Where to find Emergency Help for Vets Bills

Man hugging a dog
| 6 min read Financial Assistance

Anyone who owns a pet can agree that they’re truly like family. If your beloved pet gets in an accident, falls ill, or receives a scary diagnosis, you’ll do everything you can to make sure they get the best care possible. Then, once your furry friend is in recovery, you breathe a sigh of relief—until the bill arrives. Sound familiar?

Vet care costs can be gigantic and are oftentimes unexpected. We understand how worrying it can be not knowing if you’ll be able to cover your pet’s vet bills. Fortunately, you don’t have to tackle these costs on your own. Financial support is out there, and our team has gathered ways you can get help with vet bills.

Start a fundraiser

Average cost of pet care

Anyone who has an animal – or is considering getting a pet – should be aware that both their day to day care and emergency coverage does come at a cost. The average vet visit can cost between £50 – £60 even if just an examination. If it’s an out of hours or emergency appointment, this rises steeply to £200. According to Confused.com, a condition like Gastroentiritis could set you back nearly £600 per treatment, seizures £656, diabetes £186 and BOAS £1,686. For dogs, the average treatment cost at the vet is £1000.

 

How to get help with veterinary bills

The average vet visit cost ranges from £50 to £60, while an emergency appointment consultation could cost up to £200, according to Confused.com If you need help paying vet bills, there are actions you can take.

1. Talk to your vet about payment options

The first step in getting help for veterinary bills is talking to your vet about options for reducing your bill. Some veterinary offices can help by creating payment plans to spread out your expenses. Your vet might also offer cash discounts.

2. Use crowdfunding to get help paying vet bills

Many pet owners have started crowdfunding to raise money for their pet’s medical expenses. Keep providing love and care for your fluffier counterparts, and let pet fundraising lend financial help for vet bills so you can get them the medical attention they need. We’ve seen lots of success stories with people using a donation website for their pets needs.

3. Look into getting pet insurance

Pet insurance covers most accidents and illnesses. While the cost of pet insurance can be pricey, having it allows you to be reimbursed for certain medical expenses. Read up on the types of pet insurance plans and what they cover to see if this is a good option for you. Pet insurance covers the following:

  • Vet fees: Should your pet unfortunatley require assistance from a vet, insurance should help to cover things like medication, diagnostics, vet appointments, medications, operations and scans.
  • Loss of pet: If your pet is stolen or lost your pet insurance may cover the amount you paid for them.
  • Emergency boarding: If you suddenly have to go into hospital, for example, and there’s no one to look after your furry friend, you may be able to claim emergency kennel costs back against your pet insurance. There are usually some stipulations to this – like it must be a consecutive four day stay.

Pet insurance doesn’t usually cover vaccinations, neutering, pregnancy or behavoiral issues. 

Even after taking these steps, you may still need additional vet bill assistance.

Consider turning to crowdfunding when you need financial assistance for vet bills. Every day we see people successfully raise money on our platform to offset their pet’s surgery costs, cover dog expenses and cat costs, and more. We provide online fundraising so that you can use your donations on what matters most. 

In addition to crowdfunding for help paying vet bills, GoFundMe is dedicated to supporting animal rescue. There are tons of animals in need of shelter, food, and safety. Use GoFundMe to pay it forward and give back to animal charities.  Your donation will make a big difference in a furry friend’s life and help the organisations that protect them.

Along with these organisations that help pay vet bills, you can also turn to charities for help with vet bills.Financial help for vet bills is within reach

Don’t wait another day to get help with vet bills. No matter what your financial situation is, your pet is deserving of medical care to get back to their happy and healthy self. Easily launch a fundraiser and let those who love your pet lend a hand.

Start a vet bill fundraiser

Using crowdfunding for your pet

These case studies are people who used GoFundMe to crowdfund for vet bills when they needed extra financial assistance for their furry friend.

Naevia the husky

Marie started her GoFundMe for husky Naevia after she was attacked on Redcar beach by two other dogs. Naevia was so badly injured that she was taken to intensive care and Marie quoted £20,000 for her treatment. The insurance limit was only £3,000, so Marie turned to crowdfunding. Overall, £42,000 was raised which helped to pay for nine other vet bills too. Marie said Naevia wouldn’t be standing here today without the kindness of donors.

CT scan for Charlie Feathers

Lucinda started a GoFundMe for her beloved Peking duck Charlie Feathers. Charlie suddenly lost the ability to walk. A course of antibiotics didn’t help and he needed a CT scan. Lucinda couldn’t afford it by herself, but also couldn’t bear to lose Charlie Feathers who had provided emotional support after she lost her mum. Thanks to generous donors, Charlie will be able to get his CT scan and make moves to getting better.

Spinal IVDD surgery & heart stent operations for Dexter

Dexter the French Bulldog woke up paralysed from the neck down. His concerned owner Louis took him to the vets, where he was diagnosed with IVDD – a painful spinal condition. Because Dexter already had a heart murmur, Louis was unable to get him insured and the surgery for IVDD costs £6000. He started this GoFundMe to help.

Help me get Rosie the Border Terrier Better

Jennifer noticed her Border Terrier Rosie was ‘stumbling’ one day – so took her to the vets where she was diagnosed with having a slipped disc. The cost of Rosie’s surgery was £7500 in total, but her insurance would only cover up to £600, so Jennifer started this GoFundMe to help. She wrote: “The thought of losing Rosie, my little terror and the light of my life, is unbearable.I feel like I am failing her. Having to ask for help makes me feel like I have somehow let her down, and it breaks my heart to be in this position. But I know I can’t give up on her without trying everything I possibly can.”

Written by dina