Where to get financial help when you need it most.
Service dogs get sick too. Even if she is not suffering from an acute illness at this time, your service animal deserves regular physical checkups and attention. Health and well being of your service dog are of utmost importance to you and to him. But veterinary services have become very expensive as we animal owners all know.
Low cost vaccination is available at veterinary clinics in cooperation with animal shelters. Some vets in private practice also offer low-cost vaccination at least once a month. But for bills for emergency treatment of your animal or other major bills little relief can be found. True, there is pet health insurance, but it is riddled with exclusions and the ubiquitous preexisting conditions. It also can have rather substantial “co-pays” that make it in many cases a poor solution for a vexing problem.
Pet owners with low income or on fixed incomes may be able to garner assistance from several agencies that help you pay for pet care. Those of us with a service dog to assist us with certain daily tasks should not hesitate to contact some of the following agencies for help.
I found this list on Lisa's Sharebook (care2.com/c2c/share/detail/300198). Here is the list of agencies that may be able to help you pay for a vet bill. Let us also remember that these benevolent agencies always have a need for funds. Please keep them in mind when you decide to donate funds for a good cause.
American Animal Hospital Association
http://www.aahahelpingpets.org/home
" Through the AAHA Helping Pets Fund, veterinary care is possible for sick or injured pets even if they have been abandoned or if their owner is experiencing financial hardship."
Angels 4 Animals
http://www.angels4animals.org/
"Our services range from financial aid to complete treatment
to those pets and pet owners in need."
Care Credit
http://www.carecredit.com/
A credit card company for health care, including veterinary care.
"With a comprehensive range of plan options, for
treatment or procedure fees from $1 to over $25,000, we offer a plan
and a low monthly payment to fit comfortably into almost every
budget."
(This may not work for low income pet owners at all. Owners still remain responsible for the vet bill and must repay the 'credit card' balance. It is essentially a method to defer payment or to stretch payments over time, not an assistance program.)
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance (FVEAP)
http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/
"Seniors, People with disabilities, People who have lost their job, Good Samaritans who rescue a cat or kitten - any of these folks may need financial assistance to save a beloved companion."
The Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program is a nonprofit 501
(c)(3) organization that provides financial assistance to cat and
kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save
their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes.
God's Creatures Ministry
http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html
"This fund helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help."
Help-A-Pet
http://www.help-a-pet.org/home.html
"Our efforts focus on serving the elderly, the disabled, and the working poor."
(This looks like a good place to look for help with bills for veterinary care of your service dog.)
IMOM
http://www.imom.org/
"We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged."
The Pet Fund
http://thepetfund.com/
"The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need urgent veterinary care."
Though I am publishing the list mainly for those who need help with veterinary bills for true service dogs, the organizations on this list do not discriminate. They help all animals whose owners need a helping hand to pay their vet bills. Maybe those of us who can “spare a quarter” could send a dollar or two to one of these groups in return for their good hearts.
PJJ
PS: Just found this URL: http://www.felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm. The list many of the groups shown above but add a few, mainly cat related, websites to the list.
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