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Washington pets in need being helped by new veterinary fund

October 14, 2022

Last fall, the Washington State Animal Health Foundation launched a new resource intended to help you better serve your clients who struggle with affording important veterinary treatment – The Vets Helping Pets Fund.

The Vets Helping Pets Fund allows WSVMA members and their associates to advocate for clients in need and receive financial support to be able to provide needed care and treatment for their beloved animal companions. Many families struggle to afford care and our goal is to create a robust partnership with veterinarians to not only address this issue but help bridge that gap in care. We have created a simple application form and a set of guidelines to help with case-selection. All we ask in return is for you to help us connect with these families so their stories and the power of their bond can be shared with our community.

Here’s a Happy Tail about Koufax who was helped by Vets Helping Pets.

An impossible choice. A beautiful seven-month-old Golden Retriever pup is just starting her life with her new family when the unforeseeable happens; she is hit by a car and gravely injured.

Now, we all hope we will be prepared for an emergency, but like so many things in life, these situations can happen when you are least prepared. That is the case with sweet Koufax’s family. Their pup needed emergency surgery to save her life, but having recently lost a job due to COVID-19 and with the family facing personal medical bills, they did not have the means to cover the care. Their choice was to find a way to get Koufax some help or make the difficult choice to put her down.

Dr. Amanda Smith at Willow Tree Animal Hospital did what she could for Koufax and Koufax’s family. She stabilized their beloved pet and quickly reached out to the Washington State Animal Health Foundation (WSAHF) to apply for a grant as part of the Vets Helping Pets program. This grant, while not covering all of Koufax’s care, was just the help the family needed.

Luckily with the help of Vets Helping Pets, Willow Tree Animal Clinic and the community at large, Koufax received the care she so desperately needed and is now on the road to recovery at home with her family.

There are times when pet owners are faced with financial circumstances beyond their control and they do not have the means to pay for their pet’s essential or lifesaving treatment. Vets Helping Pets can be a resource to WSVMA member practices and their clients so companion animals get the care they so desperately need.

What makes this program possible is the generous support of our donors and the veterinary community. Through their generosity, Vets Helping Pets can be there to help provide financial resources when it is needed most. You, too, can be part of this solution by making a donation to the Vets Helping Pets Fund today at wsahf.org.

For more information on this new program, please visit wsahf.org. There you can learn more about this exciting opportunity for Washington veterinarians and families, and access all supporting materials, including the complete guidelines, grant applications and case studies.

The Washington State Animal Health Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit corporation and the charitable arm of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association. All donations are tax deductible.  Donations to support the program can be made conveniently online here.

 

Posted October 14, 2022