Jim stood in the exam room, clutching Jimbo — his small Chihuahua — and a $1,500 estimate for the dog’s emergency surgery. He was on a fixed income, and although he had a health care credit card, it was maxed out from another pet’s recent surgery. Jim offered to pay one-third of the cost upfront and the rest over time, but the clinic staff declined, instead suggesting euthanasia.
That’s when Jim reached out to VetBilling to ask for help, and the company’s founder, Suzanne Cannon, replied. VetBilling manages in-house veterinary clinic payment plans. Although Jim’s clinic didn’t use VetBilling, Cannon coordinated a visit with a nearby practice that did.
Jim’s story is not unique. When rising veterinary costs collide with a client’s financial hardship, the result can be devastating for a pet, the owner, and veterinary teams caught in the middle. Pet health insurance, third-party financing, and companies like VetBilling are valuable tools in the quest to improve access to care, but they aren’t perfect.
Charitable funds from nonprofit organizations are available for those who fall through the cracks of typical financing and payment options. However, as access to care becomes an increasingly pressing issue, the veterinary industry must consider new solutions to close the gap between what pets need and what many pet owners can afford.
The Problem
Although pet owners can budget for routine care, unexpected emergencies can trigger a financial crisis for vulnerable families. People in all income brackets feel the strain of rising care costs. A recent PetSmart Charities/Gallup Poll found that half of pet owners have declined necessary care, with most citing cost as the reason. One in 7 pets whose owners could not afford care got sicker or died as a result.
Several options exist to help pay for veterinary care, but each has limitations and barriers to entry. Pet health insurance is one such option. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, about 4% of U.S. pets are covered. Premiums can be steep, especially for older pets, and plans don’t cover preexisting conditions. Most insurance claims are reimbursed after the fact, which means clients must cover the upfront cost of care.
MSPCA Angell in Massachusetts, one of the country’s oldest humane societies, operates a low-cost veterinary clinic and Angell Animal Medical Center, a community and specialty hospital.
Harrison Stenson, Angell AMC’s insurance and donor fund coordinator, is part of a team that helps provide pet owners with access to charitable funds to cover the cost of care at the clinics. He notes that insurance education is one of the most impactful things they do to help the community.
“I sit down with clients and get them quotes for two or three insurance companies that I think are a good fit for them,” Stenson said. “We encourage our veterinary team to recommend insurance, as it helps pet owners avoid making decisions based solely on finances. When more pets are insured, it’s great for clients, pets, and veterinarians.”
Third-party credit services, such as CareCredit and Scratchpay, are widely available. However, they’re credit-dependent, so not everyone qualifies. Borrowing from friends or family might be a viable option for those with strong support systems, and crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Waggle can be useful for individuals with extensive social networks.
Success ultimately depends on timing, luck, and the generosity of strangers. When other options fail, pet owners may turn to charitable funding as a last resort.
Charitable Funds for Veterinary Care
Charitable funding in veterinary medicine is fragmented and variable. Funds range from regional pop-ups supported by one or two private donors to large national organizations with ongoing fundraising efforts and private, branded funds specific to corporate veterinary groups. Most provide small grants to help cover one-time veterinary costs and bridge the gap when pet owners have nowhere else to turn.
RedRover has one of the longest-running national programs offering financial help to pet owners in crisis, called RedRover Relief. “We provide small urgent care grants of around $250 to $300,” said Katie Campbell, RedRover’s president and CEO. “They’re meant to fill a small gap, and we get many, many more applications than we’re able to approve because most of the time, that gap is too large.”
RedRover provides small grants across a wide range of cases to help as many pets in crisis as possible. When the amount isn’t enough, the nonprofit asks its network of private donors, On-Call Angels, to help. Overall, RedRover has provided over $2 million for the care of more than 9,000 pets. It also partners with Tito’s Handmade Vodka to fund spay and neuter surgeries for urgent care grantees, and with Purina’s The Purple Leash Project to help domestic violence shelters build pet-friendly spaces for residents and their pets to escape abuse together.
MSPCA Angell integrates giving more broadly. “With our pet care assistance program, pet owners can apply for financial assistance and be reimbursed for 50% of a bill, up to $1,500,” said Stenson. “If a canine patient needs more help, our partner, KodiakCare, can provide up to an additional $2,000 for lifesaving care. We also have funds for specific situations, such as for older pet owners. And our doctors have access to donated discretionary funds they can use as they see fit.”
Many regional, state, and local versions of these organizations — far too many to list — exist to help form a safety net for pet owners in need. And as donations come and go, so do smaller groups and specific funds. However, this piecemeal system is fragile, and considerable effort is required for pet owners to understand and access it.
The Limits of Charity
Charitable funds are a vital component of the support system, but they’re stretched thin. The amount of money raised and the number of pets helped in a given timeframe are limited. Plus, applying for funding can be time-consuming and emotionally draining, and approvals can take too long in life-threatening situations.
RedRover offers a case management service to worried pet owners who need a calm voice to guide them. “Our case managers are that nonjudgmental voice on the other line who says, ‘I hear you. I know this is really stressful,’” said Campbell. “There’s no judgment; just a loving, compassionate, empathetic voice for pet parents who are stressed.”
When a request is approved, RedRover pays the clinic directly, which helps decrease stress and ensures the funds go where they’re needed. When the organization can’t help, its case managers direct pet owners to other groups that may be able to assist. They also discuss alternatives, such as crowdfunding.
While charity fills a critical gap, limitations prevent it from becoming a cornerstone payment option for pet owners. “There are many small charities where resources are very limited, applications aren’t instantly approved, and pet owners are required to upload pay stubs or tax forms to prove need,” said Cannon, summing up her concerns. “In an urgent situation, it’s not helpful.”
The Future of Charitable Funding
A more resilient and interconnected financial ecosystem could help pet owners and veterinary professionals address cost concerns. Two innovators in the space, VetBilling’s Cannon and MyBalto Foundation CEO Dr. Robert Parkins, are making strides by putting control of funding access into the hands of individual veterinary clinics.
MyBalto offers a decentralized approach to fund distribution by helping veterinary teams operate in-house angel funds. Account set-up is free, so there are no barriers to getting started.
“Our goal is to give every hospital its own free angel fund so they can legally take donations and use them to help pets in need,” said Dr. Parkins, who co-founded MyBalto to address the needs he saw while working as an emergency veterinarian. “We want to take away the red tape. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 2 a.m. emergency — you can approve people for the help they need right away.”
MyBalto also helps with ongoing fundraising efforts and events to ensure its member hospitals have the donations they need. “We had hospitals compete in a bracket-style donation tournament during March Madness,” Dr. Parkins recalled. “We raised $25,000 during that event and over $45,000 during another in June.”
VetBilling is also breaking critical new ground. Cannon’s grassroots, self-funded business takes risk out of the equation for veterinary teams so they can offer payment plans to trusted clients. VetBilling charges a nominal monthly fee to the clinic and a small start-up fee to clients when they open a plan. The clinic decides who gets approved for financing, and VetBilling handles the rest.
“We work really hard to be a supportive friend,” Cannon said. “If a pet owner misses a payment, our default assumption is that something’s going on, so we’ll ask, ‘How can we help?’ We don’t lead with threats or shame because that doesn’t improve outcomes. Instead, we focus on empathy and problem-solving. If needed, we can escalate to collections, but our goal is always to preserve client dignity while helping clinics maintain revenue.”
Education is another key, especially for humane and community-based organizations. MSPCA Angell sees a sizable return on investment with its pet insurance education program and with community partnerships that keep donations coming in.
“I am very proud to work for an organization where we provide so much help,” said Stenson. “When I was part of the team that processed financial assistance applications, I saw several come through every week. We provide significant assistance, and we have our donors to thank for that.”
Becoming Part of the Solution
Pet owners in tough financial situations might find that charitable funding fills a gap for them, while others might struggle to access funds, or think donations should be reserved for those in greater need. Ultimately, charities are only one tool in a patchwork of solutions designed to address access to veterinary care.
“I see access to care as a social justice issue, as a moral issue,” Cannon said. “The veterinary profession has become increasingly misaligned with what pet owners can afford, and every time economic euthanasia happens, it crushes your soul a little bit more. We need to find a way to fix the broken system.”
Charitable funding and access to care initiatives depend not only on the kindness of donors but also on the creativity, compassion, and coordination of the veterinary community. Normalizing conversations around cost, embedding flexible payment systems into practice, educating veterinary teams and pet owners about financial options, and keeping an open mind are good places to start.
Helping pet owners and relaxing traditional rules positively impacts the entire clinic. Dr. Parkins sees MyBalto and others as the solution to economic euthanasia, something he’s looked for throughout his career.
“If you put in a tiny bit of work, you can see huge gains for your hospital,” Dr. Parkins said. “Give your doctors another tool to say, ‘Hey, we don’t have to put your pet to sleep. We have something here for you.’”
With Cannon’s help, Jimbo the Chihuahua got the surgery he needed. “Jim was terrified, and he burst into tears when his long-time clinic suggested euthanasia as an alternative to surgery for his 3-year-old pet,” Cannon said. “Maybe there isn’t a perfect solution to economic euthanasia. But if you can contribute an incremental improvement and help even one pet, that matters.”
WHERE TO TURN FOR HELP
Clients in need of financial assistance can start by contacting local shelters, rescue groups, or SPCA chapters. The following national organizations might be able to assist or direct pet owners somewhere else.
- RedRover
- American Veterinary Medical Foundation’s REACH
- Brown Dog Foundation
- Frankie’s Friends
- The Pet Fund
- Paws 4 A Cure
- GoFundMe
- Waggle
BY THE NUMBERS
- 50% of pet owners have declined needed veterinary care due to cost.
- 1 in 7 pets whose owners couldn’t afford care became sicker or died.
- About 4% of U.S. pets are insured.
- Less than $500 is the typical charitable grant size from national organizations.
STORY ARCHIVE
Check out these Today’s Veterinary Business articles on charitable giving and improving access to care.