Helping Paws assists military families in need with urgent veterinary issues. We work to help supplement costs you can't cover, so we recommend reaching out to other organizations and family for additional funding. For a list of resources, click Help Agencies.
To Qualify for Help:
- Pet is ill or injured in San Diego County (we do not help with routine care like spay/neuter or dental cleanings)
- Owner is an active duty service member or veteran
- Applicant is in financial hardship
How to Apply:
- Complete the Help Request Form
- All adults must apply for *Scratch Pay or Care Credit. Send us Care Credit's decision and family photos with your pet to info@helpingpawssandiego.org
- If you qualify, we will email you to coordinate a free exam at a participating hospital in North County San Diego
- Alert us to your appointment time and bring proof of military service and recent veterinary records with you
- Our hours are M-F, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We encourage the earliest available appointment to allow enough time for us to review the application and estimate.
- We'll work with your vet to determine how much financial assistance we can offer (funding is issued directly to your provider).
*IF YOU DON'T APPLY FOR SCRATCH PAY OR CARE CREDIT: You must show proof of financial hardship by emailing us a screenshot of current balances for checking and savings. If you don't have a bank account, you can provide: 1040 tax form, Social Security income, Unemployment or government assistance paperwork. Email this to info@helpingpawssandiego.org
Terms
- Applicants pay what they can toward the pet's treatment
- Recipients agree to allow Helping Paws use their story, photos and video. Recipients are encouraged to share/like/post on social media and do Facebook fundraisers on our behalf
- Recipients agree to fill out a testimonial after treatment
- Recipients are encouraged to pay it forward to enable Helping Paws to help more military families