A not-for-profit foundation hosted a free pet clinic on Sunday, to help pet owners who are facing high care costs.
Paws for Hope Animal Foundation says, with the persistently high cost of living, some low-income pet owners are struggling to get adequate care for their fur babies, and sometimes surrendering their pets to animal shelters.
The foundation hosted a free pet clinic in Surrey to help people alleviate those healthcare costs.
Paws for Hope says the need in B.C. for vet care support is huge.
“Each month, the charity Paws for Hope receives 200 new requests for vet care assistance that have to go unfulfilled. Requests have doubled year over year,” it said in an email to CityNews.
This free pet clinic is offered for residents of Options’ supportive housing complex in Surrey in order to remove transportation barriers and financial challenges.
“The critical care provided to these pets during the one-day clinic costs the charity an average of $12,000 per clinic (including supplies, resources and follow-up veterinary care),” the organization said.
It says the combination of more clients and increased cost of vet care has significantly increased the demand for the foundation’s help.
“While the requests for help have increased, operating costs have gone up too. Between April – Feb 2023, Paws for Hope spent 145K on vet care. So far, as of the end of Feb 2024 (for the same time period) they have spent $200K,” it said.
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Kathy Powelson, executive director of Paws for Hope tells CityNews in an interview, that they provided multiple different kinds of services at the pet clinic.
“We’re providing pre-vaccinations, parasite control, physical exams, minor grooming,” she said.
“If there’s any follow-up care that we see today will ensure that we coordinate with our local park vet partners to get that follow-up care done for the residents.”
Powelson says that veterinary care is critical for community health.
“We believe that all pets and their people deserve to have equal access to care,” she said.
She says free clinics helped break down some of those barriers for low-income pet guardians who may not be able to afford to get preventative care or follow-up care.
“We really believe that pets are family and they should be cared for just like our human family members,” she said.
Powelson says people and the veterinary care sector in B.C. are really struggling.
“The cost of living has increased, so it’s hard for people to make ends meet, to provide vaccinations for the pet, get them surgery,” she said.
“We are seeing an incredible increase in requests for support from our program.”
She says Paws for Hope helps not only coordinate surgeries with vets but also helps pet owners with transportation costs, such as a taxi or an Uber to get the pet to the hospital and back home.
“It is for low-income families only, and our capacity to help really depends on our resources,” she said.
“We are a small charity that relies on donors to provide this kind of care.”
The pet clinic expects to have an average of 30 pets receive free examinations, vaccinations, parasite control, and minor grooming.
Follow-up care is offered for dental surgery, orthopaedic surgery, diabetes treatment and diagnoses, lump removal and biopsy, and spay and neutering services.
Paws for Hope says because pet owners live on low fixed incomes it is crucial to help their pets.
“This is about meeting pet owners where they’re at. It’s also important to remember that routine care for pets prevents more serious issues later on,” it said.
-With files from Angelyna Mintz.