Pet Insurance That Covers Hip Dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is one of the most serious—and more prevalent—conditions affecting dogs and cats today, according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. While the frequency of hip dysplasia is based on both genetics and your pet’s age, some breeds have occurrence rates close to 50% or more.

Aside from being a painful condition for your pet, hip dysplasia is also a very expensive condition to treat. Excluding medications, vet visits, therapies, and other treatments, hip dysplasia surgery alone can cost upwards of $4,500. Having pet insurance that covers this disease can save pet owners thousands (or even tens of thousands) of dollars over the course of their pet’s life.

When it comes to finding pet insurance that covers hip dysplasia, there are definitely options available. Here’s a rundown of which pet insurance policies cover hip dysplasia, how much coverage they offer, and what to do to ensure that your pet’s care is included.

In this guide:

Why coverage for hip dysplasia is important
5 Pet insurance companies that cover hip dysplasia

Why coverage for hip dysplasia is important

Hip dysplasia is a hereditary and often bilateral condition that occurs when your pet’s hip joints do not perform as intended. Most often, this happens if your pet’s hip socket and the ball of their femur bone do not fit together correctly. Hip dysplasia is usually a progressive disease that can cause your pet pain and make it increasingly difficult for them to walk, run, stand up, and enjoy life.

Hip dysplasia most often occurs in large dogs, such as German shepherds and Brazilian Mastiffs. However, any size dog can be affected. Cats are not immune to hip dysplasia either, as certain purebred cats and large-boned breeds are susceptible. However, this condition is more commonly seen in dogs than in cats overall.

When it comes to getting your pet insurance carrier to cover hip dysplasia treatment, the diagnosis date is crucial. If your pet was already exhibiting signs of hip dysplasia or had a diagnosis from their veterinarian before you obtained pet insurance coverage (or during the waiting period for that policy), it will be considered a pre-existing condition.

Unfortunately, you’re not going to find pet insurance that covers pre-existing hip dysplasia, as costs related to pre-existing conditions are never covered by pet insurance plans.

If your pet’s breed is more likely to be diagnosed with hip dysplasia, you can usually still buy coverage. However, some plans may exclude hip-related claims for a longer waiting period, or during the first few years of your pet’s life.

5 pet insurance companies that cover hip dysplasia

Let’s take a look at five popular pet insurance companies that offer coverage for hip dysplasia, and what that specific coverage entails.

Spot

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Editorial Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Covers hip dysplasia as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition
Choose an annual limit of $2,500, $4,000, $5,000, $7,000, $10,000 or no limit
10% discount when enrolling multiple pets

Pet insurance through Spot is available for both dogs and cats, with plans covering care related to illnesses and injuries (including hip dysplasia) as well as an optional preventative care plan.

Spot’s hip dysplasia coverage

Owners can be reimbursed for everything from exams related to their pet’s hip dysplasia to specialist care, alternative therapies, diagnostic exams, treatments, medications, and surgery, as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition.

Pet owners can choose a Spot pet insurance plan with an annual benefit limit ranging from $2,500 to unlimited coverage. Reimbursement for eligible care expenses can either be at a 70%, 80%, or 90% rate, with an annual deductible between $100 and $1,000.

There is a 14-day waiting period before you can claim any coverage expenses for your pet. If your pet requires care during this time or signs of hip dysplasia are noted before this waiting period ends, it will generally be considered a pre-existing condition.

ASPCA

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Editorial Rating: 4.3 out of 5

Covers hip dysplasia as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition
Has insured over 400,000 dogs and cats, while processing more than 1.6 million claims
All plans include access to Anytime Pet Healthline to consult a veterinary professional

With ASPCA Complete Coverage pet insurance plans, your pet’s care expenses are covered for any number of illnesses and injuries, including hereditary and congenital conditions like hip dysplasia.

ASPCA’s hip dysplasia coverage

As long as that hip dysplasia isn’t a pre-existing condition, ASPCA will help cover eligible expenses for your dog or cat, such as diagnostic exams, treatments, prescription medication, alternative therapies, and surgery.

Pet owners can choose an annual deductible of $100, $250, or $500 when buying ASPCA pet insurance coverage, and have the option of either an accident-only plan or accident and illness plan. If you want your pet’s hip dysplasia to be covered, you’ll need to select the accident and illness protection of a Complete Coverage plan.

Eligible care expenses can be reimbursed at a rate of 70%, 80%, or 90%, with annual benefits from $3,000 to unlimited. There is a waiting period of 14 days for both injuries and illnesses. As long as your pet isn’t diagnosed with hip dysplasia before this period ends, they will be covered.

Embrace

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Editorial Rating: 4.7 out of 5

Covers hip dysplasia as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition and you wait to file a claim until the six-month waiting period ends
Covers curable pre-existing conditions that go symptom-free for 12 months

Pet insurance plans through Embrace cover genetic and hereditary conditions like hip dysplasia, as long as the condition is not deemed pre-existing. With this coverage, pet owners can be reimbursed for pet care expenses related to exams, testing, rehabilitation, treatment, surgery, and more.

Embrace’s hip dysplasia coverage

Embrace does cover bilateral conditions, as long as neither side is pre-existing; if either side has pre-existing care or a diagnosis, the other side is excluded from future coverage.

Waiting periods through Embrace are 14 days for illnesses, 48 hours for accidents, and six months for any orthopedic conditions. This means that you wouldn’t be able to file a claim for your pet’s hip dysplasia care for the first six months that you own the policy. Thankfully, this six-month waiting period can be reduced to 14 days, as long as you visit your vet and have them complete an Orthopedic Exam and Waiver.

There is no lifetime maximum for this coverage, only an annual limit that you choose when buying your policy, ranging from $5,000 to $30,000. Pet owners can choose a reimbursement percentage of either 65%, 70%, 80%, or 90%, with an annual deductible of $200 to $1,000.

ManyPets

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LendEDU Rating: 4.7 out of 5

Covers hip dysplasia if not a pre-existing condition and your pet is younger than six years old when enrolled in a policy
Reimburses up to 100% of covered conditions
Deductibles as low as $0

ManyPets is a pet insurance carrier that offers both accident and illness coverage for your pet, as well as an optional wellness plan. This standard insurance plan will reimburse pet owners for up to 100% of their eligible pet care costs, including exams related to the condition, diagnostic testing, medications, treatments, and even surgeries.

ManyPets’ hip dysplasia coverage

Hip dysplasia and other hereditary conditions are covered through ManyPets, as long as there is no indication that it was a pre-existing condition and as long as the pet is not age six or older on the effective date of the policy.

There is a 15-day waiting period for coverage for illnesses and injuries, during which time you will not be reimbursed for any claims. If your pet is diagnosed with any illness or condition during this waiting period, it will be considered pre-existing and excluded from coverage.

Pet owners can choose a plan that reimburses 80%, 90%, or 100% of their pet’s eligible care costs. There is no limit to the number of claims you can file. Deductibles are available at $0, $100, $250, $500, or $750.

Fetch Pet Insurance

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Editorial Rating: 4.9 out of 5

Covers hip dysplasia as long as it isn’t a pre-existing condition and you don’t file a claim during the six-month waiting period
Up to $1,000 in virtual vet visit coverage
Includes an extensive library of pet content

Fetch Pet Insurance (formerly Petplan) is another pet insurance carrier offering coverage for conditions like hip dysplasia. As long as this condition is not pre-existing when you buy the policy, Fetch coverage can reimburse you for everything from exams to imaging and diagnostic tests, treatments, therapies, surgery, rehabilitation, and more.

Fetch Pet Insurance’s hip dysplasia coverage

With Fetch, you can build a pet insurance plan that offers reimbursement at a rate of 70%, 80%, or 90% of eligible care expenses. Annual deductibles can either be $300, $500, or $700, with annual benefit limits ranging from $5,000 to unlimited.

There is a waiting period of up to 15 days (depending on your state) for both injuries and illnesses. However, hip and knee issues have an additional waiting period of six months. While the knee waiting period can be waived with a special vet exam, hip conditions must wait.

This means that if your pet is diagnosed with hip dysplasia or demonstrates symptoms related to the condition before reaching the six-month mark (from the time your policy went into effect), it will be considered a pre-existing condition.

Recap of pet insurance for hip dysplasia

Provider	Covers hip dysplasia?	Annual benefit limit
ManyPets	Yes, except if it’s pre-existing or the pet is 6 years of age or older on the policy effective date	Unlimited
Spot	Yes, except if it’s a pre-existing condition	$4,000 to unlimited, depending on plan limits chosen
ASPCA	Yes, except if it’s a pre-existing condition (no age limit applies)	$3,000 to unlimited, depending on plan limits chosen
Embrace	Yes, except if either hip has a pre-existing condition; a six-month waiting period applies	$5,000 to $30,000, depending on plan limits chosen
Fetch	Yes, except if it’s a pre-existing condition; a six-month waiting period applies	$5,000 to unlimited, depending on plan limits chosen