Accelerating support to get more pets to the vet
Imagine your precious pet is sick, and in need of medical attention. The quote for treatment is $500, which would land you in debt. You love your pet — they’re family. While you want to help them heal you need an option that considers their needs and your budget. And for many pet parents, financial barriers to veterinary care can result in heartbreaking decisions.
Across the U.S., an estimated 50 million pets lack accessible veterinary care to prevent and treat health issues. The PetSmart Charities - Gallup State of Pet Care Study revealed that 52% of pet parents skipped or declined vet care in the past year, and 70% cited finances as a leading factor. For many families, the barriers are painfully familiar: cost, limited appointment availability, transportation challenges, and too few affordable options close to home. Thanks to your support, we’re working to accelerate the pace at which more pets can get to the vet.
Delayed or skipped care can lead to heartbreaking consequences
When care is delayed or skipped, treatable conditions can worsen, routine preventive services can be missed, and families may be forced to surrender a beloved pet. Together, we’re changing that.
This pressing issue requires an all-hands-on-deck approach to fix. In 2023, PetSmart Charities made a leadership commitment of $100 million in grants over five years to support the expansion of accessible veterinary care delivery and options for affordability. Part of that transformational commitment includes the Accelerator grant program, funding nonprofit and affordable veterinary providers to expand services and innovate new delivery models to get more pets to the vet.
Now more than 50 in number and counting these grants help expand affordable veterinary clinics and community-based services to deliver more spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, wellness care, and treatment for illness or injury. Most importantly, this funding helps keep pets with the people who love them.
More affordable care in local communities
With support from the Accelerator program, local organizations can remove barriers that stand between pets and care. Funding may help clinics add veterinary staff, extend hours, purchase equipment, improve scheduling capacity, launch or grow mobile services, and reach more families in local communities. Every grant is designed to create practical, sustainable improvements that increase access to care now and strengthen services for the future. PetSmart Charities’ grantees also receive consulting support, so their businesses grow and become financially sustainable once the 4-year grant cycle comes to an end.
Keeping pets and people together
For donors, the impact is both immediate and lasting. A gift that helps expand affordable veterinary care does more than fund appointments or equipment. It gives a worried pet parent a place to turn. It helps a family afford a vaccine visit before illness spreads. It makes it possible for a pet to receive treatment early, before a small issue becomes a crisis. It helps a senior keep a cherished companion, a child keep a best friend, and a family avoid the trauma of surrendering a pet simply because care felt out of reach.
The Accelerator program also recognizes that access to care is about more than medicine alone. When veterinary services are affordable, available, and welcoming, communities become stronger. Pets are healthier, shelters feel less strain, and families can experience the comfort, stability, and joy that animals bring to everyday life. That is the kind of change your generosity makes possible.
At PetSmart Charities, we believe pets are family. Through the Accelerator grant program, your support helps nonprofit and low-cost veterinary providers meet urgent local needs with compassion and dignity. Together, we are building a future where more families can access the care their pets need — and where more people never have to choose between financial hardship and the pet they love.
