Author: Chantelle Archambault

The VHS’s McVitie Fund, which provides emergency veterinary assistance to pets in urgent need, has seen a huge increase in demand due to the rising cost of living. Communications Director Chantelle Archambault recently appeared on CBC Radio’s On The Coast to discuss the program as part of their coverage of rising demand for animal services.

What is the McVitie Fund?

The Vancouver Humane Society’s McVitie Fund program provides emergency funding for life-saving vet care for guardians who can’t afford it otherwise. 

When someone loses their job and then their cat escapes and runs into traffic, or if a person living on disability assistance takes in a dog from a late family member and then she suddenly gets a life-threatening infection, they may have nowhere else to turn. 

For many people, this program means their loved pets can get the care they need instead of making the impossible choice to give them up, see them suffer, or have them euthanized. 

Rising costs of living mean more people need help

Requests for veterinary assistance from the VHS’s McVitie Fund have reached unprecented levels.

So far this year, the VHS has received almost 1,200 applications for help from pet guardians. In the same period last year, the program had fewer than 800 applications. This is a 50% increase in demand over 2025.

And last year’s demand was already unprecendented—the program received more than 11 times as many applications in 2025 compared to 2020. 

The VHS team is deeply familiar with how the increasing cost of living over the past several years has impacted pet guardians. Many families are struggling to come up with the funds for frightening medical emergencies with their beloved companions, leading them to reach out for support.

How animal supporters are saving lives

Because veterinary care isn’t subsidized like human medical care in Canada, this program is entirely funded by donations from members of the VHS’s caring community.

Every dollar donated makes a difference to help a loved companion animal come home safe.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the devastating loss of 165,000 chickens in a barn fire in Abbotsford on Thursday, reportedly the deadliest barn fire in the community in more than a decade. Our thoughts are with the thousands of sentient beings who suffered and died in this tragedy.

This heartbreaking incident also highlights the inherent animal welfare and safety risks of the industrial farming system.

The average chicken farm in Canada confines approximately 36,000 birds in a single barn, making emergency evacuation during fires, floods, and other disasters virtually impossible. As a result, chickens are disproportionately affected in mass casualty incidents on farms across the country.

Beyond the dangers posed during emergencies, chickens raised in industrial systems experience routine stress and suffering while living in crowded, barren conditions that prevent them from expressing natural behaviours.

Tragedies like this are a stark reminder of the urgent need to move away from intensive factory farming systems. Each of us can help by reducing our consumption of animal products, choosing more plant-based meals, and advocating for stronger protections for farmed animals and a kinder, safer, and more sustainable food system.

We are grateful to the firefighters and emergency personnel who responded to this devastating incident, and to everyone who continues to speak up for farmed animals.

A new study published in Scientific Reports and featured in an article from Earth.com spotlights the suffering of fishes when they are caught and killed for food.

While land animals killed for food in Canada must be stunned before slaughter, there is no such law around fishes. Wild-caught fishes are commonly killed by asphyxiation (slowly suffocating to death in the open air), which leads to immense fear and suffering.

The research found that “the average trout endures about ten minutes of pain that qualifies as hurtful, disabling, or excruciating. In some conditions, this could stretch beyond 20 minutes.”

Researchers evaluated stunning as an alternative to prolonged asphyxiation for fish. Their findings highlight flaws in both the stunning methods they evaluated.

• “Electrical stunning, if properly used, could spare 60 to 1,200 minutes of suffering for every dollar spent … But implementation remains inconsistent. In many commercial settings, electrical stunning fails to reliably render fish unconscious.”
• “Percussive stunning – a physical blow to the head – has shown better consistency in lab settings. But it’s difficult to scale.”

As we recognize that fishes are sentient animals who feel pain, experience fear, and try to avoid suffering, there is one method that can consistently protect their well-being: switching from fish to plant-based alternatives on our plates.

Cover image: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media

New research featured in Psychology Today is bringing cow intelligence into the spotlight, increasing awareness around these sensitive and sentient animals.

As animal allies, we know that animals think and feel, whether they share our homes like cats and dogs or are killed for food like cows, pigs, and chickens. However, awareness around farmed animal sentience remains sparse and cognitive dissonance is common.

Research on animal intelligence helps more people to understand that animals are capable of complex thinking, problem-solving, emotions, and even social relationships. As this evidence becomes more widely understood, it challenges outdated views of animals as simple or unfeeling and highlights their capacity to experience stress, pain, and well-being in meaningful ways.

This growing awareness encourages the public and decision-makers to reconsider how animals are treated, supporting a shift toward animal-free eating habits and stronger welfare standards.

Read the article in Psychology Today to learn what a free-living herd of domesticated cattle can teach us about cow intelligence and adaptability.