Animal Humane Society Receives $1.1 Million for Low-Cost Vet Care
A $1.1 million grant from PetSmart Charities, given over the next five years, will help support veterinary clinic services at the Animal Humane Society‘s (AHS) Golden Valley location.
“We have a low-cost clinic that really got fully up and running during the pandemic,” said Dr. Graham Brayshaw, the chief medical officer at AHS.
The clinic offers most services, but focuses on high-volume vaccinations and spay and neuter services.
“We want to try and do the most for the most,” Brayshaw explained.
He, alongside his staff, work with hundreds of pets each week. Their checkups are supposed to be routine.
Yet, Brayshaw said that half of Twin Cities pet owners don’t regularly take their animals to the vet.
“You’re dealing with hundreds of thousands of animals just in the Twin Cities alone that don’t get regular vet care” Brayshaw said. “So, the needs out there are tremendous.”
Staff at the Animal Humane Society work in the operating room at the clinic.
PetSmart Grant Helps Increase Access to Vet Care
Many pet owners can’t afford check-up costs, or they don’t have the time to take their animals to the vet.
Low-cost veterinary care is one way to address financial barriers for pet owners.
“We wanted to set something up, to not just help those that can’t afford vet care period, but even some stuck in the middle, that are really being pushed out of being able to get into the vet clinic and access care for their animals,” Brayshaw said.
Brayshaw said the PetSmart grant, awarded as part of a $100 million commitment to services across the country, should help to increase access.
“We have five-ish vets during the past year,” he said. “We want to get up to at least eight veterinarians right now.”
Other priorities for AHS include adding an online pharmacy and online appointment scheduling. The grant will also fund those efforts.
He hopes these improvements help more pets — and more people.
“It really is heartwarming,” Brayshaw said. “They know that we are the most affordable clinic in town, that we are able to provide care they couldn’t afford otherwise.”
