The lack of financial access to veterinary care creates a ripple of negative effects. It poses challenges such as delayed or foregone medical treatment for pets, compromising their health and undermining the broader objectives of the One Health approach. This issue is exacerbated by credit inequality, where individuals with limited financial resources may struggle to afford veterinary services, potentially rupturing the human-animal bond due to economic euthanasia or owner surrenders. Surrenders due to owner financial constraints then contribute to the overcrowding of shelters, the need for more adopters, and the cycle begins all over again.

Addressing this problem requires a multifaceted approach, including the expansion of more accessible payment options at the point of care, which is where VetBilling hopes to fill the gap for pet owners who can’t access conventional financing. Ou guest, Suzanne Cannon, is the co-founder of VetBilling and we will discuss the problem pet owners face as well as how their company helps both the pet owner and veterinary clinic with payment plan solutions.

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