From time to time, we are presented with a pet that needs help its owner just can’t afford to pay for.  You might wonder, why can’t we just do the work anyway?  While we try to help where we can, we also have to cover our costs.  Providing free or discounted services for one pet here and there might work out, but if we keep it up, inevitably this means higher fees for everyone else.  And some of THOSE people have made real personal sacrifices to care for their own pets.

So we came up with a way for you to help!  Named after the beloved Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by our first donor, Tyler’s Fund Is a 501c3 operated by the Veterinary Care Foundation.  This gives us a low-overhead way to maintain a tax-deductible fund that anyone can contribute to.  Small contributions add up!  You can make a donation to help a specific pet if you know someone who needs help, or in honor of a pet or person you’d like to recognize.

Tyler CCAC

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There are guidelines for our grants:

__The pet’s owner must be able to demonstrate an ability to care for the pet on an ongoing basis.  In other words, we won’t spend donated funds to help a pet if it means returning the pet to an abusive or neglectful situation.

__The treatment needed must be finite; that is, a single episode or procedure that will make an immediate and significant improvement in the individual pet’s quality of life, but will not result in significant ongoing medical care.  For example, removal of a mass or tumor but not prolonged chemotherapy.

__Grants cover treatment only, not diagnostic tests, or long-term therapy or chronic medications.

__Grants are not available on request; a case must be nominated by a staff member at Country Club Animal Clinic.  The exception is in the case of directed donations that are made specifically for a given pet.

__The pet’s owner must come up with the first $300 toward care.  We have learned that a greater value is place on services if the person who benefits has an investment as well.

__Typically, grants do not exceed $1000 per case; again, the exception is for directed donations.

__And finally, grants cannot exceed the amount present in the fund at the time of service.  We will never operate at a deficit!

Some Example Cases

  • “Lily,” a 12 year old mixed-breed dog, had a large tumor on her shoulder that was bleeding and painful.  Her owners had both been laid off from their jobs and were faced with having to explain to their middle school-aged children why surgery was not possible.  Another client learned of their plight and made a donation to help cover the cost of her two-hour operation.   Lily had several months of pain-free life before the cancer came back.

  • “Bella’s” owner passed away shortly after Bella injured her leg.  The owner’s daughter had left her job to move to the area and care for her dying mother, and inherited the little terrier mix when she passed on.  Poor Bella needed dental work and surgery to repair her leg.  Faced with trying to get her own life back to normal after such overwhelming changes, this was too much for the new owner.  A $1000 grant and some creative financing made it possible for Bella to walk on four legs again!

  • “Shy” was left behind in an empty house when her owners moved away.  Starving, dehydrated, with severe dental disease, skin and ear infections, this sweet kitty was eventually – after more than two months – rescued by a neighbor.  This is the true meaning of “rescuing” a pet, but unfortunately Shy needed more than this person could manage.  But with a grant from Tyler’s Fund, we expect Shy to live a long, full life in her new home.

Obviously, the names and many of the details have been changed, but these are stories that inspired the creation of this fund.  People have been motivated to donate in response to specific situations, in memory of their own pets or to honor a pet owned by someone they knew.

Click here to contribute, or to learn more:  https://veterinarycarefoundation.org/donate-today/veterinary-practice/?state=CA&member=CA00761