Members of the staff of Sunrise Horse Rescue in Calistoga with an equine patient of Napa Valley Equine. [Photo courtesy Napa Valley Equine.]
in the U.S. and Mexico. The organization also provides free and low-cost veterinary services to underserved community members. Camblor says the high cost of living in the North Bay makes it harder for the organization to provide services in Sonoma County. “Generally, vet nurses and vet techs are priced out of this area. Also, for-profit hospitals come in and offer wages we can’t match. I often run a mobile clinic in Roseland, where I can see close to 100 animals in a day. That is amazing and we are glad to have so much support from the community. I could do more if I had more staff,” says Camblor. Yet animal rescue nonprofits and vet offices still find ways to help each other thrive. Dr. Jessica Klein, veterinarian and owner of Wine Country Veterinary Hospital in Windsor, partners with Greyhound Friends for Life in Fulton and German Shepherd Rescue in Santa Rosa. She says animal rescue organizations are natural allies for veterinary offices. “My office has been open for seven years. Greyhound Friends for Life is client number four on my list. When we opened, they gave us a lot of work. It has been wonderful to partner with a rescue organization that values high-quality medicine. It’s also an honor to treat the German Shepherds that served as work dogs for law enforcement officers,” says Klein.
Dogwood uses the services of two Sonoma County veterinary offices. Tunstall Pearce recommends these businesses to new companion animal owners. “There’s that familiarity. The vet knows the animal and has built trust with it. The new owner also trusts the vet because we chose to work with the vet. It’s a win for the animal and the vet,” says Tunstall Pearce. We Care works with two Napa County veterinary offices. Armstrong praises these offices to new companion animal owners. “Those vet offices also see a plus in forming a relationship with us and our adopters when we need specialty care for an animal. For example, we will send animals to them for significant operations for which we have done targeted fundraising,” says Armstrong. Caring for farm animals Organizations that treat and rescue farm animals like goats and horses function differently than those that see companion animals. “We do not spay female goats, but we castrate male goats. Castration at too early of an age can be risky because it predisposes male goats to urinary stone blockages. In addition, our goats live on-site in fenced areas, which limits their interaction with other goats,” says Deborah Blum, of Goatlandia.
40 NorthBaybiz
January 2024
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