Last Sunday, Compassion without Borders and Pet’s Lifeline Shelter hosted our first wellness and sterilization clinic for the animals of low-income Latinos in Sonoma County.
The clinic was a resounding success with over 50 animals vaccinated, dewormed, given flea and tick control, heart worm and viral tested, treated for skin and ear infections, and given ID tags and collars. Another 16 were given these same services plus sterilization. All services were provided free of charge.
Check out a video of the clinic here >
This project is a logical extension of Compassion without Borders commitment to alleviating suffering wherever it is found. The animals in these communities do not receive regular access to veterinary care, are at much higher risk for suffering from preventable disease and parasitism, have large numbers of litters that contribute significantly to overpopulation, and represent a growing demographic that has been largely ignored by animal welfare agencies in the U.S. thus far due to cultural and language barriers.
CWOB is a great position to be able to reach out to these communities given our unique skill-set, cultural sensitivity, bilingual capabilities and staunch determination to help animals in need…whether it be across the border in the back alleys of Juarez, Mexico or in our backyards in impoverished agricultural pockets of migrant communities in California.
I am sincerely grateful to the volunteer veterinarians, veterinary nurses, humane educators and other animal welfare professionals who graciously donated their time, expertise, and compassionate professionalism to this volunteer staffed event.
This new venture for CWOB will in no way detract from our mission to help the animals of Mexico, where we continue to work everyday to bring about humane reform and to provide desperately needed veterinary care, sterilization services, and rescue efforts. This new project simply widens our circle of compassion and enables us to help even more animals who are truly in need.