Recessionary Times For Cat Lovers

Here is a brilliant article from http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/what_you_can_do_if_you_are_having_trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html, longer than I usually post with lots of suggestions and help for those feeling the pinch in these recessionary times where we all need our pets to live as healthily as possible and where better to start than with their diets.? Article is from The Humane Society Of The United States, a great place to get help with all your pets large or small. How many of us have health insurance for our pets to ward off the worst of those vet's bills?

What You Can Do If You Are Having Trouble Affording Veterinary Care ©iStock.com Help for Pet Health Care Costs Many pet owners, at one point or another, are faced with unexpected veterinary bills. Veterinary medicine has advanced to such a degree that caregivers have new, and often expensive, options for the care of their ailing pets. Although the cost of veterinary care is actually very reasonable in comparison with the much higher cost of human health care, an unexpected medical emergency can present a major financial dilemma for an unprepared pet owner. Having Trouble Affording Your Pet? There are groups that can help. The Humane Society of the United States recommends that, in addition to preparing for routine pet-care costs, you regularly set aside money to cover for unexpected veterinary bills or consider pet health insurance. For example, create a special "pet savings account" and contribute money to it on a regular basis. Another great option is to purchase a pet health insurance policy. The HSUS has partnered with Petplan USA, to offer great saving to our members. Petplan USA is affiliated with Petplan UK—the world's largest and most trusted pet insurance company. It's recommended by more pet owners and veterinarians than any other. Use whichever option works best for you. The important thing is to have a plan and stick to it. If, despite your planning, your pet incurs major veterinary expenses that you have trouble affording, consider these suggestions: • Ask your veterinarian if he or she will let you work out a payment plan. Many veterinarians are willing to work out a weekly or monthly payment plan so that you do not have to pay the entire cost of veterinary care up front. • Contact your local shelter. Some shelters operate or know of local subsidized veterinary clinics or veterinary assistance programs. You can find the name and number of your local shelter in the Yellow Pages of your phone book under "animal shelter," "animal control" or "humane society," or by calling Information. You can also go to Pets911.com and enter your zip code to find a list of animal shelters, animal control agencies, and other animal care organizations in your community. • If you have a specific breed of dog, contact the National Club for that breed. (The American Kennel Club, akc.org, has a list of the national dog clubs.) In some cases, these clubs offer a veterinary financial assistance fund. Additionally, The HSUS has a list of breed-specific assistance groups. • There are some organizations that offer assistance locally (by state or community). See our state-by-state (including Canada) listing. • The HSUS also has a list of organizations that provide assistance to senior, disabled or ill pet owners. • Ask your veterinarian to submit an assistance request to the American Animal Hospital Association's (AAHA) "Helping Pets Fund." In order to qualify, your animal hospital must be AAHA accredited. To learn more about the program visit the AAHA web site. To find an AAHA accredited hospital in your area, search online at Pets911.com. • If you bought your dog from a reputable breeder, check your contract to see if there is a health guarantee that covers your pet's ailment. • Check with veterinary schools in your state to see if they offer discount services to the public. You can find a list of veterinary schools in the Education section of the American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) website, avma.org. • Use your credit card. Ask for a higher credit limit or a cash advance. • Call your bank. Ask about loan programs or other options they can suggest that might be helpful in your situation. • Ask your employer for a salary advance. • Alert family and friends and ask them each for a $25 loan. • Consider taking on a part-time job or temping. • Contact Care Credit at www.carecredit.com • Apply for a Citi Healthcard at www.healthcard.citicards.com • Start your own fundraising collection at www.fundable.com Given the current state of the economy, many pet caregivers are in need of basic necessities such as pet food. If you find yourself in this position, be sure to contact your local humane societies as some organizations have started their own pet food bank program. In addition, you can visit petsofhomeless.com/members.htm to view a state-by-state listing of food banks that are offering pet food for the pets of the homeless and disadvantaged. The following is a list of organizations that provide financial assistance to pet owners in need. Please keep in mind that each organization is independent and has their own set of rules and guidelines. Therefore you will have to investigate each one separately to determine if you qualify for assistance: IMOM Inc., IMOM.org Help-A-Pet, help-a-pet.org The Pet Fund, thepetfund.com Good Sam Fund, goodsamfund.org United Animal Nations LifeLine Fund, uan.org Angels for Animals, angels4animals.org Brown Dog Foundation, browndogfoundation.org/home Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program, fveap.org Feline Outreach, felineoutreach.org Cats In Crisis, catsincrisis.org The Perseus Foundation (Cancer specific), PerseusFoundation.org Canine Cancer Awareness, caninecancerawareness.org Cody's Club (Radiation treatments), codysclub.bravehost.com/ Diabetic Pets Fund, petdiabetes.net/fund/ The Mosby Foundation, themosbyfoundation.org Magic Bullet Fund (Cancer Specific), themagicbulletfund.org The Binky Foundation, binkyfoundation.org God's Creatures Ministry Veterinary Charity, http://www.all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html Please remember that, depending on the severity of your pet's illness or injury, you might still lose your pet even after great expense. Discuss the prognosis and treatment options thoroughly with your veterinarian, including whether surgery or treatment would just cause your animal discomfort without preserving a life of good quality. Also remember that a little preventive care can go a long way. Having your pet spayed or neutered, keeping her shots up to date, and keeping your pet safely confined can prevent serious and costly health problems. If you have trouble affording the cost to spay or neuter your pet, contact your local animal shelter. They might operate a clinic or know of a local clinic that offers subsidized services. Unfortunately, due to our limited resources as a nonprofit animal protection organization, The HSUS does not provide direct financial assistance to pet owners for veterinary or other expenses. If you know of any veterinary assistance programs or services that we have not included here, please let us know by calling 202-452-1100. Breed Specific Assistance Programs The Boston Terrier Rescue Net, bostonrescue.net CorgiAid, corgiaid.org Special Needs Dobermans, doberman911.org Disabled Dachshund Society, ourdds.org Dougal's Helping Paw (Scottish Terriers, West Highland White Terriers and other small, short legged terriers), http://www.welcome.to/dougalsfund Labrador Harbor, labradorharbor.org/ Labmed, labmed.org Labrador Lifeline, labradorlifeline.org Westimed (West Highland White Terriers), westiemed.org Pyramedic Trust (Great Pyrenees), http://www.angelfire.com/bc2/pyramedic/summary.html Working/Service Dogs Helping Harley Cancer Treatment Grant, http://grants.landofpuregold.com Assistance Dogs Special Allowance (ADSA) Program, http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG82.htm State-Specific Programs CANADA Animal Cancer Therapy Subsidization Society Lucky Moffat Memorial Fund, actssalberta.org/lucky/lmmf.asp (Alberta Canada Only) The Farley Foundation, farleyfoundation.org (Ontario Canada Only) CALIFORNIA Actors and Others for Animals, actorsandothers.com SF/SPCA Animal Hospital, sfspca.org/hospital/index.shtml Animal Health Foundation, http://animalhealthfoundation.net/ Peninsula CatWorks (cats only), www.peninsulacatworks.org COLORADO Max Fund, maxfund.org Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital, www.hmah.org CONNECTICUT Connecticut Humane Society Fox Veterinary Clinic, cthumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_Fox MARYLAND/WASHINGTON, D.C. Washington Animal Rescue League, warl.org MASSACHUSETTS Alliance For Animals Metro Action Clinic, afaboston.org/clinic.htm Massachusettes SPCA (Provides financial assistance for pet owners receiving services at one of its three medical centers, mspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AAMC_Boston_Financial_Assistance): Angell Memorial Animal Hospital-Boston 350 South Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02130 617-522-7282 Angell Animal Medical Center-Nantucket 21 Crooked Lane Nantucket, MA 02554 508-228-1491 Angell Animal Medical Center-Western New England 171 Union St. Springfield, MA 01105 413-785-1221 The Sampson Fund PO Box 1756 Orleans, MA 02653 sampsonfund.org The fund is to benefit companion animals of Cape Cod and the adjacent Islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. MICHIGAN Michigan Humane Society maintains three veterinary clinics: michiganhumane.org Detroit MHS Detroit Center for Animal Care Veterinary Center: 7401 Chrysler Drive Detroit, MI 48211 313-872-0004 Rochester Hills MHS Rochester Hills Center for Animal Care Veterinary Center: 3600 W. Auburn Road Rochester Hills, MI 48309 248-852-7424 Westland MHS Berman Center for Animal Care Veterinary Center: 900 N. Newburgh Road Westland, MI 48185 734-721-4195 NEVADA Shakespeare Animal, shakespeareanimalfund.org NEW JERSEY Save U.S. Pets Foundation (Veterinarian must apply on behalf of pet owner), www.saveuspets.org NEW YORK NY S.A.V.E Inc., nysave.org/index_2.html ALL 4 PETS, all4petswny.org (Limited to Western New York) NORTH CAROLINA Ashley's Angel Fund, ashleyfund.org/ OREGON The Bearen Foundation, bearenfoundation.org/funding.htm PENNSYLVANIA Animal Care & Assistance Fund, http://www.animalcarefund.org The Animal Rescue of Western PA, animalrescue.org/Clinic.htm The Humane Society of Berks County Veterinary Hospital, berkshumane.org/vets/vets_services.asp RHODE ISLAND RIVMA Companion Animal Foundation, companionanimalfoundation.org TEXAS Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine "The Capper and Chris Save the Animals Fund," cvm.tamu.edu/capperchris/index.shtml Organizations Offering Assistance Programs for Senior, Disabled or Ill Pet Owners CALIFORNIA Voice for the Animals Foundation, Helping Friends Program, http://vftafoundation.org AniMeals Helen Woodward Animal Center, animalcenter.org/animeals/ SF SPCA Animal Hospital, sfspca.org/hospital/index.shtml SHARE Marin Humane Society, marinhumanesociety.org/ProgramsServices/SHARE.html PAWS San Diego, pawssdc.org/ PALS - Pets Are Loving Support, http://sonic.net/~pals/index.html PAWS Los Angeles, pawsla.org/ PAWS San Francisco, pawssf.org CONNECTICUT Manchester Area Network on AIDS AID-A-PET, mana-ct.net/Aid-A-Pet.html DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PETS-DC, petsdc.org/ GEORGIA PALS - Pets Are Loving Support, palsatlanta.org HAWAII Hawaiian Humane Society: PALS Program, hawaiianhumane.org/programs/pals/ MASSACHUSETTS Phinney's Friends (MSPCA), mspca.org/phinneysfriends MICHIGAN Pet Support Services, petsupportmi.org/ NEVADA Shakespeare Animal, shakespeareanimalfund.org. NEW JERSEY PetPALS of Southern New Jersey, petfinder.com/shelters/NJ151.html NEW YORK Humane Society of Lollypop Farm, lollypop.org/orgMain.asp?ssid=&storyID=105&orgID=14&sid PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh PAWS (Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force), andrew.cmu.edu/user/natashat/PAWS/ TEXAS SPCA of Texas, spca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_socialservices_2004#petomeals UTAH Pet Samaritan Fund, www.petsamaritan.org WASHINGTON Pet Project: Seattle-King County Humane Society, seattlehumane.org/petproject.shtml and seattlehumane.org/foodbank.shtml Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine Good Samaritan Fund, www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-prd/GoodSam CANADA Pet Program (Toronto PWA Foundation), pwatoronto.org/what.htm#pets For more information, visit cdc.gov/healthypets/resources/local_organizations.htm. Having Trouble Affording Your Pet? Where to Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered Your Regional Office Pets911.com