medical care

The Cost of Adopting a 'Free' Pet

Congratulations - you’ve made the decision to adopt a homeless animal! But wait, why does it cost so much to adopt from a rescue? After all, the animal was ‘free’, right?

There are actually a number of costs associated with getting a ‘free’ rescue dog or cat ready for a new home. Those costs include:

Kitten Holly will need surgery to remove her eye before adoption.

  • Veterinary wellness exam: Just like you take a new pet to the vet, Friends of Noah ensures every rescue is vet-checked.

  • Vaccinations: All rescues receive age-appropriate vaccines which might include, rabies, distemper, parvo, and kennel cough for canines. Felines typically receive rabies and feline leukemia vaccines.

  • Treatments: Rescues are treated for fleas, ticks, ear mites, and heartworm as necessary.

  • Preventatives: Friends of Noah ensures rescue cats and dogs are current on flea & tick and heartworm preventatives.

  • Spay/neuter surgery: All rescues are spayed/neutered prior to adoption.

  • Microchips: All FON rescues are microchipped prior to adoption.

  • Food, shelter and more: As a foster-based rescue, Friends of Noah is fortunate to not have ‘shelter’ costs. However, we do still provide food and supplies to our fosters.

Winnie is a rescue that tested positive for heartworm. This is Winnie after one of treatments.

On average, it costs $350 to get an animal ready for adoption. In addition to the costs above, there are times when a rescue requires heartworm treatment, surgery, medical care, or special training prior to adoption. As a non-profit organization, Friends of Noah relies solely on adoption fees, donations, and sponsorships.

THANK YOU for helping to save animals in need!