pet insurance/hip dysplasia operation

tommy778

Hi guys,

Have been looking around and have found it hard to get the information im looking for. I also rang the insurance company and they wouldnt give me a straight answer and said i need to send in the receipts and then they make a decision. But we cannot proceed with the treatment unless we have an idea it might be covered. Basically we have a 5 1/2 month old golden retriever who has just been diagnosed with a bad case of hip dysplasia. Our vet thinks surgery would be the best option and most specifically a Triple Pelvic Osteotomy (TPO). Has anyone any experience of this procedure and if so what type of costs would we be looking at? Also could anyone give any indication if this treatment would be covered or partly covered by pet insurance which we currently have for him?

Thanks and would really appreciate any advice.

RhodeIslandRed

Hi there

Your vet should be able to give you a good idea of costs and if your insurance company will cover it. I was in a similar situation (without insurance) and the vet told me the insurance would have covered it and how much the operation would cost.

andreac

If your dog has been insured from a young age with the same company you should have no problem with it being covered as long as you didnt move from one company to another and that the dog had hip problems on the previous policy, if you get me?

tazwaz

hi, can i ask what insurance company you're with and how long your with them? I had a springer spaniel that was reffered to gilabbey vets in cork last year for a hip replacement, he was 5 yrs at the time and had been insured since day one, i rang allianz straight away and my vet faxed in all his medical history and within 24 hours they rang me back to say that they'd cover the op. now, i had to pay upfront myself and claim it back, the cheque came in a matter of weeks though so it wasnt so bad.
as for the op, the morn he was posed to have it they found some kind of infection in the fluid round the bone or something so they couldnt do that op, they did however remove the ball of the bone that was rubbing off the socket joint, if that makes any sense??? dont know what the op was called... all i know is that taz was happy out running around pain free a few weeks later :-)
from what i can remember that op cost me 1700 and the hip replacement was nearly 3000
i know allianz have a limit of e4000 for the year so check how much you can claim

tommy778

Thanks everyone for the responses. Hopefully we will be covered as we have had him insured from day 1. I was onto the insurance co. again and they said i need to send in the form for pre-authorisation so and then they can give us a response before we commit. I guess we will have to just wait and see.

Has anyone ever had this procedure done on their dog? I read on the internet that there is a recovery period of 3 to 4 months and housebound for 2 months which is a long time for an energetic puppy to be constrained! But i guess the alternative is a life of misery for him.

Thanks again.