How Vet SOS Saves Pets and People

Vet SOS doing what they do best. photo by Mark Rogers

Would you mind holding a minute, please? Thank you. There's no time for a reply before the beep. Just like that, I am on hold. 

These days it's not uncommon to queue up to talk to or see a veterinarian. In-person visits are booking three weeks out. Veterinarians and vet staff are generous, heroic, kind, overworked people, adapting to changing clinic protocols and doing their best. I can wait. 

When our appointment day finally comes, I nervously hand over my newly adopted dog and hope her first visit is stress-free. Luckily, my dog is not sick or in need of emergency attention. Sure, the bill stings a bit, but I willingly pay for the blood panels, vaccines, flea medications, and wellness check. I am grateful that I can. 

As I wait for the return of my healthy and happy dog, I consider those animals who need immediate costly care or a fair yet still pricey wellness exam. How are their guardians coping? What resources are available to soften the blow of a cherished pet's veterinary bill? What if you have no funds? What are your options for veterinary care?

Resources for pet healthcare is an important issue that the Animal Control and Welfare Commission (ACWC) has been exploring of late. To learn more, we invited Boyd Williamson, Program Coordinator for Vet SOS (Veterinary Street Outreach Services), to share how the organization serves pet guardians experiencing homelessness and living in San Francisco. 

The need is enormous, and coordinating care is no easy task. Still, Mr. Williamson understands the intense bond that so many unhoused San Franciscans have with their pets and is determined to help keep these animals with their beloved guardians. Here’s a thumbnail recap of what the commission  learned from his presentation.

How It Started

Vet SOS, founded in 2001 by Dr. Ilana Strubel, DVM, is part of the San Francisco Community Care Consortium (SFCCC) and provides free veterinary care to the companion animals of San Franciscans experiencing homelessness. The agencies included in the consortium were originally focused solely on human health care services. However, Dr. Strubel noticed that a human guardian's relationship with his or her pets provided a crucial in-road to help link that person with health care services for themselves. Twenty years later, Vet SOS clinics and the human healthcare mobile team at SOS (Street Outreach Services) know this award-winning model works.

What Vet SOS Does

Eligible clients of Vet SOS receive exceptional care at the twice-monthly veterinary pop-up clinics. In addition to wellness exams, Vet SOS provides routine procedures, medications, vaccinations, laboratory testing, referrals for free spay and neuter surgeries, and microchips, as well as food, leashes, collars, and other pet supplies. Supporting partners include San Francisco Animal Care & Control, SF/SPCA, and Friends of San Francisco Animal Care & Control. In addition, the vet pop-up clinics provide an opportunity to share human health service resources. 

Pandemic Changes

Just as all of us experienced new veterinary visit protocols during the pandemic, Vet SOS staff and volunteers responded with a number of creative changes of their own. Clinics moved from a drop-in system to an appointment-based one. When Vet SOS had to reduce the size of its clinics to comply with COVID protocols, it offset these reductions by adding additional vaccine clinics. Arguably, some Covid changes actually offered clients enhanced options for veterinary care. For example, new telemedicine services now allow eligible clients to email or phone Vet SOS to receive care or refills for pet medications. Pet supplies and food are now distributed curbside, by appointment, on Friday afternoons at the Vet SOS warehouse. 

Why It Works

When Vet SOS was founded, it stumbled on a theory scientists have been exploring for decades. There is something extraordinary in the human/animal relationship, something entirely different from conventional human-to-human relationships. 

Imagine if the only friend or family you have is your dog or cat, a sole being that happily views you as home when there is no house. You are each other's safety net when the conventional networks of family or friends are so badly frayed they no longer support your weight. Your pet is your friend, your family, your plus-one. 

The emotional and health benefits of these relationships are why Vet SOS works so hard to support the human/animal bond among San Franciscans experiencing homelessness. In many instances, it is the pet that nudges its guardian toward recovery. "My pet needs me" is a phrase frequently heard when homeless clients seek human health care or mental services for themselves. 

In addition, providing veterinary care for these pets helps prevent the spread of diseases that may impact other animals and humans. A homeless guardian who seeks spaying or neutering for his or her companion animal helps reduce animal overpopulation on our streets. Most importantly, pet care leads to self-care. Both benefit the individual and the wider community. 

Want To Help? 

Vet SOS welcomes donations and community support. For a complete list of needs, visit VetSOS. 

What About Other Pet Guardians in Need?

Vet SOS is an invaluable resource for unhoused people and their companion animals. But what about pet guardians who have housing but still struggle financially to care for their animals? Understanding that need is an area worthy of attention, too. 

ACWC will explore resources available for all pet guardians and their animal companions in the coming months. To learn more, please join us at our monthly meetings on the second Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m.

While the commission continues to research these issues, would you mind holding a minute, please? Thank you.