My Pet Died and They Are Still Charging Me
First: we are sorry. You are holding a bill for a pet who is gone, and the plan is still taking payments. In the owners' own words, that is the search — "my pet died and they are still charging me" — and this page answers it in full, free: what the contracts do, how to work out your two numbers, and the exact sequence of steps that has moved these bills before. Nothing on this page is behind a payment. Take the steps in order, at your own pace.
A wellness plan is a 12-month contract, and the contract does not end on its own when a pet dies. Banfield has written, in a complaint response, that its cancellation method "will apply regardless of the reason for the cancellation, including the passing of the pet." VCA's published position allows cancellation in special cases like the loss of a pet — but its complaint record shows owners quoted $128, $1,100, and over $1,500 first. The gap between the first number you are quoted and the number the contract math supports is where this page works.
Every one of these plans settles, in the end, around two numbers: (1) the retail value of the services and discounts your pet received, minus what you have paid; and (2) the payments left to the end of the 12-month term. For Banfield, the amount owed on cancellation is the lesser of the two — that is Banfield's own stated formula. For VCA there is no published formula, so the two numbers are the range to expect and the breakdown to demand. For Petco there is no services ledger at all — only the months left times $24.99. The free checker computes your numbers from your invoices; the steps below are what to do with them.
Stopping payment at the bank does not end the contract. Banfield's own complaint responses describe the mechanics: after 120 days past due the plan may be cancelled by the company, all remaining installments collected, and the balance sent to a third-party collection agency with collection fees added. One documented owner couple stopped payment after their dog was euthanized four days after a renewal — and were billed the past-due amount plus the balance to the end of the term. Use the sequence below instead; it is slower and it works on the paperwork, which is where these bills are decided.
The plan's records showed $2,109.70 in services and discounts received and $242.85 paid. Banfield demanded the remaining $728.55 and wrote that the cancellation method "will apply regardless of the reason for the cancellation, including the passing of the pet." That sentence, in the company's own writing, is why this site exists. Reported outcome — not a promise about any other case.
Her dog was diagnosed with lymphoma in May 2026 and died on May 27, weeks after the plan had renewed in February. On cancellation she was shown the contract's two numbers: the retail value of services used, about $2,000 in her case, or the payments left to the end of the term, under $600. She kept paying a plan for a dog who had died, because it was the cheaper of the two contract numbers. Reported outcome — not a promise about any other case.
A CareClub plan sold during a distress visit brought a $1,600 bill down to under $700. The dog was then diagnosed with untreatable cancer and died. Cancellation was quoted at the retail value of services — $1,100, which was $400 more than finishing the year at $100 a month. After a complaint, the amount was negotiated down to $480. Reported outcome — not a promise about any other case.
In July 2026 an owner wrote that after his dog lost his battle with lymphoma, he was charged an additional $128 for cancelling. In February 2026 another owner wrote that CareClub had auto-renewed in January, his pet died, and he was told he owed over $1,500 for the balance of the year — later adjusted by a manager after he complained. Reported outcomes — not promises about any other case.
The line this site never crosses: What care your pet gets is a decision for you and your veterinarian. These pages are only about the contract and the money.
Every figure in this niche depends on your enrollment date, your payments, and the retail value of what your pet has used. The free checker computes your three options from those numbers alone.
If you want the paperwork done for you — scripts, letter templates, and the deadline tracker — that is what the Exit Kit is. Everything on this page stands on its own without it.