OSLF Fund for Service Dogs (Silver's Cause)

Silver's Cause was created specifically to provide financial assistance to Service Dogs who have been diagnosed with a medical condition or injury that requires medical management and the cost of treatment exceeds the financial resources of the disabled person to whom the dog is partnered.

Silver's Cause is not limited to orthopedics, and will include any medical issues that threatens a Service Dog's quality of life and/or the dog's ability to perform its duties. Since many disabled people live on fixed or limited incomes, dealing with costly and unexpected medical expenses for their Service Dogs may impose insurmountable financial burdens. By providing financial assistance through Silver's Cause, it is OSLF's goal that a Service Dog will be able to receive any necessary medical attention, and that the partnership between a Service Dog and a disabled person will be maintained.

For the purposes of Silver's Cause, a qualifying Service Dog will be defined as follows:

"Service animals are task trained to actually do something which mitigates the person's disability. Their defined function is not to provide emotional support (affection on demand or a security blanket) but to do something the handler cannot do for themselves which allows that handler to overcome or ameliorate an inability to perform major life activities. " –Service Dog Central

If a Service Dog is partnered with a disabled person and the person's disability is classified as a psychological disorder and the dog provides emotional support but does not perform any specific tasks, those dogs will not qualify under Silver's Cause but may be considered for qualification under Companion Dogs if their condition or injury is orthopedic in nature.

Eligible Expenses

Orthodogs' Silver Lining will provide financial assistance for any medical condition or injury in a Service Dog, provided the dog has been assessed by a veterinarian and it has been determined that the dog's long-term quality of life and/or the ability of the dog to perform its duties will be significantly improved with medical treatment, support, or surgery. OSLF will provide financial assistance to all active Service Dogs, and will also accept applications involving retired Service Dogs or dogs who are currently residing with a disabled person but are not necessarily required to perform their assigned duties.

There may be limits placed on the amount of assistance that will be made available for one or all of the treatment options that are considered reasonable for a particular Service Dog. These limits will be determined during the application process and are at the sole discretion of OSLF. Each case will be examined individually to assess the extent of the financial assistance that will be made available.

Ineligible Expenses

OSLF will not provide financial assistance for routine veterinary visits or cover any costs associated with routine maintenance of a Service Dog's general health. This would include but is not limited to vaccinations, blood tests, heartworm medication, flea and tick control, wellness exams, dental cleanings/extractions and common ailments like ear, eye or respiratory infections.

OSLF will not provide financial assistance for chemotherapy or radiation treatments for Service Dogs who have been diagnosed with cancer. There are two other groups who may assist an applicant in raising funds for cancer treatments: Canine Cancer Awareness and The Magic Bullet Fund.

OSLF will not provide financial assistance for Service Dogs in training. OSLF will not provide financial assistance for Therapy Dogs.

OSLF will not provide financial assistance in the form of reimbursement for medical bills, or for treatment that has already been administered and the veterinarian is awaiting payment. OSLF will only provide financial assistance for the conditions or injuries listed on the submitted and approved application.

Is Your Situation an Emergency?

The majority of Service Dogs will qualify for Silver's Cause funding, and will receive funds through either a fundraising effort or sponsorship. However, in the event of an emergency in which the medical condition is causing severe and immediate disability, emergency funds may be made available provided the dog has been assessed by a veterinarian and it has been determined that lack of immediate treatment will be detrimental to the health and well-being of the dog. Please visit our Emergencies page for more information.

What You Need To Provide

OSLF hopes to help as many dogs as possible, but unfortunately not all who apply will qualify for assistance. When applying for assistance for a Service Dog, the following documentation must accompany your application:

1. It must be clearly documented that the Service Dog is currently partnered with a disabled person. The dog does not have to be actively performing its assigned duties but should have been initially placed with the disabled person for the purposes of providing services that the person could not perform themselves.
   
   
2. The particular duties of the Service Dog must be clearly documented so that OSLF will have a good understanding of how the medical condition or injury may impact both the dog's performance and the effect on the dog's partner.
   
   
3. It must be shown that if left untreated, the medical condition or injury will significantly and negatively affect the Service Dog's long-term quality of life and/or will prevent the dog from performing one or more of its assigned duties.
   
   
4. A recent and clear photograph of the dog
   
   
5. Name, address and phone number of any veterinarian or specialist who is currently involved in the dog's care or who will be providing future medical care to the dog.
   
   
6. Written documentation of a veterinarian's assessment of the dog's medical condition and/or injury. It must be determined that this condition or injury is the major health issue for the dog. This documentation must be on letterhead from the veterinarian's clinic.
   
   
7. The dog must be symptomatic. This must be verified and documented by a veterinarian and must include a detailed description of the clinical symptoms observed by the veterinarian.
   
   
8. A written estimate for the cost of medical treatment and/or surgery. The written estimate must be on your veterinarian's letterhead and should include the following:
   
   
• Confirmation of your dog's diagnosis and an outline of the required treatment;
  
• The urgency of your dog's condition;
  
• Confirmation from your veterinarian that they are willing to work with OSLF in accordance with our payment policy.
  
  
9. Applicant is responsible for obtaining a signed OSLF Veterinarian Waiver [PDF], and proof of liability insurance, from the treating veterinarian. This signed waiver may either be submitted with the assistance application, or may be submitted directly from the treating veterinarian's office, but must be received by OSLF within 48 hours of original application submission.
   
   
10. Applicant is responsible for obtaining a letter of reference from the dog's primary care veterinarian, on clinic letterhead, stating that the owner has a prior history of responsible pet care and that, in the vet's opinion, the owner has the ability to provide proper aftercare for the dog.
    
    
11. A summary of any and all attempts to obtain financial assistance prior to applying to OSLF. These attempts should include but are not limited to:
    
    
• Bank loans
  
• Credit cards
  
• Clinic payment plans
  
• Care Credit

In all cases, provide details pertaining to each attempt to obtain funding including reasons for denial. If no attempts have been made to obtain financial assistance please provide an explanation as to why alternative funding is not an option for your particular situation.

12. Proof of income. Please provide documentation of all sources, including your most recent pay receipt if you are employed, and your most recent receipt of disability benefits. If you are able to work but are unemployed, please provide proof of unemployment insurance benefits.
    
    
13. Your most recent bank statement for all current accounts along with a summary of your personal monthly expenses. If you have a Trust, include your most recent Special Needs Trust financial statement(s).
    
    
14. You must provide an e-mail address and have daily access to this account.

Ready To Apply?

Please refer to the General Information and Approval Process pages for additional information that may be important to your application for financial assistance.

OSLF should be considered the last resort source of funding. If you have other resources, or are eligible for other funding through a breed or other rescue organization, those resources must have been denied or exhausted before applying to OSLF.

In all situations, funding applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the severity of the medical condition and the details of the case. The fact that OSLF may have funded a similar case in the past is not in itself a guarantee that funding will be granted.

If you want to speak to someone about applying for financial assistance for a dog in your care, the answers to most of your questions can be found on our website. We understand that there is a lot of information to read through, however, it is important that you take the time to do so. Please keep in mind that a request for telephone communication will not speed up your application process, and that submitting a complete application package is the fastest way to get an answer to an assistance request. OSLF representatives are readily available via email at info@oslf.org.