Our History
MetLife was founded to help families navigate life’s twists and turns with financial protection, and it’s been doing so for over 150 years. Along the way, we realized that a core piece of the family had been left out. Pets need protection from the unexpected just as much as their humans do, so we began helping to safeguard their futures through pet insurance.
Then, we met PetFirst, a pet insurance company that had been championing pets’ health and happiness for 15 years. PetFirst also poured a lot of support into animal rescues — a cause we felt passionately about at MetLife.
PetFirst felt like a great fit for our mission, so we acquired them in 2020 and launched the new MetLife Pet. Our dog insurance and cat insurance policies now protect pets across the country, while helping to reduce some of the financial worries caused by unexpected vet bills.
In 2023, our commitment to pet health was recognized with the “Pet Insurance of the Year” award from the Pet Independent Innovation Awards.1 It was our second year in a row earning this high honor.
Our Mission
We want to be there for pet parents at every step of their journey and give them the ability to care for their pets with confidence. We also want to:
Empower pet parents to give their pets the best possible health care through our comprehensive plans
Educate pet parents on how to properly care for their pets through our informational blog
Help every pet find their forever home through our shelter partnerships and charitable donations
Who We Are
We’re pet lovers who are determined to treat your furry family members as if they were our own. Because we get it. We’re not only pet parents ourselves, but a group of people who have seen first-hand how pet insurance has made a huge difference in people’s lives.
Many of our team members have veterinary backgrounds. In fact, 90% of our claims adjusters have worked in the field as vet techs, and some still spend weekends working at vet clinics because they feel so passionately about animal care.
And when it comes to ensuring the quality and reliability of our content, we have a committed team of experts who carefully oversee our editorial guidelines to provide you with the most accurate and helpful information.
We also have a team dedicated to animal welfare that partners with local shelters to support their mission of finding homes for dogs and cats. We believe no pet should ever want for care — medical or otherwise.
Community Impact
Animal shelters are particularly near and dear to our hearts. Over 6.3 million cats and dogs enter shelters per year. However, only 4.1 million cats and dogs are adopted annually.2 These sobering statistics are why we’ve donated to and fundraised for more than 500 shelters across the country, ranging from big adoption centers to small foster programs.
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Meet Our Original Pet Friend, Snoopy! Good Grief
Good news! MetLife Pet is partnering with Snoopy to help spread the word about pet insurance. Whether Snoopy is flying planes or blimps, playing football, or traveling to Hollywood, he stays safe with MetLife Pet Insurance. And he wants to make sure other beloved pets are staying safe too! By partnering with Snoopy we hope to reach pet parents across the country and spread the word about the importance of pet insurance for their adventurous and adored cats and dogs.
We help cover injuries, illnesses, pet meds, holistic care, emergencies and more through dog and cat insurance.
Our mobile app gives customers access to a 24/7 telehealth concierge chat.
We can help you keep your pet healthy with our optional wellness plan,3 which can help reimburse4 routine checkups, vaccines, and spaying/neutering.
We constantly look for ways to support pets and their families as they navigate both the good times and the tough times.
Want To Learn More About Pet Insurance?
To help pet parents make more informed decisions about their best friends’ health, we created our pet resource center. In it, you’ll find articles that explain how pet insurance works, comprehensive guides about specific dog and cat medical conditions, and information about your favorite breeds.
Here are some resources we use to ensure our content is helpful and relevant to both our customers and pet parents in general:
- Data from real pet insurance claims to illustrate vet costs and our vet bill reimbursements
- Our Pet Parent Pulse survey to highlight the mindset of pet parents across the country
- Interviews with veterinarians, vet techs, and other medical professionals
- Industry case studies
- Information from respected veterinary sources
Monthly Claims Snapshot
Wondering what we cover? Here’s what a month in MetLife Pet Insurance claims looks like. We used anonymized data from real customers to put together a snapshot of one month’s 17,000+ claims!5
Top three most expensive paid claims for the month
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Thromboembolism care for a German shepherd: $24,200 -
Amputation surgery for a dachshund: $24,200 -
Bite wound care for a yankee terrier: $20,700
Explore Further
See why we have tails wagging on our customer reviews page or press and awards page.
Take the Next Step in Your Research
1 “2022 Pet Insurance of the Year Award” Winners, Pet Independent Innovation Awards
2 “Pet Adoption Statistics – Animal Surrender And Shelter Intake,” World Animal Foundation
3 For IAIC policies, optional Preventive Care coverage is based on a Schedule of Benefits. For MetGen policies, optional Preventive Care coverage is included in the annual limit.
4 Reimbursement options include: 70%, 80% and 90% and a 50% option for MetGen policies and a 65% option for IAIC policies only. Pet age restrictions may apply.
5 All claims paid amounts are based on MetLife internal claims data from October 2022.
Coverage issued by Metropolitan General Insurance Company (“MetGen”), a Rhode Island insurance company, headquartered at 700 Quaker Lane, Warwick, RI 02886, and Independence American Insurance Company (“IAIC”), a Delaware insurance company, headquartered at 11333 N Scottsdale Rd, Ste 160, Scottsdale, AZ 85454. Coverage subject to restrictions, exclusions and limitations and application is subject to underwriting. See policy or contact MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC (“MetLife Pet”) for details. MetLife Pet is the policy administrator. It may operate under an alternate or fictitious name in certain jurisdictions, including MetLife Pet Insurance Services LLC (New York and Minnesota) and MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions Agency LLC (Illinois)
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Virtual veterinary services are provided entirely by AskVet, a third-party partner; MetLife is not responsible for any pet guidance or advice provided or taken through Askvet.