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CVMA Partner, Petcard asks “Vet Bills During a Pandemic...Can Financing Help?”

Aug 18, 2020

For many pet owners, the financial obligations of owning a pet can well exceed the means they have available for veterinary bills. During the time of COVID-19, this has never been truer. Providing a financing option to your clients can eliminate many of the barriers to providing pets with the care they need. With a worldwide pandemic on our hands, many pet owners are left struggling, and without immediate resources to care for their pet. However, this should not mean your veterinary clinic should be burdened with unpaid veterinary bills and outstanding balances with no commitment of ever having them being paid. Financing options alleviate the pressure on both parties with full payment for the clinic and an affordable monthly installment plan for the client.

For pet owners, applying for financing is as simple as contacting the financing company directly from the veterinary office, or from home via an online application. Similar to a standard credit application, the financing company will review the client’s information to determine their eligibility for approval. The client will need to provide basic information, as well as submit to a credit check. This can all be done immediately, therefore avoiding the need to delay the start of treatment. Once the contract is signed and submitted to the financing company, the payment is sent directly to the veterinary clinic.

Getting setup to offer financing for veterinary clinics is quite simple. Typically, rudimentary paperwork is asked to be completed along with direct deposit information. Although offering a financing option to pet owners may seem like extra work added to an already busy schedule, the majority of the financing is handled between the finance company and the pet owner. As previously mentioned, after the pet owner has been approved, a final contract is signed by the owner, and payment is sent to the veterinary clinic. Unlike having an in-house financing option, once the veterinary clinic has been paid, there is no need to worry about having to chase down payments or cover outstanding costs.

The priority of veterinary clinics has always been the health and well being of the animals in their care. Outstanding and unpaid bills should not be a result of that commitment. Offering a financing option can eliminate those uncomfortable conversations about finances and veterinary clinics can feel confident that the office is being paid, without having to settle on lowering procedures costs or delaying treatment.

We could never have predicted a pandemic such as COVID-19 to hit our country in such a detrimental way. With many unprepared for the financial backlash that this pandemic has brought, it has left pet owners without surplus funds to pay for emergencies such as veterinary bills. Many pet owners have had a drastic change to their regular income, depleting access to the same financial stability to which they were accustomed.

A financing option allows pet owners to still have access to veterinary services their pets’ need, without the burden of using the entirety of their possibly limited funds all at once. To find out more, visit (www.canadianveterinarians.net) or call 1-888-689-9876.