This may depend on your pet’s age and medical history. While pet insurance plans have risen in popularity over the years, they do come with some drawbacks. Many popular insurance plans will not cover preexisting conditions that a vet diagnosed prior to you signing up for coverage. This can get tricky because if your vet diagnosed your new puppy with an ear infection — which isn’t uncommon — before you start your insurance plan, the insurer will not cover any ear-related illnesses or procedures for the rest of your dog’s life. Some plans even go so far as to rule out coverage of any future internal gastrointestinal issues if you’ve taken your pet to the vet’s clinic for a simple upset stomach. Other examples of preexisting conditions may include:  cancer diabetes allergies lipomas or skin lumps This is why it may be best to start a pet insurance policy as soon as you bring your new friend home — and before any illnesses that may be considered a preexisting condition arise. With that said, many pet medical emergencies happen to older animals, which means you could pay your premiums for many years before you actually need the coverage.