Hip dysplasia

dog

Hereditary developmental joint condition; severity ranges from mild to requiring total hip replacement. Common in Labradors, German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, Newfoundlands.

Why this matters: The hereditary-cover clause decides whether the policy covers thousands in surgical + management costs. The bilateral rule decides whether the second hip is then pre-existing once you've claimed on the first.

9 of 11 indexed products have on-file cover language for this condition. 2 are pending wording ingest.

Snapshot 2026-05-18T08:27:31.134Z. Machine-readable: matrix.json · summary.md

AA Pet Insurance

AA Pet Insurance Policy

Wording v2025-04-05 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Hereditary conditions and congenital conditions will not be considered a pre-existing condition if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before the commencement date of the first policy period or during any applicable waiting period.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: When applying a benefit limit or exclusion, a bilateral condition will be considered a single condition. Example 1: If your pet has had elbow dysplasia in the left elbow prior to the commencement date of the first policy period you are insu…

Cove Pet Insurance

Cove Pet Insurance

Wording v2026-05-18 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Hereditary conditions and congenital conditions will not be considered a pre-existing condition if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before the commencement date of the first policy period or within an applicable waiting period.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: When applying a benefit limit or exclusion, a bilateral condition will be considered a single condition. Example 1: If your pet has had cruciate ligament problems in the left knee prior to the commencement date of the first policy period yo…

Petcover (Petplan NZ)

Petcover Catastrophe Plan

Wording v2026-05-17 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Not explicitly described as a named category of exclusion or inclusion. Select Breeds (a defined list of large/giant and brachycephalic-related breeds) are eligible for cover only from age 8 weeks and before their 5th birthday. Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) and related conditions are excluded for the first 365 days of cover. Cruciate ligament, patella luxation, hip dysplasia and OCD are explicitly stated not to be considered Accidents and have a 180-day waiting period with sub-limits.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: For the avoidance of doubt when referring to Pre-Existing Conditions, and Conditions affecting a part of Your Pet's body of which it has two, will be deemed to be a Bilateral Condition and both will be excluded from cover.

Southern Cross Pet Insurance

AcciPet (Accident-only)

Wording v2023-12-01 · confidence: verified · key: bilateral_conditions_rule

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We'll treat a health condition that affects more than one of the same body part as a pre-existing condition. This applies if your pet has a pre-existing condition that affects a body part that it has more than one of, like a leg, and it increases the risk of the other body part being injured. If the other body part has the same accidental injury, we'll treat it as a pre-existing condition and exclude it from cover under your policy. We'll do this even if the condition occurs in the other body part after the policy start date. This exclusion only applies if the pre-existing health condition increases the risk of another injury in future. It does not apply to accidental injuries that are isolated incidents and which don't increase the risk of the same injury occurring in another body part.

Southern Cross Pet Insurance

FreeCover (Trial)

Wording v2025-09-01 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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We don't cover congenital conditions. A congenital condition is an anomaly or developmental defect that is present in your pet at birth, even though signs or symptoms may not appear until later in life. Common congenital conditions for puppies and kittens are things like: brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome, cleft palates, neurological defects such as wobbler syndrome, spina bifida, umbilical hernias, undescended testes.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: We'll treat a health condition that affects more than one of the same body part as a pre-existing condition. This applies if your pet has a pre-existing condition that affects a body part that it has more than one of, like a leg or an eye. …

Southern Cross Pet Insurance

PetCare (Comprehensive)

Wording v2023-12-01 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Congenital conditions are excluded. A congenital condition is an anomaly or developmental defect that is present in your pet at birth, even though signs or symptoms may not appear until later in life. We maintain a list of conditions that we consider to be congenital conditions. However, this is not a complete list of all congenital conditions.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: We'll treat a health condition that affects more than one of the same body part as a pre-existing condition. This applies if your pet has a pre-existing condition that affects a body part that it has more than one of, like a leg or an eye. …

SPCA Pet Insurance

Big Stuff Cover

Wording v2026-05-17 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Hereditary Conditions and congenital Conditions will not be considered a Pre-existing Condition if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before the Commencement Date of the first Policy Period or during any applicable Waiting Period. They are listed as examples of Illnesses Covered under Illness Cover (excluding those hereditary and congenital Conditions that fall within the definition of a Pre-existing Condition).

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: Any Condition affecting body parts of which the Pet has at least two, one on each side of the body (e.g. ears, eyes, knees and elbows). When applying a Benefit Limit or exclusion, a Bilateral Condition will be considered a single Condition.…

SPCA Pet Insurance

The Works (Comprehensive)

Wording v2026-05-17 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

Provider →

Hereditary Conditions and congenital Conditions will not be considered a Pre-existing Condition if they have not shown noticeable signs, symptoms or an abnormality at any time before the Commencement Date of the first Policy Period or during any applicable Waiting Period. Hereditary and congenital Conditions are listed as examples of Illnesses Covered under Illness Cover, excluding those hereditary and congenital Conditions that fall within the definition of a Pre-existing Condition.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: Any Condition affecting body parts of which the Pet has at least two, one on each side of the body (e.g. ears, eyes, knees and elbows). When applying a Benefit Limit or exclusion, a Bilateral Condition will be considered a single Condition.…

Tower Pet Insurance

Pet Comprehensive + Essentials

Wording v2026-05-18 · confidence: verified · key: hereditary_congenital_rules

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Hereditary conditions which first manifest before your pet's 2nd birthday are excluded. Congenital conditions are excluded entirely. Hereditary condition means a genetic condition which is passed down through your pet's bloodline, and which is commonly breed specific. Congenital condition means a congenital anomaly or developmental defect which is present at birth but may not manifest until later in your pet's life.

Other on-file fact keys (1)
  • bilateral_conditions_rule: The policy defines 'Condition' as: any injury or illness suffered by your pet, and for the purpose of this definition, any presentation of an illness with the same diagnosis, signs or symptoms, or resulting from the same disease process, re…
2 products with no on-file value for this condition
  • PD Insurance — PD Pet Insurance (PDS) (wording pending ingest)
  • PetNSur — PetNSur Rhodium / Standard (wording pending ingest)

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Not personalised veterinary or financial advice. Each clause shown is a verbatim excerpt from the cited insurer wording PDF. For the authoritative answer in any specific case, refer to the source PDF.