Animal Welfare Professionals

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------

Hi Shannon,

This is a great question. Overall, the phrasing and types of questions should be nonjudgemental and purpose-driven (i.e. there should be a reason why each question is asked). Asking too many questions may act as a barrier to seeking assistance, but not asking enough may limit your ability to show who you are serving and what the impacts of the funds are (if that is a goal). Also, people typically want to know what will be done with their information and who has access to it.

What you need to know may vary based on your organization and what you need to report back to organization leadership/board/funder(s). There are various questions I would consider, such as:
- How are you defining eligibility criteria such as "financial hardship"? Are you trying to confirm eligibility through (self-reported) income (category/limits), location, etc.?
- Do you plan on following up with recipients to track outcomes? If so, you should ask their contact information (phone and email) and permission.
- Are you asking how much money they need and what they will use it for? Is the money going directly from your organization to the veterinary clinic, or is it going to the family? Are you confirming any veterinary recommendations or estimated costs? Can people ask for funds multiple times (over time or for different pets)?
- Do you need any information about the pets being served, such as species, age, sex, spay/neuter status, how long the pet has been living with the family?
- You may want to ask what would happen to the pet if this assistance were not available? (e.g. delay care, surrender, euthanasia) And/or what implications are there for the humans, such as not being able to get enough food, healthcare, e.g., in order to pay for pet-related expenses.
- Do you serve people who speak other languages? Can the intake form/communications be translated into other languages?

I'm sure there are others on the forum with direct experience who can weigh in. I'm also happy to meet and discuss this further with you.

Best,
Claire

------------------------------
Claire Schuch, PhD
Associate Director for Research
Program for Pet Health Equity
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-16-2026 03:41 AM
From: Shannon Evans
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------

Shannon, I also wanted to point out a parallel conversation that is happening in this forum about the questions asked by food pantries. 

Catriona Cottle, Animal Services Supervisor at Antioch Animal Services in CA shared that "We attempted to keep data, but with the constant flow of people coming in our doors it was creating a bottleneck and sometimes discouraging people as they didn't want to provide information. We decided to be truly barrier free and limited our food distribution to one gallon zip lock bag of cat food and one gallon zip lock bag of dog food per person per day with no id checks, no questions asked.

We have repeat clients daily and some who are just waiting for that next paycheck. We have also had those who then pay it forward and donate back to us. We add handouts with the food for free vaccination clinics, spay/neuter resources and other information and hope that they take advantage of what they need."

See also Pet Food Pantry Tracking | Animal Welfare Professionals

While handing out food is different from providing veterinary funds, there is some overlap and you may be able to learn from their experience. I also really like the idea of offering handouts with information and other resources to help educate, support, and stabilize families.

------------------------------
Claire Schuch, PhD
Associate Director for Research
Program for Pet Health Equity
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-20-2026 11:24 AM
From: Claire Schuch
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

Hi Shannon,

This is a great question. Overall, the phrasing and types of questions should be nonjudgemental and purpose-driven (i.e. there should be a reason why each question is asked). Asking too many questions may act as a barrier to seeking assistance, but not asking enough may limit your ability to show who you are serving and what the impacts of the funds are (if that is a goal). Also, people typically want to know what will be done with their information and who has access to it.

What you need to know may vary based on your organization and what you need to report back to organization leadership/board/funder(s). There are various questions I would consider, such as:
- How are you defining eligibility criteria such as "financial hardship"? Are you trying to confirm eligibility through self-reported income (category), location, etc.?
- Do you plan on following up with recipients to track outcomes? If so, you should ask their contact information (phone and email) and permission.
- Are you asking how much money they need and what they will use it for? Is the money going directly from your organization to the veterinary clinic, or is it going to the family? Are you confirming any veterinary recommendations or estimated costs? Can people ask for funds multiple times (over time or for different pets)?
- Do you need any information about the pets being served, such as species, age, sex, spay/neuter status, how long the pet has been living with the family?
- You may want to ask what would happen to the pet if this assistance were not available? (e.g. delay care, surrender, euthanasia) And/or what implications are there for the humans, such as not being able to get enough food, healthcare, e.g., in order to pay for pet-related expenses.
- Do you serve people who speak other languages? Can the intake form/communications be translated into other languages?

I'm sure there are others on the forum with direct experience who can weigh in. I'm also happy to meet and discuss this further with you.

Best,
Claire

------------------------------
Claire Schuch, PhD
Associate Director for Research
Program for Pet Health Equity
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Original Message:
Sent: 01-16-2026 03:41 AM
From: Shannon Evans
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------

Hi Shannon,

I work in a role almost exactly like what you are describing and have been for the last 3 years. Claire is right, that the types of questions will depend a lot on the structure of your org and what kind of criteria you have. Another important thing is to get as clear as possible of a picture of what is going on with the animal so that you have an idea of how urgent the case is. I use this info to help me decide how much money to allocate, what vets to recommend they use and what kind of info I give to the owner. If you are not someone with some vet knowledge already I recommend getting someone in your org to sit down and talk to you about what types of symptoms are red flags of a major medical emergency. Good luck, I'm glad to see more orgs moving toward these types of programs!

------------------------------
Elsa Enstrom
Helpline Coordinator
Asheville Humane Society
NC
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-16-2026 03:41 AM
From: Shannon Evans
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------

Hi Shannon, 

Our foundation provides grants for emergency veterinary bills to economically disadvantaged families. We intervene at the time of care and communicate/pay hospitals directly. I was an ER/ICU vet nurse for six years. I'd be happy to meet and see if we can be of resource for you. 

Feel free to email me directly! 
Allabouttheanimalsfoundation@gmail.com

------------------------------
Maria Putnam
Founder/CEO
All About the Animals Foundation
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-21-2026 08:13 AM
From: Elsa Enstrom
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

Hi Shannon,

I work in a role almost exactly like what you are describing and have been for the last 3 years. Claire is right, that the types of questions will depend a lot on the structure of your org and what kind of criteria you have. Another important thing is to get as clear as possible of a picture of what is going on with the animal so that you have an idea of how urgent the case is. I use this info to help me decide how much money to allocate, what vets to recommend they use and what kind of info I give to the owner. If you are not someone with some vet knowledge already I recommend getting someone in your org to sit down and talk to you about what types of symptoms are red flags of a major medical emergency. Good luck, I'm glad to see more orgs moving toward these types of programs!

------------------------------
Elsa Enstrom
Helpline Coordinator
Asheville Humane Society
NC

Original Message:
Sent: 01-16-2026 03:41 AM
From: Shannon Evans
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------

Hi Shannon,

When screening requests for veterinary assistance, I think it’s important to balance compassion with responsible use of limited funds. When someone requests vet assistance, I think questions should focus on a few core areas:

Medical need: What's going on with the pet, has a vet seen them, what's the diagnosis, and what treatment is recommended? This helps determine urgency and that funding is going toward necessary care.

Financial hardship: What is the estimated cost, what can the owner contribute, and have they explored options like payment plans or credit? It's important to understand the gap while being respectful, since people are usually in a vulnerable spot.

Commitment to the pet: How long have they had the pet, are they considering surrender due to cost, and will they keep the pet if treatment is possible? Since the goal is prevention of surrender, this piece is key.

Verification: A written estimate and paying the clinic directly helps protect limited funds.

------------------------------
Julie Beatty
Grants Coordinator
Ziva Dog Rescue
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 01-16-2026 03:41 AM
From: Shannon Evans
Subject: What questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

I am starting a new role in charge of distributing funds to the community when someone is in need of financial assistance for their pet. This is a program designed to keep pets with their families and reduce owner surrender due to financial hardship.

What types of questions do you ask someone requesting veterinary assistance funding?

#AccesstoCare
#CommunityPartnerships*
#PetSupportServices*

------------------------------
Shannon Evans
Medical Coordinator
Friends of SAWAS
VA
------------------------------