Veterinary care is one of the most expensive parts of having a pet. Whether you’re just dealing with routine vaccines, preventive care like microchipping, annual exams, or an expensive surgery or emergency, it can be hard to come up with the money needed to cover it.
Luckily, there are quite a few ways you can get veterinary assistance in Metro Detroit. The area offers many programs, including various pet charities and groups, that can help make veterinary care more affordable. Check out these groups, as well as some alternative options, to ensure your pet gets the best possible care.
Michigan Humane Society
Location: 2937 East Grand Boulevard, Suite 800, Detroit, MI
Website: https://www.michiganhumane.org/vet-care/
What they offer: Michigan Humane Society is more than just a place to surrender or adopt pets. They offer a variety of programs for the public. This includes several veterinary locations in the Metro Detroit area that provide low-cost and package-priced care. These services include wellness exams, preventive care, spay/neutering, dental care, and diagnostics. You can find one of their veterinary locations in Westland, Rochester Hills, and Detroit.
Friends of Detroit Animal Care & Control
Location: P.O. Box 2189, Detroit, MI
Website: https://www.friendsofdacc.org/veterinary-resources
What they offer: Friends of Detroit Animal Care & Control offers many services, including spay/neuter clinics, heartworm prevention clinics, and a listing of low-cost veterinarians in the area you can visit. They have also partnered with Project GRACE to offer no-cost spay and neuter services. You can apply as long as you’re in the Detroit city limits. There is no income restriction or limitation for this service, making it a great way to help reduce the cost of care.
Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society
Location: 13557 Joseph Campau, Detroit, MI
Website: https://macsshelter.org/clinic
What they offer: The Michigan Anti-Cruelty Society offers a variety of outreach, adoption, and veterinary services to help pets in need. Their Detroit location features a veterinary clinic offering low-cost services. While they aren’t a free clinic, their services are a lot lower cost than many other clinics. They can also point pet parents in need to local veterinary clinics and services to assist with further care.
Additional Ways to Assist With Veterinary Care Costs
Ask Friends and Family
Sometimes, friends and family in your network are the best way to help cover emergency veterinary costs. Setting up a GoFundMe or other similar account gives them a way to help contribute to costs. However, this isn’t a great option for routine veterinary care. It may help in a pinch if your dog or cat experiences an expensive emergency.
Visit Your Local Animal Shelter
As listed above, many animal shelters offer low or no-cost veterinary services. But, some also have special funds set up to help low or no-income families cover the cost of emergency and routine veterinary care. It does take some time to be accepted into these programs, but it’s a good idea to check and see if your local shelter or rescue offers help. In addition, breed-specific and age-specific pet rescues sometimes have funds set aside to help those pets in need. There are also nationwide charity groups available that may be able to help.
Sign Up for Care Credit
Care Credit is a credit card that can be used for medical expenses. While it’s popular for human care, such as with dental emergencies, many veterinary clinics also accept Care Credit as a method of payment. The downside is that you do need to be able to be approved for a credit limit just like a regular credit card. And while there is no initial interest in many cases, the interest rates for these cards can be high if not paid off within the time limit.
Sign Up for Pet Insurance
Pet Insurance is another good long-term plan to reduce the cost of veterinary care. However, many insurances don’t cover preexisting conditions, so this is the best option to go for if you have a young pet, puppy, or kitten that doesn’t have any health issues yet. Most insurances will cover routine and preventive care services, as well as a variety of emergency care. Do be warned, however, that some only reimburse costs after you’ve already paid at the vet — so you may still need the cash upfront.
Speak to a Local Veterinarian
Payment plans through individual veterinarians are less common these days, but many still offer a variety of options. Some vets can work with you on a private payment plan if you incur a large expense — especially if you’re already well-known at your clinic. In addition, many veterinary clinics now offer health maintenance plans that act like pet insurance. You pay an annual fee and receive a discount on routine vaccines, exams, blood work, medications, and more to help offset costs.
Veterinary care can be one of the biggest expenses of having pets. But, it’s also one of the most important. Having a pet doesn’t have to break the bank, especially if you have options. Check out these above services, and let us know in the comments below of any we missed or that have worked best for you.
The Detroit Barker 
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