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We all the know the feeling of the dreaded vet bill, it is probably going to cost more than a deposit on a car and it’s essential.
There are many ways to make your vet bills more affordable or to afford emergency veterinary treatment.
*Please note that all charities have their limits so only use them if you are really in financial need and as a last resort. There are so many animals in need of care and support so if you do need to use their financial support programs I highly recommend making donations at a later date when you can afford too! Pay back the kindness*
Spreading the cost –
By you – Putting a little away each month in a fund to cover any unexpected veterinary fees is a great way to be able to pay for any up front costs or lump sums. Additionally you could reduce costs elsewhere for a few months to cover veterinary costs, e.g. shopping budgeting.
By your vet -If you are up front and honest with your vet from the beginning you may be able to spread the cost of treatment over several months. Alternatively you could offer volunteering hours as alternative payment. Please note that although vets are animal lovers and will help in a lot of ways, they still have to cover their own costs and ultimately it is up to their individual discretion.
Local Charities
Area Specific charities could help you with one off fees in certain situations to help cover emergency bills. Try calling your local shelters or veterinary centres to find out any schemes or help that could be in your area.
Personal Credit
Credit companies that work directly for the purpose of helping you to afford vet bills, which are usually interest free credit to help you spread the cost, an example of these organisations:
UK – Care Free Credit*
US – Care Credit*
*I’m not associated with these companies or offering financial advice, I found them during my research regarding affordability
Insurance
This is more of a preventative measure which is a great way of affording long term illnesses or injuries. A lot of insurance companies will not cover for pre-existing conditions so it is best to get insurance as soon as you can. There are a wide range of cover options and costs you can choose from (I currently pay around £7 per cat for a decent amount of coverage) and it is an inexpensive way to be covered.
UK Charities that offer Financial Assistance
Neutering Costs (more info on neutering here)
Cats Protection provides means tested vouchers for those on a low-income to help towards neutering costs. To find out if you’re eligible call their helpline on 03000 12 12 12 (option 2)
The Dogs Trust – Means tested low cost neutering. To see if your eligible visit their website here.
Towards Vet Fees
PDSA – To find out if you’re eligible visit their website here.
Blue Cross – For those on low income or benefits with sick or injured pets – To check eligibility visit the Blue Cross Website here.
RSPCA – They provide help with basic health care options such as; microchipping, vacinations & neutering: for more information on their services visit their “What We Do” section and to find out if they cover your area visit their financial section.
US Tools to Help With Financial Assistance
State Specific Financial Assistance Programs on bestfriends.org
American Veterinary Medical Association – Accredited veterinary colleges listed by state – Veterinary colleges can provide lower cost veterinary treatment
Humane Society – Local Animal Shelter Search Engine – Animal Shelters may be able to provide a lower cost veterinary service so it is worth giving them a ring.
*Again, please note that all charities have their limits so only use them if you are really in financial need and as a last resort. There are so many animals in need of care and support so if you do need to use their financial support programs I highly recommend making donations at a later date when you can afford too! Pay back the kindness*
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22 comments on “Help With Vet Bill Affordability”
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Charlotte…what a great list of resources. We tried to get vet insurance for Flora, but since she had established herself as an ‘eater’ that was a pre-existing condition that they wouldn’t cover. Ugh..But we wouldn’t trade her for the worldd.
So interesting and useful to know how many different ways there are to spread the cost of properly looking after your pets. Particularly useful to know there are so many great animal and local charities around to help too! Thanks for linking up to #MarvMondays Emily
Vet bills always blow me away. It costs more for our pets to get fixed than it does for our family members! Nice to know that there are ways to spread the costs out if you have to.
I know tell me about it, thanks for the comment. Lets hope this helps other people deal with costs 🙂 x
Charlotte, What a great collection of resources! Pet care is expensive!This will be great help to many!
Blessings and smiles,
Lori
Thanks for your comment Lori – I am trying to help spread the word so animals (and owners) can feel a little less hopeless sometimes 🙂 xx
Hi Charlotte, pets are like family and deserve the best of care although this can be very expensive. I know in Australia there is Pet Medical Insurance however, I didn’t know how it works in other countries. Great information here for pet owners.
It’s fab that there are the same sort of options in Australia! I might do a bit more research see if I can add it in 🙂 x thanks for commenting
What a great post with terrific information! I had no idea there was pet insurance available anywhere at all; and saving aside is a fabulous strategy. Thank you so much for helping us prepare.
Thanks for your comment carrie, I know a lot of people aren’t aware of their options so hopefully spreading the word helps 🙂 xx
Great post! I’m all too familiar with a giant bet bill. This happened this past June when we found out one of our two dogs had a torn ACL/CCL and meniscus. Thirty five hundred dollars later (!!!) he was fixed and now six months later, he’s healed and stronger than ever. In hindsight, I wish we had pet insurance but that’s hindsight for you…. Our regular vet is pretty good and if you need help you can split payments over time… I’ve found most are pretty understanding if you’re up front.
oh no! glad he’s healed, hindsight is wonderful – before we had vet insurance one of our cats fell out of a window and that was a pretty large vet bill, since then I made sure I knew we were covered 🙂 Thanks for commenting x
Before we moved, we had an amazing vet who wonderful about allowing us to make payments on any unexpected vet care for our doggies. He was also great about prioritizing services. Some shots, for example, can be postponed if you dog doesn’t go to the dog park.
Charlotte, these are great tips, before we get another puppy I will be checking into these in our area. Pets are the greatest, but they can be expensive. I want another dog, we loved ours so, and I want the kids to have the benefit of the love they give! Sharing this so others can have this info! Great post.
Thanks so much for commenting – I hate to see animals who can’t be cared for and the amount of people who don’t have access to this information is so sad x
This is great info for pet owners. Pet bills here in the US are very high, too. I love the services of the Humane Society.
Vet bills are costly. I didn’t know about any of the services that may help with vet bills, except the humane. I know they have some low cost clinic’s for spaying and neuturing. Here in Texas a lot of the feed stores and fire departments offer low cost shots. So that helps out a lot for those kind of things. Thanks for this information and links, hopefully I will never need to use it, but it is good to know help is there.
Wow I didn’t realise some fire departments offer low cost shots too that so lovely! wish we had that in the UK, we do have other services though xx thanks for commenting xx
Pets are so special and being able to afford their care is essential, thankgoodness their are organisations to help #MarvMondays
Hi Charlotte, when a pet gets sick it the bills can soon mount up. If we lived in the UK we would have insurance cover for sure. We don’t have that option over here, but luckily the medical assistance seems a lot cheaper here (I have often wondered if that has anything to do with there being no pet insurance option!).
Putting a little money aside each month/ week is also a great idea. I also wouldn’t hesitate to mention if money was tight to our vet as she knows us; but I would only do that if really necessary.
Great post as our pets are part of the family.
xx
I completely agree! – working for an animal charity has really opened my eyes to how little people know about their options when it comes to pet care! thought I would spread some knowledge 🙂 Have a great Christmas xx