A dog owner has won a dispute with her insurer after claiming about $9000 for surgery to straighten her pet’s legs.

The woman’s claim was rejected by Guild Insurance, which said the Jack Russell terrier had a pre-existing condition she would have been aware of.

But the Australian Financial Complaints Authority has sided with the owner and ordered the pet insurer to pay up.

The woman insured her male dog on July 4 2024, and later that day took it to the vet for a routine appointment.

The vet discussed angular limb deformity (ALD) – in which legs grow unevenly, resulting in crooked limbs – but no diagnosis was made. The Jack Russell breed is predisposed to the condition.

The owner said the dog then showed symptoms of forelimb lameness on or about September 6 that year.

By November 24, she had lodged a claim for surgery to treat bilateral ALD, estimated to cost $8892.

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Guild argued the condition would have been visually apparent to the owner before she bought the policy. It also said the claim was disqualified under its waiting period.

But AFCA says the owner has established a valid claim for a congenital defect or health abnormality, which is covered under the policy and for which there is no waiting period.

“There is insufficient information to support a finding that [the dog] had a defect or abnormality that was visually apparent to the complainant when she purchased the policy as the insurer submits,” the authority added.

The pet’s treating vet reported “no clinical signs of lameness as a result of ALD on July 4. This is supported by the clinical record, which makes no mention of lameness due to ALD in the forelimbs.”

The owner said it was “common for the legs of Jack Russell terriers to display signs of chondrodysplasia and ALD (crooked front legs), but for such dogs to not have a diagnosable condition” – and this was the case on July 4.

AFCA says the insurer should cover an updated cost estimate for the surgery and pay for several vet visits in September 2024.

See the ruling here.