The Mustard Seed partnered with Vets To Go and hosted a no-cost pet wellness clinic. Pet owners who are living in poverty were invited to attend.
Sue arrived at The Mustard Seed’s loading dock, temporarily turned into a vet clinic, with her two dogs, Bailey and Shadow. She says, “I am on income-support and have bills to pay which makes it very difficult for me to take Bailey and Shadow to a vet clinic. When I heard about the no-cost pet wellness clinic, I knew this was what I needed to do for my dogs – bring them here to see a vet.”
People experiencing poverty and homelessness have the added struggle of providing for their beloved four-legged friends. Vets To Go is a mobile veterinary clinic that provides medical services for pets in the city. Dr. Wendy McClelland, founder of Vets To Go, says, “For us, it’s really important to be a part of the community and to give back, especially, now with the downturn in the economy.”
Pet owners were pleased to have their dogs and cats get the much needed checkups and attention. Staff from Vets To Go provided free examinations, medicine, vaccinations and food supplies for pets seen in clinic. Dr. McClelland says, “These people take extra-good care for their pets and make sure they are healthy. And that is really impressive.”
Sue suffered from some health problems that affected her ability to talk and walk for a couple of years. During that time, Bailey and Shadow helped her through her journey to recovery. “My dogs think and feel through their eyes. When I could not talk back to them, they still talked to me and they are now so much happier that I am able to talk back to them.”
Sue is thankful that her pets got the opportunity to be seen by a veterinarian. She told us that Shadow has some minor health problems for which he was given medications for during the clinic. She says he will recover soon. As for Bailey, who is in his old age, with tears in her eyes, Sue told us that he only has few months to live.
“I am very happy to have brought Bailey and Shadow to the pet clinic today. The staff not only did they care for Bailey and Shadow, they hugged me, smiled at me. I met a lot of good people here today,” says Sue.
According to Dr. McClelland, some of the general ailments she observed in the pets were sore eyes, sore ears and ear mites. “Most of them otherwise, were generally healthy,” says Dr. McClelland.
At The Mustard Seed, we work with different community partners to serve people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Our partnership with Vets To Go is one of the many community-building initiatives we support across the city.
