Financial assistance may be available when your pet needs expensive veterinary care – more than you can comfortably afford or more than you can comfortably afford right now. Before making decisions about not treating your pet for a life-limiting illness, use the resources provided here to figure out whether financial assistance is available. 

Talk to your veterinarian

In the face of expensive medical care, talk frankly with your veterinarian about your circumstances.  You aren’t the first to face these challenges and your vet may have ideas or options you haven’t considered.  The decision doesn’t always have to be all or nothing, and a discussion with your veterinarian may reveal options you hadn’t known about. Plus, your veterinarian may be willing to set up a payment plan. 

Many veterinarians offer “paw plans” – a set monthly charge that provides for a wide range of pet care needs.  It generally has to be purchased in advance of a health crisis (that is, the pet must be healthy when the plan is started) and it covers mostly routine visits and tests more related to maintaining wellness than to treating sickness, but it may be an option.

A veterinary college may offer the needed treatment at a lower cost for low-income clients. For a list of accredited veterinary colleges by state, see https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/Accredited-Colleges-March-2021.pdf.

Veterinary organizations may have help available:

• American Animal Hospital Association — http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/
• American Veterinary Care Charitable Fund (the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association [AVMA])— https://www.vccfund.org/

Check with the entity from which you got your pet 

Responsible breeders, for example, may offer a health guarantee. 

Rehoming

Depending on the pet’s situation, rehoming may be an option.  It is unfair to foist a problem on an unsuspecting owner, but it may be possible to rehome even a pet with medical issues through your local humane society or personal efforts (want ads, posters at your vet’s office, etc.). See Is It Time — Rehoming your “pre-loved” pet for more ideas.

Your humane society or veterinarian may be able to help you find organizations or people locally who specialize in particular situations. For example, because of the many misconceptions about an FIV+ cat (Adopt an FIV Cat | The Cat Network, An Impassioned Defense for the Adoption of FIV-Positive Cats | PetMD), some potential adopters may shy away. But others, who understand the disease, may welcome them into a single-cat- or multi-cat household.

Charitable financial assistance

There are charitable organizations created specifically to help pet owners when veterinary care becomes a financial burden or when they are unable to care for their pet.  Google phrases like “help with vet bills” to find the latest information. The organization may limit its services by species or medical condition and will usually not pay for expenses after they have been incurred. Most will require evidence of financial need.

Funding may be available by –

• Diagnosis [e.g. Magic Bullet Fund – Help for Cats and Dogs with Cancer (themagicbulletfund.org), http://www.dccfund.org/ for dogs and cats with cancer],
• Breed [e.g., CorgiAid, Inc. – Funding medical expenses for Corgis in Rescue],
• Income (e.g., Actors and Others for Animals — http://www.actorsandothers.com/, The Mosby Foundation – Helping Dogs Since 2004]),
• State (e.g., Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA — https://aawl.org/content/veterinary-services). Assistance listed by state is available at Are you having trouble affording your pet? | The Humane Society of the United States] and The Ultimate Guide to Financial Aid for Pets | The Simple Dollar.
• Age (e.g., The Top Dog Foundation funds veterinary care for senior dogs only through their Bentley Vet Care Grants program. They accept applications for dogs that are 10 years or older for small breeds and 8 years or older for large breeds.

The Humane Society of the United States doesn’t provide funding to individual animals but it has a remarkable website that lists potential sources of financial assistance by state as well as nationwide and breed [Are you having trouble affording your pet? | The Humane Society of the United States]. Waggle  Pet Funding That Helps With Vet Bills | Animal Welfare Organization (waggle.org) is an example – pet-dedicated crowd-funding.