Veterinary staff examine a cat at a ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic.
Photo by Meredith Weiss
Low-Cost Veterinary Care
If you need financial assistance to help pay for veterinary care for your companion animals in the New York City area, there are programs available that can make routine care or emergency treatment more affordable.
Payment Plans
Ask your veterinarian if he/she can offer you a payment plan that would allow you to pay the bill over time.
Low-Cost Veterinary Care
Contact one or both of the following veterinary facilities to see if they might offer your companion animal veterinary care that is more affordable than your regular veterinarian:
ASPCA Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinics
Free spay/neuter, rabies and distemper vaccination, nail trim, e-collar, and microchip on a mobile clinic in all five boroughs with proof of public assistance. $99 per animal if you are not on public assistance.
Phone: (877) SPAY-NYC (877-772-9692)
ASPCA – Henry Bergh Memorial Hospital
424 East 92nd Street
New York, NY 10128
Phone: (212) 876-7700 x4200
The Humane Society of New York – Animal Clinic
306 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022
Phone: (212) 752-4840
Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – Pet Help Partners
Phone: (917) 468-2938
Low-cost, full-service mobile veterinary clinic serving multiple New York City areas. Call for days, times, and locations.
Phone: (718) 353-1878
Some pet supply stores, such as Petco, Petland Discounts, and others, offer microchipping and vaccination clinics for dogs and cats. You can locate a clinic near you at www.LuvMyPet.com.
Phone: (516) 571-2677
Free spay, neuter, or vasectomy surgeries to Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes, along with optional free Distemper/Parvovirus vaccinations and free microchips.
Phone: (877) 900-PITS
Low-Cost Spay/Neuter
Many options are available for free or reduced-price spay/neuter surgeries for cats and dogs in New York City. Visit the Free & Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Programs & Clinics page for more information.
General Financial Assistance Programs
You or your veterinarian may contact any of the following organizations to see if you are eligible for financial assistance from them:
NY SAVE (Save Animals in Veterinary Emergency)
331 West 57th Street, Suite 293, New York, NY 10019
Web: www.nysave.org
Phone: (212) 246-3097
E-mail at nycsave@aol.com
American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA): Helping Pets Fund
P.O. Box 150899, Denver, CO 80215-0899
Phone: (866) 443-5738
Fax: (720) 963-4404
E-mail: info@aahahelpingpets.org
P.O. Box 41, Clarksburg, NJ 08510
Web: www.vet-i-care.org
Phone: (609) 259-2230
E-Mail: eschuck@vet-i-care.org
P.O. Box 8044, Blackwood, NJ 08012-1522
Web: www.princechunkfoundation.org
Phone: (856) 302-6373
E-mail: info@princechunkfoundation.org
Specialized Financial Assistance Programs
The following information describes other programs that offer pet owner/guardians financial help to pay for veterinary bills. Some of these programs are specific to locations in other areas of the county.
Most of the programs listed have detailed funding guidelines. The following summarizes the information. For more detailed descriptions of funding guidelines, visit the organization's website or contact them using the information provided below.
P.O. Box 244, Hinsdale, IL 60522
Web: www.help-a-pet.org
Phone: (630) 986-9504
Limitations: Assistance focused on physically and mentally challenged individuals, senior citizens, and children of the working poor.
Web: www.imom.org
Limitations: No assistance with routine care or vet care already received; see full list of qualifications online. (Note: Once approved, can raise money from online community of supporters; must communicate online and respond to e-mails within 24 hours.)
P.O. Box 2574, Briarcliff, NY 10510
Web: www.themagicbulletfund.org
E-mail: email@themagicbulletfund.org
Limitations: Only dogs after diagnosis of cancer; under 10 years old. Family must be incapable of funding cancer treatment without assistance and must correspond online everyday with caseworker and with online community of supporters.
1510 19th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Web: www.thepetfund.com
Phone: (916) 443-6007
E-mail: info@thepetfund.com
Limitations: No routine or preventative care and no treatment where the prognosis for survival beyond six months is 50% or less.
United Animal Nations LifeLine
P.O. Box 188890, Sacramento, CA 95818
Phone: (916) 429-2457
E-mail: info@uan.org
Limitations: No assistance with routine care, ongoing illness, testing/diagnosis, or if vet care already received and pet released from care; see full list of qualifications online.
Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance Program
1641 Elizabeth Lane Yuba City, CA 95993
Web: www.fveap.org
E-mail: fveap@earthlink.net
Limitations: Cats/kittens only; life-threatening illnesses, injuries, or conditions or one that seriously compromises the quality of life. (Note: Contact them to see if they currently are accepting applications.)
Web: www.pbrc.net
Limitations: Pit Bull or Pit Bull mixes only; spay/neuter, life threatening conditions and, under certain circumstances, other surgery.
8415 Canning Terrace, Greenbelt, MD 20770
Web: www.westiemed.org
Phone: 1-877-853-9469
Limitations: West Highland White Terriers/mixes only; one fund for congenital orthopedic conditions, one fund for other medical issues. Dog must have been recently adopted from a credible rescue source. Alternatively, funding may be available in a situation where an individual has rescued a dog who was injured or ill at the time of rescue and would like to provide a permanent home for the dog, or it is determined by a veterinarian that the dog needs medical treatment for a condition that was not readily obvious at the time of rescue. Applications must be submitted no later than 60 days after incurring the expense.
3941 Legacy Drive, Suite 204, #A115, Plano, TX 75023
Web: www.labmed.org
Phone: (972) 208-2470
E-mail: info@labmed.org
Limitations: Abandoned and/or injured Labrador Retrievers (or Lab mixes displaying "strong Labrador characteristics") in need of rescue; medical conditions that were present at the time of rescue may be eligible for funding if the dog has been examined and a preliminary diagnosis made by a veterinarian within two weeks of the date when the dog was rescued. Medical conditions that are acquired after a dog has been rescued are not eligible for funding.
c/o Joyce Trittipo, Treasurer, 4038 Cherokee Drive, Madison, WI 53711
Web: www.corgiaid.org
E-mail: grantschair@corgiaid.org
Limitations: Rescued Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, or Corgi mixes; no aid for established personal pets; aid for recently adopted dogs under certain circumstances. Expenses must have been incurred within six months of the application.
P.O. Box 2496, Goldenrod, Florida 32733-2496
Web: www.doberman911.org
Phone: (302) 351-6137
E-mail: info@doberman911.org or seniors@doberman911.org (senior Dobermans)
Limitations: Senior and special needs Doberman Pinschers.
More Information & Articles
Need help caring for your pet? Resources for tough economic times
by Morieka Johnson, Mother Nature Network
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Having Trouble Affording Veterinary Care?
by The Humane Society of the United States
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Note: The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals is providing the above information for informational purposes only and is in no way involved in making any determination of eligibility for financial assistance or ensuring the quality of veterinary care provided.