Finding help with health care for your pet
Some ways to get help in providing medical care for your pets.
Help for your pets
1.Pet clinical trials2.Student programs3.Veterinarian payment plans4.Helping Pets Fund5.Humane Society grant program6.Pet care insurance7.Practice preventative health care8.Food issues9.Foster homes/breed rescue10.Pet credit card
Pet clinical trials
“There are many clinical studies that are ongoing at The University of Tennessee as there are at other universities,” says Joe Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., a professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “Many clinical studies provide care and treatment and follow-up at no expense to pet owners, while others subsidize the cost of providing the medical care.”
Currently, the university has clinical studies in the areas of cancer, skin diseases, fungal diseases, orthopedic surgery, soft tissue surgery and urinary tract diseases. The list of studies can be found at the school’s Web site.
Investigators and nurses running the studies can be contacted by referring veterinarians or owners of the pets.
To find out more about clinical projects, Dr. Bartges recommends “owners should find the Web site of the nearest veterinary school and look to see which clinic trials are taking place. Pet owners can also do an online search for information related to research about the specific problem their dog or cat may have.”
Student programs
At the University of California, Davis, there are student-run programs, such as the Community Surgery Service and Mercer Veterinary Clinic.
“The Community Surgery Service offers some surgical procedures at reduced cost for owners who are otherwise unable to pay full price,” says Gina Davis-Wurzler, an assistant clinical professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of California, Davis.
This service is offered on a case-by-case basis and eligible patients are referred to this program by their local veterinarians or from services within the teaching hospital.
The Mercer Veterinary Clinic is a volunteer veterinary medical clinic for pets belonging to Sacramento-area homeless people. The clinic also participates in Spay Day, a national event that offers low-cost spay and neuter procedures. The event is staffed entirely of volunteers (veterinarians, technicians and students). Check in your community for these low-cost spay and neuter services.
Veterinarian payment plans
The Humane Society of the United States suggests that pet owners ask their pet’s veterinarian if she will allow you to work out a payment plan. When you can’t afford to pay the entire bill at once, it pays to ask for a weekly or monthly plan.
If your veterinarian will not allow a payment plan for care, contact a local animal shelter because many of them know of local subsidized veterinary clinics or veterinary assistance programs. Animal shelters are listed in the Yellow Pages. You can also check the Web site, www.Pets911.com, and enter your ZIP code to find animal shelters or care organizations in your community.
Helping Pets Fund
An important option for pet owners is to ask their veterinarian to submit an assistance request to the American Animal Hospital Association, or AAHA, Helping Pets Fund.
“In order to qualify, your animal hospital must be AAHA accredited,” says Betsy McFarland, director of communications for the Companion Animal Section of the Humane Society of the United States, or HSUS.
McFarland also recommends pet owners contact their regional office of HSUS. There are 10 regional offices throughout the country, and the staff is often familiar with organizations and programs in your area.