We cover vet consults as part of diagnosis and treatment for covered condition. But, we don’t cover routine care like vaccinations, preventatives, or general check ups. You can read more here

When your client makes a claim, they’ll need to pay an amount towards the claim, known as their contribution. This includes the excess, the remaining cover percentage, and any items that their pet’s plan doesn’t cover.

1. Excess: This is the fixed amount your client pays as part of their contribution towards a claim. They only pay it once per condition. For example, a cruciate rupture with subsequent arthritis in the knee would be one condition with one excess.

2. Cover Percentage: This is the amount Fetch covers after the excess is applied. For instance, if the claim is $1,000 with a $100 excess and 90% cover, your client pays $190 ($100 excess + 10% of $900), and Fetch covers $810.

3. How it works: If you allow direct payments, and during opening hours, Fetch can pay the invoice directly to you after your client has paid their contribution in-app. This includes the excess, cover percentage, non-covered items, and any amounts over their limit. If your client has already paid you, Fetch will reimburse them. 💵

For more details and examples, check our PDS.

Unfortunately, we can’t cover pre-existing conditions 🙁. These could be any injury, illness, behavioural problem, or other issue that started before your client's pet's cover is active (including in any waiting periods ⏱️). This also includes any signs or symptoms your client noticed, even if the condition hasn’t yet been seen or diagnosed by a vet.

Pre-existing conditions could include hereditary or congenital conditions, as well as bilateral conditions or linked conditions which are related to other conditions, for example, arthritis following joint damage.

Why doesn’t Fetch cover pre-existing conditions?

Like most pet insurers, we can’t cover pre-existing conditions because our cover and pricing are set at a rate that assumes your client's pet has the usual chance of having any issues for their breed, not if they already have them. However, we’d like to be able to design a product that could cover pre-existing conditions in the future.

When will my client find out about their pet’s pre-existing conditions?

The great thing about Fetch, is our Fast Claims ⚡️ process, where we check for any pre-existing conditions so you and your client know this upfront, rather than at claim time. Once Fast Claims have been set up and if we’ve also got your payment details, we can check your claims quickly and pay the entire invoice directly to you the vet. Your client only have to pay us their excess and contribution (including any excluded items).

Where can I see my client's pet’s pre-existing conditions?

Your client will be able to see these and any linked conditions in the plan section of their app.

How does Fetch determine pre-existing conditions?

We base this primarily on your vet notes and we look at pre-existing conditions on a true ‘cause and effect’ basis, rather than just excluding things because they are the same sign or symptom, or happened a few times.

What are some examples of pre-existing conditions for pets?

• Seasonal allergies 🤧: If a pet requires treatment every spring for a seasonal skin condition, it is considered pre-existing.

• Cushing's disease: Once diagnosed, the condition becomes ongoing and is likely to require lifelong treatment.

• Limping following a jump from a car: if the limping is found to be due to a ruptured cruciate which happened when your pet jumped from the car, the ruptured cruciate and any other related issues like arthritis in the joint would be pre-existing. If it was a one off sprain which healed, it wouldn’t be pre-existing.

• Behavioural issues: Unfortunately any previous behavioural issues, even if temporary, mean we can’t provide behavioural cover. See more here.

• Dental disease: If you have noted dental disease, we won’t be able to offer dental cover. Dental cover doesn’t impact other issues in the mouth (like tumours, or fractures) as long as they are unrelated to dental disease or pre-existing dental problems, see more here.

• Elbow Arthritis: Even if diagnosed at an early stage when no treatment is required, the presence of arthritis in a particular location will progress so the condition is pre-existing.

• Hip dysplasia: Diagnosed before taking out a plan or during waiting periods, it won't be covered, including related conditions like arthritis in the hips.

What are some conditions that aren't considered pre-existing?

• Vomiting from eating something on a walk: If your client's pet ate something on a walk and became sick before their plan started, it’s not considered pre-existing if it happens again after the plan starts.

• Diarrhoea from overeating: As long as it didn’t lead to permanent damage, it’s not considered pre-existing.

If there’s anything else you’d like to know, or if we can be clearer on anything, please let us know!

A waiting period ⏱️ is the period of time your clients will need to wait for their coverage to begin after their pet's plan starts.

Fetch Pet insurance waiting periods

At Fetch, we have specific waiting periods for different types of cover:

• Injuries (e.g., a broken leg from a fall or a cut paw): 48 hours

• Illnesses (e.g., a tumor or kidney disease): 30 days

• Specific Conditions (Cruciate Ligaments, Patellar Luxation, Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia, BOAS, Cherry Eye): 90 days

Skip waiting periods with Fetch ⏭️

Fetch allows your clients to skip the waiting periods through a simple in-app process. 📲 After signing up, they need to follow the instructions to show their pet looking healthy. If everything checks out, Fetch can skip the waiting periods for their pet. ✅ This review is usually completed within 1 working day.

In the cover section of the app, clients can see the countdown of waiting periods and when they’re skipped.

Fast Claims and pre-existing condition checks 👩‍⚕️

Waiting periods are separate from checks for pre-existing conditions. These conditions might still be excluded as a pet could appear healthy but have underlying or ongoing issues.

Fetch offers an upfront check for pre-existing conditions. After signing up, clients need to provide their vet's details in the app. Fetch will contact the vet for the pet's records and inform the clients of any pre-existing conditions that aren’t covered. This process usually takes a few weeks.

We cover genetic conditions, which include hereditary and congenital conditions as long as they aren't defined as pre-existing. Pre-existing conditions are when you noticed signs or symptoms or the condition was diagnosed/treated before your pet’s cover was active (including in any waiting periods ⏱️). Learn more here.

We cover all illnesses and injuries. There aren’t any breed-specific exclusions and we have no condition sub-limits. We can’t cover pre-existing conditions, which we check for you as part of our Fast Claims process. We also don't cover restricted breeds, or any dog declared dangerous or menacing.