Got a Sick Animal but Can’t Afford the Vet Bill?

– File photo by Terry Miller

New website offers unique approach to affordable pet healthcare

Forget about Go-Fund-me … Sierra Madre resident Sam Bernardo and his business partner, Ryan Boyd,  have created a clever website called Free Animal Doctor, which  puts animal owners in touch with people who can help pay for pets’ medical needs. It’s a brilliant and simple solution to a complex problem many animal lovers face daily. How to pay those high vet bills when your pet gets sick and still manage to survive? Free Animal Doctor (FAD) is a web-based platform that puts animals with medical needs in touch with individuals who can help them financially. FAD places each animal’s bio, picture and/or video along with their veterinarian’s diagnosis, prognosis and estimated cost of treatment onto their web site, FreeAnimalDoctor.org.

People donate to a specific animal or to a general fund in any amount. All donations are tax deductible. When donations reach the estimated cost of treatment, donations stop. Animals only receive the amount needed for treatment. Free Animal Doctor pays the veterinarian directly after the animal receives treatment and never pays the animal’s owner. If donations do not reach the estimated cost of care, Free Animal Doctor will make up the difference from the general fund when possible. If, an animal no longer needs funding, Free Animal Doctor contacts each donor to ask if they would like to transfer their donation to another animal or to the general fund or if they would prefer a refund.

100 percent of every dollar donated goes directly to the animals heath care. All administrative costs are paid for by Free Animal Doctor’s founders and sponsors. Whenever possible, the FAD will post follow-up pictures/videos of the animal after treatment to share their progress. Please visit their website, donate if you can, tell your friends and like them on Facebook. Free Animal Doctor is a 501(c)(3) registered public charity.

More from Community