Last Updated on August 21, 2023 by Hannah Stevens
You can also take a look at the pet grants from all the other states.
Help for Your Pet
Pet owners who are in financial difficulty and have a pet that is suffering from a medical emergency must complete an application to be considered eligible for assistance.
Before you can receive assistance, you must submit a complete application for review. Please read all the information below carefully to learn more about what constitutes a complete application, including FACE’s Terms and Conditions, and determine if you qualify for a grant. They are looking forward to working with you and your pet.
Who Is Qualified for FACE Funding?
- FACE offers financial assistance through grants for pets who are in urgent or critical need of veterinary care.
- A veterinarian must have done a check up on your pet in the last two weeks, and they must have determined that your pet is in urgent life-threatening or critical care condition.
- A good prognosis is essential for pets undergoing treatment.
- FACE is only available to pet owners living in San Diego County.
Who Is Not Qualified for FACE Funding?
FACE cannot offer assistance for the following:
- Initial exam/consultation fees
- Routine care or non-emergency care (i.e. vaccines, spay/neuter, cruciate ligament tears, etc.)
- Services and/or performed or completed before FACE approval
- Conditions that require ongoing treatment (i.e. Addison’s Disease, Heart disease, Diabetes, etc.)
- Conditions with a poor or guarded prognosis (i.e. kidney failure, etc.)
- Please note that FACE is limited to providing assistance for pet owners only twice.
Are you not eligible for financial assistance through FACE?
Here’s a list of organizations that might be able to assist you: Resources for Veterinary Expenses
Application Process
All adults in the household must submit the following:
If you are applying after 5PM or on the weekend, please follow the afterhours instructions below. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Results of Care Credit and Scratch Pay (Scratch Pay if applicable). Please provide screenshots of each.
- Screenshot showing current bank balances in ALL bank accounts (checking and saving account). Some examples of accounts include Chime, EDD Bank of America, Direct Express, Venmo, and personal bank accounts.
- You will need to provide a complete 30 days of bank transactions for these accounts (screenshot photos/pdf statements suffice).
- Photos of your pet, including Holiday-themed photos.
- Please also include the link to your fundraising campaign (start your campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com).
- FACE Online Financial Assistance Application (RFA Form)
Please attach all required documents to your online application. For more information about submitting required documents, please refer to the “How do I submit my documents” section.
NOTE: Any approved credit must be used towards any tests for diagnosing your pet before you apply for FACE, and/or used for your pet’s procedure. FACE is unable to always cover the entire cost of the procedure. Therefore, it is recommended to reach out to family and friends, as well as other organizations and individuals, to obtain additional donations for your pet.
How to Submit Your Documents
Documents can be attached to your online application, and the screenshot photos and PDFs may be sent via email at [email protected], as well as faxed to 858-457-3223. If these options may not be available to you, please speak with your veterinarian about how they can help you submit your documents.
Medical portion NEEDED for review:
- FACE RFA Form Signed by the treating veterinarian. Please fill the “Hospital Use Only” Box.
- The treating veterinarian hospital must provide a treatment estimate.
- Complete medical records for the current diagnosis.
For those applying after hours: FACE will not be available to receive phone calls after 5PM; they are unable to receive phone calls on weekends since they are no longer available to get phone calls. All documentation must be faxed or emailed. Please CHECK YOUR EMAIL after your completed application has been received. FACE will notify the pet owner as well as the treating veterinarian about approval or denial when a complete application is received.
Notes When Receiving Face Funding
Terms and conditions:
- FACE funding requires that all animals be spayed or neutered. If the pet isn’t spayed/neutered, they will be spayed/neutered during the procedure. The owner can agree to spay/neuter their animal within a certain timeframe (based on their animal’s health) if this is not possible at the time of treatment. This will be done at the owner’s cost, and it is not covered by the initial grant.
- A board-certified surgeon must perform orthopedic surgery.
- Funds are directly paid to the treating veterinarian hospital or clinic.
- Veterinarians working in partnership with FACE must offer a 25% discount on FACE cases.
- FACE funding recipients agree to allow FACE use of their story, photos, and video.
- FACE asks that all recipients do their best to save the lives of other family pets. You can sign up to donate monthly, pay it forward, volunteer, or take part in special events.
- FACE encourages all grantees to look into pet insurance like Embrace or Healthy Paws.
Its also worth taking a look at San Diego Humane Society and Foundation for Care of Indigent Animals (FCIA).
