The purpose of the Compassion Fund is to provide owned or stray pets with emergency, lifesaving veterinary care.
The San Angelo and Concho Valley communities do not have a low-cost veterinary clinic. The veterinary clinics have all adopted policies where payment is due when services are rendered. The twenty-four-hour clinic charges $195 office visit fee after 6pm and on weekends when other clinics are not open. The services at the emergency clinic for after-hours care are also billed at an increased “after hours” rate making it prohibitive for many in our community to handle an emergency. The only affordable option offered to pet owners is euthanasia. Many of these emergencies are treatable, and euthanasia is not necessary. But cost plays a huge factor.
Therefore, this Compassion Fund Program is available to pet owners who do not have the funds to provide emergency care for their pet. However, because resources are limited and the demand is great, the following policies have been set in place to help in the management of the fund.
- The owner must apply for Care Credit through their veterinary clinic and have been denied or only approved for a partial amount.
- Assistance MUST be approved BEFORE treatment begins. PAWS cannot pay for care that has already been administered.
- Any recipient of the fund MUST agree to having their pets spayed or neutered once the emergency has passed and the animal is healthy enough to undergo the procedure. Low-cost or free vouchers will be made available to each owner based on his or her financial situation.
- Owner must provide photographs of the pet needing treatment and allow the photograph to be used in fundraising efforts.
- The fund may not be used for treating the following:
- Parvo or Panleukopenia. Both are preventable diseases if pets are vaccinated properly. Both are costly to treat exceeding an average of $2,000 per dog.
- Heat stroke if the dog has been allowed to live outdoors. Special consideration may be given to owners wo have been actively looking for a lost dog that as suffered heatstroke. Heatstroke is costly to treat with very little success. PAWS may assist with humane euthanasia to prevent suffering.
- Non-emergency issues. However, PAWS may offer discount coupons (when they are available) to families needing veterinary care to help cover the cost of the office visit or discounted prescriptions. The pet owner must demonstrate a financial need for assistance just as they do for the Compassion Fund. Coupons may be issued if available and if approved by the Executive Director or assigns.
- If a terminal or chronic illness is determined because of the emergency, the fund will cover the current visit and the diagnosis but will not provide continued care unless a special situation has been approved by the Executive Director. Depending on the severity of the illness, euthanasia assistance may be available.
- Everyone who participates in the compassion fund will be required to reimburse the fund with monthly payments. Payments will be calculated by dividing 100% of the balance after donations are applied by 24. For example, if an emergency bill was $2,500 and $1,000 in donations were raised that would leave a balance of $1,500. We would divide $1,500 by 24. This would make a monthly payment of $62.50 payable over 2 years. The following exceptions will be made:
- San Angelo’s homeless population participating in the Unsheltered Pets Program will not be expected to make regular payments but asked to pay it forward when and how they are able.
- Senior Citizens on fixed incomes will pay back 25% of the balance after donations are applied with monthly payments of $10 or more depending on their ability to repay until the balance is paid in full.
- One parent households or households with less than $25,000 annual income will pay back 40% of the balance after donations with monthly payments of $20 or more depending on their ability to pay.
To apply for assistance with this program, please complete the following brief form:
If you would like to donate to our Compassion Fund, please fill out the form below.