Keeping Pets and Their People Together Fund

Sometimes there’s that certain owner and pet combination that highlight the importance of preserving the human-animal bond. This beautiful dog and her mom were experiencing homelessness and living in a shelter after leaving a difficult relationship. The pet mom gave us a call because her dog was sick with an upset stomach and showing some scary neurological symptoms. After all they had been through together, she was afraid she was going to lose her best friend because she didn’t have the funds for diagnosis and treatment. The pet parent was suspicious that her dog had ingested something that was causing her symptoms. After running baseline lab work that came back normal, our medical team felt comfortable treating the pet with supportive care. This pet mom was determined to help pay for her pet’s vet bill and was planning to do some food delivery runs that day to get some money to start up a payment plan. We find that this is the case for most people – they want to do what is right for their pet and will do whatever they can, but circumstances make it much more difficult. Sometimes someone just needs a small break. We offered to use our Keeping Pets and People Together fund to cover the treatment and suggested that the pet mom donates back into our fund when she is financially back on her feet. Our ability to cover costs for pet owners in need is due to a grant from the Synchrony Pillar Project and your generous donations!

One stormy morning Mocha, a 5 year old Pit Bull Terrier, slipped out of her yard and was hit by a passing car. When our team arrived at the clinic, they met Mocha’s mom in the parking lot and carried her in through the downpour. The poor dog appeared seriously injured and in a great deal of pain. Luckily, Mocha only sustained some muscle bruising and some lung contusions.  Mocha recovered with pain management, rest and supportive care.  Mocha’s family wasn’t prepared for the unexpected vet bill and needed some help. We were able to cover part of Mocha’s expenses using a grant from the Synchrony Pillar Project and private donations to our Keeping Pets and People Together fund.  For the remainder we helped Mocha’s owner create a payment plan that works with her budget, through VetBilling, which allowed her to make easy payments over six months. The good news is that Mocha is a survivor, although she is still recovering from the effects of her trauma, and she is back at home with her family. 

Kilo is a sweet 1 ½ yr old Pit Bull Terrier who came to us with parvovirus. His mom had spent her savings the week before at her regular vet to investigate why Kilo had a seizure, so she was not prepared for the additional expense and her veterinarian doesn’t offer payment plans. Parvovirus is a life threatening disease from which many dogs die, and Kilo needed immediate treatment if he was to have a chance to survive. With grant money from the Synchrony Pillar Project and donations from our clients, we used our Keeping Pets and People Together fund to begin Kilo’s treatment.  Kilo’s owner was extremely grateful for the assistance, and we were able to set her up with a payment plan through VetBilling for the remainder.  Thanks to the ability to customize VetBilling’s payment plan, we set her up with 10 monthly payments that fit her budget.  Best of all, this story has a happy ending because Kilo is back to his happy, playful self!

Samson and his dad were living out of his dad’s pickup truck last winter when we first met them. Samson was experiencing some stomach upset, likely from eating expired canned food.  Our team was able to use our Keeping Pets and People Together fund to run some lab work and give him medication to help him feel better. Once Samson was feeling better, we updated his vaccines and provided parasite prevention so that they could move into their new apartment.  We’re seeing so many more people facing situations like this, which is why we created this guide to connect people to resources for their pets: https://communitypetcareclinic.com/resources.  Thanks to the grant from the Synchrony Pillar Project and our generous donors, we were able to help Samson and his owner stay together!

Cadence’s mom is a senior citizen who became ill, lost her job, and eventually faced homelessness with her beloved dog. Community Pet Care Clinic partnered with Compassionate Village and were able to provide Cadence and his owner with a safe place to live while she awaits more permanent housing, and provide medical care for Cadence. A 6 year old Yorkshire Terrier, Cadence had severe dental disease and came to our clinic for treatment and oral surgery.  Through donations to Compassionate Village and our Keeping Pets & People Together Fund, we were able to ensure that this little family stays together, and that Cadence is healthy and safe in the arms of his mom.

Hurricane is a one year old Pit Bull Terrier whose mom is on disability.  Hurricane came to us very sick, with vomiting, bloody diarrhea and lethargy.  Our vet diagnosed him with a life threatening case of parvovirus, and we started treatment immediately.  Several days later Hurricane was out of the danger zone, and is now back at home doing well.  We were able to supplement Hurricane’s care with donations from our Keeping Pets and People Together fund, and set his mom up with affordable payments that fit her budget for the remaining amount.  Thank you to our donors for helping this sweet boy make it back home to his family!

Ivy came to us after having been at another vet clinic and an emergency clinic for suspected pyometra. Her dad spent all his money he had getting a diagnosis and didn’t have enough for treatment and didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t eating and her gums were pale. He called us, and after examining Ivy, we found it wasn’t pyometra but a corn cob stuck in her intestines. She needed surgery ASAP so our team jumped in to action and Ivy is doing well! Her dad agreed to also spay her so that she doesn’t have a future risk of pyometra.

Pluto escaped home and was missing for 1 week. When he returned home he had a wound on his right leg and was unable to use it properly. It was recommended that his leg be amputated. His owners saved up the funds to have the surgery performed quickly, but when he came in for surgery it was discovered that his leg wasn’t his only problem. Pluto also had an abdominal wall hernia – a traumatic opening in the abdominal muscle and his intestines were coming through the hole.

Charlie is a male cat who had a urinary blockage on a Sunday and when his family took him to the ER they said he needed surgery right away. The family couldn’t cover this large unexpected expense so they took him home to figure out what to do. A friend told them about us and they  rushed him to us on a Monday and we were able to unblock him and save his life. Urinary blockage is a painful and life-threatening condition that typically affects male cats. If your male cat has urinary blockage, it means their urethra — the tube that drains urine from the bladder to the penis and out of the body — is blocked by inflammatory material. When the urethra is blocked and urine can’t exit the body, the bladder becomes overfilled. If the blockage goes on too long, the kidneys may start to swell and become damaged, leaving the bladder to potentially rupture or tear.