Now, I've heard all the arguments about why the poor should not own pets, but whether you think this is so or not, the reality is that poor people do own pets. Saying that they shouldn't doesn't help those pets one little bit. This article is about finding the means to service animals in crisis, and not about whether their owners deserve to be helped. For me, it isn't even a debatable question. I decided to do some research to find out just how extensive a safety net is available to low-income pets.

In a general sense, most of the available funding is administered through veterinary practices... they apply for the funds to help defray the cost for a particular patient and are paid directly. This means that office staff is required to do a lot of extra paperwork. I'm guessing that many vets do not have the labor force in place to take on these extra duties. Regular well-care visits and health maintenance procedures are usually not eligible for grant funding. In many cases, eligibility is tied to the pet owner's participation in government assistance programs, although some grantors will allow veterinarians to use their discretion in selecting a potential grantee, backed up by some other supporting documentation of financial hardship. There's often a ceiling on just how much funding a veterinary practice can access in a given year. There's also usually a limit on how much help any one pet family can get.

One of the first sites I visited was the Humane Society of the United States. They do not have funds available for vet care, but they have a page of suggestions for pet owners in distress. Some of the suggestions are pretty good. They suggest having a heart to heart talk with your vet. That's a good suggestion because vets usually know where financial help is available - they've been down that road many, many times. Others suggestions seem less than helpful - things like "use your credit card" or "call your bank" or "ask your employer for a salary advance" are hardly helpful to people with no credit, tiny bank accounts and slave wage jobs.

Some funders require that you apply for a CreditCare card before they will consider your application for assistance. I had a good look at their web site and their application. Not all vets accept CreditCare, so an applicant needs to find out if their vet is among them. The terms for the promotions they had on the site were quite generous by credit card standards, but when the promotion is over, the deal isn't quite so sweet. However, if a grantor requires that potential grantees apply, I guess there's not much choice in the matter.

Run a search for "help with vet bills" and the American Animal Hospital Association's Helping Pets Fund pops up near the top of the list. This program is available only to accredited AAHA practices. The fund provides for both financial hardship cases when the pet's owner is unable to pay for care, and Good Samaritan cases when no owner can be found and the veterinarian chooses to treat the animal regardless.

IMOM - In Memory of Magic, is actively seeking volunteers to continue its work of providing veterinary care for pets whose owners are facing financial challenges. I spent a lot of time on this web site, and I think it's among the best of its genre. It has a friendly, personal, compassionate feel that I know I would really appreciate if my pet was in need of medical care and I had no money. An approved applicant gets a "pets in need" page introducing the pet and the family, and sponsors are recruited to fund the animal's medical needs. The site includes an active online community of pet parents and sponsors. At present, their need for help is go great that they are unable to accept new applications for assistance. I e-mailed them to ask if they'd be amenable to my spreading the word about this, and received a timely reply. They suggest that anyone who is interested in volunteering for IMOM join their online community to get a sense of how their system works before applying. There's a new training session starting i