“Sammy” (name changed for privacy), one of the animals helped by the McVitie Fund program this year.
Vancouver, November 17, 2025 — The Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) is raising alarm bells as requests for emergency veterinary assistance reach unprecedented levels in 2025. The organization’s McVitie Fund—which provides life-saving veterinary care for pets in low-income households across B.C.—has already processed more than 2,000 applications this year, surpassing all previous records.
In 2020, fewer than 200 applications were received. By 2024, that number had skyrocketed to around 1,600. Now, with the program exceeding its 2025 budget, the McVitie Fund team is struggling to keep up with the growing need.
“This rapid increase in need for a life-saving community service reflects a heartbreaking reality,” said Chantelle Archambault, VHS’s Communications Director. “More people are being forced to choose between paying rent, feeding themselves, or saving their pets’ lives.”
Most applicants rely on Persons With Disabilities (PWD) income, Income Assistance, Canada Pension Plan (CPP), or Old Age Security (OAS). The program also supports survivors fleeing domestic violence, who can be at specific risk of lacking veterinary care funds—research shows around 99% of domestic violence cases involve financial abuse and around 89% involve pet abuse. Many program applicants report that they are surviving on just $100 to $200 each month after rent.
“It’s no surprise that people are struggling, given the massive increase in cost of living and relative stagnation in government assistance,” Archambault added. Since 2021, consumer prices have ballooned by about 15%. Meanwhile, the provincial support allowance for a single person with disabilities living in the smallest sized unit today is just 8 cents more per month compared to rates effective on May 1, 2021, while their maximum shelter allowance has gone up by $125.
The VHS shared that it is systemic inequities, not personal failings, driving the surge in need. For many living in poverty, pets are their primary source of emotional support and safety. When those families cannot access veterinary care, both the humans and the animals suffer.
The McVitie Fund fills this crucial gap, keeping loved pets in their homes and out of the overcrowded shelter system. Behind each application is a story of unconditional love and resilience.
One cat who received care through the program, Sammy*, was suffering a painful intestinal infection that caused him to stop eating and begin vomiting. His guardian, Michelle*, took him in from a friend who had to go into a shelter. She lives on disability assistance and could not afford treatment.
“He is my boy, and I don’t want to lose him. He loves waking me up in the morning at the most ungodly hour, tapping my face with his paws and bumping his nose on my face. I love him so much,” Michelle told the McVitie Fund program team.
Thanks to the McVitie Fund, Sammy received multiple vet visits, overnight hospitalization, and medication that helped him recover and return home.
“Sammy is just one of the thousands of pets whose lives depend on emergency funding,” said Archambault. “But our resources are stretched thinner every year. Without more support, we may not be able to help every family on a low income that needs emergency assistance.”
The VHS is calling on the community for donations to sustain and expand the McVitie Fund as demand continues to grow, and is encouraging cross-sector collaboration to build long-term solutions that ensure no one has to choose between their own well-being and their animal’s care.
To donate or learn more, visit vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/mcvitie-fund.
*Names changed to protect privacy.
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Source: Vancouver Humane Society
For more information, please contact:
Chantelle Archambault
Communications Director
604-416-2903
chantelle@vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca
