Access to Veterinary Care with Community Programs

By Devon Krusko, Field Services and Community Programs Manager –

A veterinarian holds a dog RedRover Responders deployment with PAWS of NE LA

Volunteer holding a pup helped at our November 2025 wellness clinic with PAWS of NE LA

In November, I received a call from our RedRover Responders Community Programs partner, PAWS of Northeast Louisiana. We had recently collaborated together in West Monroe, Louisiana, to hold our fifth free pet wellness clinic, providing lifesaving vaccines, flea/tick prevention, pet food, pet supplies, and spay/neuter vouchers. At these clinics, we often meet pets in need of additional veterinary care, and fortunately we have a grant program and local veterinary partnerships for just that.

The pup, named Cupcake, had been showing concerning behavior since receiving her vaccines. Her worried owner had reached out to PAWS of NE LA thinking she was having a reaction to her vaccinations, but since it was almost a week after the event, we knew this was not the case. Learning that Cupcake was not eating and lethargic, I quickly called the owner to work together to get Cupcake to our local veterinary partner in Louisiana. Unfortunately, a lack of transportation coupled with the veterinarian’s office almost an hour away, meant that Cupcake had limited options. Her owner tried to find a ride with no luck, including a car service, but they would not allow pets in the car. Access to veterinary care is more than just economic hardship and veterinary deserts. In an area where parvovirus (a highly contagious, often fatal, gastrointestinal virus) is prevalent, we were very worried for Cupcake and her pet parent over the weekend, when we learned they could not get a ride until the following week. There was nothing else we could do, and I stayed up that night in angst, worrying.

Once a ride was secured and Cupcake arrived at the veterinary hospital, she was diagnosed with pyometra, an infection in the uterus, uncommon for a dog who is just one year old. At this point, she was very ill and required emergency hospitalization, and after receiving round-the-clock care, she was able to go home safely to her family. Without these connections, trust, and grants, Cupcake’s story would likely have had a very different outcome.

Just a few weeks later, another pup was in need: a pregnant dog in labor, unable to safely pass her puppies. She needed lifesaving surgery for both her and the babies, an emergency C-section and spay. Thanks to our Community Programs Veterinary Care grant funding, we were able to save Momma Chewie and three babies.

We are so grateful to be a safety net for pets and their people, and grateful that we have been able to truly change the lives of families in need. Both of these cases are a reminder of the immense need for access to veterinary care, as well as including pets as part of the family.