The Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association, through its Companion Animal Foundation, is providing a first-of-its-kind assistance program to low-income animal owners who need essential services for their pets.
The organization, located on South Angell Street in Providence, is assisting pet owners by funding the cost of exams and vaccines and the treatment for illness or injury using a voucher program. Through Dec. 31, the group issued 742 vouchers, of which 321 have been redeemed. For comparison, during all of 2019, those numbers were 370 and 197, respectively.
Since its inception in 2004, the foundation has dispersed grants recommended by veterinary practices that are association members. In 2019, the foundation distributed more than $75,000 throughout the state to aid in the treatment of hundreds of animals of low-income pet owners.
Each association member practice receives an annual allocation from the foundation based on the number of veterinarians on staff and dollars that are available for the practice to use in assisting low-income clients.
“For low-income pet owners, vouchers from RIVMA CAF are the difference between watching their beloved pet suffer and being able to address their pet’s health care needs,” said Elizabeth Suever, who is the vice president of government affairs at Bally’s Corp. in Lincoln and has been the organization’s voluntary president since February of 2020. “Many Rhode Islanders rely on their pets for companionship, so keeping their pets healthy is important for their mental well-being, especially during this pandemic.”
Suever said other programs that assist low-income pet owners have been referring pet owners to RIVMA CAF because they have been unable to continue their operations at normal levels amid the pandemic, and she expects this trend to continue through 2021.
Suever said the foundation is experiencing fundraising challenges after it had to cancel its golf tournament last year, the organization’s biggest source of revenue. “The board of directors has had to come up with some creative ways to raise funds, like an online raffle, and we are sending out more mail and email appeals to supporters, but we need to fundraise like crazy to meet the demands of our budget.”
Suever said it is rewarding to help low-income pet owners. “We recently had a phone call from an elderly woman who lives in public housing,” she said. “She lost four friends to COVID-19 and was unable to leave her apartment to socialize or meet new people. Her daughter gave her a kitten, but she could not afford to bring it to the vet for shots or other basic care. This woman wanted to do the right thing for her new pet but needed some financial support. That is where RIVMA CAF stepped in.”
For more information, including eligibility requirements and program options, visit ripets.org.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Shuman@PBN.com.
