PetFirst Insurance

What PetFirst Insurance does

PetFirst Insurance operates as MetLife Pet Insurance, a U.S. pet health insurance carrier and policy administrator structured under Metropolitan General Insurance Company (a Rhode Island-domiciled carrier) with policy administration handled by MetLife Pet Insurance Solutions LLC. Founded in 2004 and rebranded under the MetLife (NYSE: MET) umbrella following acquisition, the company offers customizable accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats across all 50 U.S. states (subject to regulatory approvals), with products including Dog Insurance (starting at $16/month), Cat Insurance (starting at $7/month), Puppy and Kitten sub-products, a Family Plan covering up to three pets on a shared deductible, and an optional Preventive Care add-on. Underwriting, claims processing, and pricing are parameterized by pet age, breed, location, deductible ($0–$2,500), reimbursement rate (50–90%), and annual limit ($500–$25,000 or unlimited), with claims typically processed within five days.

Name

PetFirst Insurance

Legal name

Metropolitan General Insurance Company

Website

https://metlifepetinsurance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MetLife Pet Insurance (formerly PetFirst) provides customizable accident and illness coverage for U.S. dog and cat owners across all 50 states, with up to 90% reimbursement, a Family Plan, mobile app, and employer group distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Insurance

NAICS

Direct Property and Casualty Insurance Carriers (524126), Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers (52412)

SIC

Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance (6331), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Insurance (FSAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accident & Supplemental (Non-Life) Insurance (FSAJAKAA), Worksite Pet Insurance (FSAIAMAL)

Keywords

• Pet health insurance
• Dog insurance plans
• Cat insurance plans
• Veterinary expense coverage
• Pet wellness plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Jeffersonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pet Insurance Premiums: Monthly or annual subscription-based premiums collected from policyholders for accident and illness coverage, with optional Preventive Care add-on
2. Rewards Program: Policyholders can redeem special offers and discounts on pet care purchases at select businesses through the rewards program

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PetFirst Insurance (operating as MetLife Pet Insurance) sells customizable accident and illness pet health insurance policies for dogs and cats, reimbursing up to 90% of covered veterinary bills. Coverage spans accidents, injuries, illnesses, chronic and hereditary conditions, diagnostics, surgeries, hospitalizations, medications, dental injuries, and alternative therapies. Optional Preventive Care add-on covers routine wellness, and a Family Plan covers up to three pets on one policy with a shared deductible.

Product overview

MetLife Pet Insurance is a comprehensive pet insurance platform offering customizable accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats through multiple product tiers. The core product lineup includes Dog Insurance and Cat Insurance as the primary offerings, supplemented by specialized Puppy and Kitten Insurance products. The company offers a unique Family Plan allowing up to three pets on a single policy with shared deductibles. Optional add-on modules include a Preventive Care Plan for routine wellness expenses. Additional offerings include a Mobile App with 24/7 vet chat capabilities through AskVet integration, and a Rewards Program providing discounts on pet care purchases. The company also provides employer-sponsored group benefit options. Coverage options include reimbursement rates from 50% to 90%, deductibles ranging from $0 to $2,500, and annual limits from $500 to $25,000 or unlimited.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MetLife Pet Mobile App: Mobile application for policy management, claims tracking, and 24/7 vet chat services
• MetLife Pet Rewards Program
• Family Plan
• Preventive Care Plan
• MyPets

Products and services

• Dog Insurance Customized accident and illness insurance plans for dogs of all breeds and ages, starting at $16/month, with reimbursement up to 90% of covered vet bills.
• Cat Insurance Customized accident and illness insurance plans for cats of all breeds and ages, starting at $7/month, with reimbursement up to 90% of covered vet bills.
• Puppy Insurance Specialized insurance coverage designed for puppies, part of the dog insurance offerings with no upper age restrictions.
• Kitten Insurance Specialized insurance coverage designed for kittens, part of the cat insurance offerings.
• Family Plan (Multiple Pets) Family plan covering up to three pets on one policy with a shared deductible and shared annual limit, allowing cats and dogs to be combined on a single plan.
• Preventive Care Plan Optional add-on plan covering routine and wellness expenses including teeth cleaning, spaying/neutering, vaccinations, flea and tick prevention, and parasite prevention up to selected benefit limits.
• Pet Insurance Through Employer Group benefit offering allowing employees to enroll in pet insurance through their employer, with potential pre-existing condition coverage transfer when switching from another provider.
• MetLife Pet Rewards Program Loyalty program for eligible policyholders offering discounts on pet care purchases at select businesses, with up to five MetLife exclusive pet rewards redeemable each calendar year automatically added to MyPets accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% reimbursement on covered vet expenses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• National Forest FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Memorial Tree Program in partnership with National Forest Foundation. Honors every insured pet that passes away by planting a tree in a U.S. National Forest. Expands grief support offerings including counseling services provided by TELUS Health.
• TELUS HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Provides grief support counseling services for policyholders dealing with pet loss as part of MetLife Pet's expanded grief support offerings.
• PetstablishedcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 December 2025Collaboration to integrate pet insurance quotes into the pet adoption process on the Petstablished platform. Initiative aims to make pet coverage more accessible to new pet owners at point of adoption. Supports over 1,000 animal welfare organizations.
• AskVetcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party provider of 24/7 virtual veterinary services available through MetLife Pet App. Veterinarians provide guidance and advice but cannot prescribe medication.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Trupanion: Trupanion is a publicly traded direct pet health insurance carrier offering accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats with vet-direct payment capability. It is the most directly comparable specialty pet insurer to MetLife Pet in product, target customer, and core value proposition.
• Healthy Paws Pet Insurance: Healthy Paws is a direct pet insurance carrier offering customizable accident and illness coverage for dogs and cats with unlimited lifetime benefits. Closely overlaps MetLife Pet in product structure, customizable deductibles, reimbursement rates, and target owner segments.
• Embrace Pet Insurance: Embrace is a direct pet insurance carrier offering accident, illness, and wellness coverage for dogs and cats with a diminishing deductible feature. The diminishing-deductible mechanic is structurally similar to MetLife Pet's deductible-discount feature, making it a direct comparable.
• Fetch by The Dodo: Fetch (formerly Petplan) offers comprehensive accident and illness pet insurance for dogs and cats with broad coverage including dental and behavioral conditions. Directly competes with MetLife Pet on coverage breadth and customizable plan design.
• Pets Best Pet Insurance: Pets Best offers accident, illness, and optional wellness coverage for dogs and cats and is well-known for its BestBenefits direct-pay option at vets. Directly comparable to MetLife Pet in product tiering and target customers.

Emerging players

• Lemonade Pet Insurance: Lemonade is a digital-native insurtech that has rapidly scaled into pet insurance via its mobile-first platform with AI-driven claims processing. It competes with MetLife Pet particularly in the DTC digitally-engaged pet owner segment and represents the technology-driven competition.
• Spot Pet Insurance: Spot offers accident, illness, and preventive wellness coverage for dogs and cats, marketed aggressively on price and customizable coverage. Competes with MetLife Pet in the value-tier segment and represents a digitally-native challenger.
• Pumpkin Pet Insurance: Pumpkin is a digital-native pet insurance startup offering accident, illness, and wellness plans for dogs and cats. Competes in the same digitally-savvy segment as MetLife Pet and represents a newer agile competitor with preventive care bundles similar to MetLife Pet's add-on.

Broad incumbents

• Nationwide Pet Insurance: Nationwide is a top-3 US P&C insurance carrier offering pet insurance (Whole Pet, Major Medical) as part of its broader multi-line portfolio. Comparable as a large-scale pet insurance carrier with the advantage of Nationwide's broader distribution and employer relationships.
• ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: ASPCA Pet Health Insurance (underwritten by Crum & Forster) is a major US pet insurance carrier leveraging the ASPCA brand and shelter partnerships. Comparable in scale, branding strategy, and shelter/rescue distribution angles to MetLife Pet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metlife-pet-insurance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PetFirst Insurance