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Let’s Talk About Affordability

In 2012, Urban Animal was founded on smart and sensible veterinary care with a mission to provide affordable care for all dogs and cats in our community. The change the veterinary industry has undergone over the last several years has drastically affected costs and how medicine is practiced in the industry at-large. Many practices are now owned by large corporations and private equity groups. At the same time, there’s an existing crisis of an increasing number of veterinary professionals leaving the industry.

In the past few years, Urban Animal has developed a partnership with Doney Coe Pet Clinic who provides care to pets in our community whose owners are unhoused and without resources. However, we know this is only one solution addressing the situation. We continue to face how to collectively close the gap between those pets with nothing and those pets with modest means. Urban Animal is working to find a creative solution for keeping our care affordable.

We’d like to introduce the Affordable Care Together (ACT) Initiative to help keep costs affordable for all. For Urban Animal, the ACT Initiative is an opportunity for you to contribute to our pursuit in keeping veterinary care affordable. Not just for you, but for everyone within our community. The ACT Initiative is an additional 15% calculated based of a total invoice amount for services and products. Although this Initiative is optional, it is our hope those who can, will keep it on their invoices to help others. Urban Animal is confident this additional amount will still provide care comparably priced or less than other area practices.

It would be easier to broadly apply significant price increases to our services and move on. However, our prices are intentionally at a point to help as many dogs and cats as possible and we purposely do not upsell our services to satisfy shareholders. Urban Animal’s veterinary professionals employ candid, unbiased guidance with option-based medicine to each client. It is our belief this approach supports a culture of affordability for our community.

So, the ACT Initiative can be removed? Absolutely – as we said, this is an optional addition and Urban Animal is not introducing it to create discourse, dissatisfaction, or shame. If you have the means to keep it on your invoice, please do so. If you don’t – now or in the foreseeable future – kindly ask a staff member to remove it. It’s that simple.

THE ACT INITIATIVE LAUNCHES ON MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2023.

Urban Animal is about keeping veterinary care affordable and ensuring dogs and cats of all means can be helped. We’re ready and we’re hoping you’re ready too, and able to ACT with us.