The Vets Pet Insurance Review

What Does it Cover?

The company’s Total Wellness plan offers standard non-emergency pet care services for a monthly fee.  If you want to cover emergencies, you’ll need to turn to standard pet insurance. On the plus side, unlike standard pet insurance policies, The Vets’ Total Wellness plan covers pets with pre-existing health conditions. 

The following services are included:

• Sick visits

• Microchipping

• Dermatology

• Wellness exams

• Home lab tests (including blood work, skin scraping, and urine samples)

• Vaccinations (including rabies, canine flu, and feline leukemia)

• Ultrasounds

• Nutrition advice

Note, you can also book The Vets’ services if you’re not a Total Wellness member. If you do so, you’ll pay for any treatment your pet receives on an individual basis.

What Is Not Covered?

As The Vets is designed to offer routine and preventive care, it doesn’t cover emergency treatment such as broken bones or sudden loss of consciousness. However, its booking agents can provide you with recommendations for emergency vets. 

Pricing & Plans

With a monthly fee of $99 per pet, the Total Wellness plan includes:

• Three home visits

• Three pet exams for puppies and kittens

• Two pet exams for adult pets

• Vaccinations

• Preventative treatments (including fleas, ticks, heartworms, and intestinal parasites)

• Lab tests and screenings (including thyroid exams for cats and senior dogs)

With a Total Wellness plan, you’ll receive priority booking for at-home appointments, which means you’re guaranteed to receive a home visit within 48 hours. 

Members also receive unlimited access to the company’s telephone support line, which can provide advice about your pet’s health and well-being.

Unlike most pet insurance companies, The Vets will charge a standard fee on its monthly plan regardless of your pet’s age, breed, location, or medical history.

You can cancel your coverage at any time during the 12-month period by calling the company or providing written notice over email. However, The Vets may charge an additional fee for any treatments you’ve received that go beyond the amount already paid in fees.

One-time treatments

If you pay for your pet’s treatments on a case-by-case basis, the cost will depend on the nature of their health condition.

The price of some of the company's most popular services is listed below.

• Pet exam: $99

• Home visit: $199

• Vaccination: $20-$120

• Blood panels: $123-$400

• Nail trimming: $25-$45

• Heartworm test: $45-$100

• Fecal test: $38-$71

• Anal gland expression: $30-$54

• Ear swab and cytology: $40-$72

These prices are correct as of January 2024 and may be subject to change.

Booking an Appointment

You can book a vet visit over the phone or through the company’s online booking system.

Home visits are typically available Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm, although these hours may vary by location. Depending on availability, you may be able to book a same- or next-day appointment. 

If you’re booking an appointment for the first time, you’ll need to provide:

• Your name

• Your address

• Your pet’s name

• The number of pets needing treatment

• The reason for the visit

If you're a returning customer, the company will access details of your past visits based on the phone number you use to book your appointments.

The Vets will call or text you 24 to 48 hours before your appointment to confirm the time of your vet’s arrival and ask you to complete an initial assessment of your pet’s needs. 

Although The Vets will treat aggressive animals, you should raise any concerns about your pet’s behavior before the visit.

If you’re unable to attend the appointment, you’ll need to provide signed approval for your pet’s treatment in your absence. Another adult will need to be present during the visit.

What to Expect During an Appointment

The vet who visits your home will conduct a thorough examination of your pet, focusing on any specific issues you’d like to address.

Depending on the nature of your pet’s needs, an appointment will typically last between 30 and 90 minutes. Appointments for two or more pets will take between 45 minutes and two and a half hours.

As your vet may also need to see a copy of your pet’s medical records, the company asks that you have these to hand during the visit

Once the vet has finished their exam, they’ll provide you with a copy of any prescription details if needed.

Something I particularly like about the company is that all its vets are Fear-Free Certified, which means they’ve received additional training in reducing animal fear and anxiety levels during an examination.

Customer Support

You can contact The Vets over phone, email, or social media. Customer support hours are Monday-Friday, 8am to midnight, and 8am to 9pm on weekends.

If you contact the company over email, you should receive a response within one to two business days.

When I tested the customer service over email, I received a polite and detailed response within three hours.

The Vets also has a detailed selection of FAQs on its website, which provides a great deal of information on the company’s one-time services and Total Wellness plan.

On top of this, the company provides more general information on animal welfare through its blog. Recent topics have included canine respiratory illness and vet-approved gifts for pets. 

Does The Vets Have an App?

You can download an iOS version of The Vets mobile app from The App Store. 

It allows you to:

• Book, cancel, and reschedule appointments

• Find a suitable vet

• View notes from your vet’s visits

• Access your pet’s medical records

• Share vaccination records

• View lab results immediately

At present, the app has a rating of 5/5 from App Store users. However, it’s important to note that this is based on just nine reviews. Although the number of reviews is limited, most users speak enthusiastically about the app’s ease of use and intuitive layout.

What You Might Like 

When testing the service, I was pleased to see that you can save money on your vet visits if you have multiple pets in your household. Although The Vets typically charges a $199 home visit fee, you’ll only pay this once per visit, regardless of how many pets the vet examines.

If you have a preferred vet who is familiar with your pet’s medical history, you can specifically request they visit your pet when you book an appointment. To do so, you’ll need to call the company directly and speak to one of its booking agents.

Something To Watch Out For

At the time of writing, The Vets is only available in 18 US cities, which means it won’t be suitable for many pet owners.

Also, be aware that the company doesn’t accept payments directly from pet insurance providers. However, you can request an itemized copy of your bill and send this to your pet insurance company for payment (if the provider allows you to do so).

Contact Details 

T: 844-722-VETS

E: support@thevets.com

Bottom Line

With both an annual wellness plan and one-time treatment options, The Vets could allow your beloved pet to receive expert treatment from qualified vets in the stress-free environment of your own home. Although the company doesn’t offer emergency treatments, it does provide all core routine and preventive services available within vet clinics. 

On top of this, its Total Wellness plan gives you peace of mind that most of your pet’s medical needs will be covered by a single monthly fee. Likewise, The Vets’ multi-pet appointments could help those with more than one dog or cat dramatically cut the cost of their at-home appointments.

Methodology

We compiled this review by visiting the company’s website, reading customer reviews, testing its online booking system, and emailing its customer service agents.