Dorsi the Gimp

Dorsi has been limping for a while on and off now and so I finally decided to take her into the vet, fully expecting them to tell me she has hip dysplasia and that she needs surgery. We did the whole x-ray thing but what they told us surprised me. Yes, she does have mild hip dysplasia, but what's really concerning them is her "ankle" joint. And they wanted to send us to Auburn to see an orthopedic specialist. For dogs. Yes, you heard that right. I immediately started planning a road trip, but Dean used a bit better judgment and so I called the vet back to get a better explanation. Well, after talking to the vet again, he informed us that there's an orthopedic specialist for dogs right here in Tallahassee in case we'd rather do that (uh...yeah) and we could schedule a consultation with him for a small fee. My question is, can she get pet insurance now? Or does she have a "pre-existing condition"? Does insurance cover therapy? What if she needs to see multiple specialists? I can't believe I'm talking this way about a dog. But she is like a member of the family (I always thought people were a little strange that said things like that... now I'm one). If we do nothing we're looking at severe arthritis in the next few years. She's only 3. The vet's exact words were "This is a very unfortunate situation." Not so good.

So now, I'll be keeping you updated on Dorsi. And in the meantime, does anyone know what to do with dogs who have loose ankles (did anyone even know dogs had ankles)?