Coles Essential pet policy
Comprehensive injury and limited illness cover for cats and dogs.

- Insurer
- Coles
- Policy
- Essential
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Underwriter
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This is the provider of the insurance product and correlates with the Financial Services Provider (FSP) as registered with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority. You can look up your insurer's provider in the AFCA comparative tables to see how common it is for consumers to bring a dispute to AFCA about them.
- Guild Insurance Limited
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Policy type
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- Comprehensive policies are covered for most conditions, with a few exclusions.
- Limited policies are only covered for the conditions specified by the insurer.
- Comprehensive injury cover
Limited illness cover - Animals covered
- Cats and dogs
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Minimum age for new cover
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Insurer won't cover animals younger than this.
- 8 weeks
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Maximum age for new cover
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The insurer won't sell a new policy for animals older than this.
- 8 years
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Maximum benefit per year
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The total amount the insurer will pay per year. Some policies also have a limit per condition. Some benefits, such as routine care, are paid on top of this amount.
- $10,000
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Benefit paid per claim
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Percentage of the claim the insurer pays. For example, if your policy has an 80% benefit and you have a $1000 vet bill, you pay $200 (plus excess) and the insurer pays the rest. Choosing a lower benefit percentage will typically reduce your premium, but leave you more out of pocket when you make a claim.
- Choose from 80% or 100% vet bill covered
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Excess
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The cost to make a claim. Typically choosing a higher excess will reduce your premium.
- Choose excess from $100 or $200
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Injury
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Vet costs to treat accidental injuries.
- Comprehensive cover
2 day waiting period -
Illness
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Vet costs to treat illnesses.
- Limited cover
21 day waiting period
Covers these specified illnesses only:
cancer
cruciate ligament condition
joint dysplasia
joint luxation -
Vet consults
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Cover for vet consultation costs.
- Yes
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Emergency treatment
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Cover for out-of-hours consults, when recommended by a vet.
- Yes
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Pre-existing conditions
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Pet insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions by default, but you can sometimes get cover by serving a waiting period and making an application to the insurer.
- Can be covered if condition is fully cured
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Routine care
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Additional non-insurance cover for preventative care items like health checks, vaccinations and microchipping.
- No
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Alternative therapies
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Cover for specialised treatments such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy or chiropractic manipulation.
- No
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Lost animal
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Benefit if your pet is lost, stolen or runs away.
- No
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Necessary euthanasia
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The cost of putting your pet down, where necessary.
- Up to $1000
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Legal liability
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Cover when you are responsible for injury, damage or death caused by your pet
- No
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Telehealth vet service
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Some insurers offer telehealth vet services as an added benefit.
- No
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Cancer
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Vet costs to treat cancer.
- Covered as a specified illness
21 day waiting period
Cover includes neoplasia, osteosarcoma and mast cell tumour
No cover for tumours described as benign, pre-malignant or borderline malignant or of low malignant potential -
Behavioural conditions
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Vet costs to treat behavioural conditions.
- No
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Brachycephalic Airway Obstruction Syndrome
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Vet costs to treat BOAS and related conditions.
- No
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Allergic reaction
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Vet costs to treat allergic reactions.
- Covered
Covers allergic reaction to insect bite
No cover for allergic reaction to tick/flea bite -
Cruciate ligament conditions
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Vet costs to treat conditions affecting the cruciate ligaments.
- Covered as a specified illness
Up to $5300
Cover includes any rupture or strain of the cruciate ligament, whether partial or complete and including cartilage tear and loosening of cruciate ligament
6 month waiting period -
Dental and oral health conditions
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Vet cost to treat conditions affecting the teeth, gums and mouth.
- No
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Ear conditions
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Vet costs to treat conditions affecting the ears.
- Covered for injury
Standard waiting periods -
Eye conditions
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Vet costs to treat conditions affecting the eye.
- Covered for injury
Standard waiting periods -
Ingestion of a foreign object
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Vet costs to treat your pet after it swallows something it shouldn't.
- Covered
Up to 1 incident per year
Standard waiting periods -
Heart conditions
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Vet costs to treat heart disease.
- No
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Intervertebral disc disease
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Vet costs to treat IVDD, a spinal condition that affects cats and dogs.
- No
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Hereditary conditions
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Vet costs to treat inherited conditions, particularly those specific to the pet's breed.
- Covered
Standard waiting periods -
Joint conditions
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Vet costs to treat joint conditions, such as arthritis and dysplasia.
- Covered
Cover includes joint dysplasia
21 day waiting period -
Orthopaedic conditions
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Vet costs to treat orthopaedic conditions, including bone fracture.
- Covered
Standard waiting periods -
Patella luxation
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Vet costs to treat patella luxation, a dislocation of the kneecap.
- Covered as a specified illness
21 day waiting period -
Pregnancy and obstetrics
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Vet costs to treat pregnant animals, including complications caused by breeding or pregnancy.
- No
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Illness caused by parasites
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Vet costs to treat internal or external parasite infection. Many insurers cover tick paralysis, but may exclude other conditions caused by ticks.
- Covered
Cover limited to tick paralysis
No cover for conditions caused by endoparasites, worms, ectoparasites, ticks, fleas or skin mites
Does not cover preventative flea/tick/worm control
Insurer requires regular preventative treatment for fleas, heartworm, worms and ticks
Up to $3500 for tick paralysis
21 day waiting period -
Skin conditions
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Vet costs to treat skin conditions.
- No
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Vaccinatable Conditions
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Vet costs to treat conditions that have a commonly available vaccine.
- No
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Snakebite
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Vet costs to treat snakebite toxicity.
- Covered
No waiting period