ASPCA Claim Denied--HELP

Hey, I am new to the sub, but me and my Fiancé adopted a dog back in October. We applied for insurance through ASPCA in November, and the policy began 11-10-25. There is a 14 day waiting period before coverage begins, and of course they won't cover anything that began before, or begins during said period.

Long story short, he came from the shelter with kennel cough. His symptoms began 11-18-25, and his Dx was 11-19-25. Two weeks of Doxycycline later, he still is coughing and has pretty severe inappetence.

One emergency visit and $700 later, he is Dx with pneumonia. He is now on two more weeks of two different antibiotics, and will be on another two weeks after his follow up x-rays.

I submitted a claim for his follow up appointment after the emergency visit. My previous claims are still qeued, but my most recent claim was denied. They cited the waiting period, but I feel like I should dispute it. Kennel cough and pneumonia are not the same Dx, and the pneumonia Dx was after the waiting period ended. Has anyone dealt with something similar? How can I dispute this?

TL;DR: ASPCA pet insurance denied a claim, citing their 14 day waiting period after a policy begins. New Dx and treatment were well after the waiting period ended, but the 'pre-existing condition' makes it a grey area.