Dogs are natural wanderers who love exploring new places. If you have a relatively small indoor space, it’s only natural for you to let your dog out to the yard where they can run around and play.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of risks that come with being outside. For instance, dogs can accidentally get hit by a speeding car. Worse, you may not have extra money to take your pet to the vet, which can be extremely costly. Veterinary care requires a generous amount of money, especially for emergencies like accidents.
In this article, we’re going to discuss what you can do if your dog gets hit by a car and you can’t afford the vet.
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What if I can’t afford to take my dog to the vet?
If your dog gets hit by a car and you can’t afford to go to the vet, one of the things that you can do is to reach out to foundations. There are many foundations that support pet owners without funds to cover vet charges.
Some foundations have specific issues that they will cover. For example, the Big Hearts Foundation is an organization that helps pets that have heart diseases, while the Assistance Dog Partner helps service dogs who need emergency care.
Other foundations that cater to emergencies include Friends & Vets Helping Pets, Pet Assistance Inc, and Dylan’s Heart. There’s also the Brown Dog Foundation, which helps families that have a temporary financial crisis when it comes to their dogs. They help pets that require life-saving treatment or life-saving medicines.
Who pays if a car hits a dog?
This depends on the location of the accident. In California, when a person hits a dog with a car, the owner of the car will be liable for damage to the property. The said person must take reasonable steps when hitting the dog with a car. Reasonable steps must show their driver’s license, vehicle registration, and home address. They can also pay the veterinarian fees in order to avoid an animal cruelty case.
Failure to comply with these reasonable steps after hitting a dog will result in ranging from paying a fine, jail, to both paying fine and ending up in jail. This still depends on the decision of the court since they will have to know the action of the driver and the dog before having a court ruling.
Are you liable if your dog gets hit by a car?
Other states have rules saying that the owner must have control over their dog. So if the dog is hit by a car, it means that the owner did not have control over the dog. Unleashed dogs will strongly prove that the owner is negligent in the accident.
There are still variables where this depends since if you file a claim against the owner of the car for animal cruelty, they might file for damage to property for their car.
What do vets do when a dog is hit by a car?
There are many types of vehicular injuries that are treated by the vet. The first one on the list cuts, cuts are dressed and sterilized in order to prevent infection on the wound. Deep cuts may need stitching and the dog needs to be sedated to stitch cut of the dog.
Broken bones are treated by adding a splint or cast to the injury to stabilize the broken bones. In some scenarios, surgery is needed to add screws and pins to stabilize the broken bone. If there is a sign of internal bleeding on the dog surgery is required. In cases like this intravenous fluids and blood transfusion is required to keep the dog alive and healthy.
Pulmonary damage also needs surgery that will either drain the lung for unnecessary fluids or repair it in case it collapses in the accident. Abdominal trauma is also in need of surgery as soon as possible since the accident may have caused a hernia or damage to the internal organs
Can a dog survive after being hit by a car?
The answer is it always depends on the situation. If the speed of the car is not fast, your dog has a chance to live since the strength impact depends on the speed. The other variable that is affecting the survival of the dog is where it is hit. Depending on the body part where the dog is hit they can survive.
You have to remember that when you are lucky enough that your dog survives a vehicular accident you have to take care of your dog better and be prepared for any additional needs or expenses.
Can I get free vet treatment if I’m on benefits?
Yes, you can get free vet treatment if you’re on benefits. You can avail of free vet treatment in exchange for your other benefits. There are certain organizations that have this procedure. In exchange for your housing benefits and tax supports you can avail this free vet treatment.