Updated: September 17, 2025
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Pet insurance covers bloodwork for diagnosing illnesses and treating covered conditions through standard plans, with wellness plans covering routine annual tests.
Major companies like Fetch, Lemonade and MetLife offer comprehensive bloodwork coverage through standard policies and optional wellness plans.
Calculate annual bloodwork costs, compare wellness plan pricing and consider your pet's age to determine if additional bloodwork coverage makes financial sense for your situation.
Bloodwork involves laboratory testing of your pet's blood to diagnose illnesses, monitor chronic conditions or check organ function during routine wellness exams. Pet insurance covers bloodwork when it's needed to diagnose or treat a covered condition, but coverage depends on your specific policy type.
You'll pay the vet bill upfront, then file a claim with your insurer and receive reimbursement (based on your policy’s reimbursement rate) after meeting your deductible.
Pet insurance covers bloodwork through three policy types: accident-only plans (for injury-related tests), accident and illness policies (for diagnostic and treatment bloodwork), and wellness add-ons (for routine preventive testing). Knowing your specific policy type determines your reimbursement options and helps you plan for veterinary costs effectively.
Accident-only policies cover bloodwork only when directly related to treating covered accidents, such as blood tests to check for internal bleeding after a car accident or toxicology tests if your pet ingests something harmful.
Accident and illness plans provide coverage for bloodwork used to diagnose or treat covered illnesses like diabetes, kidney disease or infections. Bloodwork for conditions that developed before enrollment or during your policy's waiting period (typically 14 days for illnesses) won't be covered.
Wellness add-ons cover preventive care including routine bloodwork during annual exams. Most wellness plans set annual limits for lab work and stop covering costs once you reach that amount.
Wellness plans typically don't have deductibles and reimburse up to annual limits, unlike standard accident and illness policies where you must meet your deductible first.
Most pet insurance companies cover bloodwork for accidents and illnesses through their standard policies, while routine bloodwork requires separate wellness plan add-ons from select insurers. Identify which insurers offer the preventive bloodwork care coverage your pet needs using the table:
AKC | $50 annually under Defender, $70 annually under DefenderPlus |
ASPCA | $25 annually under Prime |
Embrace | *$300, $500 or $700 annually under Wellness Rewards |
Fetch | $10 annually under Essentials, $25 annually under Advantage, $30 annually under Prime |
Figo | *$20 annually under Basic, $45 annually under Plus |
Healthy Paws | No wellness plans |
Lemonade | *$180 annually under Routine Vet Care and Routine Vet Care Plus |
Liberty Mutual | Not included in preventive care coverage |
MetLife | *$65 annually under Preventive 365, $100 annually under Preventive 575 |
Nationwide | *$100 annually under Level 2 |
Pets Best | *$90 annually under EssentialWellness, $125 annually under BestWellness™ |
Prudent Pet | $35 annually under High |
Pumpkin | $50 annually under Essential and $100 annually under Premium for Dog Wellness Plans, $75 annually under Prime for Cat Wellness Plans |
Rainwalk | No wellness plans |
Spot | $25 annually under Platinum |
Trupanion | No wellness plans |
Wagmo | $100 annually under Value, Classic and Deluxe |
*Maximum annual benefits also include other health screen tests. Coverage details vary by state and individual policy terms. Pet insurance policies contain exclusions, limitations and terms under which the policy may be continued in force or discontinued. Always review your specific policy documents for exact coverage terms and exclusions before making coverage decisions.
Your standard pet insurance policy covers bloodwork for accidents and illnesses, but routine blood tests require separate wellness plan add-ons. Determine if additional bloodwork coverage makes financial sense for your situation:
Ask your veterinarian what annual wellness blood panels and breed-specific tests cost for your pet. Senior pets may need bloodwork twice yearly, doubling these expenses.
Add up the monthly cost of a wellness plan over 12 months and compare it to your annual bloodwork expenses. Most wellness plans cost $15 to $30 per month, which equals $180 to $360 annually.
Senior pets may need bloodwork twice yearly to monitor organ function and catch age-related diseases early. Younger, healthy pets might only need annual screening, making wellness coverage less cost-effective.
Most wellness plans cover vaccines, dental cleanings and parasite prevention alongside bloodwork. Calculate the total value of all covered services to see if the wellness plan provides overall savings.
If you can afford unexpected bloodwork costs and prefer lower monthly premiums, skip the wellness plan. Choose wellness coverage if you prefer predictable monthly costs and want to spread expenses throughout the year.
Pet insurance provides financial protection for bloodwork directly related to covered accidents or illnesses. Companies like Fetch, Lemonade and MetLife include bloodwork coverage in both standard policies and wellness plans. Purchasing additional coverage for routine bloodwork only makes financial sense if the annual wellness plan cost is less than your expected bloodwork expenses.
Find answers to common questions about pet insurance bloodwork coverage:
Standard pet insurance policies don't cover routine bloodwork for healthy pets unless you add a wellness plan, which typically costs $15 to $30 monthly and provides $10 to $700 annually for bloodwork depending on your provider and plan level.
Pet insurance won't cover bloodwork related to pre-existing conditions, which are health issues that developed before enrollment or during your policy's waiting period.
Standard pet insurance covers diagnostic bloodwork when investigating health problems in senior pets, just like younger animals. Routine wellness bloodwork requires a separate wellness plan, making wellness coverage more valuable for older pets who need frequent monitoring.
Diagnostic bloodwork investigates specific symptoms or monitors known conditions and is covered under standard accident and illness policies, such as testing for diabetes when your pet shows excessive thirst or monitoring kidney function in pets with kidney disease. Routine bloodwork screens healthy pets during annual exams and requires separate wellness coverage.
To file a pet bloodwork claim, pay your veterinarian upfront, then submit your itemized veterinary invoice and medical records through your insurer's mobile app or website for reimbursement based on your policy's reimbursement rate after meeting your deductible. Most companies process bloodwork claims within five to 15 days.
Most pet insurance companies only allow you to add wellness coverage during your annual renewal period, not mid-policy. Add wellness coverage when initially enrolling or wait until your policy renewal date to avoid coverage gaps if you're considering routine bloodwork coverage.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick, a Licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Producer, is MoneyGeek's resident Personal Finance Expert. With over five years of experience analyzing the insurance market, he conducts original research and creates tailored content for all types of buyers. His insights have been featured in publications like CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He's also a five-time Jeopardy champion!
Passionate about economics and insurance, he aims to promote transparency in financial topics and empower others to make confident money decisions.
