Working with Veterinarians
- Negotiate a payment plan with your vet. If you're a client in good standing, they may be happy to work out a weekly or monthly payment plan. However, a vet you've never visited may not agree to such a plan.
- Get a second opinion. You may pay a consultation fee, but another vet may have other, less expensive ways to treat your pet.
- Use a vet in a less expensive area. Vets in smaller towns may charge lower fees.
- Check out local veterinary schools. Many run low-cost clinics for limited income clients.
Fundraising and Temporary Credit
- Ask if your veterinarian accepts Care Credit, a credit card specifically for health care expenses, including health care for pets.
- Try a fundraising platform such as GoFundMe, which enables you to create a personal fundraising page.
- Consider Waggle, a pet-dedicated crowdfunding solution that channels funds directly to verified veterinarians for a pet’s care.
- Scratch Pay www.https://scratchpay.com
Nationwide Assistance
Each of these national organizations provide financial assistance to pet owners in need. They are independent and have their own set of rules and guidelines, therefore, you will have to investigate each one separately to determine if you qualify for assistance:
- American Veterinary Medical Foundation: (veterinary care charitable fund)
- Bow Wow Buddies
- Canine Cancer Awareness
- Frankie’s Friends
- Handicapped Pet Foundation
- Help-a-Pet
- Joshua Louis Animal Cancer Foundation: (grants can only be provided for pets under the care of a board-certified veterinary oncologist)
- Land of Pure Gold Foundation: (cancer treatment grants for working dogs (e.g., assistance, search and rescue, animal-assisted therapy, etc.)
- Magic Bullet Fund: (cancer-specific)
- The Mosby Fund
- The Onyx & Breezy Foundation
- The Pet Fund
- Pets of the Homeless: (pet food and veterinary care assistance for homeless)
- The Riedel & Cody Fund: (support for pets suffering with cancer)
- RedRover Relief
- Shakespeare Animal Fund
- Waggle: (a pet-dedicated crowdfunding solution)
- Waggle Foundation
California
- The ACME Foundation: Lake County (veterinary care assistance for senior and disabled pet owners)
- Actors and Others for Animals: Greater Los Angeles area (emergency medical assistance)
- Animal Health Foundation Angel Fund Grant Program: Los Angeles and Orange Counties (veterinary care assistance)
- California Department of Social Services Assistance Dog Special Allowance (ADSA) Program: Statewide (provides monthly stipend to eligible people who use a guide, signal or service dog)
- The Chester Foundation: Sacramento region (veterinary care assistance)
- Compassion without Borders: Northern California (discounted veterinary wellness)
- FACE Foundation: San Diego (emergency veterinary care assistance)
- Haven Humane Society: Redding (discounted wellness care)
- Keep Your Pet: Sacramento (maintains list of veterinary care assistance)
- Palo Alto Humane Society: Palo Alto (veterinary assistance)
- PALS: Sonoma County (support for those with AIDS)
- PAWS/LA: Hollywood (services for those with HIV/AIDS)
- PAWS San Francisco: San Francisco (free and subsidized veterinary care)
- Pet Orphans of Southern California: Van Nuys (discounted veterinary wellness)
- Placer SPCA SOS Program: Placer County (veterinary care assistance)
- Sammie's Friends: Grass Valley (veterinary care assistance)
- San Francisco SPCA Animal Hospital: San Francisco (veterinary care assistance and discounted veterinary hospital)
- SHARE Marin Humane Society: Novato (veterinary care assistance)
- Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation: Contra Costa County (veterinary assistance)
- Voice for the Animals Foundation Helping Friends Program: Santa Monica (veterinary care assistance)