i am on universal credit and pip can I have some help with vets bills

shellynorthall0812
shellynorthall0812 Community Member Posts: 1 Listener
edited May 20 in Everyday life

Hi i am on universal credit and pip can I have some help with vets bills

Comments

  • SwiftFox
    SwiftFox Community Member Posts: 1,117 Championing

    I somehow don't think the benefits system is for that..You could try PDSA charity, but you'll still have to pay something.

  • Santosha12
    Santosha12 Community Member Posts: 4,309 Championing
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/146400/hi-my-name-is-shellynorthall0812

    Hi @shellynorthall0812,

    Firstly, a very warm welcome to you to the community. It depends which area you are in. Being in receipt of UC and/or PIP does not, in itself, give any help with veterinary costs but may mean you're eligible for support from animal charities such as Blue Cross, PDSA, RSPCA; you'd need however to be in their 'catchment' area. You could go on their website and do a postcode check to see.

    There is also the 'Animal Trust', they are not a charity but are a non-profit organisation, structured as a Community Interest Company to be able to offer accessible and more affordable care and treatment. I'll list for you where they are: Liverpool, Shrewsbury, Stockton on Tees, Ashton under Lyne, Barnsley, Failsworth, St. Helen's, Warrington, Bolton and Ellesmere Port.

    Cont'd....

  • Santosha12
    Santosha12 Community Member Posts: 4,309 Championing

    Hi @shellynorthall0812,

    It might be worth checking with your vet too whether they offer payment plans (many do not) OR if they work with 'Carefree Credit' (not to be confused with CareCredit which is for US pet owners).

    'Carefree Credit' offer low interest finance but I think they do a 'hard' credit check (ie via Experian/Equifax etc). You can do an initial, eligibility check on their website. My understanding is that your vet has to be signed up to this with them but it might still be worth checking: any finance is still subject to age, status and affordability.

    Depending what your pet needs, I used to use 'Pet Drugs Online' for all of my pets' medications but that still required a 'private prescription' from my vet c £15.00 at the time but the eye ointment I needed was £28.00 vs £86.00 and for chronic conditions they could prescribe for 6 months under the cascade system, so it was well worth it.

    What kind of pet(s) do you have? I couldn't tell from your post if your pet has already had the treatment he or she needs or not. We have a lot of very caring and dedicated pet owners on here. It's incredibly stressful when they're unwell, I understand having 4 dogs myself.

    Anyway, you're very welcome here and please ask if you've any further questions or just need support. Take good care and my very warmest wishes to you.

  • Mary_Scope
    Mary_Scope Posts: 4,642 Scope Online Community Children and Family Specialists

    Hi @shellynorthall0812 and a warm welcome to the community from me!

    Unfortunately there is no official help available for vets bills for people on PIP and UC but as Santosha mentioned above there is various animal charities that may be able to help.

    My dog needs ongoing medication as he has seizures and we have recently found that we can pay around £35 for a prescription from the vets and then pick up the medication at the human pharmacy as his medication is the same as what they prescribe humans.

    This has saved us hundreds of pounds so far as it used to cost nearly £250 a month for him so that may be an option too😊

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