Billing and payment

We will work with you to offer treatment options that take cost into consideration. We value you and your animals and want to continue our relationship with you.

Our accounting office is happy to answer any of your billing questions, please call 612-625-2745 or 612-625-0274.

What if I can't afford to pay?

Online Payments

Quick pay:  A fast, simple, secure way to make a one-time payment online. (Please be sure to have your client account number, located on the top left side of your invoice or discharge letter.)

Outpatient care

Outpatient care is the care that is entirely completed on the day of your animal's visit. 

  • Our payment policy requires payment in full at the time of completion of outpatient care.

Payment options include cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express credit card, and CareCredit loans.

Inpatient care

If your animal is hospitalized, you will receive an estimate of the likely cost range (low and high) for at least the first 24 hours of care to help you plan. This is only a preliminary estimate and may change if your animal needs more care or testing. Your doctor will update your estimate daily, if needed. If you do not receive this information from your doctor, please ask him/her to explain costs and feel free to call and ask for updates.

  • We require a deposit equal to 75 percent of the high end of the initial estimate. We cannot provide care to your animal without this payment.
  • If more care or testing is required beyond the initial estimate, additional payment must be made before care is given.
  • If you have an outstanding bill, we cannot provide additional services until the past-due balance is paid in full.
  • Payment in full must be made at the time your animal is discharged. 
  • Payment options include cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express credit card, and CareCredit.

What if I can't afford to pay?

The VMC operates as a business, with the state of Minnesota covering less than nine percent of our budget. Our board-certified specialists and diagnostic equipment mean that our fees are often higher than those of smaller clinics. We make every effort to charge reasonable fees and will work with you to find ways to pay, but we cannot treat your animal without payment.

Financial assistance funds

A medium sized dog looking at you with a female technician's hands holding the shoulder of the dog
Chirpy, served by the VMC Shelter & Rescue Animal Fund to repair a congenital heart defect.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, we are able to offer financial assistance to eligible clients who are unable to afford veterinary care for their pet and qualified Minnesota rescue and shelter organizations.

Applicants should review the below information and discuss their specific case with their VMC veterinary team before applying. Financial assistance is only available for care and treatment at the VMC, and all pets must be seen by a VMC clinician before being eligible. 

We are grateful to donors who make our financial assistance program possible. We rely exclusively on fundraising efforts to provide financial assistance to families. While our goal is to serve as many pets as possible, our resources are limited. Applying for funds does not indicate that requests can be met.

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Financial assistance for individuals

Application process

Discuss your interest with your VMC veterinarian and complete the application for one of our financial assistance funds during your visit to the VMC. The application requires that you apply to Care Credit for the high end of your estimate before moving forward. Care Credit funds must be exhausted before any financial assistance is applied from the VMC. 

Financial assistance funds include the VMC Companion Animal Fund. Some funds are specific to an area of care within the VMC such as emergency and critical care, urgent care, and oncology. Your VMC veterinarian will help you determine which fund best fits your case.

Please note that with the exception of emergency euthanasia, all applications must be submitted before your pet is discharged.

Applicant responsibility

Clients are responsible for the initial exam fee at the time of the exam. When applying for financial assistance funds, all available credit must first be exhausted from Care Credit before the client is eligible. (Clients must apply to Care Credit using the high end of the estimate provided to them by the VMC.) Financial assistance funds cannot exceed the maximum amount available as dictated by the fund. If the total bill is under that amount, grant funding cannot exceed the bill. Clients will be eligible for financial assistance grants from any given fund one time every three years, or one time every five years for oncology financial assistance funds. Clients will not be allowed to use grant money awarded on subsequent visits. 

The University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center has sole discretion to deny any grant application. If you have any questions about applying for financial assistance funds, please ask a Customer Contact Center representative who will be happy to assist you.

Financial assistance for rescue organizations

VMC Shelter & Rescue Animal Fund

The VMC is committed to helping all animals receive the care they need to thrive. In addition to the non-profit discount rate for eligible organizations, the VMC Shelter & Rescue Animal Fund subsidizes the cost of specialty veterinary care for animals under the care of qualified, Minnesota-based 501(c)3 non-profit organizations.

To request an application, please contact Deb Haak

Your email must include:

  • your rescue/shelter’s organization name,
  • a copy of your organization’s IRS letter of determination confirming that your organization has 501(c)3 non-profit status,
  • your role within the organization,
  • the name of the animal in your care, and
  • your VMC case number if the animal has been seen at the VMC