Eligibility for Grants

CorgiAid has restrictions on what kind of dog, which rescuers, and which expenses, are eligible. This enables us to stay within available funds. Please read this section to ensure you are eligible for aid. Once you have read it, if you still aren’t certain whether your situation is eligible, please apply. and the Grant Committee will make that determination.

changes Latest Changes 05/06/2021

  

General Information

CorgiAid is the last resort source of funding. If the individual or organization is eligible for other funding of these expenses through a breed or other rescue organization, that funding must have been denied or exhausted before applying to CorgiAid.

We expect that rescuers will cover as many expenses of rescue as possible with their adoption fees. Please ask us only for the amount needed by a given dog that you cannot cover with your adoption fee for that dog.

From time to time CorgiAid may need more information about a dog’s situation. We may ask for that information from any source including veterinarians.  We may not be able to help the dog if the requested information is not provided.

 Eligible Rescuers

CorgiAid will accept applications for assistance for rescued Cardigan Welsh corgis, Pembroke Welsh corgis, or corgi mixes from any group or organization or from any individual who is of legal age (18 years).

Applicants must be fostering the dog with intent, once the dog is healthy and a suitable home is found, of re-homing that dog to a permanent home.

CorgiAid cannot provide funding for the care of established personal pets. However, CorgiAid may be able to help a newly adopted dog with an issue that a vet determines was present at the time of adoption. The application must meet all other CorgiAid guidelines:

  1. INDIVIDUAL RESCUES: An individual has rescued a dog that was injured or ill at the time of rescue and would like to provide a permanent home for the dog.
  2. ADOPTION THROUGH A HUMANE SOCIETY OR SHELTER: A dog that appeared healthy or had a minor illness/injury has been adopted from a shelter and, after adoption, it becomes apparent that the dog’s condition was serious.
  3. PLACEMENTS THROUGH A RESCUE ORGANIZATION: An ill or injured dog has been taken in by an established rescue organization. A permanent home is found for the dog during the funding application process, or a home is found before the organization had an opportunity to start the funding application process. The assumption here will be that, in the absence of an adoptive home, the case would have met all CorgiAid funding guidelines, and that the adoption would have been seriously jeopardized if the assistance were not available.

In the case of an adopted dog, CorgiAid will not consider funding requests for routine, non-emergency care, such as spay/neuter, microchipping, flea/heartworm prevention, vaccinations, routine worming, etc.

An examination by a veterinarian must take place within a short time after adoption, and the illness, injury, or condition must be diagnosed at that time. CorgiAid must be notified very soon after the original diagnosis of a problem if we are to be able to consider helping with that problem. As always, CorgiAid must have a clear indication from the treating veterinarian that the dog has a reasonable chance to have a good quality of life if treated.

 

 Eligible Dogs

To be eligible to benefit from a grant, the dog must be a Cardigan Welsh corgi, Pembroke Welsh corgi, or corgi mix either of known parentage, or resembling a corgi closely enough that the Grant Committee is reasonably certain the dog is a corgi mix. Applicants must provide a picture of the dog to enable the committee to verify eligibility.

The dog must not show signs of aggression toward other animals or humans.

Dogs are required to be spayed or neutered before CorgiAid is able to help with the expense of their care.  The Board may consider waiving the requirement for spay/neuter temporarily when the dog requires medical treatment before it can safely be anesthetized, or permanently if the dog is permanently physically incapable of breeding.  The board will decide on a case-by-case basis if we are able to help while a dog is intact.

CorgiAid cannot fund medical expenses for dogs turned into rescue by their breeder because of birth defects or other medical issues. In the case of any request for funding for a congenital defect, the circumstances under which the dog entered into rescue will be examined before funding can be considered.

If a dog is terminally ill, or needs to be euthanized for unsound temperament, CorgiAid will consider paying for the euthanization. Extreme treatments for dogs at the end of life will not be considered.

There is no age limit; each case will be judged as to quality of future life for that dog.

 Eligible Expenses

Receipts must be received within six months of the date the care was given.

CorgiAid may provide monetary assistance toward medical expenses, and  possibly toward other extraordinary expenses, for corgis or corgi mix dogs  who are in rescue.

CorgiAid’s first goal is to make sure that expenses for therapeutic medical needs receive aid if eligible. (Therapeutic medical care cures or alleviates a current condition or illness.) Before a grant is given, CorgiAid will need copies of itemized receipts or invoices from a licensed veterinarian. CorgiAid is not able to help until the dog has received the needed care.

While we have sufficient funds, we may also consider as eligible expenses providing preventive care for dogs in rescue (not those in permanent homes). (Preventative care uses medicine to prevent debilitating conditions. Vaccinations and heartworm preventative fall in this category.)

We may be able to help with the expense of boarding, particularly when health and/or safety are at risk. If you have questions about whether we can help in a particular situation, please ask us.

At present “normal” expenses of rescue as food, toys, collars, leashes, phone calls, and advertising are not eligible.

As of Oct. 5, 2002, CorgiAid requires that all dogs receiving aid from CorgiAid (other than for euthanization) must be microchipped. If the dog is not already chipped, CorgiAid may be able to help with the cost of the microchip. The dog’s microchip number must be provided to CorgiAid.

If the funding request is for non-emergency surgery, all surgical and non-surgical options need to be considered. CorgiAid may require the applicant to seek a second opinion and/or further evaluation to ensure that the suggested surgery or treatment is the only option for ensuring a good quality of life for the dog. In the event that a second opinion is requested, CorgiAid will pay for the second opinion.

CorgiAid may be able to help with consultations with veterinary ophthalmologists about possible cataract surgery. If that ophthalmologist is very confident surgery will greatly improve a dog’s sight, we may consider helping with surgery.

Talk to us about tests for degenerative myelopathy before authorizing a test for DM. We may only help with DM tests under very specific circumstances. The dog must be eight years old or older, and must have mobility problems. We will talk over the individual case with you, including any pain issues, and will determine if we are able to help with the cost of a DM test. We will not pay more for a DM test than the cost of a cheek swab evaluated through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (which, in early 2012, is $65).

Some surgeries for cruciate ligament (CCL) repair require prior approval.  We do not need preapproval for Extracapsular Lateral Suture Stabilization (ELSS or LSS)   or TightRope(r) procedures, but other procedures,  including  Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy (TPLO)  and Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA)  are not always recommended for  smaller or dwarf dogs such as corgis. Because of this,  before we approve TPLO or TTA we want to know that other surgical options have been considered, and require a statement in writing from the surgeon as to why that is the preferred method for this dog   When we receive the approval request, we may immediately approve the surgery. If we still do not approve, we will ask you to get a second opinion that we will pay for.  We will base our decision on that second opinion.  Approved surgeries are funded in full.  Unapproved surgeries will not be funded as we feel there are better choices.   If we do not have a chance to preapprove either TPLO or TTA  surgery and are presented with an invoice for the procedure, the surgery will not be funded.

Applications for the treatment of congenital orthopedic conditions will be considered with the following additional requirements:

  • If the funding request is for surgery for correction of a congenital orthopedic condition, the veterinarian has assessed the condition and is of the opinion that the dog’s quality of life and adoptability will be significantly compromised without surgery, as opposed to other maintenance treatment options.
  • If the funding request is for the correction of hip dysplasia, all surgical options need to be considered. Total hip replacements and triple pelvic osteotomy (as opposed to femoral head ostectomy or other procedures) may be partially funded by CorgiAid only if, in the opinion of the veterinarian and CorgiAid’s veterinary advisors there are no other options that will result in a satisfactory prognosis.
  • CorgiAid may require the applicant to seek a second opinion and further evaluation to ensure that the suggested surgery or treatment is the only option for ensuring a good quality of life for the dog. CorgiAid will not be responsible for funding this type of evaluation.
  • The dog must be symptomatic. That is, the diagnosis was not made only from routine x-rays. The dog must be showing signs of lameness or other dysfunction. Many dogs with hip dysplasia never display any lameness throughout their life. Applications for funding these conditions must include a description of the symptoms being displayed by the dog.
  • While CorgiAid does not wish to suggest “bargain shopping” for veterinary care, because of the high cost of orthopedic work all options for surgery should also be explored by the applicant (vet schools, a vet that will give a larger rescue discount, etc.). CorgiAid reserves the option of offering a partial funding.

CorgiAid expects that if a dog is injured while in the possession of a rescuer, and that rescuer could reasonably be considered at fault due to carelessness or neglect, CorgiAid should not be asked to cover the cost of correcting that injury. Under very limited circumstances CorgiAid may help with part of the cost of correcting the injury.

If a dog CorgiAid has agreed to help gets worse due to poor care, we may not be able to help with any aspect of that dog’s care (example: a Pembroke corgi weighs 40 pounds when the application is approved, then gains 10 pounds in the next four months).  If necessary care is not sought in a timely fashion, resulting in an issue becoming much worse than when originally diagnosed, CorgiAid may not be able to help with that issue (example:  failure to deal with a broken tooth, which eventually becomes abscessed).

CorgiAid will not fund the entire cost of treatment for a dog who is in an adoptive home (also known as a “forever” home). The adoptive/rescue home is expected to pay some portion of the cost. Applications must include a dollar amount that will be paid, or that has already been paid, by the new owner. Prior to release of funds, CorgiAid will require receipts documenting these expenditures.

In all ownership situations, funding applications are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration the severity of the illness/injury and the details of the rescue. The fact that CorgiAid may have funded a similar case in the past is not in itself a guarantee that funding will be granted.