Pueblo Wellness Clinic receives $150K to continue providing affordable vet services
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) received its second $150,000 grant in partnership with PetSmart Charities to continue to provide affordable veterinary care to pet owners in under served communities.
Thanks to this grant, pet owners in Pueblo can continue to have access to preventative services to keep their dogs and cats healthy.
The wellness clinic is inside the Pueblo PetSmart. The in-store clinic previously operated on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. But will soon offer a fourth day as well.
This is the second year HSPPR received this grant. The Pueblo Wellness Clinic opened in February of 2022 and has since helped 3,200 patients within the last year.
“We’re so grateful to PetSmart Charities for helping make this clinic available to the pets of Pueblo,” says Julie Crosby, Director of Veterinary Services at HSPPR, in a press release. “Current vaccinations and regular wellness exams are a crucial part of keeping pets healthy and in their homes, and at HSPPR we believe that pets and people are better together.”
This comes at a time when the HSPPR reports access to vet emergency services in Pueblo is "almost unheard of." Duane Adams, President and CEO of the HSPPR, told KRDO in February he hopes the Wellness Clinic will help with healthcare access for animals.
Pueblo was previously identified as an under-resourced community. Meaning, the clinic helps people provide for their pets who otherwise wouldn't be able to. It benefits and helps people afford to provide vaccinations and basic preventative services such as exams, tests, and spay and neuter.
"Pueblo was identified as an area that was in need of more veterinary resources for the community," Crosby said. "There are wonderful veterinary clinics in Pueblo but many of them are at their limit for taking on new patients just because of the population and number of animals there. So it was identified as an areas that was under-resourced in this way."
Through the Wellness Clinic, veterinarians can deliver preventative services including wellness exams and vaccinations for Bordetella and DA2PP for dogs, FVRCP for cats, and rabies for both cats and dogs.
Customers can also get pet licenses and de-worming services.
The Humane Society operates in a few different areas to provide for under-resourced pet owners. One in Colorado Springs, a mobile wellness wagon, and the newly opened wellness clinic in Pueblo.
The mobile wellness wagon clinic provides low-cost basic veterinary services in the warmer months.
In Colorado Springs, the Humane Society has a spay and neuter clinic which just opened a few months ago. It will soon offer exams and vaccination appointments as well.
Patients can usually be seen by walk-in but appointments are highly recommended. For more information about the HSPPR’s veterinary services, click here.
