Does Pet Insurance Cover Bloodwork?


Key Takeaways
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Standard pet insurance coverage includes bloodwork for diagnosing illnesses and treating covered conditions, with optional wellness plans covering routine annual tests.

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Major companies like Fetch, Lemonade and MetLife offer comprehensive bloodwork coverage through standard policies and optional wellness plans.

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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.

How Does Pet Insurance Work for Bloodwork?

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.

What Covers Bloodwork?

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.

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    Accident-only plans

    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.

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    Accident and illness policies

    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.

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    Wellness plans

    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.

Who Has Bloodwork Coverage?

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:

No wellness plans
No wellness plans
No wellness plans
Not included in preventive care coverage
$10 annually under Essentials, $25 annually under Advantage, $30 annually under Prime
*$20 annually under Basic, $45 annually under Plus
$25 annually under Prime 
$25 annually under Platinum
$35 annually under High 
$50 annually under Defender, $70 annually under DefenderPlus
$50 annually under Essential and $100 annually under Premium for Dog Wellness Plans, $75 annually under Prime for Cat Wellness Plans
*$65 annually under Preventive 365, $100 annually under Preventive 575 
*$90 annually under EssentialWellness, $125 annually under BestWellness™
*$100 annually under Level 2 
$100 annually under Value, Classic and Deluxe
*$180 annually under Routine Vet Care and Routine Vet Care Plus
*$300, $500 or $700 annually under Wellness Rewards

*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.

Compare the top pet insurance companies with bloodwork coverage to determine the best option for your pet:

Do You Need Bloodwork Coverage?

Your standard pet insurance policy covers bloodwork for accidents and illnesses, but routine blood tests require separate wellness plan add-ons. Determine if pet insurance is worth it for bloodwork coverage.

  1. 1
    Calculate your annual routine bloodwork costs

    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.

  2. 2
    Compare wellness plan costs to your expected 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.

  3. 3
    Consider your pet's age and health needs

    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.

  4. 4
    Factor in other wellness benefits

    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.

  5. 5
    Evaluate your budget and risk tolerance

    If you can afford unexpected bloodwork costs and prefer lower monthly premiums, skip the wellness plan. Get pet insurance with an optional wellness coverage if you prefer predictable monthly costs and want to spread expenses throughout the year.

Does Pet Insurance Cover Bloodwork: Bottom Line

The best 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.

Is Bloodwork Covered by Pet Insurance: FAQ

Find answers to common questions about pet insurance bloodwork coverage:

Does pet insurance cover routine bloodwork for healthy pets?

Are pre-existing conditions covered for bloodwork?

Is bloodwork covered for senior pets?

What's the difference between diagnostic and routine bloodwork coverage?

How do I file a claim for pet bloodwork?

Can I add wellness coverage after enrolling in pet insurance?

About Connor Bolton


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Connor Bolton is Senior SEO and Content Manager at MoneyGeek, where he leads the business and pet insurance editorial teams. As editorial lead for both verticals, Connor sets the research framework, data standards, and content structure that his writers execute, directly authoring in-depth guides himself and reviewing all team content for accuracy and practical value before it goes live. With over four years evaluating insurance products across personal, commercial, and specialty lines, he brings cross-vertical knowledge to every guide the team produces.

Connor architected MoneyGeek's insurance research infrastructure across all major verticals including auto, home, renters, life, health, business, and pet, building systems for pricing analysis, provider-level research, customer experience evaluation, and coverage analysis with AI support. The infrastructure includes over 6 million data points for business insurance across 408 industry areas, all 50 states, and 16 vehicle types, and over 5 million pet insurance profiles across 18 major providers and hundreds of breed and age combinations. Connor's insurance cost research and his team's work has been cited by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, CBS News, Forbes and LegalZoom.

Beyond the data, Connor stays connected to how the market actually operates, drawing on direct conversations with underwriters and carrier liaisons at Ethos, The Hartford, NEXT Insurance, Nationwide, and State Farm, and monitoring business and pet owner communities including Reddit, to inform how he interprets findings and frames guidance for real buyers.

He is the direct editorial contact for methodology questions at connor@moneygeek.com and can be found on LinkedIn.