes timing decisive here, because none of those entries feels like a diagnosis at the time and every one of them predates a policy bought afterwards. The cruciate ligament is the exception, arriving later and with a limp, and it is the one to read the second-side wording for: all four policies in this register turn a rupture on one side into a pre-existing condition for the other.