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When pet owners in Haliburton cannot afford the cost of necessary emergency, critical and / or specialty veterinary intervention or medicals, the Haliburton Pet Owners' Assistance Fund may be able to help.......

Who is Eligible?

 

Our charitable tax status requires us to have specific criteria for who we can assist.

 

Applicants for assistance must provide proof that they fall into one of the following groups with their applications.  By law, we cannot provide funds without satisfactory evidence that the pet owner falls into one of these groups.

 

Eligible pet owners are permanent residents of Haliburton County who are:

 

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  • People with disabilities who receive the Ontario Disability Support Payment (ODSP)

 

  • Seniors who receive the Federal Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)

 

  • Families who have recently experienced sudden and traumatic loss of assets due to fire or flood or,

 

  • Persons whose pet has been taken into the SafePet program when fleeing domestic violence or abuse.

 

 

 

What types of Veterinary Care are Eligible? 

 

The following types of care are eligible for funding:

 

  • Urgent non-elective medical or surgical procedure(s) and non-routine medical care (i.e. not vaccination, spay/neuter, teeth-cleaning, etc.) and/or medication necessary to support the ongoing  life of the animal or comfort measures to enhance the remaining quality of life. 

  • Care must be provided by a veterinarian registered in the Province of Ontario

  • All services & procedures must be essential in the opinion of the attending veterinarian.

 

How do I Apply?

 

Your veterinarian will have access to our Application for Assistance form and  will assist you in completing the form.  You will be required to provide proof that you are eligible in accordance with specific criteria as outlined above. 

Important to Know:

 

  • We are interested in helping people where the pet is a particularly important member of the family.

  • Ability to provide assistance will depend on the level of funds at any given time.

  • A key objective of HPOAF is to provide assistance for a broad range of pet owners (as opposed to providing extraordinary assistance for a few).  The cost of services & procedures for which assistance is available must be at least $300 to a maximum of $1000 per household per twelve-month period.   We expect pet owners to contribute at least 10% of the total cost of treatment (up to a maximum of $100.)  In exceptional circumstances, these limits may be waived or varied, in the absolute discretion of the HPOAF.  

  • Applications will be taken on a first come, first addressed basis.  

  • All funding decisions will be in the sole and absolute discretion of HPOAF.

  • For emergency and/or surgical procedures, the funding application should be for all costs reasonably anticipated to be associated with the emergency procedure, including diagnostics, anaesthetics, procedure, post-surgery care, medication, etc. 

  • If the application is for assistance with the cost of pain or other medications required to sustain the animal's life, the application should cover the anticipated cost for a year, if it is an ongoing condition or for the anticipated remainder of the animal's life if it is a terminal condition.  

  • For ongoing conditions, applicants may apply on a yearly basis for assistance. 

  • Where a decision is made to provide assistance, funding will stop if the animal no longer requires the medication sooner than anticipated.  If an animal requires the medication for longer than anticipated, the HPOAF will consider an application for an extension.

  • It is not anticipated that HPOAF would accept subsequent applications for assistance for the same animal from the same owner within a twelve month period, although it would not absolutely bar a subsequent application for assistance for a different condition at a later date within the twelve month period.

  • Unfortunately, veterinarians often must have conversations with pet owners about what are the alternatives for sustaining a reasonable quality of life for their animals.  The objective of the HPOAF is not to extend the life of an animal beyond that which is reasonable within the good judgment of the pet owner and the veterinarian.  HPOAF aims to help people for whom their pet is a critical member of the family so that their animal's life is not taken prematurely solely for economic reasons.

  • Please refer to our privacy policy for additional information.

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