One of the most common reasons pets are surrendered to local shelters is the lack of affordable pet wellness, training, and education programs. Due to cost and other barriers, pets in under-resourced communities often do not have access to basic veterinary care such as spay/neuter services, vaccinations, dental care and other medical and preventative care.
With a $51,000 grant from PetSmart Charities, the CAPE CORAL ANIMAL SHELTER AND VETERINARY CLINIC aims to support pets and pet parents in need of these services throughout South Florida by providing low cost veterinary care.
This full-service clinic provides services such as wellness visits, vaccines, dental procedures, spay/neuter surgeries, preventative medicines, bloodwork, and microchipping. It is estimated that CCAS, located at 325 SW 2nd Avenue in Cape Coral will serve several thousand clients each year in their state-of-the-art facility.
“This grant could not have come at a more crucial time for our organization” said Liz McCauley, Executive Director of the Cape Coral Animal Shelter.
“Our community has a large population of seniors on fixed income that have difficulty affording basic care for their pets. Further, the effect of the C-19 pandemic has been particularly hard on our region, which relies heavily on hospitality and tourism revenue. Being able to open our clinic and provide affordable care is more important than ever and in line with the mission of our organization.”
“Cape Coral Animal Shelter’s new facility is a vital resource that is needed in an area that previously did not have a full-service health and wellness provider for local pets,” said Kelly Balthazor, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities. “We are proud to support this work that will allow pet parents to focus on being with their pets, instead of how to provide for them.”
Since 1994, through its partnership with nearly 4,000 humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescues across North America, PetSmart Charities has helped more than 9.4 million pets to find loving homes via its in-store adoption program in over 1,650 PetSmart® stores.
The leading funder of animal welfare has also donated nearly $430 million, to positively impact communities, to connect people and pets, to help preserve families and to improve access to veterinary care through initiatives like this with the Cape Coral Animal Shelter.
To find out more about the low-cost veterinary services provided by the Cape Coral Animal Shelter, visit their website at www.capecoralanimalshelter.com or call 239-573-2002, Extension 106.
