Emergency Veterinary Care for Pets of the Homeless

Your generosity joined with others who have a similar commit-ment to our vision has allowed us, these past twelve months, to provide 660 pets with emergency veterinary care.  We are thankful and energized by the support you give, which will be all the more important in this coming year.  With the recently occurring natural disasters, the number of homeless people who need our services is increasing. 

It is hard to imagine the heartbreak of returning home after a flood, fire, tornado, or hurricane to find that you are homeless.  Like, the longer-term homeless that we already serve, those that suffer devastating losses in the aftermath of a disaster have limited resources to care for themselves and their pets. People in those affected parts of the country are calling Pets of the Homeless for help. 

As you know, Pets of the Homeless is unique in that it is the only national nonprofit that offers free pet food, sponsors wellness clinics for pets of low income and homeless people, and gives free emergency veterinary care to pets whose guardians are homeless. Since we do not receive government funding, we rely on your support to deliver those services.  Eighty-four percent of every $1 you donate goes directly to the free programs we offer. 

• Pets of the Homeless received a call from a homeless man, Charles, who lives in his car with his service animal, a 1-year-old Shih Tzu, Kiwi.  He has been homeless for two years. Kiwi was hit by a car and had a broken pelvis and a dislocated hip.  Your gift contributed towards surgery to repair multiple fractures.
• Pets of the Homeless received a call from Randy who resides at a homeless shelter.  There is a dog kennel across the street for the homeless who have pets. Dazzle, a 6-year-old, spayed female Pit Bull Terrier was introduced at the kennel, and another dog attacked her. We approved an examination and x-ray to be sure of no broken bones.  Surgery was necessary to mend bite wounds on her face and leg. Surgery included injections, anesthesia, stitches, antibiotics and pain medications. Your donations helped to pay the invoice.

At the same time that we are responding to the pressing need of natural disaster victims, we will continue to serve the thousands of clients in communities like yours across the country.

That's why we are asking you to give a little more this year.  A $235 gift will pay the average cost of one emergency veterinary care visit.  Remember that every donation, regardless of its size, makes a difference.  Your gift will make the lives of the pets we serve less painful, as well as, provide some relief to their owners from the worry and anxiety of how to afford emergency veterinary care for their best friend.  For that, we are grateful.

In the News & Blog section of our website you can find many more stories like the ones we featured in this letter of how your dollars are working to help those who need it the most.

We hope that you, your family and friends are safe.  We want you to know that your past support has meant so much to countless pets.  Please continue to help.

Thank you for your support.