Affordable pet care is critical to keep your dog healthy. Being a pet owner means you may encounter a situation where an illness or injury racks up large veterinary bills.
So if any of these applies to you or you know of someone that has a pet and could use financial assistance for their pet, such as:
- Help with vet bills and pet medication?
- Need a free spay and neuter clinic?
- Would like affordable vet care?
- In search for veterinary financial assistance?
- Could use low cost pet vaccinations?
Then this list will come in handy.
When the cost of caring for your pup exceeds your finances, you face very difficult and emotional choices. Fortunately, there are resources available to provide financial support to help.
Here are several 501(c)3 registered charity organizations:
Contents
- 1 1. Rose’s Fund for Animals
- 2 2. IMOM
- 3 3. Brown Dog Foundation
- 4 4. The Pet Fund
- 5 5. The American Animal Hospital Association
- 6 6. Harley’s Hope Foundation
- 7 7. Shakespeare Animal Fund
- 8 8. The Onyx and Breezy Foundation
- 9 9. Frankie’s Friends
- 10 10. The Big Hearts Fund
- 11 11. Joshua Louis Animal Cancer Foundation
- 12 12. The Mosby Foundation
- 13 13. Red Rover Relief
- 14 14. Fetch a Cure
- 15 15. Canine Cancer Awareness
- 16 16. Handicapped Pets Foundation
- 17 Other Options & Pet Insurance
1. Rose’s Fund for Animals
If your dog has a good prognosis and is expected to have a healthy life with treatment, Rose’s Fund may be able to help. When an owner or Good Samaritan cannot afford the whole cost of treatment, they can apply for assistance with this charitable organization.
2. IMOM
IMOM.org is another charitable organization dedicated to “helping people help pets.” This organization has sponsored thousands of animals with chronic illnesses that incurred costs their owners could not bear alone. The volunteers also provide spay/neuter clinics for pet owners.
3. Brown Dog Foundation
Brown Dog Foundation, Inc. was founded to help owners with the financial burden of a treatable but life-threatening disease or condition. When your dog needs expensive care or treatment to restore quality of life, and you do not have the resources, Brown Dog may be able to assist you.
4. The Pet Fund
The Pet Fund exists to provide financial aid to owners of pets needing cheap or free veterinary care. They help owners make decisions based on their dog’s well being and quality of life rather than the cost of treatment. The Pet Fund also provides educational resources regarding preventative care and finances to help owners avoid crises.
5. The American Animal Hospital Association
AAHA provides many services to owners of dogs. While their Helping Pets Fund is no longer available, they do have resources to connect you with low cost veterinary care and pet insurance resources that may help reduce the overall cost of treatment.
6. Harley’s Hope Foundation
When your dog is diagnosed with a serious condition, Harley’s Hope can help with treatment costs. This nonprofit organization seeks to help low-income owners, those with service animals and senior citizens with the cost of treatment when their animal becomes seriously ill or injured.
If you live in the Pikes Peak Region, Harley’s Hope may also provide hands on assistance with care and treatment of your dog or short term foster care when you are temporarily unable to care for your dog.
7. Shakespeare Animal Fund
The Shakespeare Animal Fund was founded to help fixed-income individuals with emergency pet care needs. If your income is below the federal poverty guidelines, you can apply for a one time grant to help pay for emergency or even deceased pet care. Its sad but it happens too often.
8. The Onyx and Breezy Foundation
This charity is available to help pet owners in a variety of ways including with financial assistance when your dog needs emergency medical care. The foundation supports spay and neuter clinics, dog rescue organizations, disaster relief and more.
9. Frankie’s Friends
Frankie’s Friends exists to help pet owners bear the cost of providing life-saving emergency care and life-enhancing specialty care. Qualifying families pay a portion of the costs, and this non-profit organization works with the attending veterinarian to help with the balance.
10. The Big Hearts Fund
If your dog has heart disease, you can apply to The Big Hearts Fund for assistance. The board will review your application and determine the amount of money they will grant towards veterinary services for your pup.
11. Joshua Louis Animal Cancer Foundation
If your dog is diagnosed with cancer, contact the Joshua Louis Animal Cancer Foundation. This foundation helps pet owners who cannot afford the costs of cancer treatment. Aid eligibility is determined by foundation guidelines found in the application section of the website.
12. The Mosby Foundation
The Mosby Foundation is another organization formed to assist with caring for dogs in need. If your dog is critically ill or injured, contact this organization to request aid. Due to high demand and limited funds, they will place priority assisting with life-threatening emergencies that are confirmed by the veterinarian.
13. Red Rover Relief
Red Rover helps pet owners who cannot afford the costs of emergency care by providing financial assistance and emotional support. Eligibility requirements are available in the grants section of their website. This non-profit organization also helps victims of domestic violence escape their abusive situation with their pet.
14. Fetch a Cure
Fetch a Cure has a Companions in Crisis Fund available to help assist with the cost of life-saving treatments for pets diagnosed with cancer. This program serves individuals in the state of Virginia. If you are in Virginia and have a dog with a confirmed cancer diagnosis, contact this organization.
15. Canine Cancer Awareness
Canine Cancer Awareness (CCA) seeks to provide dog owners with the knowledge and support they need to get the best treatment possible. If your dog is diagnosed with cancer, and you cannot afford the cost of treatment, apply for a sponsorship with CCA.
16. Handicapped Pets Foundation
The Handicapped Pets Foundation seeks to support the health and quality of life of elderly, disabled and injured pets. If your dog has a disability, this non-profit organization may be able to provide assistance.
They are dedicated to helping animals move and live happy lives primarily by donating mobility equipment such as wheelchairs to dogs in need with hip dysplasia.
Other Options & Pet Insurance
Veterinarian and their assistance do great work, some are angels, but they also need to make a living, which is why caring for your vet can get expensive.
These charitable organizations which are available to families in need of veterinary financial assistance should be a good start to help mitigate some of the costs associated with raising a pup.
There are many other organizations, expert pet resources, and local dog rescue groups that may be able to assist when your dog needs treatment that costs more than you can personally afford. At the very least they should be able to point you to a local and affordable animal care clinic near you.
Affordable pet insurance for dogs is another great option. It can also cover most of the costs associated with your pupper and might be more than enough in some cases. PetPremium would be the first place I would check.
If you can afford health insurance for your dog it would definitely make the year to year expenses less emotionally stressing.
Most of these organizations seek to help in emergency or life-threatening situations, so make sure you have this list handy in case you find yourself in such a dire situation.
You can also contact organizations such as The American Veterinary Medical Association and your state veterinary association for low cost clinics to cover routine treatments and spay/neuter surgeries without needing to tap a Citi health card or a Care credit provider.
