Are Exam Fees Covered by Pet Insurance?

An exam fee is a standard veterinarian charge for the physical examination and consultation of a pet. These costs can vary by region, the reason for the vet visit, and whether it’s a specialist exam or emergency vet visit.¹

MetLife Pet Insurance can reimburse² you for a variety of exam fees related to covered conditions — but not all providers offer this. Learn more about our pet insurance that covers exam fees and the types of exams that may be covered. 

MetLife Pet Insurance Offers Coverage for Vet Exam Fees

With a pet insurance policy from MetLife Pet, you could get reimbursed for up to 90% of the cost of primary care, specialty care, or emergency care visits — as long as they’re related to a condition covered by your policy.² You can also get coverage for routine wellness visits through our optional Preventive Care plan add-on.

This means the cost of a vet exam, ranging from around $50 – $300 or more depending on the type of visit, could be brought down to a smaller fee after reimbursement.^1,2,3

Here are just a few examples of how much real MetLife Pet policyholders saved on exam fees for their beloved pets:⁴

• Nearly $55 reimbursed for dog Milo’s routine vet exam costing $60
• More than $165 back on a $210 cardiologist exam for cat Wrigley’s heart murmur
• Almost $265 reimbursed for dog Dylan’s $290 emergency vet exam when he went into shock

Types of Vet Exam Fees That Can Be Covered

The cost of a pet exam can vary depending on several factors, including your pet’s species and age, as well as the purpose of the visit.¹ So what should you expect when it comes to the bill? Let’s take a look at the different types of exams your pet might encounter when they visit the vet and how they’re covered.

Primary care visits

When your pet isn’t feeling well and they need to see a vet to figure out what’s wrong, this is called a primary care visit — aka a “sick” visit or office visit. Your vet will likely examine your pet to decide which tests to run to diagnose and treat them.

This exam fee can vary depending on your pet’s size and condition as well as where you live. But you might expect to pay around $50 – $95. The costs for the diagnostics and treatment your vet recommends will be added to the exam fee.¹

MetLife Pet can provide coverage for primary care exam fees for accidents and illnesses, as long as the condition doesn’t fall under any of your policy’s exclusions.

Specialty and emergency visits

Sometimes, your pet needs care that falls outside of what your normal veterinarian can provide. This is when you might have to see a specialist — like an oncologist, ophthalmologist, or cardiologist. There are also times when your pet may need to be brought to an emergency vet for care.

Specialist and emergency room exam fees are generally more expensive than a primary visit fee. You might see specialist exam fees ranging from $150 – $300 and emergency exam fees of $200 and up. The cost of any diagnostics or treatment your pet needs will be on top of the exam fee.^3,5

For covered conditions, you can be reimbursed some of the cost for a specialist exam or an emergency room exam under a standard MetLife Pet policy.²

Annual exam visits

An annual exam is typically when your vet completes a routine check of your pet’s health. This can happen once or twice a year, depending on your pet’s age. The average fee for an annual vet exam could fall somewhere between $50 and $80.¹

The costs for any additional services your vet performs during an annual exam — such as vaccinations, routine blood work, and urinary or fecal tests — will be on top of your exam fee.¹

By adding our optional Preventive Care plan to your standard policy, you can have pet insurance that helps you cover annual exams.

Get Pet Insurance With Exam Fee Coverage Through MetLife Pet

Vet exams are an important part of routine and sick care. They’re an opportunity for vets to catch health conditions before they become a problem and start the diagnostic process when your pet isn’t feeling well.

With MetLife Pet Insurance and our optional Preventive Care plan, you can get reimbursed for many types of covered exam fees, as well as the diagnostics, treatments, or hospital stays required to care for your pet.¹ Get started with a free quote today!