Pet Vet Victoria provides essential medical care to the furry companions of those in need
A unique clinic run by Victoria's Our Place Society is providing a vital lifeline to countless pets belonging to the city's homeless population.
“It's the only thing in the whole world that they care about, their unhoused pets and these cute creatures,” said Megan McCormack, co-director of the veterinary clinic.
The pet veterinarian is open on the second Sunday of each month and sees between 30 and 60 animals per day.
Megan McCormack, co-director of Vets For Pets, said the services provided serve an important public health function, allowing even unhoused people to receive simple veterinary services for their favorite furry friends. said that it can be done.
“Some of these pets live outdoors and may be exposed to animals that carry rabies,” she says.
McCormack said their organization cannot sedate animals or perform surgeries at Our Place.
“We deal with simple vaccines and infectious diseases such as eye, ear, skin, etc. Considering we are shipping and receiving outdoor trash recycling areas, there is not much we can do. ”
This service can only see cats and dogs during Sunday sessions. However, we have started a mobile component. Visit various housing organizations such as the Kool-Aid Institute and Pacifica Housing.
“We've seen birds, rats, rabbits, small pocket pets. There are no amphibians or reptiles yet,” McCormack said.
The mobile service aims to reach all of Victoria, but it takes a significant amount of volunteers and resources to reach people.
To access Our Place's services, McCormack plans to hold events on Facebook asking people to register, but most of that will come from word of mouth. Pet medical treatment will be accepted in the courtyard of Our Place from 10 a.m. on the day of the treatment.
“The clinic starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 12 p.m., and then it's kind of first come, first served,” McCormack said.
This service is volunteer-based and only Our Place security guards receive payment for their services.
“We can have up to five veterinarians, technicians and assistants per session. We don't always fill all those positions,” McCormack said.
The service was started in 2008 by Jane Vermeulen, one of McCormack's mentors. Jane Vermeulen recognized the need for this type of service and began caring for the basic needs of non-domesticated animals.
McCormack became involved when Vermeulen realized the need for services like the one he was producing was greater than he could handle alone.
“I knew her from volunteering as a pre-vet student trying to get into veterinary school and working at the clinic,” McCormack said.
They believe that as the small service her mentors started has grown, the number of animals coming to the service has increased since the beginning.
“The service started small but has grown rapidly. The need is growing and I think it will continue to grow,” she said.
Mr McCormack took over from Mr Vermeulen in 2021 and is now responsible for the day-to-day running of the service.
The care they provide is free to unhoused communities, so the group plans to raise money and receive donations from the community to provide the care.
“We have connections with local clinics that donate medications and tests,” McCormack said.
For situations that Vet for Pets Victoria cannot treat, unhoused people and their loved ones may have few options, as there are no low-income veterinary hospitals operating in Greater Victoria.
“It's really hard. We don't have the equipment for that, but we try to point people in the right direction, but there's no guarantee they'll get help.”
McCormack's clinic has some repeat customers, mostly older animals who need palliative care.
“One thing we don't offer is euthanasia. We can't do that at Our Place. I am able to take some clients to the hospital where I work to provide compassionate euthanasia. can.”
Mr. McCormack, in most cases these cute creatures are the only ones in the world, so it's very clear how much the animals that are with them are cared for outdoors.
“If those pets are not welcomed as much as they are loved and loved, they will prefer to eat before meals or stay on the streets instead of staying in certain housing.”
Mr McCormack said there was such a stigma about non-domesticated animals and their animals, but the myth that they didn't care about pets was not reality.
“The costs for those of us who work in the emergency department are astronomical, everything we do costs at least $1,000. And even though we have the means to do it, we choose not to do it. We see people on a regular basis. Just because you don't have money doesn't mean you don't have care and love for your pet,” McCormack said.
For more information about the organization, visit vetsforpetsvictoria.com.
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