Anyone heard of the RSPCA helping with vet bills?

[Mildred]

Local branch of RSPCA here will help with one off bills.
You have to approach them and let them know the total cost of the bill. The client has to pay the first £25 of the bill themselves then the RSPCA will pay one third of the outstanding amount upto a maximum of £100. They wont pay for any ongoing treatment.

RSPCA HQ have a habit of telling people on the phone that they will help with the bill which is a lie.

They have also changed their guidelines recently and have limited the amount of treatment that can be given in an emergency. Its still upto £60 but they wont pay out unless the member of the public has phoned the RSPCA first to register the details THEN the vet has to phone up to get the log number and only if they can match up the two phonecalls,will they issue a number.

[madamcat (Edd)]

Beside having funds available, I think it may depend on what help is available in your area. We do not have a PDSA and the nearest Blue Cross Hospital will only cover certain postcodes. So that leaves the RSPCA and CP and any other local charities.

The RSPCA hospital will treat owned pets for people on benefits - and we are lucky to have one near us but they are totally over-whelmed and the waiting times there are very long. Sort of links to another thread on here.

So in an emergency, local vets (which the RSPCA and CP have arrangements with) may contact the local branch or ask the owner to contact the local branch to see if they can help.

Where I have seen this done, it has been an emergency and whether any help with costs (partial or full) has been considered on a case by case basis. Probably contacted as a last resort and not something they do on a regular basis.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I have only known them help with strays - my local branch paid for dental and neutering for Bruno, but the vet did a deal with them.

Bryony - PEbbles' amputation was nowhere near that cost, think it was about £250, but that was a few years ago - it was cheaper than the pin removal the emergency vet did!!

[maryas]

I think every RSPCA branch must have their own schemes on the go because I remember watching RSPCA with Rolf Harris and asking myself why they were giving free treatment to people in a few of the shows.

I got Bonnie from the RSPCA on a Scheme called EARS - Elderly and rehoming Scheme - Bonnie is 12 and I pay £5 a week and if I need to see a vet I can go Monday or Thursday to the RSPCA and pay £5 to see the vet and get treatment for next to nothing.  I get Frontline for £1 a go and Annual boosters free.

Mary

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I'm very surprised the RSPCA are giving funding to treat an owned cat.  Round this way they don't even respond to messages, let alone dig into their pockets. Both Dover and Canterbury RSPCA seem to be virtually shut and their HQ keeps refering people to us. 

AFAIK, you have to be pre-registered with the PDSA to recieve treatment. But there is Lord Whiskey who also treat cats cheaply and have a clinic in Faversham now... trouble is transporting them down there. 

[Bryony84]

MM, amputation doesn't make it much cheaper. Casper had a rear leg amputated and the vet bill was over £1000 in total.

[Mark]

We don't even know what the injuries were. She was very upset so I went gently with her. She was just like "nan" in Catherine Tate (a nicer version)
"Oh my good gord, he's my big ginger baby who sleeps on my bed"

[Millys Mum]

They offer £60 for strays but afaik its not for owned pets, thats a huge bill, in her case it would be cheaper to amputate 

[Mark]

We can apply for a small grant from HO for dealing with feral colonies - I know our Julie (Pinkbear) got one. I'm pretty sure that the RSPCA has a £60 limit - we have in the past signed over cats from vets due them not offering more. There was one cat that comes to mind that has a broken pelvis. Sharon accepted the case and our branch had to foot the bill with the RSPCA contributing £60 to the vets.

[Karon]

I've had help with vet bills from both CP and RSPCA, although always with feral cats.  I'd have thought PDSA would be a place for her to look at, rather than RSPCA?  Hope the vet bill gets sorted, anyway.

[madamcat (Edd)]

Some branches I believe have been lucky to receive legacies from people's wills and/or operate very good fundraising schemes.

On legacies there is a specific wording to be used so that a branch of a large charity benefits from the legacy, rather than the HQ.

[Mark]

I wish our branch could get more money. I meant to tell the others but I spoke to a lady last week and gave her some advice regarding a stray cat in her garden. She said I had been very helpful and she wanted to make a large donation. I pointed out that although it is entirely up to her, if she gave it directly to our branch rather than head office, it will have more of an impact on cats in our area. She said she was recovering from wrist surgery but as soon as she was able to, she will be in touch with the branch again to arrange the cheque 

[madamcat (Edd)]

I think it may be more in the RSPCA's remit to help people with vet bills in an emergency.  But if there is no-one to help, and the choice is PTS or help with costs, some CP branches do help (providing they have the funds to do so).

As I say we are lucky that a RSPCA hospital is near, so that is always an option for people as well, as they do not put any postcode restrictions on who they will see.

I have been in my vets when a seriously injured/ill pet has come in and the vets have rung the hospital to see if they will treat the pet as the owner is unable to afford the costs to treat at a private vets. Suppose the same applies with PDSA and Blue Cross.

[Mark]

Hi

Our local branches of the RSPCA help with vet bills. But one branch is dog focussed and then it can be CP who will see if they can help. I think all consider whether they can help on a case by case basis.

We are also lucky that an RSPCA Hospital is not far so the pet can be transferred there if people cannot afford local vets or are unable to find local RSPCA/CP branches that can help.

Our branch isn't able to help with vet bills and I thought that was the same with all branches - quite surprising really. We just don't have the funds and Head Office don't give the branches any money.

[Leanne]

I've heard of them helping out too.

[madamcat (Edd)]

Hi

Our local branches of the RSPCA help with vet bills. But one branch is dog focussed and then it can be CP who will see if they can help. I think all consider whether they can help on a case by case basis.

We are also lucky that an RSPCA Hospital is not far so the pet can be transferred there if people cannot afford local vets or are unable to find local RSPCA/CP branches that can help.

[Mark]

I had a message on the CP line from a lady saying her cat had been knocked down. She said the vet wants £750 and can we help with the bill. It was out of our area (something CP need to take up as she was the second person today out of our area that had been given our number by directory enquiries) I phoned her back to tell her that we wouldn't be able to help and she said "It's OK, the Cats Protection League are going to help with the bill" - I asked her what number she phoned. I googled after I made the call and it was her local RSPCA branch (Isle of Sheppey)

Anyway, she was very upset and said that her 2 cats never go out except for out the back and she has no idea how he managed to get out. She said they are her babies and sleep on her bed with her  - I suggested that when he is better, she might want to look into insurance - she said she adopted them from Ramsgate CP and that she was a pensioner on benefits. It wan't the right time to wag fingers. I doubt the cats will be getting out of the front again.