Are Blood Tests Covered by Pet Insurance?

Blood tests can help vets monitor your pet’s health or diagnose an issue. But costs can add up if your vet orders several tests for your pet.

MetLife Pet can typically help you cover costs for blood tests when your pet isn’t feeling well and sometimes when it’s part of their routine care. Exact coverage depends on the plan you have, so let’s go over how our pet insurance covers blood work and when your pet might need it done. 

MetLife Pet Offers Coverage for Blood Test Costs

MetLife Pet’s standard insurance policy can reimburse you up to 90% of the cost of cat and dog blood work used as a diagnostic test when they’re sick or hurt.¹ Our optional Preventive Care plan can reimburse you for routine blood work costs up to your plan’s annual benefit limit for health screens.

This wellness add-on must be added to your standard insurance policy as we don’t currently offer it as a stand-alone plan. Combined, you can get coverage for blood tests that can help pets get well and stay well.

Are there exclusions to blood test coverage?

As long as your insurance policy covers the condition your pet needs diagnostic blood tests for, and the applicable waiting periods have ended, MetLife Pet Insurance can typically help you cover up to 90% of the costs.¹

If your pet needs routine blood work, your standard policy won’t cover it. However, MetLife Pet’s Preventive Care plan add-on can reimburse you for routine blood test costs up to a specific dollar amount. When you reach the benefit limit outlined in your plan, you’re responsible for all routine blood work costs until your plan renews.

MetLife Pet has a 0-day waiting period for accidents and preventive care benefits and a 14-day waiting period for illnesses. Blood work related to pre-existing conditions likely won’t be covered. That said, pre-existing condition (and related blood work) coverage is possible if you switch from another provider to a MetLife Pet policy through your employer.²

Does MetLife Pet help you cover other types of diagnostics?

Yes! In addition to blood tests, MetLife Pet’s standard accident and illness policy can typically provide coverage for other diagnostic tests like:

• X-rays and ultrasounds
• MRIs and CT scans
• Fecal tests
• Urinalyses

You can get coverage for routine fecal tests and urinalyses under the optional Preventive Care plan’s health screens benefit limit. Learn more about what’s covered by our plans.

What Are Blood Tests and Why Might My Pet Need Them?

Blood tests can be used to diagnose health issues, monitor chronic conditions, or as a preventative measure to check the status of your pet’s health. They may also be used before surgery to ensure a correct anesthesia dosage and that your pet is healthy enough to undergo surgery.³

Blood is drawn from a pet’s vein into a vial for analysis. Common tests during routine blood work can include a complete blood count (CBC), biochemistry profile, and thyroid panel. Special blood tests can be used to help diagnose or monitor conditions and may include:³

• Gastrointestinal panels
• Allergy tests
• Genetic tests
• Cancer screens
• Heartworm tests

If your pet isn’t feeling well, is on long-term medication, has a chronic condition, is having surgery, or is due for their annual vet visit, they may need blood tests done.

What’s the cost of a blood test?

You might expect to pay up to $200 for a blood test that includes a CBC and biochemistry profile. Costs can vary depending on which blood tests are needed, the frequency of testing, where you live, and the vet you see.^3,4

Having a pet insurance policy that can help you cover up to 90% of diagnostic blood tests could be worth it — especially if your pet needs a lot of tests done.¹ And with routine blood test coverage through MetLife Pet’s Preventive Care plan add-on, you can save money on this annual cost.

Get Blood Test Coverage With MetLife Pet Insurance

Blood tests can be vital in diagnosing and monitoring pet health conditions. And annual blood work is an important part of a pet’s routine healthcare. Take a look at a few pets who needed blood tests, and their families who got money back with MetLife Pet:

• Banks, a puppy from California, had some blood tests done to diagnose a tick-borne disease. His family was reimbursed over $950 on the $1,200 vet bill.⁵
• Mango, a 14-year-old cat from Illinois, had blood tests to help monitor her hyperthyroidism. Mango’s family got nearly $300 back on the over $350 vet bill.⁵
• Frida, a dog from New York, had routine blood work done at her annual vet exam. With her add-on wellness plan, Frida’s family got $65 back on the $80 vet bill.⁵

Get coverage for diagnostic and routine blood work by enrolling your dog or cat in a MetLife Pet Insurance policy and adding our Preventive Care plan to it. Start with a free quote today.