Tag: McVitie Fund

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Lucky and Charm

Lucky and Charm need your help!

When Charm stopped eating and began vomiting, her guardian Stacy became very worried. Even though Stacy is living on an extremely limited income, she rushed Charm to the vet along with her cat brother, Lucky.
 
The vet determined that Charm would need to be hospitalized as she had become dehydrated from vomiting. The cost of hospitalization was more than Stacy could afford.

But there was more bad news to come. While checking Lucky for signs of illness, the vet discovered that he had an infection and would need antibiotics.
 
Stacy scraped together as much as she could to get her fur babies well again, but she can’t afford the costly treatment on her own. She reached out for help getting them the care they need. Can you make a gift today toward Lucky and Charm’s urgent treatment?

Your kind donation will be matched 100% by an anonymous donor.

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Bella

DOUBLE your donation to help Bella

During routine testing, Bella’s vet discovered that she had mammary cysts which needed to be removed. While she was sedated, the vet also found a large tumor in Bella’s abdomen which urgently needed to be removed to give Bella the best possible chance of a recovery. 

Bella’s guardian was facing a difficult decision considering the risks of such an invasive surgery for this senior girl, as well as the mounting costs of her care.

Sweet Bella’s family was hit very hard by the B.C. flooding last fall. They will likely never be able to return to their previous home. Unexpected veterinary bills during a time of financial hardship can be devastating.

Bella is currently being treated by the wonderful staff at Cottonwood Veterinary Clinic. With your support, the McVitie Fund and Cottonwood’s Angel Fund will be splitting the cost of Bella’s care, which is at $3,400.

Bella’s treatment is already underway and your donation today will help fund her hospitalization, surgery, pain medication and care costs. Can you donate today to help Bella recover and to keep this family together after they have already been through so much?

Right now, an anonymous matching grant donor is matching all donations made toward the McVitie Fund, up to $25,000!

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Jake

UPDATE: Jake’s care has been funded through the support of generous donors. Thank you for helping to get this sweet boy healthy again!

DOUBLE your donation to help Jake receive the urgent care he needs

When Jake stopped being able to urinate and started showing signs of distress, his guardian Lisa became extremely worried and rushed him to the vet. The vet immediately recognized that Jake was suffering from urinary crystals and that his bladder would rupture soon without critical intervention. 

Lisa is living with a disability that severely limits her income. In this rental market she has just $200 left over a month to live on after paying her rent. Despite this, she always prioritizes Jake’s needs, but Lisa could barely afford the costs of Jake’s initial exam from her narrow grocery budget.

Sadly, Lisa was facing one of the most difficult choices a pet guardian can be faced with: to euthanize Jake to prevent him from suffering, or to surrender him to a rescue that would provide the treatment he needed but separate this bonded pair. That’s when Lisa found out about VHS’s McVitie Fund and called the Program Manager Brooklyn for help.

Male cats with urinary crystals can often re-block, which is why Jake’s vet has recommended perineal urethrostomy (PU) surgery to change the shape of his urethra permanently. This is expected to cost $3,000-4,000.

Right now, an anonymous matching grant donor is matching all donations made toward the McVitie Fund, up to $25,000! Can you help keep this pair together by donating today toward Jake’s care?

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Shailoh

Shailoh needs surgery to remove a growth.

Shailoh is an incredible companion to her guardian, Francis. Francis struggles with anxiety and depression, and Shailoh gives her the emotional support she needs to get out of the house.

While Shailoh was shy at first, she quickly opened up with Francis’s loving care. She is amazingly communicative; she will tap her water bowl for a cold refill and rest her head on Francis’s shoulder when she wants to jump up.

Sadly, Shailoh recently developed a benign growth on one of her mammaries. The vet predicts that without treatment, the growth will burst within a matter of weeks or months, putting Shailoh’s life at risk. With help, however, she has many years of love left to give.

Francis can’t bear the thought of losing her beloved companion. She lives on a very low income and reached out for support covering the costs of Shailoh’s care. Can you help?

Your gift will make double the difference as all donations toward veterinary support are currently being matched by an anonymous donor up to $25,000.

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Smokey

Smokey needs urgent care after being rescued from a fire.

Earlier this week, a team of first responders rescued a cat from a serious apartment fire; she was immediately taken to the vet for treatment.

This sweet cat has minor burns, was suffering from dehydration, and is undergoing treatment after being exposed to smoke and extreme heat. Sadly, the cat’s guardian was airlifted to hospital for treatment also and is unreachable, therefore the vet does not know the cat’s name. They are currently referring to her as “Smokey”.
 
Smokey was showing signs of shock and wouldn’t eat or drink, so the vet started her on IV fluids immediately. It is unclear what the total cost of Smokey’s care will be but the Vancouver Humane Society is hoping to relieve some of the financial pressure from her guardian during this very difficult time.

Can you donate today to help Smokey recover and ensure she can eventually be reunited with her guardian?

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Billie

UPDATE: Thanks to generous donations toward her care, Billie is getting the emergency surgery she needs! 

Billie needs urgent pyometra treatment and surgery!

Billie’s guardian Charlene has been monitoring her closely as she hasn’t been her usual happy self. When Billie developed thick discharge in the early hours of the morning, Charlene immediately rushed her to an emergency vet. The vet has confirmed Billie will need emergency Pyometra Surgery as she has a serious infection.

Charlene and her son lost part of their household income after the B.C. floods last November. Charlene told VHS that her son, who suffers from serious mental health issues, has been on EI since the floods and she is on long-term disability income after two separate car accidents; one of which caused a brain injury.

Charlene told VHS how Billie and their second dog Mable make every day worthwhile. “We, Laugh, smile, play, nap, cuddle, learn, exercise and do our different therapies together. Before the pandemic, Billie passed the St. John’s ambulance therapy dog training course so her and I could get out and socialize and give back once a week in our community. Now we are really worried about our current situation with Billie’s immediate health needs and having to choose to cover her vet bills over paying rent. We are at risk of homelessness but we’d do anything to help our little Billie-girl.”

Can you donate today to help cover the cost of Billie’s emergency surgery?

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Urgent Care

Urgent care for Brutis

Brutis needs help being treated for suspected rodenticide poisoning

Sweet Brutis has strong instincts to chase rodents, and his guardian Wanda has seen him going after mice in the backyard of her rental unit. Though she is cautious to keep him safe, he has occasionally caught them. Now he is in the veterinary hospital with symptoms of internal bleeding and Wanda fears rodent poisons are to blame.

Wanda was shocked when Brutis began showing signs of bleeding in his digestive tract. She rushed him to the vet, who confirmed that Brutis’s symptoms—including diarrhea, bleeding, and refusing to eat—are consistent with rodenticide poisoning. Brutis needs urgent help to cover his treatment, including hospitalization and an IV.

Wanda is living on a very low income. She says that Brutis is an important part of her family and helps her daily with her personal wellness.

Wanda is heartbroken to see Brutis suffering and wants nothing more than to bring this sweet boy home. Can you donate to help him today?

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Urgent Care

Urgent surgery for Dublin

UPDATE: Thanks to generous donations toward his care, Dublin is getting the emergency surgery he needs! His vet is confident that he will have many more years of love to give as he has no signs of additional masses.

Dublin needs urgent surgery to remove two tumours

When a lump on 11-year-old Dublin’s back ruptured and began causing him pain and distress, his guardian Evan rushed him to a vet. 

Evan is on disability income and reached out to the Vancouver Humane Society for assistance after learning Dublin now urgently needs two tumours removing costing approximately $1,500. The vet has confirmed one of the tumours is cancerous.

Evan told VHS, “Dublin sleeps on my bed and drapes himself on a pillow when I am watching TV so that I can drape my arm on him or put my arm there for him to lean his head against. I am so distressed that I cannot afford the surgery to have his lumps removed and they are open sores because he keeps picking at them.”

You can help ensure he receives the best possible care and can return home safely with Evan. 

Can you help Dublin get better by donating?

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Urgent Care

Urgent surgery for Abigail

Abigail needs emergency surgery after a dog attack

While out for a walk with her mom, Abigail was badly attacked by another dog. The attack has left Abigail with severe wounds around her head, neck, and shoulders. 

Abigail’s mom Tanis lives in low-income housing and was terrified because she couldn’t afford to take her to the vet. Thankfully the staff in her building helped Tanis search for veterinary support programs and came across Vancouver Humane Society’s McVitie Fund.

Our program coordinator Brooklyn quickly organized an emergency veterinary appointment for Abigail. The vet confirmed she will need surgery, with an expected cost of approximately $1,000, to remove the infected tissue to allow her to fully heal. 

Tanis told VHS, “We love Abigail very much. I am so grateful to you for stepping in and helping with the vet bill.“

Tanis describes Abigail as a loving, kind, caring dog who is loved by so many people where she resides. She likes going for walks, eating treats, cuddling with her mom and chewing on stuffed toys. 

Can you help Abigail get better by donating?

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News/Blog

Maxwell and Dodie’s story

When Maxwell and his guardian Dodie needed veterinary support, VHS’s generous donors were here to help. Watch the video to hear their story.

Help families like Dodie and Maxwell

Maxwell’s story

When Maxwell began developing dry eyes which resulted in an eye infection, his guardian Dodie rushed him to the vet. There she received much-needed medication and his eyes began to improve. 

But Maxwell wasn’t out of the woods yet. His eye infection returned and Dodie feared that her beloved companion and support dog would lose his vision.

Maxwell’s guardian Dodie is on disability income and was struggling to cover the cost of his mounting veterinary bills. That’s why she reached out to VHS’s McVitie Fund for help.

With the help of VHS donors, Dodie returned Maxwell to the vet for tests and a new round of medication that she would need to administer daily. 

Just when it seemed that all was well, a follow-up visit revealed that Maxwell had signs of cardiac disease and the vet strongly recommended an echocardiogram (ECG) to assess the function of his heart.

Support through VHS’s McVitie Fund enabled Dodie to get the ECG for Maxwell. It found that he has stage B1 myxomatous mitral valve disease, which at this time is not significant enough to require treatment but will eventually require management through medication.

Dodie shared her gratitude with VHS donors, who made it possible to get Maxwell the urgent medical care he needed.

Dodie told VHS, “Maxwell has been with me since he was 6 weeks old. I have a vestibular nerve disorder as well as several other disabilities. I cannot tolerate motion and I have no sense of balance. Maxwell will lie on me during an attack, which counteracts the sense that I am spinning wildly. He will bring me fresh water, medications, certain foods, my phone, and a blanket. He does so much for me, it’s difficult to list it all.”

Maxwell’s veterinary care cost more than $1,500, and support from generous McVitie Fund donors meant his bills were covered in full.

Every gift to VHS’s McVitie fund supports families like Dodie and Maxwell’s to get the urgent veterinary care they need. Can you donate to help animals like Maxwell today?