Where to Find Help for Pet Care and Pet Food

Anyone can suddenly find their life turned upside down when confronted with a job loss or illness that creates financial hardship they didn’t expect. It’s a stressful and scary situation that can be made worse during a bad economy. In the past, finding help for pet care was hard to do, but over the years, organizations, pet related businesses and pet food companies have been stepping up to help people who may be having trouble meeting their responsibility to their pets with proper pet care.

Too many pet owners have found themselves in a position of stretching limited funds to feed their family and pets. The tough economic situation many people are caught in wasn’t created by them, but many are left wondering if they will be able to weather an economic crisis. Pet owners are forced to make hard choices that can affect them for the rest of their lives. Having to give up a beloved pet because they can’t afford to feed them is a heartbreaking choice to make regardless of what caused their particular circumstance. There is hope, however, for struggling pet owners wanting to keep their pet with them. Where to find help for pet care and pet food during tough economic times isn’t as hard as you may think.

There is Help Available

No one should have to surrender a pet to a shelter or be forced to find their pet a new home because of a job loss or illness that decreases their monthly income. There have always been ebbs and flows in our economy where some people prosper and others fall by the way side. Being forced to give up a pet because a budget will no longer cover pet care isn’t good for the pet owner, pet or shelters who simply don’t have enough space to continue taking in pets. The solution should be to provide help for pet owners struggling to meet their responsibility to their pet.

Dedicated companies like Canidae Pet Food, Inc. and Petco have donated thousands of dollars and pet food to pet food banks across the country to help pet owners who need help through hard times by making sure their four legged family members also have the food they need to stay healthy. These two companies understand the importance of keeping pets in the family.

Canidae All Natural Pet Foods has been working with The Pongo Fund Pet Food Bank in Portland, Oregon and helps low income and the homeless feed their pets. With the generous donations from Canidae, the Pongo Fund has been able to expand its help to non-profit organizations across Oregon and Washington state. For more information on The Pongo Fund, go to their website for details on how to get help for pet food and where to go.

Petco has established pet food banks in every major city across the country to help provide pet food to families who need a helping hand feeding their pets. To learn more about Petco’s food bank program and where they are located, go to their website and click on your state for a list of where you can make donations and where to go to pick up pet food.

Save Our Pets Food Bank is located in the Atlanta, Georgia area who also distributes to other locations in the area. For information on where and how to apply for help in locations around the country for other pet food assistance programs check out their website.

Human food banks have also been stocking supplies of pet food and cat litter to keep pet owners from sharing the small amount of food they have with their pet. Pet owners do what they have to do to feed their pets and many people are going without and sharing the little food they have with their pets. Check with your local food bank and see if they are stocking pet food.

Many shelters and rescue organizations receive donations from pet food companies every month and are happy to share their pet food with owners who need help. Check with your local shelter or rescue organization to see if they can help. If you live in a small town, you may need to find a shelter in a larger city in your area, but more and more organizations are devoted to helping pet owners keep their pets with them at home.

There are also organizations who can help a struggling pet owner with vet costs. Most pet owners don’t have crystal balls that will tell them when and if they were be in a position of not being able to afford vital pet care a pet may need at sometime in their life. Vet care can take a chunk of money out of any household budget and if the pet owner has experienced a job loss or illness, proper pet care usually becomes an obligation the pet owner can’t meet. Other Organizations who can help with pet care.

The American Animal Hospital Association Helping Pets Fund can help qualified pet owners. You can find more information on their website.

Angels 4 Animals

No one should have to put a healthy and loving pet to sleep because their owner is having financial difficulty. Angels 4 Animals is a non-profit organization who has a mission to help provide pet care for pet owners who qualify.

CareCredit

This is a good site to check out for anyone. It provides help for pet care, health care, dental or cosmetic. It’s sort of like a credit card, but it works much differently. It can only be used for healthcare services or veterinarian services. As long as you make your payments on time and repay the loan in the time frame you picked, it’s a no interest loan. Most people have no problem qualifying for financial help through this company. You can apply for a card before you need financial help.

Feline Veterinary Emergency Assistance

A non-profit organization that can help cat owners who may be having a hard time affording pet care for their cat or kitten. Help is provided for cat owners whose feline needs lifesaving treatment. They don’t provide help for vaccinations, regular exams, spaying or neutering or Insulin.

You can find information on how you can help if you would like to donate or volunteer on their websites. The Humane Society has a more extensive list of other organizations and veterinarian schools who may be able to help. They have a section where you can check your state to see if help is available to you or someone you know who may need some help with pet care or pet food.

Live links for all of the websites mentioned above.