Does Pet Insurance Cover Emergency Vet Visits?

Depending on your policy, pet insurance can typically provide coverage for expenses related to pet emergencies. MetLife Pet offers reimbursements of up to 90% on covered vet bills.¹ This can help lessen the financial burden of high-cost emergencies and help you get your pet necessary care.

Let’s dig into the types of emergencies and expenses that may be covered, what’s not covered, and how MetLife Pet coverage works for pet emergencies. 

MetLife Pet Insurance Offers Coverage for Emergencies

A pet insurance policy with MetLife Pet can provide coverage for emergency-related expenses due to injuries and illnesses. Costs for an emergency vet visit could run up to $8,000 or more, depending on your pet’s condition, where you live, and the treatment required.² That can be a large, unexpected bill to bear.

Getting coverage for your pet now can help you save money on future emergencies, as well as additional minor illnesses and injuries — like an upset stomach or a small cut.

Can you go to any vet for emergencies?

With MetLife Pet, you can visit any licensed vet, emergency hospital, or specialist in the U.S. to get your pet the care they need in an emergency.

If you’re not near your normal vet, don’t fret. As long as the veterinarian is licensed, you can be eligible for reimbursement on covered claims.¹

Is the claims process different for pet emergencies?

Submitting a claim for an emergency is no different than a non-emergency. In an emergency situation, your focus is on your pet’s well-being. So once you’ve paid the vet bill, gather all medical records, SOAP notes, and invoices required for a normal claim, and submit them just like you would any other. If we need anything else to process your claim, we can contact your vet.

What Types of Emergencies Can Be Covered?

There are many types of emergency situations that could be covered by pet insurance. MetLife Pet can typically provide coverage for emergencies like:

• Fractured or broken bones
• Severe trauma (like vehicular accidents or animal attacks)
• Wounds and lacerations
• Dental or nail injuries
• Snake bites
• Ingestion of toxic substances
• Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) or infections
• Foreign object ingestion
• Respiratory, urinary, and intestinal blockages
• Bloat
• Severe vomiting and diarrhea
• Heatstroke or hypothermia
• Seizures

Coverage also depends on whether you have comprehensive or accident-only pet insurance — as an accident-only policy likely won’t cover emergencies related to illnesses. Currently, MetLife Pet offers a comprehensive, aka accident and illness, policy. As long as your pet’s emergency doesn’t fall under any exclusions in your policy, you could be eligible for reimbursement.¹

What are the exclusions to emergency vet coverage?

A few of the main exclusions in your policy, that could prevent you from getting reimbursed for emergency vet expenses, include:

• Policy-specific exclusions: There may be specific conditions listed in your policy that are excluded from coverage. These could include emergencies that arose from situations like commercial working, endangerment, racing, neglect, complications from a cosmetic procedure, and more.
• Waiting periods: If the emergency happened during any waiting periods listed in your policy, it won’t be covered. We aim to make this less stressful by offering a 0-day waiting period for accidents.³
• Pre-existing conditions: Any injury or illness contracted, manifested, or incurred before your policy start date or before any relevant waiting periods end are typically excluded from coverage.

If you’re a group policyholder and you switch to a MetLife Pet plan, we can provide coverage for your pet’s pre-existing conditions that are currently covered by that provider.⁴

What Kinds of Emergency Vet Expenses Can Be Covered?

While it’s nice to know the types of emergencies that might be covered, it can be even more helpful to know the kinds of expenses you could be reimbursed for.¹ MetLife Pet can typically help you cover the following emergency-related expenses:

• Diagnostics (like blood work, X-rays, ultrasounds, and more)
• Emergency supportive care (like IV fluids, medications, and more)
• Surgery
• Vet-prescribed medications
• Hospitalization
• Exam fees and follow-up vet visits
• Medically necessary treatments

In the event your pet crosses the rainbow bridge, we want to help make this time of transition just a little bit easier. We can help you offset the costs for burial and cremation services, as well as grief counseling.⁵ For a more comprehensive list of what may be covered by a MetLife Pet policy, check out our coverage and exclusions page.

Pet insurance coverage for emergency surgeries

A MetLife Pet policy includes coverage for emergency surgeries — as long as they don’t fall under your policy’s exclusions. Surgery-related expenses can also be covered, like anesthesia, IV fluids, blood work, and routine complications, as well as the veterinary specialists that may be required for the care of your pet.

How Much of the Emergency Vet Bill Is Covered by Pet Insurance?

We offer policy customization options that allow you to get up to 90% of your vet bill reimbursed on covered expenses — like emergencies.¹ If you have a deductible, you need to meet it before you can start getting reimbursed.⁶ And if you have an annual limit on your policy, you can be reimbursed up to that amount during your policy period.⁷

In addition to your reimbursement rate, you can customize your deductible and annual limit. When it comes to emergencies, having a low deductible can help you start getting reimbursed for covered costs sooner. Choosing a high annual limit option could help you worry less about the possibility of incurring many high-cost emergency bills.^6,7

Emergency vet bill reimbursement example

To see this kind of coverage in action, let’s say you have a dog insurance policy with a 90% reimbursement rate, a $250 deductible, and a $10,000 annual limit. Your dog breaks a bone and needs emergency surgery to fix it, which ends up costing $3,000.

Since the condition is covered by your policy and the surgery is less than your annual limit, you could be reimbursed 90% of the vet bill after you pay your deductible — giving you a $2,475 reimbursement.⁸

Signs Your Pet Might Need Emergency Vet Care

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when our pets are in pain. But some signs to look for that could indicate your pet may require emergency vet care include:

• Difficulty or rapid breathing
• Physical trauma
• Bloated, swollen, or painful abdomen
• Loss of balance, consciousness, or collapsing
• Ingestion of a foreign object or toxic substance
• Prolonged or severe vomiting and diarrhea
• Inability to urinate or defecate

It’s a good idea to know where the nearest emergency vet is — whether you’re at home or on a trip with your pet — so you can act quickly to get the medical care your pet needs.

Get Emergency Vet Bill Coverage With MetLife Pet

When emergencies happen, knowing you don’t have to shoulder the entire cost on your own can help you focus on getting whatever care your pet needs. MetLife Pet Insurance offers emergency vet bill coverage so you can do just that.

Policyholders also gain access to a free 24/7 vet chat⁹ in our mobile app. Veterinarians can help answer quick questions and advise you on what to do in the event of an unexpected situation. Build a plan that works for you and your pet, starting with a free quote today.