How Much Does Pet Telehealth Cost? Dutch's $199 Plan, Pawp's $99, a $65 TelaVets Visit and What State Law Lets a Video Vet Prescribe
When a dog starts scratching at 10 p.m. or a cat stops eating on a Sunday, a $50-to-$250 in-person exam is not the only option anymore. Pet telehealth apps promise a video visit for a fraction of that, and the pricing models are all different: a flat yearly membership, a fee per visit, or a monthly plan with an emergency fund bolted on. This guide compares the published prices of five services, explains why the numbers are not directly comparable, and lays out what a video visit legally cannot do in some states. One caution up front: most of the plan prices below come from a comparison page published by Dutch, one of the companies being compared, so check each company's own site before you buy.
The average: $30 to $60 for a virtual visit
A local news report from April 2026 put the average virtual vet visit at $30 to $60, against $50 to $250 for a typical in-person visit. That gap is the reason the category is growing: the same report cited a Gallup finding that 52% of U.S. pet owners skip needed veterinary care because of cost. A video visit is cheaper partly because there is no exam room, no lab equipment, and no hands-on examination. That last point matters more than the price.
Dutch: $199 a year for unlimited video visits
Dutch's comparison page lists its own plan at $199 a year, with unlimited video visits and follow-up messaging and no per-visit fee, covering up to five pets. It also advertises free shipping on prescriptions, price-matched against other U.S. pharmacies. The plan is a flat annual fee, so it only pays off if you actually use it: a household that calls once a year may spend more than a single pay-per-visit consult.
Pawp: $99 a year, then separate fees for prescriptions
Pawp is listed at $99 a year for 24/7 consults with veterinary professionals. The catch is on the prescription side: where a prescription is allowed, it requires a separate visit that starts at $35 in eligible states. Pawp also sells an optional emergency fund add-on at $19 a month. That add-on is a savings-style benefit, not insurance, so it should be compared against the cost of a monthly premium rather than counted as coverage.
Vetster, TelaVets and Chewy: pay per visit
The pay-as-you-go options are priced differently. Dutch's page lists Vetster at $102 and up per visit, or a $120-a-year plan that includes four appointments plus technician chat, with a pharmacy fee of $7 to $14. It lists TelaVets at a flat $65 per visit, available 24/7. It lists Chewy's free chat, staffed by veterinary technicians who cannot diagnose or prescribe, and paid video visits at $49.99 in about seven states. Other sources quote Vetster starting lower, around $35, so treat the figure as a starting point and confirm on the provider's own pricing page.
What a video visit can treat, and what it cannot
Dutch's chief medical officer told the same news report that virtual visits handle common problems such as allergies, itchy skin, flea and tick prescriptions, ear infections, upset stomach, urinary tract infections and eye irritation. They cannot replace lab tests, hands-on evaluation or emergencies. Active bleeding and difficulty breathing need an in-person emergency clinic, and so do certain urinary problems in male cats; the cost of that route is covered in our emergency vet visit guide.
State rules change what you can buy
Telehealth is regulated state by state. The report notes that Missouri requires a veterinarian-client-patient relationship, meaning the vet must examine the pet in person before prescribing medication, and that Illinois does not permit telemedicine for treatment, though consultations and follow-ups are allowed. If your state has such a rule, a subscription may cover only advice and not prescriptions. If a prescription is written, you may be able to fill it elsewhere, as explained in filling a pet prescription outside the clinic.
A simple way to compare: your likely number of visits
Take the plan prices and divide them by the visits you expect. At one visit a year, a $65 TelaVets consult beats a $199 annual plan. At five visits, the annual plan costs about $40 a visit. A video visit does not replace a wellness exam, and it does not create insurance coverage; see wellness plans versus insurance for how prepaid products differ. Prices were taken from Dutch's comparison page and an April 2026 local news report and may have changed.
This guide covers costs and policies only. It is not veterinary advice; contact a veterinarian or an emergency clinic right away if your pet is in distress.
All content is fact-checked under our editorial standards.