Pet Help in Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle
In Raleigh-Durham 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: the Triad. Wilmington. Charlotte.
Emergencies and 24-hour hospitals
- BluePearl Pet Hospital - Cary 24 hours
6405-100 Tryon Rd., Cary, NC 27518 · (919) 233-4911
24/7 emergency and specialty animal hospital. Specialty care is by appointment. - BluePearl Pet Hospital - Durham 24 hours
7015 NC Hwy. 751, Durham, NC 27707 · (919) 600-6600
24/7 emergency and specialty animal hospital, open 365 days a year including holidays. Specialty care is by appointment. - BluePearl Pet Hospital - Raleigh 24 hours
4640 Paragon Park Rd., Raleigh, NC 27616 · (919) 861-0109
24/7 emergency and specialty animal hospital. Specialty care is by appointment.
Spay, neuter and vouchers
- Orange County Animal Services Spay/Neuter Assistance
1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC · (919) 942-7387
No-cost spay/neuter vouchers, used at specific partner clinics, for Orange County residents who are DSS clients or qualify by income; others are referred to low-cost options. A separate program spays/neuters free-roaming community cats on Orange County properties for free, with a refundable trap deposit. Vouchers can take up to 2 months to issue. - APS of Durham Spay and Neuter Community Assistance Program
2117 E. Club Blvd., Durham, NC 27704
Discounted community spay/neuter clinics for dogs and cats, with reduced-cost vouchers funded in part by the Margaret T. Petrie Spaying and Neutering Foundation. A limited number of appointments are available each month. - Operation Catnip (Raleigh) · (919) 793-6632
Volunteer-run TNVR program for community cats. Holds a monthly no-fee clinic that can spay/neuter up to 100 cats in a day, with ear-tipping and rabies and FVRCP vaccines, and lends traps. A voucher program covers surgery at about 20 participating vet clinics in Franklin, Wake and Wilson counties. Does not sterilize pets or adopted strays, take in cats or trap cats for you. - SAFE Care Spay/Neuter Clinic (SAFE Haven for Cats)
8411-133A Garvey Drive, Raleigh, NC 27616 · (919) 872-7730
Nonprofit spay/neuter clinic run by SAFE Haven for Cats, licensed by the NC Veterinary Medical Board. Offers spay/neuter services for pets and low-cost spay/neuter for hundreds of feral cats a year through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (TNVR), with rabies and FVRCP vaccines. Humane traps can be rented from SAFE Haven's trap rental office next door.
Low-cost clinics and vaccines
- Orange County Animal Services Low-Cost Rabies and Vaccine Clinics
1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC
Low-cost rabies vaccination and microchip clinics held several times a year by Orange County Animal Services, with 1-year and 3-year rabies vaccines. Some Saturday clinics at the Animal Services center also offer free DA2PPV and FVRCP vaccines for dogs and cats. The remaining 2026 clinic is Saturday, November 14, 9:00am-12:00pm at Orange County Animal Services.
Veterinary hospitals and clinics
- Orange County Animal Services - SAFE Foster Program
Orange County, North Carolina · 919-942-7387
SAFE (Support for Animals and Families in Emergencies) places pets in foster homes for an undetermined time while their owners deal with an extended hospital stay, homelessness or disaster displacement. Pets return to their owners once the crisis is resolved.
Pet food
- APS of Durham Pet Food Assistance Program (with The Salvation Army)
909 Liberty Street, Durham, NC 27701 · (919) 688-7306 ext. 67101
Community pet pantry run by the Animal Protection Society of Durham in partnership with The Salvation Army, providing pet food to people facing financial hardship. Food is distributed as available. - SAFE Haven for Cats Pet Food Pantry
8431-137 Garvey Drive, Raleigh, NC 27616
Free supplemental pet food for cats and dogs of pet owners who are struggling financially and cannot afford to feed their pets. Pickups are by appointment, no more than once a month.
Keeping your pet, end-of-life care and pet loss
- Orange County Animal Services
1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill, NC · (919) 942-7387
County animal shelter and animal control for Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough and unincorporated Orange County. Provides sheltering for stray and unhoused animals, adoptions, lost and found pets, animal intake by appointment and spay/neuter resources. - Animal Protection Society of Durham (Durham County Animal Shelter)
2117 E. Club Blvd., Durham, NC 27704 · (919) 560-0640
Nonprofit that runs the Durham County Animal Shelter, an open-admission shelter that takes in any domesticated animal from Durham County. Offers adoptions of dogs, cats and other animals, lost and found help, fostering and resources for pet owners. - APS of Durham Animal Behavior Helpline and Safety Net
Durham County · (919) 257-8667
Animal Protection Society of Durham's Animal Behavior Helpline for pet owners dealing with behavior problems, part of its Safety Net resources that help Durham County residents keep their pets, including alternatives to surrender and low-cost spay/neuter options. - Beyond Fences
Durham nonprofit that delivers free services, supplies and support to people and pets in under-served neighborhoods. Programs include free fences and doghouses for dogs living on chains, free spay/neuter and basic vaccinations for dogs and cats with transportation to appointments, pet care supplies and veterinary care, and shelter intervention help with veterinary care, pet deposits and shelter reclaim fees so pets are not surrendered. - SPCA of Wake County Pet Loss Support Group
Free online pet loss support group, meeting monthly since 2006, where people grieving companion animals share stories and support each other. Facilitated by a non-denominational veterinary chaplain. Meetings include listening and discussion and sharing pet photos, poems and stories. - Wake County Animal Center
820 Beacon Lake Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610 · (919) 212-7387
Wake County's animal shelter, adopting out dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and more. It is the only facility in Wake County that always accepts animals found within the county, and staff help with lost pets, found strays and rehoming. Owned pets from Wake County residents are accepted by appointment based on space. - Wake County Animal Center Free Pet Euthanasia
820 Beacon Lake Drive, Raleigh, NC 27610 · (919) 212-7387
The Wake County Animal Center offers pet euthanasia as a free service to pet owners who live in Wake County.
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 North Carolina 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.