Welcome to PawPrints Spay/Neuter Assistance Program,
or P-SNAP for short.
or P-SNAP for short.
If you need financial assistance with spaying or neutering your pet,
you're in the right place.
Here is how the process works and the steps you need to follow to receive a voucher:
- First things first, this is not a free program. Everyone needs to pitch in. You rescued or adopted an animal, which is great, but that animal is still your financial responsibility. We exist to assist those that can't afford the NORMAL vet costs for spay or neuter surgery. For example: at any given vet (even the vets that participate in our program), a cat spay can cost anywhere from $200-$1000, depending on the vet. Our participating vets have agreed to offer low-cost (NOT FREE) rates with the understanding that our voucher recipients need financial assistance in order to spay or neuter their pet.
- Below, you will see prices for our participating vets. These are deeply discounted prices specifically set aside for P-SNAP voucher recipients. If you apply for one of our vouchers, you are essentially applying for a coupon.
- When you apply for a P-SNAP voucher, we are going to expect you to be able to pay for the entire cost of the surgery, because the surgery cost is going to save you hundreds of dollars, simply by using our voucher.
- If you simply can't afford the full cost, you need to explain why, in detail, and provide proof.
- If you apply for the voucher and indicate you can pay the full cost, that means P-SNAP will pay $0 toward the surgery costs. Again, the voucher is essentially a coupon, not a free pass.
- Before applying for a voucher, please call our participating vets (see below) to find out which one can get you in soonest. If you are not in a hurry to get your animal fixed, then choose whichever vet you'd like.
- Fill out the online form below. You will receive a confirmation email, and then a second email with more information. If you don't receive either of these emails, you either provided a non-working email address, or you did not complete the form in it's entirety.
- A P-SNAP volunteer will review your responses. If you skipped any fields on the form pertaining to your animal (name, breed, weight [dogs only], age, sex, are all required), your application will be denied. We don't have time to go back and forth with you about missing information. Please fill it out correctly the first time.
- If the P-SNAP volunteer has questions about your answers, they will follow up via email. If you don't respond to those emails within 72 hours, your application will be denied.
- If your application is approved, you'll receive another email from us (usually within 3-5 days) with your voucher attached. Filling out our online form is only the first step; your application needs to be approved before you go to the vet.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE BEFORE YOU GET STARTED:
- This application is for 'owned' cats and dogs only. This form is NOT for stray or feral cats in your neighborhood. If you need help with stray or feral cats, please visit ncachico.org/help for assistance.
- Our service area is Butte County and areas not in Butte County, within 20 miles of Chico. If you are outside of our service area, please contact your local animal shelter or animal control for spay/neuter resources. If you live outside of our service area but fill out our form anyway, we will not be in touch with you. We are already overwhelmed with requests for help from people within our service area and don't have the resources to respond to requests outside of our service area. Thank you for understanding.
Still not sure if you're in our service area? The map below is our service area. The blue boundary is Chico; the red boundary is our service area. If you are outside of the red line, please do not fill out our form.
The veterinarians that currently accept our vouchers are: PAWS of Oroville, Walker St. Vet (Orland), Butte Humane Society (Chico), and Gridley Vet Hospital (Gridley). Here are the discounted prices they have arranged for us:
NOTE: The prices for PAWS of Oroville are their normal prices. We do not receive discounted prices from PAWS of Oroville.
NOTE: The prices for PAWS of Oroville are their normal prices. We do not receive discounted prices from PAWS of Oroville.
PLEASE DO NOT GO TO THE VET WITHOUT A VOUCHER FIRST. Calling us while you are at the vet and expecting us to generate an immediate voucher is not an acceptable way to receive a voucher from us. Please fill out the form and wait for your voucher to arrive via email before making your appointment. Please give us at least 48 hours to get the voucher ready for you.
Some final things you should know before proceeding:
1. Once your application is approved or denied, a volunteer will contact you via email to notify you.
2. If you indicated that you have the ability to print your voucher, your voucher will be emailed directly to you once your application is approved.
3. If we have follow up questions and you do not respond to our emails, your voucher request will be denied. You have 72 hours to respond to our questions.
4. If you've already received your voucher, we will not issue a new voucher if you need to use a different vet. Your veterinarian choice is final.
5. We will not re-mail your voucher if your mailing address is incorrect.
6. Any additional costs (in heat, pregnant, cryptorchid, extra vaccines, e-collars, take home pain meds) are your responsibility. Be prepared to pay the vet for these things at the time of your appointment. Some hospitals may require additional safety procedures such as pain injection, antibiotics or cones, and may require bloodwork, especially for pets over 5 years of age. There may be incidental costs like hazardous waste disposal fees. These costs and additional requirements are the responsibility of voucher holder.
7. If you've chosen PAWS of Oroville as the vet, we highly recommend you follow PAWS of Oroville on Facebook, because they often have last minute appointments open and will share updates on their Facebook page.
8. Skipping required fields on this form will result in automatic denial of your application.
9. These vouchers are non-transferable. The vouchers are issued to the name you provide when you fill out our online form. If the voucher is used by another person, you and the other person will be permanently banned from using our program again.
10. If you don't show up for your appointment at the vet's office, or if you are difficult to contact, schedule, or work with in any way, you will be banned from using our program. Our program relies on the vets that support our work. If there are any challenges with any of our shared clients, it puts our relationship with that vet and our program at risk.
Please understand that this process, from filling out the online form to post-surgery, needs to be taken seriously.
2. If you indicated that you have the ability to print your voucher, your voucher will be emailed directly to you once your application is approved.
3. If we have follow up questions and you do not respond to our emails, your voucher request will be denied. You have 72 hours to respond to our questions.
4. If you've already received your voucher, we will not issue a new voucher if you need to use a different vet. Your veterinarian choice is final.
5. We will not re-mail your voucher if your mailing address is incorrect.
6. Any additional costs (in heat, pregnant, cryptorchid, extra vaccines, e-collars, take home pain meds) are your responsibility. Be prepared to pay the vet for these things at the time of your appointment. Some hospitals may require additional safety procedures such as pain injection, antibiotics or cones, and may require bloodwork, especially for pets over 5 years of age. There may be incidental costs like hazardous waste disposal fees. These costs and additional requirements are the responsibility of voucher holder.
7. If you've chosen PAWS of Oroville as the vet, we highly recommend you follow PAWS of Oroville on Facebook, because they often have last minute appointments open and will share updates on their Facebook page.
8. Skipping required fields on this form will result in automatic denial of your application.
9. These vouchers are non-transferable. The vouchers are issued to the name you provide when you fill out our online form. If the voucher is used by another person, you and the other person will be permanently banned from using our program again.
10. If you don't show up for your appointment at the vet's office, or if you are difficult to contact, schedule, or work with in any way, you will be banned from using our program. Our program relies on the vets that support our work. If there are any challenges with any of our shared clients, it puts our relationship with that vet and our program at risk.
Please understand that this process, from filling out the online form to post-surgery, needs to be taken seriously.
Thank you for understanding.
Please fill out the form below:
If you need to reach us, please email [email protected] or call 530-895-1791.