Today more than 100 pet families brought their pets to the Oceano Wellness Clinic.
Having access to veterinary care could not just improve the lives of pets but also their people. On Sunday C.A.R.E.4Paws sought to do just that with the very first Wellness Clinic opening up in Oceano.
Central Coast’s C.A.R.E.4Paws Wellness Clinic provides free low-cost, mobile wellness services and other resources for pets and their families in need.
This multi-year program provides free veterinary care to Oceano residents.
“We selected Oceano on the basis of it being relatively low income, not having access to veterinary care, locally, and having a high number of pets,” Chris Harris, C.A.R.E.4Paws President said.
As community members expressed their gratitude.
“We didn't have to go much out of our way. It was a very big help because we didn't have financial needs for all of them,” Jessica Silva, Oceano resident, said.
On Sunday Silva and family brought puppies to get their first vaccines done.
She says at first she did not know what to do when her dog came home with a belly full of puppies.
“It is a lot when you have a lot of puppies, especially unexpected,” Silva said.
The clinic offers services such as free spays, neuters, and health exams.
“There's vaccines happening today, there's surgeries happening today, there's a lot of conversation happening around the community and what the community needs to help build some of that trust is keeping families from seeking services,” Sarah Ocampo, PetSmart Charities Senior Community Grants Manager, said.
Not only are they providing veterinary services for Oceano residents but they partnered with PetSmart charities as part of their funding and to help do surveys.
“We conduct and complete surveys with community members and are gathering information on what veterinary access looks like in their community, in real life,” Ocampo said.
She says there has already been a lot of information shared with them. Ocampo says expressive pet bills and travel are the main concerns.
“They’ve had this opportunity to give their point of view and express their opinion because they’re the experts on their community,” Ocampo continues.
If you were not able to make it to the event on Sunday,C.A.R.E.4Paws will have more information on where their next clinic will be on their online calendar care4paws.org.
