Our Mission

Pet Emergency Fund was organized in 1999 by the Niagara Frontier Veterinary Society because many local veterinarians were distressed that cash-strapped clients – who desperately wanted to save their pets – had to make the unthinkable decision to put their pets down because euthanasia costs are often far less than emergency treatment costs. Their vision was to help close the gap between the cost of euthanasia and the cost of emergency medical intervention in order to send pets home to their families.

Today, as a result of that vision, PEF raises funds to help financially-challenged families bridge the financial gap in a shared effort with veterinary hospital members in Erie and Niagara counties. Owners-in-need pay what they can afford at the time of the emergency and the veterinary hospital members can help them apply for immediate credit with an independent financial institution that specializes in “no interest over time” lines of credit for veterinary bills. PEF makes up the difference to bridge the remaining gap between the total cost of treatment and the combination of the immediate payment and immediate credit.