Mobile and Telemedicine Services for Shelters, Rescues and Access to Care Programs
Home is where the heart is
Every animal deserves access to healthcare. Some animals who share our lives do not live in a “traditional” home with a person or family. Companion animals end up in shelters, rescues, and sanctuaries. Some are free-roaming or loosely owned community animals. And some are staying with a caregiver who is unhoused or precariously housed, or living in supportive housing.
​
For many shelters that do not have an in-house veterinarian, mobile and virtual care can complement the work of brick and mortar clinics to meet these animals’ needs. A “housecall” to a shelter allows our veterinary team to see the environment and collaborate with direct caregivers and decision-makers. Animals who are fearful or stressed by transport and veterinary visits are often less anxious staying in their shelter home. Multiple animals can be seen during the same visit, and animals do not need to be transported, preserving staff time. For animals who need pre-visit medications, we offer telemedicine support before the visit to prescribe fear-reducing medication to optimize animal welfare and human safety.
​
Our clinical team has experience and training in relationship-centred, trauma-informed care as well as low-stress animal handling and spectrum of care approaches. We are firmly committed to showing respect for animals and their human caregivers at all times. We use a shelter medicine lens, treating every animal as an individual while considering the population context and resource landscape.
Primary outpatient care at the shelter, rescue, or foster home
We offer physical examinations and basic diagnostics (sampling blood, urine, feces, ear and skin samples, and aspirates from skin masses) for a variety of health conditions in cats, dogs, and small mammals. This includes skin, ear, eye, and gastrointestinal issues as well as evaluation of new intakes and seniors to help determine treatment and adoption pathways.
End of life care
We provide low-stress, humane, respectful euthanasia services for animals who are not able to be adopted for health or behaviour reasons. We employ fully hands-off methods (using a combination of high-dose oral or transmucosal drugs and drugs delivered via blowdart) for pre-euthanasia sedation for animals with aggression.
“Pop-up” access to care clinics
We offer healthcare where animals are, providing wellness and basic outpatient care in supportive and transitional housing buildings, community support hubs, parks, and emergency shelters for people who are unhoused. These clinics are done in partnership with a public or private shelter, nonprofit animal welfare organization, or human social services organization.
Behaviour case support
We diagnose and provide medication and general management recommendations for animals who are fearful/ undersocialized, anxious, frustrated, reactive, jumpy/mouthy, etc. We refer to or collaborate with a veterinary behaviourist for cases with significant aggression, puppies under 6 months of age, and complex cases or those that do not respond to initial treatment.
Telemedicine for shelters, rescues, or foster homes
We do video consults with treatment plans and prescriptions if indicated for conditions where telemedicine is appropriate, such as skin and minor GI issues, behaviour conditions in animals who are physically healthy, etc. Animals and caregivers must be located in BC.
​
Locum support
Our veterinarians and RVT may occasionally be available to locum for other shelter medicine and access to care programs, depending on availability.
We love working directly with animals and the caregivers who adore them. Please contact us if you’d like to set up an appointment or learn more!