The short version
- Cruciate ligament conditions are usually handled separately, with longer waiting periods and their own sub-limits on several policies.
- Some insurers set longer waiting periods for breed-related conditions. Petcover’s Superior plan, for example, has a 365-day waiting period for Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome.
- Lower maximum start ages can apply to some breeds.
- Pet owners in New Zealand have a legal duty to meet their animal’s health needs, including “rapid diagnosis of injury and disease” (MPI).
Cruciate ligaments
Cruciate ligament injuries are one of the most common reasons dogs need surgery. On the plans we checked, cruciate waiting periods ran from 90 days to 6 months, and sub-limits included $2,500 or $5,000 (Southern Cross) and $3,200 (AA).
Flat-faced breeds
Breeds with short muzzles can have breathing problems that insurers treat with extra care. Check how a policy handles Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome before buying for one of these breeds.
Where this comes from
- MPI: Animal welfare legal overview
- Insurers’ own published plan details, summarised on our insurers page
Insurer details checked on 26 October 2026. The policy wording always governs.
Keep reading
- Accident-only or accident and illness coverThe first choice every policy makes for you, and the one that decides what a claim can be for.
- Annual limits, excess and co-paymentThree numbers decide how much of a vet bill comes back to you. They interact, and most people only look at one.
- Waiting periods (stand-downs)The days at the start of a policy when an illness will not be covered. Insurers apply them strictly.
- Pre-existing conditionsWhy a condition your pet already has is usually not covered, and what “already has” means.