MetLife Pet
MetLife Pet's stated plan terms, checked October 22, 2026. Facts only: no rating, ranking, or price.
- Accident and illness
- Preventive add-on
- Family plan
- Dogs
- Cats
- Accident cover from midnight on the enrollment day
- No separate orthopedic wait stated
- Family plan for up to three pets
- Wellness add-on available
- Exam fees covered incl. specialty and emergency
- No direct payment to vets
- 90 day claim deadline in sample policy
The stated facts
| Company and underwriter, as the company states it | MetLife Pet Insurance. Its pages and the Ohio sample policy (form PET21-01-V) say coverage is issued by Metropolitan General Insurance Company, a Rhode Island insurer, with administration by MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC. Check your declarations page for the insurer on your policy. |
|---|---|
| Species covered | Dogs, Cats |
| Plan types offered | Accident and illness plan; Preventive Care add-on (Preventive 365 or Preventive 575); Family Plan for up to three pets |
| Accident waiting period, as stated | 0 days. MetLife's waiting period article says accident cover begins at midnight on the day you enroll. |
| Illness waiting period, as stated | 14 days. The article says you wait 2 weeks after enrolling before claiming for a newly diagnosed illness. |
| Orthopedic, cruciate, and other special waiting periods | None separate. MetLife says it has no separate waiting period for orthopedic conditions; they fall under the accident or illness wait that applies. |
| Eligibility, as the company states it | Dogs and cats. The FAQ says there are no upper age restrictions and no breed exclusions, while noting that coverage options may be limited for certain ages. The puppy page says pups can be insured from 8 weeks old. The Family Plan has its own age limits, which the pages read today do not print. |
| Deductible, reimbursement, and limit options, as stated | The FAQ lists reimbursement up to 90 percent, deductible options from $0 to $2,500, and annual limit options from $500 to unlimited. A Family Plan puts up to three dogs and cats on one policy with one shared deductible and annual limit. |
| Wellness or preventive option | Preventive Care, sold only as an add-on to the insurance policy. Preventive 365 and Preventive 575 reimburse set amounts per category up to $365 or $575 a year, for example a vet exam at $50 or $75. Benefits can be used from midnight after enrollment. |
| Pre-existing condition rule, as stated | Anything that happens during a waiting period is not covered. MetLife's article adds that conditions covered under a previous insurer will likely be treated as pre-existing after a switch. |
No extra orthopedic clock at MetLife
MetLife's waiting period article says it does not have a separate waiting period for orthopedic conditions. Cruciate tears, hip problems, and disc disease fall under whichever ordinary wait applies: accidents from midnight on the enrollment day, and illnesses after two weeks.
For a Boxer or a Rottweiler, a ligament tear in week three is therefore treated on the same footing as any other illness, provided the record shows no earlier signs. The pre-existing rules still do the work: anything that appeared in the first 14 days stays excluded.
What the Ohio sample says about exams and inherited conditions
The Ohio sample policy lists exams by a veterinary provider, including primary, specialty, and emergency exams, under what is covered. It also names congenital and hereditary disorders, along with chronic conditions, as examples of covered illness. The FAQ repeats both points in its list of typical coverage.
For a breed that is likely to see a specialist, such as a cardiologist for a Cavalier or a neurologist for a Dachshund, the specialist's exam charge is inside the policy rather than outside it.
Ninety days to claim; no direct vet payment
The sample policy says MetLife must receive the claim form or proof within 90 days after the date of service, and that it will not pay a claim if neither arrives in that time. It aims to decide within 30 days of receiving everything it needs. Claims go in electronically or by mail.
The FAQ says MetLife Pet does not currently pay vets directly: you pay the bill, then claim. The same FAQ says most claims are processed within 5 days and that reimbursement can be by direct payment to you or paper check. An owner facing a large orthopedic surgery should plan to cover the full invoice first.
Several pets on one policy
The multiple pets page describes the Family Plan: up to three pets, dogs and cats mixed, sharing one deductible and one annual limit, with the same enrollment choices applying to all of them. More than three pets can be split across two or more Family Plans.
The shared limit cuts both ways. If one dog has a large orthopedic claim, the money it uses comes out of the same annual limit the other pets rely on. Ask MetLife for the current age limits on the Family Plan before adding an older pet.
Age and price questions to send MetLife
The FAQ says there are no upper age restrictions but that options may be limited for certain ages, and that the premium depends on species, breed, and age. Ask which deductible and limit choices are offered at your pet's age, and whether that range narrows at renewal.