The Best Ways to Get Help With Vet Bills

If you have been to a veterinarian recently, then you know that veterinary care can be expensive. 

Pet dental care can be especially expensive—the cost for dental work can easily exceed a thousand dollars.  

Another area where vet costs can be a barrier is with long-term medications for chronic conditions like Cushing’s disease or arthritis. 

And sometimes out of nowhere, your pet is in need of a life-saving surgery, and you’re left with limited time to plan your budget for their health accordingly.  

It’s difficult when you want to provide the best care for your pet but must make decisions based on what you can afford. 

How To Get Help With Your Vet Bills

Let’s look at several ways to get help with vet bills so that your pet can get the care they need. 

Invest In Pet Insurance Early 

Pet insurance is somewhat like health insurance for humans. 

The most common types are accident-only and accident and illness policies. If you don’t have an emergency savings fund in place to help with vet bills, then pet insurance might be a good option for you. 

Getting pet insurance early is recommended, as puppies and kittens are accident-prone, and you'll want to be covered in the case of a serious accident or illness.  

Additionally, many pet insurance companies have policies surrounding pre-existing conditions. If your pet has been diagnosed with a medical condition before you obtain coverage, then any future treatments and medications may not be covered. 

Pet health insurance policies vary widely, so it’s important to do your research before you settle on a policy or company. Each pet insurance company has an online tool to help you compare plans. 

Unlike health insurance for people, pet insurance companies usually require you to pay up-front for a veterinary bill, and then you submit a claim for that bill. 

The company reviews the claim and sends a reimbursement check to cover the out-of-pocket expenses that are covered by your policy, less the deductible and co-insurance percentage. 

The exception to this rule is if you have Trupanion and your veterinarian uses Trupanion Express. In this case, the company pays the veterinarian directly. 

Another difference with pet insurance is that wellness visits and preventive care are covered by separate plans. 

Many companies offer these pet wellness plans for routine vaccines and annual exams, but you should take time to check what’s covered. 

Ask Your Vet About Approach to Treatment Plans 

Your veterinarian is aware of the rising costs of veterinary medical care and will do their best to partner with you to provide the best care available to your pet within your financial means.   

You can ask your vet about a good, better, best approach to treatment plans. This approach provides you with their top option but one to two other options that might be more cost-effective and can still help your pet.   

Your vet should provide you with estimates for each option so you can pick what is best for you.  

Ask Your Vet About Payment Plans 

When presented with the bill for services, don’t be shy about asking for payment alternatives such as a payment plan. 

Payment plans are a good option for you to explore if offered by your veterinarian. Although not as common as some of the other financing options, some practices still offer these services. 

And, while not technically a payment plan, monthly wellness payment plans may be an option. 

Many practices are adopting wellness plans as a preventative measure, aimed not only at helping with monthly budgeting expenses, but also as a means for a more affordable way to provide the necessities for your pup associated with preventative medical care, services like vaccines and deworming.  

And many have discounted or covered office visits and blood work, or even a yearly dental cleaning.  

If you find yourself in a bind over vet bills, another option is CareCredit.com. 

CareCredit is a healthcare financing credit card that can be used for people and veterinary payments. 

They usually have interest-free promotions if you qualify. 

If you make minimum monthly payments and pay off your balance within the promotional period (anywhere from six months to 24 months), then the loan is interest-free. However, if you do not pay it off within the specified period, there is a hefty penalty in deferred interest charges—read the fine print. 

CareCredit approval depends on your credit score, so you may not get approved if you have bad credit, or you may only qualify for an amount that does not cover the entire bill. 

However, you can get creative and organize multiple people to apply for multiple CareCredit lines and combine the amounts to pay for needed care.  

Wells Fargo also has a healthcare financing credit card that works for vet costs. Either way, you can apply for the line of credit even if you don’t currently need it, so that it will be there for you in the event of an emergency. 

Take Out a Loan 

If you can qualify for a personal loan, it may be less expensive than putting the expense on a credit card and paying it out over time. 

You can apply for personal loans online, and you may be approved the same day, which is very handy for emergency medical needs. 

The money can be used to pay for the veterinary bill and any other needs your pet has (for example: an orthopedic bed, prescription medications, or rehabilitation therapy at another hospital). 

Check with local credit unions to see their criteria for getting a personal loan. 

Create a Crowdsourcing Page 

While everyone knows of GoFundMe, there is a transaction fee of 2.9% and 30 cents automatically deducted from each donation. For pets, though, there is an alternative called Waggle.org. 

Waggle works with veterinarians, sponsors, donors, and pet parents to provide donations to some pets, but the main purpose is to crowdfund for pets with medical needs. 

All the money raised is made available directly to the veterinarian for the pet’s medical bill. 

Compare Pet Pharmacies 

When your pet needs expensive medications for an ongoing condition, sometimes it pays to shop around for pharmacies with less expensive options. 

Chewy has an extensive pharmacy at reduced prices for your pet’s needs. If you cannot find what you need online, try looking for what you need at your local pharmacies with GoodRx. It is a free discount card, which includes pets as part of your family! 

You can also check prices online before heading to the pharmacy. 

Look Into Charitable Organizations 

Vet bills can be overwhelming, and sometimes you just need a helping hand. Fortunately, there are many charitable organizations that exist to help pet parents. 

The Pet Fund, the Brown Dog Foundation, and Frankie’s Friends Charitable Pet Foundation are three organizations that help with vet bills. You will need to apply for help. Aid is income-based, and funds are not available for emergency care. 

The GoFundMe website has a comprehensive list of additional organizations that help cover veterinary bills for people in need. The Humane Society of America has information on how to find assistance with pet food, paying bills, and housing, as well as national and state options for veterinary care assistance, as does the American Veterinary Medical Association. 

Don’t be afraid to ask your veterinary office for additional resources. Many veterinarians have funds set aside to help people in a financial crisis, or they may know of local organizations. 

The AVMF (American Veterinary Medical Foundation) also helps by providing grants and assistance through disaster relief, charity, and crisis support. 

The Veterinary Care Foundation is a charitable foundation that helps veterinary practices fund their discounted and no-charge cases.  

Pet Help Finder also has a tool to help find financially friendly vet care and food pantries for pets.

Other Vet Bill Assistance Resources

Veterinary Payment Plans 

Scratchpay is an online payment plan for veterinary costs that can be used for any species. It's not a credit card or a line of credit, so it doesn’t rely on your credit score or affect your credit score, and more pet parents get approved. 

Scratchpay has a high approval rating with no hidden fees and no deferred interest. 

However, the vet clinic must be registered with Scratchpay. Like CareCredit, Scratchpay pays the veterinarian up-front, and then you make payments to Scratch Pay. 

You have several options for payment. If you pay 20% right away and pay the balance in full within 60 days, you won’t pay any interest. 

Or you can choose to pay monthly over a period of 12 or 24 months, with the interest already figured into the payments. 

State-specific veterinary assistance resources are also an option.  Some work in conjunction with humane societies or have nonprofits that care for pet parents with low income (including pet emergency services), free services for homeless individuals, or those living in certain other conditions. 

Breed-specific rescue groups may be another option to reach out to for financial assistance. 

Some rescues partner with veterinary clinics to receive discounted care and medications, which may be an option if your dog requires lifelong medications. 

Manufacturer Rewards Program 

If your dog requires chronic medication, ask your veterinarian or contact the manufacturer of the medication to see if they have a rewards program. 

Zoetis employs a Petcare Rewards program where you earn points for each medication you purchase, which in turn can be saved and used for future medication expenses or veterinary care.  

Low-Cost Clinics 

Also, talk with your veterinarian, as they may be able to refer you to a neighboring clinic that offers lower-cost services and surgeries. 

Veterinary care is expensive, but fortunately there are multiple financing options available. 

Remember, when presented with the estimate or bill for the veterinary care your pet needs, don’t be afraid to speak up and ask if the practice offers any type of financial assistance. They can help direct you to a website or to an application to fill out. 

Starting to research lines of credit or getting pet insurance will ease the burden when one day you are faced with a veterinary emergency.