Focus on Reducing the Number of Medical Surrenders of Pets in Canada
MONTREAL, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The National Pet Care Fund (NPCF), a registered Canadian charity is pleased to provide a summary of its activities during the launch phase of its operations. The Charity was established to help reduce animal suffering by providing grants to low-income Canadian pet owners, to cover a portion of urgent, non-elective medical costs for their sick or injured companion animals. As part of helping to reduce animal suffering, one of the key goals of the NPCF is to lower the number of ‘medical surrenders’ that occur in Canada.
A medical surrender is a dire situation that can happen when a companion animal needs urgent medical care, and the pet owner does not have the financial resources to cover treatment costs. In many cases, the owner’s only solution is to surrender the pet to a local shelter causing significant stress for the animal and the pet owner. In most cases, the original owner will not be reunited with their pet. Companion animals that have been surrendered can suffer from separation anxiety and are often difficult to re-home. In some cases, animals that are surrendered to shelters are euthanized.
Since the official launch of the national charity in July 2024, NPCF has received:
- 432 pet parent applications (pet owners in need of help now or in the future)
- 277 pet parents approved (based on qualifying data)
- 293 pet registrations (pets requiring care, now or in the future)
- 72 grant requests
- 31 grant requests approved or pending (for urgent medical procedures)
Examples of urgent medical issues/procedures that were approved under the NPCF grant program:
- Upper respiratory infection
- Lung Biopsy
- Torn Ligament Surgery
- Diagnostic: MRI
- Dental Surgery
- Tumor Removal
- Amputation
- Urinalysis
- Arthritis/Anti-inflammatory
- Surgery (foreign object removal)
- Cytology/Biopsy
- Euthanasia
“The goal of the NPCF is to reduce companion animal suffering by helping ensure they get urgent medical care when needed and to help keep pets in their homes and with their loving pet parents,” said Carla Fehr, CEO of the National Pet Care Fund CEO. “The NPCF team looks forward to continuing on with this important work, including reducing medical surrenders, and we thank all of those who have generously donated.”
About The National Pet Care Fund
The National Pet Care Fund is a registered Canadian charity established to help reduce animal suffering by providing grants to low-income Canadian pet owners, to cover a portion of urgent, non-elective medical costs for their sick or injured companion animals. In addition to helping reduce animal suffering, one of the key goals of the NPCF is to lower the number of medical surrenders that occur in Canada.
The NPCF uses the Statistics Canada Low-Income Cut-off tables (LICOs) to determine if a pet owner qualifies to become an NPCF Pet Parent and apply for financial assistance. The LICOs, which vary by population density and household size, are income thresholds below which a person or family will likely devote a larger share of income to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing compared to the average family. 3.7M Canadians are estimated to live at or below the LICO and on average 58% of all Canadians own a companion animal. Pet owners must also be Canadian citizens and must be over the age of 18 to qualify.
Once approved, NPCF Pet Parents apply for a grant by submitting a quote for their companion animal’s urgent medical need. If approved, the maximum grant amount provided by the NPCF is currently set at 50% of the total cost of the approved treatment, to a maximum of $250.
In addition to the NPCF grant program, veterinarian clinics across Canada are being invited to register, at no cost, and join the NPCF Vet Partner Program. NPCF Vet Partners that provide veterinarian care to NPCF Pet Parents will have the opportunity to provide financial assistance by fully or partially matching the NPCF grant amount by reducing the cost of the services they provide. This could translate into as much as $500 of combined financial assistance for an NPCF Pet Parent.
The NPCF website can be found here:
To make a donation please visit: Donate Now – National Pet Care Fund
CONTACT INFORMATION
Ms. Carla Fehr
Co-Founder, CEO & Board Member
1155 Boul. Robert Bourassa Suite #1310
Montréal, Québec
[email protected]
1.800.684.5772 ext. 701
National Pet Care Fund: Charitable Registration No. 77342 1706 RR0001
Media Contact
Scott Ledingham, National Pet Care Fund, 613.806.7135, [email protected],
SOURCE National Pet Care Fund
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