If you’re a pet parent, it’s almost inevitable that at some point in your pet’s life, something will happen to them.
Hopefully, you’ve established a relationship with a vet, but sometimes that’s not always the case and things can get expensive quickly.
CEO Anne Tomsic and founder of preventivevet.com, says when it comes to emergency care or assistance, there are many programs out there.
“One of the best resources online is on petfinder.com which is a pet adoption site. They have a great resource of financially friendly resources. You type in your city, zip code and they’ll list lower-cost vet practices, programs, pet food banks, and services that you can take advantage of if you qualify,” Tomsic said.
You can also look locally for financially friendly options.
Vet colleges with clinics are not as expensive as some vets, and you’re helping students.
Look into the Humane Society, they partner with local groups to offer spay and neuter clinics, as well as vaccine clinics.
You can also get help virtually.
“For the most part in any state, you can get guidance and advice online from veterinarians and there are many programs like Just Answer, Dutch Pet, or Vetster where you can go have chats or video calls with veterinarians who can guide you,” Tomsic said.
Just like humans, things like illnesses, injuries, or infections happen to pets, too, sometimes costing up to $20,000 or more. You can’t really avoid it, but you can prepare for it.
“Many hospitals partner with third-party payment plans so that you can pay off their services in incremental fashion. Often there are high-interest rates, so you have to be careful. There are cards like Care Credit so you can apply in advance before any tragedy happens or needs to veterinary services,” Tomsic said.
It takes a village when it comes to taking care of pets and sometimes people turn to crowdfunding, which Tomsic says there are many different platforms.
“There are generic crowdfunding platforms out there but there are specific ones for pets, whether that be Waggle.org or Cofundmypet.com, or another one called Freeanimaldoctor.org which pays your vet directly. There are different platforms out there, look at the contracts and see if they take any fees for any donations that come in,” Tomsic said.
When you head to the clinic, keep in mind they charge based on their location and cost of rent.
Tomsic suggests calling around to find the best price.
If you’re looking for low-cost practices, she suggests Petfinder.com where you can type in your city and zip code to find financially friendly options in your area.
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