Expert: Ali - 9/23/2009

Question
My kitten Tightwad and I live in the KC metro area of Kansas.

He seemed to be more energetic tonight, but it's still worrisome.

Thanks!

Answer
Sara,

I'm not sure how flexible veterinarians in your area are when it comes to things like making arrangements to pay the vet bill over time with installments, but it's not a bad idea to ask around, especially if you do have a regular family vet (vets that know you are far more likely to make payment arrangements with you). You could also speak with friends and family members to see if they'd be willing to offer any financial help in lieu of Christmas, birthday or other special occasions when they'd give you gifts. You could also get creative in your spare time and hold a bake sale or put donation cans in local pet supply stores and vet clinics to raise the funds for this kitty's care. As promised, here are a few resources that might be able to help you have this kitty assessed and treated for a lower cost than some private veterinary hospitals.

- The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City
5445 Parallel Parkway
Kansas City, KS 66104
phone: (913) 596-1000
fax: (913) 596-2483

According to their website The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City offers a variety of preventive and basic veterinary care services. No appointments are required; their vets see patients on a first-come, first-served basis. Apparently their vet clinic doesn't screen pet parents or offer their services based on financial need.

The website states that the clinic hours are as follows:

Monday 10am to 4pm
Tuesday 10am to 4pm
Wednesday 10am to 5pm
Thursday 10am to 4pm
Friday 1pm to 4pm
Saturday is reserved for spay/neuter appointments only
Closed on Sunday

*The clinic sometimes experiences large volumes of clients. When this happens the whole first come first served system comes into play and the staff will stop accepting clients after a certain point that day.

This vet clinic is not a full service vet clinic, the focus lies on vaccines, spay/neuter, basic exams, heartworm testing and feline leukemia and FIV testing. The subsidized clinic also offers some basic care such as treating small wounds or flea allergies and medication to prevent heartworm is also dispensed. The humane society also adds that their clinic does sell some basic pet care products.

The vet clinic at the humane society does not provide x-rays, dental care, extensive lab work or surgeries beyond spay/neuter surgery. You can call (913)596-1000 for more information.

- This resource is completely new to me, I have no idea whether they're even set up in your area, but it doesn't hurt to check since they issued a press release in March 09 stating that they'd be setting up their services in Kansas City and other American cities.

BluePearl Veterinary Partners (the following is taken directly from the internet about this program)

BluePearl Veterinary Partners includes partner hospital in Florida at Florida Veterinary Specialists, in New York at NYC Veterinary Specialists (www.nycvs.com) and in Kansas at Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center of Kansas City (www.vseckc.com).  
A new facility will be opening in Minneapolis soon. BluePearl Veterinary Partners merged in 2008 and is one of the leading providers of emergency and specialized referral veterinary medicine. Go to www.fvs.com for more information.

- In the same article as I found the information about BluePearl Veterinary Partners Veracity Payment Solutions was mentioned. I'm not entirely sure whether they're a division of BluePearl or if they're a separate organization altogether. Again this is not an organization I'm familiar with, but there's very little to lose by checking them out and speaking to someone, they just might be able to get your kitten the medical care he needs either at a highly subsidized rate or for free depending on their policies and your specific situation.

Veracity Payment Solutions (info taken directly from website)

Veracity Payment Solutions is an aggressive growth company committed to the delivery of exceptional payment processing and information services. Veracity serves the merchant community, trade associations, community banks and Affinity partners by offering full service point-of-sale solutions, web-based reporting and management tools. Veracity is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with its customer operations facilities in Aiken, South Carolina and Moline, Illinois. Visit www.veracitypayments.com for details.

Contact:

AnnJo Huwer, Veracity payment                                                      
Phone:  404-492-6607
annjo.huwer@veracitypayments.com                                   

Bonita S. Voiland
Frankie’s Friends Charitable Pet Foundation
Phone: 770-729-9255
bvoiland@frankiesfriends.com

Based on the information online about these organizations I really think that this program would be more than willing to help you out since their mandate is essentially to provide veterinary care for pets regardless of the financial position of their caregivers. According to the website this program can pay for some or all of the cost of your pet's care, but I'd strongly suggest contacting these folks and checking out their website at http://www.nyc-vs.com/media/press-release48.cfm

- Spay Neuter Kansas City

PO Box 410303
Kansas City, MO 64141
816-353-0940

These folks offer a pet assistance program. I'm not sure what your circumstances must be in order to qualify for their help, but it's certainly worth talking to them about. The information below is taken directly from the website.

PET ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

SNKC's pet assistance program provides basic necessities pet owners might not otherwise be able to afford. Many pets receive new or improved dog houses, dog/cat food, new collars, flea/tick prevention, toys, treats and some special medical assistance. Many of the animals assisted are also scheduled for free spays and neuters.

I'm not sure that these folks will be able to help you, but it's certainly worth asking because you won't know who is willing to help if you don't ask around. With any luck these folks will accept your request for subsidized vet care as well as spay/neuter surgery once your little one is healthy again.

- Apparently veterinarians who are members of the American Animal Hospital Association can submit an assistance request to the Helping Pets Fund. I would encourage you to pursue this option because there may be a higher likelihood that you'll get the help your kitten needs.

- Veterinary schools sometimes offer discounted services to the public. Check out the American Veterinary Association's website to find a vet school near you.

- If the humane society turns down your request for help with the cost of veterinary care for your kitten I'd recommend asking them if they're able to suggest some subsidized vet clinics that offer quality care, the shelter may also be aware of other veterinary assistance programs that may prove helpful in your situation.

- In the event that you haven't found one or more organizations who are at least willing to offer help for a portion of your kitten's veterinary assessment and treatment then you may find that checking out the websites for the Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA will have other lists of organizations that might help, they will likely be listed by state or be specific to purebred animals.

- AAHA Helping Pets Fund (mentioned above) helps those in need access quality veterinary care for sick or injured pets. Grants were temporarily suspended but they were scheduled to begin again in July 2009. The website is as follows http://www.aahahelpingpets.org I do recommend checking out websites as they often provide vital information about who qualifies for their help and how you can go about applying for financial assistance for veterinary care.

- Angels4Animals, your veterinarian or friends can refer you to this organization and they may be able to provide you with the financial assistance you need to ensure that your kitten grows up strong and healthy. The website is as follows, http://www.angels4animals.org/

- CareCredit offers a line of credit for veterinary expenses. Their website is located at http://www.carecredit.com/ Unfortunately this is not a grant or a subsidy so you will have to eventually pay it back to the finance company, however in a pinch it's better than not having any help at all.

- Cats in Crisis helps pet parents and animal shelters/rescue organizations care for cats with chronic or emergency medical conditions by providing financial and fundraising assistance. From what the website says Cats in Crisis has had to suspend grants due to the difficult economic situation, but it's still worth looking into and checking back often for update if you haven't been able to find any help with the cost of your kitten's care. The website is as follows http://www.catsincrisis.org/

- Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program provides financial assistance to cat and kitten guardians who are unable to afford veterinary services to save their companions when life-threatening illness or injury strikes. http://www.fveap.org/sys-tmpl/door/

- Help-A-Pet provides financial assistance for the medical care of pets whose caregivers aren't able to afford the care their pet needs. This organization specifically helps individuals with an annual income below $20,000 or a family income below $40,000. The website is http://www.help-a-pet.org/ To qualify, your annual income must be below $20,000 for an individual household or $40,000 for a family household (amount varies upon the number of dependents). Due to limited funding, financial assistance can only be provided once per pet.

This organization will NOT answer any questions regarding the availability or amount of assistance until a complete application with proof of income is received!

The application process is as follows:

~ A complete and signed application must be received by the organization

~ If your application is incomplete (with questions left unanswered, etc) your request for assistance WILL NOT be considered.

~ You'll need to send along a copy of your most recent federal tax return filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

~ If you do not file a Federal Tax Return, please provide a copy of government assistance documentations such as a disability income or food stamp letter, or a medical aid care.
 
The postal address is:

Help-A-Pet
P.O. Box 244
Hinsdale, IL 60522

By Fax: (630) 986-9141

- IMOM offers financial assistance for life-threatening and emergency veterinary care. Check out their website at http://www.imom.org/

IMOM Mission Statement

"Helping people help pets".  To better the lives of sick, injured and abused companion animals. We are dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged.

To educate on the importance of spay and neuter in relation the proven health risks for animals who have not been spayed or neutered.

- The Pet Fund provides financial assistance to pet guardians who have pets in need of urgent veterinary care. The web address is http://www.thepetfund.com/

The Pet Fund Mission Statement  

The goal of the Pet Fund is to provide financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need veterinary care.

Often animals are put down or suffer needlessly because their owners cannot afford expensive surgery or needed medical treatment. While agencies like Medicare provide low-income families with medical care for human children and adults, there are no agencies which provide help with the expense of animal medical care. Companion animal owners must often make the difficult decision to put an animal down or surrender them to a local shelter because of the costs involved.

The purpose of the Pet Fund is to work towards a future where decisions about companion animal medical care need never be made on the basis of cost.

Thousands of animals are sent to shelters and euthanized each year, many because of treatable medical conditions. While the law regards companion animals as property, The Pet Fund regards these animals instead as family members who do not qualify for human medical insurance. Pet insurance programs are available, but often even these programs cannot cover the total cost of necessary medical care. Free spay and neuter clinics as well as vaccination clinics are common, but these are largely the only free or low cost veterinary services available. The Pet Fund seeks to bridge this gap to make companion animal medical care available to all who need it.

The Pet Fund benefits all communities in three crucial ways. First, thousands of animals and their owners are spared unnecessary suffering. Secondly, the Fund is rapidly becoming a significant resource for animal care assistance, easing the fiscal and overpopulation burdens on all communities by reducing the number of animals who end up in shelters each year. Finally, the Pet Fund will lessen the spread of disease throughout the country by helping owners to treat their animals promptly.

While costs are an inevitable part of the responsibility of owning companion animals, The Pet Fund assists owners in covering medical costs beyond the normal expenses of vaccination, spay and neuter surgeries, food and routine veterinary care. Adopting a companion animal always involves both expense and commitment, and if owners have a resource to help with medical services, their animals can receive necessary care despite the financial burdens involved.

Perhaps most importantly, we provide information to owners about preventative care, pet insurance programs, and financial services which will ensure that pet owners are able to develop financial resources on their own and thus avoid future emergencies through care and planning. Such information is often hard to find, and The Pet Fund provides a user-friendly, comprehensive starting place where all of these resources can be accessed and implemented. In helping individuals and families to plan for the future and find financial security, their animals and all of our communities also benefit


- United Animal Nations LifeLine grants help to good Samaritans, animal rescuers and low-income families with the high cost of caring for pets by providing grants to meet emergency veterinary expenses they otherwise couldn’t afford. There is more information on their website at http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=28 This site also has a list of other organizations that may be willing to help defray the cost of your kitten's assessment and any necessary treatment.

I really hope that these resources are able to help you with the cost of your kitten's medical assessment and care. I'm very interested to hear how your kitten's doing, whether or not the organizations I referred you to were of any use and what this baby's diagnosis is. If you have any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer I'd be more than happy to help you out to the best of my ability. I wish you the best of luck, you and your kitten are in my thoughts.