Pet Help in the Des Moines Area
In Des Moines and need help now? For an emergency, go to a 24-hour hospital below and tell them if cost is a barrier. To lower costs, start with the spay/neuter programs and low-cost clinics. For a bill you can’t cover, get a free funding plan.
Want what’s closest to you? Search by ZIP code or your location.
Emergencies and 24-hour hospitals
- BluePearl Pet Hospital - Des Moines 24 hours
4631 Merle Hay Rd. · (515) 727-4872
24/7 emergency and specialty veterinary hospital serving all of Central Iowa, formerly the Iowa Veterinary Referral Center. Services include emergency and critical care, CT, ultrasound, surgery, orthopedics and chemotherapy. - City of Urbandale Animal Control Services 24 hours
City of Urbandale · 515-222-3321
Polk County provides animal control to all of Urbandale, including the part in Dallas County. Animal Control Officers respond to dogs and cats at large, wildlife issues, excessive barking and animal welfare checks, and are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Animals picked up are housed at Furry Friends Refuge. Dogs and cats over six months must be licensed through PetData. - VEG Des Moines (Veterinary Emergency Group) 24 hours
6840 EP True Pkwy, Suite 101 · (515) 259-6473
24/7 emergency and urgent care animal hospital in West Des Moines for dogs, cats, birds, small mammals and exotic pets including reptiles and turtles. Services include emergency surgery, endoscopy, ultrasound and X-rays, urgent care for problems like vomiting, limping and wounds, and end-of-life care with humane euthanasia. You can call and speak to a doctor.
Spay, neuter and vouchers
- Animal Rescue League of Iowa Spay & Neuter Assistance
Des Moines metro · (515) 262-9503
Low-cost spay/neuter for cats and dogs, including core vaccines, rabies vaccine and microchip, booked first-come, first-served when appointments are available. - ARL Operation CatSnip (Trap-Neuter-Return)
City of Des Moines · (515) 473-9120
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa's trap-neuter-return program for Des Moines community cats. Healthy outdoor cats with a feeding caretaker are altered, vaccinated, ear-tipped and returned to where they live. The ARL provides trapping guidance and colony care resources. - Furry Friends Refuge Community Cats TNR (Urbandale and Clive)
Urbandale and Clive
Trap-neuter-return program for feral and community cats in Urbandale and Clive. Cats are sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and common diseases, and returned to their neighborhood. - Furry Friends Community Spay Clinic
1209 Grand Ave.
Nonprofit low-cost spay and neuter clinic run by Furry Friends Refuge for pet owners with a financial hardship and for caretakers of feral, barn and alley cats. Surgeries are done Mondays and Thursdays with same-day discharge.
Low-cost clinics and vaccines
- ARL Afford-a-Care Clinics (East and South)
3003 SE 14th St · (515) 263-9260
Animal Rescue League of Iowa's two low-cost, full-service vet clinics for dogs and cats, offering low-cost sick visits, preventive care, bloodwork, x-rays and surgery, with weekday walk-in windows; open to the public with no income test listed, but no hospitalization or emergency cases. - ARL Wellness Clinics
1441 Harriet St. · (515) 262-9503
Low-cost wellness appointments for community-owned cats and dogs, held at ARL Animal Services several times a month. Each appointment includes a physical exam, distemper and rabies vaccines and a microchip; nail trims and anal gland expression may be added. Walk-in microchipping is also offered at ARL Main and ARL Animal Services.
Veterinary hospitals and clinics
- ARL Crisis Care Program
Temporary foster care, food, exams and veterinary care for pets while their owners face a hardship, so families can be reunited. The standard stay is 14 days with extensions based on need. Unaltered pets are spayed or neutered before going home, and pets also get vaccines and microchips.
Pet food
- Animal Rescue League of Iowa Pet Food Pantry
Des Moines metro · (515) 262-9503
Mobile pet food pantry for families facing financial hardship, with weekly stops around Des Moines; no appointment needed, up to 2 visits a month, and patrons can pick up for up to 2 households. - The Pet Project AniMeals (with WesleyLife Meals on Wheels)
AniMeals, a sister program to WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, gives Meals on Wheels participants one week of pet food, packed by The Pet Project volunteers and delivered by Meals on Wheels drivers at the start of each week. - The Pet Project Pet Pantry
4944 Franklin Ave. Ste. N · (515) 727-4738
All-volunteer nonprofit that gives five consecutive months of pet food and supplies to Greater Des Moines households facing financial hardship. Food is given the day you apply while the application is processed. Its Paws for Life program continues food and supplies for the life of the pet for qualifying people who have finished the Pet Pantry program.
Keeping your pet, end-of-life care and pet loss
- City of Ankeny Animal Control (Ankeny Police)
City of Ankeny · 515-286-3333
Ankeny Police Animal Control handles barking dogs, animals at large, dog bites and possible animal abuse in Ankeny. All dogs and cats in Ankeny must be licensed each calendar year. Wildlife issues go to Iowa DNR licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators. - AHeinz57 Pet Rescue & Transport
4000 Ash St. · 515-834-2187
No-kill animal rescue in De Soto that adopts out dogs, cats and small animals and runs an adoption center and shelter. It is not an open-admission shelter; owner surrenders go on a waiting list and are accepted only when space allows. Its SOS (Solutions to Owner Surrender) program helps owners rehome pets and find training, low-cost care and food help. West Des Moines lists AHeinz57 for pet adoption, and Waukee strays are brought here. - Animal Rescue League of Iowa - ARL Main
5452 NE 22nd St. · (515) 262-9503
Iowa's largest nonprofit animal shelter. ARL Main houses adoptions, the Pet Help Center and administration. Pet owner surrenders are handled here by appointment after an online intake form, and the ARL also runs lost and found pet help. - ARL Animal Services (City of Des Moines)
1441 Harriet St. · (515) 284-6905
The ARL runs the City of Des Moines animal services program with the Des Moines Police Department. Animal Services Officers handle welfare checks, lost, stray or injured animals, field reunifications, animal bites and license or rabies violations inside Des Moines city limits. The building also handles adoptions, stray drop-off for Des Moines, and lost pet holding. - ARL Behavior Helpline · (515) 262-9503
Free cat, dog and other-species behavior helplines from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. A behavior specialist returns your call with advice; in-person consultations at ARL Main and group or private dog training classes are also offered, with discounts for ARL adopters and veterans. - ARL End of Life Services
5452 NE 22nd Street · (515) 262-9503
The Animal Rescue League of Iowa offers affordable euthanasia and communal or private cremation for dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, turtles and small mammals, with a private grieving room for final goodbyes. Owners cannot stay during the euthanasia procedure. - ARL Pet Helpline · (515) 473-9122
Phone helpline from the Animal Rescue League of Iowa for pet owners struggling with problems that could lead them to give up their pet, such as behavior, care or pet-friendly housing. Staff help owners explore alternatives to surrender and handle emergency surrender situations. - CodaPet - In-Home Pet Euthanasia (Des Moines and Ames)
Central Iowa · (515) 809-5844
CodaPet connects pet owners with local veterinarians who provide in-home euthanasia, with optional cremation. Its central Iowa veterinarians cover Des Moines, Ankeny, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Waukee, Johnston, Altoona, Indianola and Ames, with coverage reaching Knoxville, Winterset and Osceola. - Lap of Love - Des Moines (in-home hospice and euthanasia)
Des Moines and surrounding neighborhoods · (515) 650-8270
Mobile veterinarians who provide end-of-life care at home for dogs, cats and some exotic pets in Des Moines and surrounding neighborhoods, including veterinary hospice for comfort and pain management, in-home euthanasia, aftercare, telehospice quality-of-life consults and pet loss support. Care coordinators answer questions 24/7, and same-day appointments are offered when possible. - City of Indianola Animal Control (Indianola Police)
City of Indianola · 515-961-9400
The City of Indianola and Indianola Police Department provide animal control. Since November 18, 2025, the Animal Rescue League of Iowa provides sheltering and impoundment for animals from Indianola city limits; animals are held at least seven days for owners to reclaim, and bite animals are quarantined at ARL for 10 days. - City of Johnston Animal Impound & Lost Pets
6400 NW Beaver Drive · 515.278.0822
Johnston Police pick up stray animals found in Johnston and take them to the city's temporary shelter at the Public Works Facility, where they are scanned for microchips, posted on Iowa Pet Alert and held three days. Unclaimed animals then go to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa for seven more days before adoption. Sick, injured, aggressive or feral animals go directly to the ARL. - City of Waukee Pet Licensing and Animal Control
City of Waukee · 515-978-7979
Waukee Police handle animal control in Waukee. Dogs picked up by officers are cared for at AHeinz57 Pet Rescue and Transport in De Soto; cats are not picked up by police, but people capturing cats at large may take them to Furry Friends Refuge. Waukee residents must license pets annually with proof of rabies vaccination. - Animal Rescue League of Iowa - ARL West
1500 22nd St. · (515) 473-9133
ARL adoption location for cats and small animals only, inside Iowa Pet Foods & Seascapes in West Des Moines. - City of West Des Moines Animal Control (Neighborhood Services)
City of West Des Moines · 515-222-3321
Neighborhood Service Specialists provide animal control for West Des Moines, handling pets running at large, wildlife concerns, barking dog complaints, cruelty or neglect reports and animal bite investigations. The city also handles impound fees, pet licensing and wildlife education. - Furry Friends Refuge
3505 Mills Civic Parkway · (515) 222-0009
No-kill shelter in West Des Moines that adopts out cats, dogs and other animals. It also takes in stray animals picked up in Clive and Urbandale, holds them for owners to reclaim, and places unclaimed animals for adoption.
Paying for a bigger bill
Ask any hospital about payment plans, CareCredit or Scratchpay, and apply to more than one assistance program. Ways to pay a vet bill in Iowa lists the programs that are open now, and a free funding plan puts them together for your pet, with a free fundraiser page if you want one.