Pet Help in the Boston Area
In Boston 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. Nearby: Worcester. Cape Cod.
Emergencies and 24-hour hospitals
- Angell Animal Medical Center - Boston (24/7 Emergency & Critical Care) 24 hours
350 S. Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 · 617-522-7282
MSPCA-Angell's Boston hospital provides 24/7 emergency and critical care for pets, along with specialty and primary care services. - MSPCA-Angell West - Waltham (24/7 Emergency & Critical Care) 24 hours
293 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451 · 781-902-8400
MSPCA-Angell's Waltham hospital provides 24/7 emergency and critical care for pets west of Boston.
Spay, neuter and vouchers
- Animal Rescue League of Boston - Healthy Moms, Happy Litters
10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116 · (617) 426-9170 x140
Free spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations for the mother or father cat or dog of a litter, which are then returned to the owner, plus waived surrender fees for the litter of kittens or puppies, who are vaccinated, spayed/neutered and placed for adoption. - Animal Rescue League of Boston - Spay Waggin' Mobile Spay/Neuter
Greater Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod · 1-877-590-7729
Mobile veterinary surgical vehicle providing spay and neuter surgery in Greater Boston, Southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. Cat packages include a brief exam, rabies and distemper vaccines, flea, ear mite and parasite treatment and a nail trim; dog packages include a brief exam, rabies and distemper vaccines and a nail trim. Special pricing is offered for Pit Bulls. - Animal Rescue League of Boston - Community Cat Program (TNR)
55 Anna's Place, Dedham, MA 02026 · (617) 426-9170 x563
ARL Community Cats Rescue Agents respond to resident reports of cat colonies, assess the cats, and carry out a Trap-Neuter-Return plan that includes spay/neuter, vaccines, and return to the colony, return to an owner if microchipped, or adoption for friendly cats. Surgeries are done at the Community Surgical Clinic at ARL's Dedham center. - Animal Rescue League of Boston - Community Veterinary Services (Wellness Waggin' and Community Surgical Clinic)
55 Anna’s Place · (877) 590-7729
Wellness Waggin' mobile unit gives a low-cost package (exam, rabies and distemper vaccines, flea treatment, microchip) to residents of Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, Hyde Park and East Boston; the Dedham Community Surgical Clinic does low-cost spay/neuter with a Massachusetts Animal Fund voucher from your local animal control officer.
Low-cost clinics and vaccines
- MSPCA-Angell Larson Kelly Community Clinic (Boston)
350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130
Subsidized, low-cost clinic at Angell in Boston offering spay/neuter and urgent surgical care such as wound and laceration care, amputations, splinting, hernia repair, bladder stone surgery, mass removal and stable foreign body surgery, with related diagnostics on site. The clinic does not provide primary care, specialty care, overnight care or 24/7 emergency service.
Veterinary hospitals and clinics
- Animal Rescue League of Boston - Temporary Pet Housing
Short-term care for pets whose owners are temporarily unable to care for them because of unexpected life circumstances, provided through ARL's three Animal Care & Adoption Centers and its foster network, with the goal of reuniting the pet with the owner.
Pet food
- Gifford Cat Shelter Cat Food Pantry (Brighton)
30 Undine Rd., Brighton, MA 02135 · 617-787-8872
Cat food pantry that supplies two weeks' worth of cat food at a time, for up to three months per household. Litter, beds, toys, medication and prescription foods are not available. - MSPCA-Angell Boston Pet Food Distribution
350 South Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130 · 617-524-5690
Monthly pet food distribution held in the parking lot in front of the MSPCA-Angell Boston adoption center.
Keeping your pet, end-of-life care and pet loss
- Animal Rescue League of Boston - Boston Animal Care & Adoption Center
10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116 · (617) 426-9170 x604
ARL's South End shelter handles intake and surrender, shelter care, behavioral assessment and adoption of dogs, cats and other animals. - Animal Rescue League of Boston - Free Pet Behavior Helpline · (617) 226-5666
Free helpline for basic pet behavior questions such as excessive barking, crate training and house soiling; an ARL representative responds within 48 hours. - Boston Animal Care and Control Shelter (Roslindale)
26 Mahler Road, Roslindale, MA 02131 · 617-635-1800
City of Boston animal shelter staffed by a full-time veterinarian. Residents can adopt a pet, buy or renew a dog license, file a lost pet report or bring in a found pet; the shelter also offers low-cost spay and neuter services. The Animal Care and Control Division holds low-cost rabies clinics during the year, runs a year-round pet food pantry, and investigates animal cruelty and neglect. - MSPCA-Angell Boston Adoption Center
350 South Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130 · 617-522-5055
Adoption center in Boston. Surrenders are by appointment only. - Cambridge Animal Commission (Animal Control)
344 Broadway, 1st Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139 · 617-349-4376
City of Cambridge animal control: rescues injured or sick domestic pets and wildlife, enforces animal laws, licenses dogs, holds a low-cost rabies vaccination clinic for dogs, and manages the Helen K. Holland Animal Care Trust Fund for emergency veterinary care of stray animals in Cambridge. - Animal Rescue League of Boston - Dedham Animal Care & Adoption Center
55 Anna's Place, Dedham, MA 02026 · (617) 426-9170 x605
ARL's remodeled shelter 10 miles southwest of Boston provides intake, shelter care and adoption, is ARL's main livestock center, and houses the Community Surgical Clinic for community cats. - Somerville Animal Control
220 Washington St., Somerville, MA 02143 · 617-626-6600 x2190
City of Somerville animal control responds to calls about sick, injured or dangerous wild and domestic animals, enforces cruelty regulations, handles abandoned or unclaimed animals, manages bite reports, keeps a small holding shelter and organizes the annual Rabies Day program.
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 Massachusetts 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.