Help With Emergency Vet Bills and How to Pay Them

We would do anything for our fur babies — and that includes dishing out hundreds, even thousands of dollars in life-saving emergency vet procedures. But, once your pet is home safe and recovering as they should, and the bills start showing up in your mailbox, you may feel overwhelmed and start panicking about how you’re going to pay these bills off. Keep reading to learn how you can start paying off and get help with emergency vet bills today.

How to get help paying vet bills

First of all, there’s no need to panic if you need help with emergency vet bills. There are a number of options, amazing charities, and veterinary resources that will help you pay for your pet’s medical bills, including:

Talk to your vet about payment options for emergency vet bills

First and foremost, have a quick chat with your vet about your financial situation and ask if they can offer you a discount on your bill. A lot of vet offices offer payment plans and discounts for cash payments — all you have to do is ask.

Use crowdfunding to get help paying vet bills

A lot of pet owners turn to crowdfunding to raise money for their fur babies’ medical expenses. Share the link to your crowdfunding website with your family, friends, and social media followers, and watch as the donations from people who care about you and your fur baby pour in. Don’t forget to encourage them to share your link with their networks as well to get further help with paying emergency vet bills.

Look into getting pet insurance

For peace of mind and coverage for most accidents and illnesses, look into pet insurance. Do your research to find the best provider and policy to meet your needs.

What do you do if you can’t afford a vet?

If you flat out cannot afford a vet, there are some emergency vet care for free options, including state and federal breed societies and pet welfare groups. You can also find more information on free care options for cats and dogs through your local humane society.

What is considered a pet emergency?

The signs of a pet emergency include:

• Wounds, bleeding and discharge. Especially bleeding coming from the nose, mouth, or rectum and bleeding that won’t stop.
• Trauma like being attacked by other animals or being hit by a car.
• Breathing problems, excessive coughing or choking.
• Pain or difficulty urinating or defecating.
• Eye injuries — eyes that are bloody, full of discharge, or swollen.
• Pain, limping, difficulty standing or walking or displaying extremely anxious behavior.
• Severe vomiting and diarrhea.
• A pet that won’t eat or drink.
• Fever — a rectal temperature of more than 103 °F.

If your pet displays any of the above symptoms or any behavior that seems out of the ordinary to you, take them to an emergency vet ASAP.

Are there any charities that can help with emergency vet bills?

The good news is there are a number of charities that are willing to help with emergency vet bills.

1. Varidi: This charity helps set up payment plans for vet bills based on your budget.
2. United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Veterans with service dogs can get help paying their vet bills with this deferral organization. However, they don’t cover unrelated costs like flea treatments and over-the-counter medication.
3. CareCredit Veterinary Financing: This pet health care credit card allows users to pay for a number of pet medical bills, from routine appointments to emergency surgery. You can use this card multiple times for your pet’s vet care.
4. Scratchpay: When you apply for a payment plan with Scratchpay, they will immediately pay your veterinarian. 
5. GoFundMe: If you’re looking for a crowdfunding option, GoFundMe is a highly credible and user-friendly crowdfunding platform that will allow you to choose what you collect money for.

Organizations that help pay vet bills

American Veterinary Medical Foundation

AVMF provides assistance in the form of grants of up to $5,000.

Bow Wow Buddies

This organization is dedicated to helping sick and injured dogs by providing funds for emergency medical care and vet bills for serious conditions.

Frankie’s Friends

Frankie’s Friends works to find cures and save pets with cancer and other life-threatening conditions.

Handicapped Pet Foundation

This is another organization that provides the gift of mobility by giving wheelchairs to disabled, injured, and elderly pets.

Help-a-Pet

This charity provides financial assistance programs to pet owners who cannot afford vet bills, medicine, and medical supplies for their sick or injured pets.

Magic Bullet Fund

For most dog owners, their dog’s cancer diagnosis comes as a shock that they are not financially prepared for. Magic Bullet raises donations to cover for the cancer care of pups in need of financial aid.

The Mosby Fund

Mosby helps neglected, sick, and abused dogs. Dog owners simply have to apply to have their pup’s procedures and treatments covered.

The Onyx & Breezy Foundation

This fund provides assistance for medical treatments, medication, pet food, and spaying and neutering surgeries as long as you are able to provide proof of low-income and/or need.

 The Pet Fund

To be eligible for the Pet Fund’s nonprofit organization support, your animal must have a non-basic, non-urgent diagnosis, including cancer treatment, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.

RedRover Relief

This fund provides grants for about $200 for situations where your pet needs urgent care.

Waggle

Waggle is another crowdfunding platform but is dedicated to raising funds for pets in need.

Get vet bill assistance today

If you are in need of vet bill assistance, reach out to any of the above-mentioned resources that can help with veterinary bills today. Most places accept online applications that only take a few minutes to complete. You can also apply for several different grants, funds, and programs to help with even the highest vet bills.

Don’t put off vet care for your pets any longer, no matter what your financial situation, all pets deserve to get the care they need and it isn’t worth risking going into debt. In addition to using the services of generous organizations to pay your emergency vet bills, crowdfunding is another excellent option to call on friends, family, and followers to chip in for your vet care.