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Emergency Vet Care Assistance
Through our ARF (Animal Relief Fund) program, OC Animal Allies may provide financial assistance to low-income Orange County pet owners, such as the elderly and disabled whose pets need emergency veterinary care.
Financial assistance is available for low-income pet owners residing in Orange County, California for emergency critical care (typically life-threatening). If you qualify for a pledge to pay for veterinary care, it is a contribution towards the cost of treatment.
Please note that we are unable to pledge for elective procedures such as TPLO, FHO or other orthopedic corrective treatments and surgeries. We also cannot contribute towards treatment costs of chronic care, ongoing conditions or routine care.
We do not pay outstanding balances or reimburse for treatment.
Complete the following steps to be considered for financial assistance for emergency vet care:
(Remember! You must complete all 3 required steps to be considered)
STEP 1
Apply for Care Credit
Apply at carecredit.com/apply, or call Care Credit at 800.677.0718 (callers must be at least 21 years of age). If you are denied, you must provide us with the application key/reference/denial code. We recommend you request at least double the vet estimate amount.
It is important to secure a payment plan for your current and future vet care.
STEP 2
Get an Estimate from Your Vet
The veterinarian will need to send an estimate to us BEFORE care is provided in order to be considered for a pledge. A clear estimate of the recommended treatment is necessary in order for us to understand the care plan the veterinarian is implementing.
If you need a referral to a lower cost veterinarian for diagnosis and an estimate, please see our Veterinary Hospitals page.
We cannot reimburse you if a bill has already been paid or if there is an outstanding balance.
STEP 3
Submit an OC Animal Allies Application
What to Expect
Once you have completed all three steps (Care Credit approval/denial, veterinarian estimate, and application) you can expect to hear from us by phone or email to further discuss your case. Remember to always answer your phone so that you do not miss returned calls! Priority is always given to critical and life threatening cases.
You may want to contact multiple financial aid organizations to cover as much of the bill as possible. For a list of other organizations to contact, see our Financial Aid Groups page. Keep a notebook handy so that you can keep track of which groups you contacted and other important information. Try asking friends and family for help. For very large surgeries you can try fundraising through sites like Waggle or GoFundMe.