NAVC Gives: Spotlight Nominees

Animal Fix Clinic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit veterinary surgery clinic committed to providing clients and their pets with the highest quality medical care, regardless of finances. They take pride in never turning away a client for lack of funds and being able to help serve the communities of the Bay Area.

Medical director Jean Goh, DVM, and Technician Supervisor Robin Post, RVT, work tirelessly within their mission to provide not only a spay/neuter service, but also more complex surgeries such as pinnectomies, enterotomies, pyometras and wound repair to the animals and people who need it most. In 2022 alone, the Animal Fix Clinic cared for 7,000+ patients, including 7,500 vaccines administered, 6,900 spay/neuter surgeries and 288 life-saving surgeries.

To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit: https://animalfixclinic.org/

The mission of the National Kitten Coalition (NKC) is to increase kitten survival rates and transform their lives through the power of education. NKC accomplishes its mission by: Educating and training animal shelter and veterinary staff, rescue groups, and volunteers to provide high-quality, cost-effective care; providing outreach and educational materials to animal welfare professionals and the public; and promoting cooperation and information sharing within the animal welfare community.

The NKC has been providing life-saving information to kitten caregivers for 15 years, celebrating achievements and expanding its reach throughout the years. Over the last five years, NKC has focused on educating the veterinary community, with the goal of filling an information gap for veterinary professionals who did not receive an emphasis on young kitten care in school. NKC's life-saving impact belies the organization's small size, and is a testament to the quality of its work, the enthusiasm and commitment of its volunteers and staff, and its commitment to have an impact.

To learn more, access educational resources or donate, visit: https://kittencoalition.org/

For many older adults and hospice patients facing the threat of isolation and loneliness, the power of the human-animal bond shines through. That truth is at the core of the mission for Pet Peace of Mind. Pet Peace of Mind (PPOM) is a national nonprofit that enables hospice patients to keep their pets at home throughout their end-of-life journey. The program works through local hospice partners to provide volunteer services at no cost to patients. Pet Peace of Mind volunteers are specially trained to provide in-home pet care assistance when the patient needs help caring for a pet and to help orphaned pets find a loving new home when necessary. With this kind and compassionate support, patients no longer have to worry about their pet's current or future needs.

PPOM offers a turnkey solution and start-up funding for partnering senior service organizations, allowing organizations to standardize the program and build a volunteer base for long-term success. With more than 300 hospice partners across the country, PPOM impacts more than 4,000 pets pet year — along with the people who love them.

To learn more, volunteer with a local program or donate, visit: https://www.petpeaceofmind.org/

Seattle Veterinary Outreach’s mission is to provide veterinary care to pets of underserved communities and connect their owners to vital health, housing and social service resources. Seattle Veterinary Outreach (SVO) serves the pets of people living homeless and low-income, particularly BIPOC community members who have been historically marginalized resulting in poorer access to care for themselves and their pets.

SVO has developed and is spreading an innovative model to address longstanding disparities in access to care. SVO’s mobile model reduces transportation and time barriers, and its sliding-scale fee model ensures that families pay only what they are able to, and people living homeless receive services for free. SVO provides a culturally responsive approach, ensuring that clients receive service in a manner that is appropriate and comfortable, improving service-seeking behavior among historically reluctant communities.

To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit: https://www.seattlevet.org/

Collaboration in the veterinary community is essential to face some of our most pressing challenges — and The Inner Pup (TIP) demonstrates that with its approach in the New Orleans community. TIP is a nonprofit focused on combating heartworm disease, prevalent in up to 80% of dogs owned by low-income families in this community. Since its inception in 2014 by a mother-daughter team, TIP has organized 99 monthly pop-up heartworm prevention and treatment clinics. Partnering with up to 20 volunteer veterinarians, LSU veterinary students and 100-plus active volunteers, TIP aids underserved communities, ensuring pet health isn't dictated by an owner's income. Since its inception, TIP has provided 40,000+ months of heartworm prevention to at-risk pets. This initiative is committed to accessible veterinary care for those in financial hardship, enhancing animal welfare where standard veterinary services are scarce. Additionally, through its “Humane Education” after-school programs, TIP exposes young children to principles of responsible pet ownership and the value of the human-animal bond by bringing therapy dogs to schools in the New Orleans area.

To learn more, volunteer or donate, visit: https://www.theinnerpup.org/

The Veterinary Industry Giving Tree (VIGT) was founded in 2020 to provide financial support to veterinary professionals in need during the winter holiday season. The VIGT is in its fourth giving season in 2023; to date, they have helped about 100 families in need. This grassroots program gives all proceeds to the nominees and runs entirely on volunteer time. We know that veterinary professionals work hard and give so much of themselves every day. Often, they fight struggles in their private lives that few know about. The VIGT provides a bit of financial relief to these individuals so that during a season of joy, they have a bit less stress, they feel seen, and they know they are not, and never will be, alone.

To learn more or donate, visit: https://www.veterinarygivingtree.com/

Practicing sustainable veterinary medicine is imperative for future generations to thrive. Approximately 8.5% of all US-based GHG emissions are from the US health sector. The Veterinary Sustainability Alliance (VSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting animal and human health by promoting sustainability. VSA seeks to fill a well-recognized gap; animal health professionals, including veterinarians, students and clinical staff, are concerned about the impacts of climate change and other environmental harms but feel unprepared to act given their lack of formal education and paucity of centralized resources.

VSA is championing embedding sustainability into veterinary medicine. This site provides an essential source of information for the profession on the effects of anthropogenic climate change, carbon literacy and how to practice sustainable veterinary medicine. This site also importantly provides engagement and connectivity for all veterinarians and affiliated people within the profession, including techs, CSRs, custodians and other support staff.

To learn more, access resources or donate, visit: https://veterinarysustainabilityalliance.org/