Cause For Paws covers emergency, life-saving veterinary care for pets of low-income families in our community, so that a tight month doesn't force a family to give up a pet they could have saved.
We are Trent and Soleil Lorenz, and we love animals! Our home has been filled with all kinds of critters from cats and dogs to fish and snakes and quite a few things in between. We believe that raising our daughter to love and care for animals properly, is an essential part of life, and so we share our love of animals with her. We love them all, big and small!
One thing we understand as pet owners is the weight of that quiet, universal fear: What if they get sick or injured, and we can’t afford to save them? It happens to us all, everything is fine one day, and the next you are sitting in an emergency vet office, facing something larger than you could have planned for. We know that fear, the blind panic, the uncertainty. In 2024, our beloved cat, Indigo displayed sudden symptoms of kidney failure. He needed life saving care, a 3 day vet stay and will forever be on a prescription diet. We’ll never forget the big conversations we had to have that weekend. Moments like those have the power to completely shatter a family’s financial stability. We are very fortunate to be healthy, income-earning adults, who also have family that can help us financially in tight spots, but even so, we’ve had to go into debt to save Indigo, and we would do it again if he needed it.
So many people have similar, heartbreaking stories of pets in need and all the things that come with those emergencies. If we can remove the need for a credit score to save a neighbor’s pet’s life, we should do that! Right now a family having a pet emergency has one option to cover life-saving vet care: opening a line of credit. That credit does not guarantee the full cost of care is covered, it doesn’t cover lifelong expenses or chronic care, and it completely locks out people who are already struggling financially. No one should have to choose between life saving care for their furry loved one over economic survival.
We know that Mt. Pleasant cares for pets too, that’s why we started Cause For Paws! We want to build a safety net for our community, so that when a family is fighting for their pet’s life, the only thing they focus on is love. This fund supports our neighbors, our community, wherever they need to bring their animals, Cause For Paws Mt. Pleasant will be there.
Our mission: to eliminate financial barriers to veterinary care by providing a community-funded safety net, ensuring no family has to choose between economic security and their pet’s life.
A short process, because a pet emergency can't wait weeks for an answer.
A licensed veterinarian confirms the animal has an urgent or life-threatening condition and provides a treatment estimate.
A short application with simple proof of financial need. Decisions on most requests within 24-48 hours, not weeks. Applications are not open yet.
Approved funds go straight to the clinic. The family focuses on their pet's recovery, not the invoice.
We are raising our founding fund right now. Every dollar donated to Cause For Paws goes toward veterinary bills for families in crisis, paid directly to local clinics here in southeast Iowa. Until that fund is built, we cannot open applications, so early gifts are what get this off the ground.
Helps cover medications and follow-up care after an emergency visit.
Covers an emergency exam, the first step in saving a sick or injured pet.
Funds diagnostics like X-rays and bloodwork, or helps toward urgent surgery.
100% of your gift goes to our mission. Cause For Paws uses Zeffy, so there are no platform fees. You can give once or set up a monthly gift. Cause For Paws is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; donations are tax-deductible.
That is who we are built to help. Once applications open, we will review most requests within 24-48 hours and pay approved amounts directly to your vet.
We are not accepting applications yet. We are still building the fund that pays these bills, and we will not take an application we cannot act on.
Email us and we will tell you the day we open. If your pet is in crisis right now, contact us anyway and we will point you to any resource we know of.
Notify Me When We Open →A volunteer board of Henry County neighbors who believe no pet should be lost to a bill.
Donors, vet clinics interested in partnering, and families who need help are all welcome to reach out. We'd love to hear from you.
[email protected]