I got pet insurance for my 4-year-old dog. She’s been limping a bit, but our waiting period for illness or injury still has a few weeks left. She looks uncomfortable, and I don’t want her to suffer. I’m worried that it might be early hip dysplasia, which could be expensive to treat. If I take her in now, I fear we won’t get reimbursed for related treatments later on, and hip replacements are costly. Is there any way to see the vet sooner without messing things up? Should we just book the appointment and accept whatever happens? Are vets required to note everything they see? I think they are.
Wow, this is really tough. How bad is your pup limping? Is she dragging her legs at all? As a temporary fix until the insurance kicks in, you could try Cosequin capsules, which are over-the-counter. I used them for my 19-year-old cat, and she actually did better on them than the Solensia injection. But honestly, only you know how bad she is and you have to make the best choice. I’m not sure if the insurance needs all vet records after the first claim, but maybe someone else here knows.
@Nico
She’s been limping for about a week, and just in the last day or so, we noticed her hip looks swollen on the lame side. She’s still interested in walks and is playful, but it really seems tough for her to lay down or get comfortable, and the hip area is getting more tender. She’s trying hard not to put weight on one leg.
The vet definitely has to record what’s happening. Even after your waiting period is up, if you admit it’s been going on for a while, it might be marked as pre-existing. Be careful what you tell your vet if you want insurance to cover this. Edited to add: I would check your policy closely to see what the rules are regarding hip dysplasia. I’ve seen some policies have a much longer waiting period for those types of claims.
@Ash
I agree with this. In our policy, it was a six-month waiting period for knee and hip injuries.
@Ash
Our policy says that only ‘cruciate ligament events’ aren’t covered after the two-week mark. It seems like those are usually knee injuries. As far as I can tell, hip dysplasia counts as an illness, which should be covered sooner. I could be wrong though; the language is pretty broad.