7 Helpful Tips for Handling Expensive Pet Emergencies

As of 2022, 70% of U.S. households own at least one pet. Of this 70%, around 43.4 million pet owners have a cat, while 69 million own a dog.

The COVID-19 pandemic 0f 2020 helped boost pet ownership for housebound individuals looking for a companion. 1 out of 5 households, approximately 23 million people, adopted a pet during this time.

Pets are like family members. A good pet owner will do whatever is possible to ensure their pet’s health and safety. But unfortunately, pet emergencies can still happen at unexpected times and catch their owners off guard.

The average emergency vet bill can cost between $800 to $1,500 or more. This can fluctuate depending on your location and the level of care needed. A pet emergency hospital or pet emergency vet operates outside of normal veterinary clinic hours to serve pet owners, but this care can come at a premium. 

Being forced to pay upfront emergency vet costs to save your beloved companion can be a nerve-wracking experience for anxious pet owners; especially when money is tight. But there are some ways that you can handle these tricky situations.

Keep reading this guide below for 7 helpful tips to help you navigate costly pet emergencies with ease.

1. Consider Emergency Pet Insurance

Many pet insurance plans now cover emergency pet expenses. Pet insurance policies will pay a portion of routine care along with some emergency vet costs. It’s a good idea to enroll your pet before any pet emergencies arise as there may be a waiting period required before coverage can begin. 

Like human healthcare plans, any pre-existing conditions may make your pet ineligible for care or incur higher monthly premiums. This will depend on the level of coverage you opt for and what company you choose for your pet insurance plan.

There may also be deductibles required that you need to pay before the plan’s coverage takes effect. As well as caps on the maximum amount a pet insurance policy will cover within a calendar year. Adding pet medication coverage can also save you money.

Some pet insurance plans may also cover portions of cancer treatments. They may also pay for all or a portion of expensive surgeries like tumor removals and broken bones from pet emergencies like accidents. Radiology and other pricey diagnostic testing procedures may also be covered.

2. Set Aside Money For a Pet Emergencies Fund

Being prepared for pet emergencies ahead of time can save you a lot of stress in the long run when the unthinkable occurs. Setting aside a savings fund for pet healthcare needs can help reduce the shock of having to pay a large cost upfront to an emergency pet hospital.

Every little bit helps to make a difference. Even depositing as little as $50 a month in a high-interest savings account can net you over $600 within a year. Services like Chime and Acorns have programs that take the spare change rounded up from every purchase you make and deposit it into a savings account for you automatically.

Preparation now can save you from undue heartache later on when your furry family member needs you the most. It may not be a fun thing to do cutting back on your favorite daily latte or canceling a streaming service to save money. But knowing the money you’re saving is going to help your pet companion in their hour of need will be worth it.

3. Ask Friends and Family for Financial Help

As much as you don’t want to bother your friends and family by asking for financial help, it may be your only hope to help with costs for urgent pet emergencies. Friends and family members with pets of their own understand this important bond. They may be more willing to contribute some money towards your pet’s care as a loan or as small favors.

If you have a large number of friends and followers on social media, you can tap into this to help pay for emergency pet clinic costs. If your pet is the star of your social media accounts, this can also work to your advantage in raising the necessary funds needed for care. 

Post your CashApp or Venmo username and explain your situation with the quote for care from the emergency pet hospital. If each follower contributes a small amount of $5 to $25 each, you can easily pay for your vet costs. If you exceed the amount needed, thank your followers and inform them that the remaining funds will be applied to future vet visits and pet healthcare costs. 

4. Consult with Your Emergency Pet Clinic for Payment Options

An emergency pet clinic deals with pet emergencies regularly. They are no strangers to pet owners facing the reality of paying a large fee or potentially losing their beloved pet. They are a business, but they are not entirely unreasonable.

Talk to your emergency pet clinic vet or billing personnel and see if you can strike some kind of deal. Ask them if they would be willing to set up a payment plan, especially if you have a long-term relationship with them. They will keep your payment information on file and charge your card on specified dates to pay off your balance over time.  

If you are a senior citizen on a fixed income, you may qualify for a reduced rate or a senior discount for pet healthcare expenses. Some emergency pet hospital businesses may be willing to help with a financial hardship program grant for low-income individuals facing pet emergencies. If you pay in cash, you may also be able to get a discount on vet services for your pet.

5. Seek Out Help From a Non-Profit Pet Agency

Non-profits have programs in place to help devoted pet owners with pet emergency vet care. A non-profit animal welfare group like Best Friends Animal Sanctuary can help you with the necessary financial aid you may need for costs relating to your pet emergencies. However, it is important to note that this process may take time to gather the necessary funds.

You may be able to submit your pet emergency vet bills to a non-profit organization after you’ve made an initial payment towards services for care. They can help reimburse you for this amount and possibly help you with payments toward the remaining balance. This will depend on the availability of funds within a certain organization. 

Some non-profit pet agencies focus on contributing to preventative and ongoing pet healthcare costs. Other organizations focus on providing financial aid for specific breeds of dogs and cats. Your emergency pet clinic may also be able to provide you with a list of non-profit organizations that can help you.

6. Crowdfund Your Pet’s Emergency Bills

Tennesse Williams’ character Blanche DuBois from a Streetcar Named Desire is quoted as saying “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” That’s where the internet and social media come into play once more. Tapping into a pool of strangers online who want to help others with financial assistance.

It sounds odd, but crowdfunding is the modern way to get financial help from like-minded people online to donate to your cause. There are many crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe to help raise money for bills and healthcare expenses. But Waggle is a unique addition to this mix.

Waggle is a crowdfunding site exclusively for pet parents to raise funds to pay for pet emergencies and other pet healthcare costs. It enables you to tell your story to other pet lovers across the street and across the globe. Donors can give directly to your campaign or to the FurEver Fund for pet owners in need. 

Waggle crowdfunding doesn’t take out any transactional fees either. 100% of your donation goes to your pet’s care fund. Waggle also has the option for the final payout to go straight to the emergency pet hospital or clinic you specify. 

7. Apply for a Personal or Quick Cash Loan

You may think that you can’t qualify for a loan due to bad credit. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Traditional loans exclude a lot of people because of this since they require credit checks and background checks.

However, a payday loan, (also called a Quick Cash Loan) is different. It doesn’t require a credit check so those with bad credit or no credit at all can qualify. You just fill out a form and wait for a response and get your cash almost instantly to put toward paying your bills for pet emergencies.

Personal loans can get you from $1,000 to $100,000 depending on your credit score with repayments over time. They come in secured and unsecured forms. Unsecured loans don’t require the use of collateral, but you will need a credit score of 690 or above to get one.

There are risks involved if you don’t pay back your personal loan on time such as the seizure of your collateral. You also need to account for any interest accrued with it. But for large and unexpected expenses it may be your best option for fast cash.

Explore Your Fast Cash Loan Options with Fast Loan Direct

Financial issues like pet emergencies can come out of nowhere and catch you off guard. If you don’t have the proper financial strategies in place, it could mean saying goodbye to your beloved pet for good. But it doesn’t have to be this way; not when there’s Fast Loan Direct.

Fast Loan Direct can help you get the money you need, direct deposited in your bank account the next day with one simple form. Good credit, bad, credit, or no credit, we’ve got the loan options to fit everyone’s needs. 

Get started with your loan process on our website today.