Call Kurtis: Sacrament SPCA Offers Incentive To Adopt Its Animals
An Elk Grove viewer rescued a dog but says he quickly became sick. She called Kurtis to look into it and we uncovered a unique incentive to get people to adopt from the Sacramento SPCA. It's a little-known program that could cover hefty veterinarian bills if your rescued pet gets sick.
Two days after adopting her Chihuahua mix, "Buddy Boy" from the Sacramento SPCA, Judy Tashjian says he started coughing and vomiting. She rushed him to a vet.
"She examined him and said that he had kennel cough and he's very severely dehydrated," Judy recalls.
What she didn't realize was the Sacramento SPCA has a unique plan with eight local VCA animal hospitals. The vets will see your pet for free for their first check-up within five days and will cover up to $500 in vet bills if your pet comes down with certain illnesses within two weeks.
"It's really a unique opportunity that people have in our area to have coverage because we are the only shelter that offers that program," says Sacramento SPCA CEO Rick Johnson.
He says serious illness is rare and every animal coming into the Sacramento SPCA is given a thorough check-up by a vet.
"With almost 5,000 adoptions that we have each year, there are things that do occur, there are things that are unexpected," says Johnson.
Kennel cough is covered under the program. The 24-hour clinic Judy used for Buddy Boy wasn't one of the covered hospitals, so she paid her own bill. But after learning of the confusion, the SPCA covered that vet visit plus paid $500 toward her bills. Buddy has since fully recovered.
"He likes to run and play outside. He chases with the dogs. He plays with the dogs," says Judy.
Here are the VCA hospitals participating in the Sacramento SPCA's Health Coverage Plan:
- VCA Westside Animal Hospital, 1550 Jefferson Blvd., West Sacramento
- VCA Greenhaven Pocket Animal Hospital, 1 Valine Court, Sacramento
- VCA All Our Pets Animal Hospital, 1413 60th Street, Sacramento
- VCA Highlands Animal Hospital, 3451 Elkhorn Blvd., North Highlands
- VCA Elk Grove Animal Hospital, 8640 Elk Grove Blvd
- VCA Sacramento Animal Medical Group, 4990 Manzanita Ave., Carmichael
- VCA Greenback Animal Hospital, 8311 Greenback Lane, Fair Oaks
- VCA American River Animal Hospital, 9391 Greenback Lane, Orangevale
Some other shelters will cover your adopted pet's first check-up or have policies to cover pets getting sick. Here are just a few we found:
- City of Sacramento Animal Care: Free first check-up with participating vets if scheduled within three days.
- Sacramento County Animal Care: Health voucher good at certain vets for a check-up within 30 days.
- El Dorado Humane Society: If an adopted pet gets sick within the first 30 days, bring him back and they'll treat him with their vets.
- Placer County SPCA: Free check-up at 48 local vets.
- Sutter County Animal Services: Free check-up at eight participating vets.
