Affordable & Free Routine Veterinary Care for Your Pet
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An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but if your pet isn’t an apple lover like my pup, Shiloh, preventative care may be your best bet for managing health.
A yearly check-up for animals provides the same benefits as an annual exam for humans. A routine visit helps your veterinarian understand your pet’s baseline health to make recommendations for lifestyle, exercise, or dietary changes.
Animals are much more adept than humans at hiding disease and pain. What is often difficult to spot by a pet parent is much more obvious to a veterinarian, especially one that sees your pet on a regular basis and has tracked their health over time. Because most pets age faster than humans, age-related changes may happen before you’re prepared to think about them. Early detection of underlying conditions may help improve long-term outcomes while reducing overall costs.
Annual exams help you stay abreast of your pet’s vaccinations. Many municipalities require dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated and licensed. Many landlords and pet-related businesses and service providers - boarding and training facilities, fee-based dog parks, dock diving centers, dog walkers, independent trainers, groomers - require vaccinations, as well.
A recent post by Ed Boks, Navigating the Rising Costs of Veterinary Care: A Call to Action for Animal Welfare Organizations, listed some promising opportunities for policy change that could enhance general pet care. A few states, like New York and Kansas, are leading the way with bills providing tax credits for veterinary services.
While we wait to see what unfolds on the policy front, there are some options for free or low-cost routine veterinary care for your pet.
Free Annual Exams Through the Biobank Project
If you are a current client of U.S. based VCA Animal Hospital or Banfield Pet Hospital or your pet is a blood doner for BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, you may be eligible to participate in the Mars Petcare Biobank project. Mars is seeking 20,000 healthy cats and dogs of all breeds and breed makeups to participate in a global research study.
Qualifying pets will be given free annual exams, so that researchers can analyze big pools of data over time in hopes of understanding what triggers pet illness. Included with the free annual checkups are genetic testing and behavior insights tracked by a wearable device like a Fit Bit.
Low-Cost Exams & Services Through Pet Supplies Retailers
An option for low-cost routine services like vaccinations, heartworm and parasite control, deworming, and toenail clips may be found at your local pet supplies store. Many offer on-site services through in-house vet staff or they may partner with veterinary service providers. The top three retailers, Petco, PetSmart’s ShotVet, and Pet Supplies Plus, have clinic locators on their websites. The caveat with all this great access is that service availability tends to be near larger metropolitan areas.
Smaller retailers, boutique stores, and feed mills often host wellness clinics to encourage people to shop. The Pethelpfinder website allows you to search by need and by location. If a local store is not listed, check online or call to see if they offer community clinics.
Rescue Group, Shelter & Humane Society Veterinary & Pop-Up Clinics
Large rescue groups, shelters, and humane societies may have their own veterinary clinics that are made available to the public. Smaller organizations may offer pop-up clinics for routine exams and vaccinations. Some have systems in place that allow you to schedule an appointment. Others offer services on a first come, first served basis. If so, plan to arrive early and wait your turn. Be sure your dog is leashed and cats are in secure carriers. Bring water, treats (you and your pet), blankets, and toys.
Veterinary & Vet Tech Schools
Local veterinary and veterinary technician schools often offer free and low-cost wellness clinics to the pets of residents in need through their community medicine initiatives. Even if you don’t live near a school, call and ask about resources offered in your community and what proof of need is required. You’d be surprised how far vet students and volunteer veterinarians travel to help animals!
Animal Welfare Organizations
Speaking of volunteer veterinarians, The Street Dog Coalition provides free medical care and related services to pets of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. They provide services in over sixty U.S. cities. Check their website often. Their reach keeps expanding.
Animal welfare groups often do outreach in hard to reach locations or for specific communities. Leech Lake Legacy, for instance, offers community wellness to pets of residents living on the Leech Lake reservation. Do your own internet search using the words “animal welfare + your city and state + services.” It may take a few calls to find what you need.
Happy, Healthy Pets
In the end, taking care of your pet’s health doesn’t have to break the bank nor does it require an apple a day. Keep up with regular exams by accessing free or affordable options or tapping into community resources. After all, a happy, healthy pet means a happy you!
“Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.” – John Muir
PS. If you have the heart of a philanthropist and a few dollars to spare, please support your local animal rescues and shelters. The more donations they receive, the more services they can offer the people and pets in your community.
Before you go, be sure to read these posts on additional ways to fund veterinary care.
Excellent information, Cindy. And it couldn’t be more timely, now that the high cost of pet care is forcing people to surrender beloved animals or not adopt in the first place.
Thank you for this comprehensive article, Cindy. It’s good information for pet parents. So much of veterinary medicine is corporate owned now, a trend that has been going on for many years. I’m interested to hear about the Mars corporation offering this blood donor incentive and their study. They are one of the main owners of veterinary clinics and labs.