Financial assistance for veterinary costs

Written by The Meilleurtaux editorial team .
Updated

July 24, 2023 .
Reading time :
7 mins

The cost of veterinary fees is relatively high. Routine care, prevention, accidents or even illnesses, it is necessary to find solutions to care for your pet while preserving your budget. Let's take an overview of financial aid to reduce veterinary costs.

Veterinary costs: high prices

If you have a pet (dog, cat, ferret, dwarf rabbit, etc.), you already know that veterinary costs are high. It's hard to miss these expenses if your pet needs care.

Without health insurance, your financial situation could be impacted. Except for certain expenses (castration, vaccination, etc.), veterinary costs are unforeseen and you do not necessarily have the budget needed to cover them.

To get an idea of ​​the healthcare costs for your pet, here are some examples of veterinary costs for a cat.

Examples of veterinary costs for a cat
Veterinary fees	Price
Microchip	50 to 80 €
Vaccination	Around €200 the first year then €60 to €80 the following years
Dewormer	10 to 25 €
Sterilization	100 to 150 €
Castration	€80
Consultation	30 to 40 €
Complete blood test	€80
X-ray with anesthesia	60 to 80 €
Ultrasound	50 to 150 €
To scan	300 to 400 €
Digestive or respiratory endoscopy	300 to 700 €
Fracture operation	200 to 500 €
Radiotherapy	€1,500
Euthanasia	€60
Incineration	€50

In the event of an accident or illness, examinations can be expensive, not to mention the need to do hospitalize your pet. For a dog, the cost of hospitalization can reach 10 to 50 euros per day depending on the care needed.

If you have not purchased health insurance, the financial risk is significant. For certain veterinary costs, there are solutions to pay less.

I find the best animal insurance

What financial assistance for veterinary care?

Are you looking for solutions to care for your animal while limiting the impact on your budget? Discover the financial help to which you may be entitled.

Opt for veterinary school consultation

During their training, veterinarians need to deal with practical cases in order to be ready to treat animals upon completion of their studies. To support them in this training, veterinary schools offer individuals the opportunity to treat their dog or cat. They can take care of NACs (new pets, such as ferrets, dwarf rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters). This is financial assistance to consider if you cannot afford to pay traditional veterinary costs. These schools offer prices that are approximately 30% lower than those of a veterinary practice.

You can come to a veterinary school for a consultation, a vaccination or even a tattoo. The veterinary student can carry out a few examinations in order to schedule a surgical intervention. Veterinary schools are equipped to welcome your pet and offer it various treatments:

• simple consultation;
• surgery ;
• ophthalmology;
• gynecology;
• cancerology;

Although this financial assistance for veterinary costs is very interesting, there is only 4 national veterinary schools in France. They are located at:

• Maisons-Alfort (ENVA);
• Toulouse (ENVT);
• Nantes (Oniris);
• Lyon (VetAgro Sup).

From 4^e year, students learn to carry out animal examinations at the hospital center of their veterinary school. Rest assured, they are accompanied by their trainers to care for your pet.

Consult veterinarians in an SPA dispensary

The animal protection society (SPA) has created 12 dispensaries in France to support low-income pet owners. These SPA dispensaries are located in the following cities:

• Le Cannet;
• Marseilles;
• Toulouse;
• Grenoble;
• Orleans;
• Liévin;
• Perpignan;
• Lyon;
• Paris ;
• Le Petit-Quevilly;
• Poulainville;
• etc.

You can there have your pet treated for free. This is welcome financial assistance if your income is not enough to take care of your animals. Sterilization, identification, vaccination, these are the services offered by the SPA dispensaries.

To benefit from this assistance, you must present an identity document and proof of resources. Help is only for:

• to students ;
• to the homeless;
• to recipients of minimum social assistance.

Depending on your budget, a free financial participation is possible. This makes it possible to help dispensaries, financed solely by donations.

The Animal Assistance Foundation

If you are looking for a financial assistance for your veterinary expenses, you can contact the Animal Assistance Foundation. She opened dispensaries to support dog and cat owners whose income is too low to cover the health costs of their pet.

Consultation, radio, vaccination or even surgical operation, the foundation treats more than 30,000 sick animals each year. Not everything is free. We simply ask you to contribute to operating costs. It is still much cheaper than a veterinary office.

You can find a dispensary of the Animal Assistance foundation in the following cities:

• Paris ;
• Bordeaux;
• Marseilles;
• Nice;
• Toulon;
• Strasbourg;
• etc.

The Veterinary Association for All

In order to avoid the abandonment of care and animal suffering, veterinarians have created an association working in collaboration with social services and local authorities. This makes it possible to determine the owners likely to benefit from solidarity medicine based on their low income. Here, care is not free, but the price is completely affordable compared to the classic prices of a veterinarian. Generally, you pay only 30% of the price, the rest being covered by the veterinarians who are members of the association and the association itself.

To obtain an appointment with a veterinarian from the Vétérinaire pour tous association, you must make the request in advance from your usual veterinarianan animal protection association, social services in your city or a veterinary school.

Call for donations or crowdfunding

If you cannot benefit from the above financial aid (because your income is above the ceilings or because the veterinary schools are too far from your home), why not ask for donations? To obtain the funds needed to have your dog or cat treated, you can ask your loved ones or make a online prize pool which will be shared. Some animal lovers might be sensitive to your request if, for example, you need to have your pet operated on for a cancerous tumor.

THE crowdfunding (crowdfunding) can be a solution if you have to face high veterinary costs (for surgery in particular). Clic Animaux is a platform on which it is possible to ask animal lovers for help to finance this expense.

Choose a veterinarian offering payment facilities

Another solution if you cannot benefit from financial aid for your veterinary costs: ask your usual veterinarian to grant you a ease of payment. This simple solution helps you better control your budget by avoiding a heavy expense.

To avoid giving up treatment, your veterinarian is fully able to advise you offer payment in 3 installmentsor even more depending on the expense and your financial possibilities.

I find the best animal insurance

What if you took out pet insurance?

To avoid being surprised by unexpected health expenses at the veterinarian, why not take out animal insurance? A mutual insurance for dogscats and other pets is a solution allowing you to be more serene while better controlling your budget.

You pay a contribution each month to obtain a reimbursement of your health costs according to the guarantees of your contract.

Thanks to a pet health insuranceyou can expect 60 to 100% of your veterinary costs to be covered (consultations, emergencies, sterilization, vaccination, etc.).

Compare pet insurance

To optimize your budget, use our online animal insurance comparator. It is a simple, free and no-obligation tool. It allows you to take out a contract that fits both your budget and your needs for your pet.

During your comparativewe advise you to carefully study the following elements:

• the reimbursement rate;
• the care covered;
• annual reimbursement ceilings;
• the annual deductible;
• waiting periods.

Find the best plans then compare prices for take out the cheapest contract with equivalent guarantees.

Frequently asked questions about financial assistance for veterinary expenses

What associations can reduce health costs for my dog ​​or cat?

For free or reduced-cost care for your pet, you can contact the SPA dispensaries, the Veterinarian for All foundation or the Animal Assistance foundation.

How to find an inexpensive veterinarian?

To obtain inexpensive veterinary care, we advise you to contact veterinary schools. There are only 4 in France: in Maisons-Alfort, Toulouse, Nantes and Lyon.

Is it possible to pay in installments at the veterinarian?

Yes, some veterinarians can accept payment in installments if your financial situation is complex. This allows you not to forgo care while preserving your budget.

Written by
The Meilleurtaux editorial team