By the Walking Paws Rehab team. Reviewed by Dr. Danyel Wynn, DVM, CCRT.
“How much is this going to cost?” is one of the first questions we hear, and it deserves a clear answer. At Walking Paws Rehab the pricing model is simple: there is one price for the initial evaluation and one flat price for every follow-up visit. The follow-up price does not change based on which treatments your dog receives. Whether a session is mostly hands-on work, mostly exercise, or includes the underwater treadmill and laser, it is the same fee. What changes the total cost of your dog’s care is not the menu of treatments but how many visits your dog needs, and that depends on the condition, the goal, and how much you can do at home. This post explains those pieces, how pet insurance fits in, and how to get an estimate for your own dog.
One price for the evaluation, one price for every follow-up
Every dog starts with a full evaluation, and this first visit has its own price because it is longer and more involved than a follow-up. It includes a hands-on orthopedic, neurologic and soft-tissue examination, a gait assessment, a conversation about your goals, and the first round of treatment. You leave with a plan and a home program. Even if your regular veterinarian has already examined your dog, this exam is different in focus and depth. Our what to expect page walks through the visit, and no referral is needed to book it.
After that, each follow-up appointment is billed as a one-hour visit at a single flat rate. We do not itemize the treatments inside the visit. That is a deliberate choice. Your therapist should be free to pick the right combination for your dog on that day, whether it is manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, the underwater treadmill, or laser therapy, without you wondering what each one adds to the bill. It also makes budgeting easy: once you know the follow-up rate and roughly how many visits your dog needs, you know the number.
We also do not sell packages. Some clinics ask you to prepay for a block of sessions, which locks you in before anyone knows how your dog will respond. We charge from appointment to appointment instead. You pay for each visit as it happens, and if your dog is ahead of schedule, or your circumstances change, you simply stop or space visits out. There is no unused balance to argue over and no pressure to keep coming once your dog no longer needs to.
What actually changes the total: how many visits
Because the visit price is fixed, the total cost of rehab comes down to two things: how often your dog comes in, and for how long. Visit frequency is driven by the condition. A dog recovering from a paralyzing spinal injury may benefit from several sessions a week early on, because those first weeks matter most for regaining function. A dog after a routine orthopedic surgery often does well with one or two visits a week, tapering as they heal. A senior dog with well-managed arthritis may come in every few weeks for maintenance. Our FAQ covers typical frequencies in more detail.
Duration varies just as much. A mild muscle strain might resolve over a handful of visits. Post-surgical rehab after a procedure such as a cruciate ligament repair commonly runs for two to three months, following your surgeon’s protocol. Neurologic conditions such as intervertebral disc disease are less predictable; some dogs progress in a month and others take much longer. Your goals shape this too. Walking comfortably around the block is a shorter project than returning to agility or hunting, and we will tell you which one we think is realistic.
What is not part of the visit fee
Three things are billed in addition to the visit fee: diagnostics, medications, and supportive devices. Diagnostics such as radiographs or musculoskeletal ultrasound are only done when they will change the plan, and we will tell you before we recommend them. Medications are prescribed as needed for pain and inflammation. Supportive devices are the part of the budget people most often forget to plan for. A custom orthotic or brace is made to a cast of your dog’s limb and involves fitting and follow-up appointments, so it is a meaningful one-time expense on top of therapy. A wheelchair for a dog with weak hind legs is similar. Smaller devices such as a support harness or toe-ups for a dragging paw cost less but still add up. We will tell you what is worth buying and what you can skip. Often a well-placed rug on a slick floor does more than a gadget.
Home programs and telehealth can lower the total
Since the number of visits is what drives cost, the most effective way to manage it is to do more at home. If you can commit to daily exercises, many dogs can space out in-person visits without shortchanging recovery. This is why we ask about your availability at the first visit: if you can come in often, we lean on in-clinic treatment; if you cannot, we build a stronger home program and check in less frequently. For some rechecks and for families who live far from Boulder or Denver, a telehealth appointment can replace a drive. The trade-off is real, though. Treadmill and laser sessions cannot happen at home, and for conditions where early intensive care changes the outcome, stretching visits out can cost more in the long run.
Does pet insurance cover dog physical therapy?
Often, yes, but it depends on your policy. Many pet insurance plans reimburse rehabilitation, hydrotherapy and laser therapy when a veterinarian recommends them for a covered condition. Some plans include this in the base policy, while others require an add-on rider for alternative or rehabilitative care, and some exclude it entirely. Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered, so a dog insured after a diagnosis will not typically be reimbursed for therapy related to it. Bracing and wheelchairs are handled differently by different insurers.
Because most pet insurance works on reimbursement, you pay at the time of the visit and submit the invoice to your insurer. A flat visit fee makes those claims simpler, and we are happy to provide the records and treatment notes your claim needs. Before your first visit, call your insurance company and ask three things: whether physical therapy and rehabilitation are covered, whether a rider is required, and whether they need a referral or pre-authorization from your primary veterinarian. We do not require a referral, but some insurers do, and it is far easier to sort that out in advance.
How to get an estimate for your dog
Call us at (720) 639-3924 and we will give you the current evaluation and follow-up prices over the phone. There is nothing hidden behind the first appointment. The part we cannot tell you until we have examined your dog is how many visits to plan for, and that is what the evaluation is for. Once we have seen your dog and talked through your goals, we can tell you how often we would like to see them and for roughly how long, so you can multiply it out yourself. We would rather you ask than put off care that could help your dog. Physical therapy started early, whether for a fresh injury or the first signs of arthritis, tends to be shorter and less expensive than therapy started after months of compensating.
Ready to find out what your dog needs? Schedule an evaluation at our Boulder clinic on South Broadway, open seven days a week, or our Denver clinic on South Acoma Street, open Tuesday through Saturday. No referral is required, and the pricing is simple enough that we can explain it in one phone call.