Veterinary Community Responds to Wildfires in California

This article was originally published by Veterinarian's Money Digest at VMDToday.com.

The veterinary community has come together in response to the ongoing, devastating wildfires ravaging parts of California. In addition to the thousands of people forced to evacuate and the many who have already lost their homes, there are countless animals—both domesticated and wild—left homeless, abandoned, and injured. These are some of the ways the veterinary industry is contributing to the relief efforts:

Veterinary students and staff from the University of California, Davis have spent the past week treating animals hurt in the Camp Fire blaze in the northern part of the state. Photos released by the school show university members tending to soot-covered horses and dogs, and cats with singed whiskers and burnt paws. According to UC Davis, the medical attention the animals are receiving is being funded by donations provided to the school’s Veterinary Catastrophic Need Fund and animal owners will not be charged.

Additionally, the UC Davis veterinary hospital has been frequently sharing photos of unclaimed cats receiving care at the hospital. Images of the animals can be viewed on the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Facebook page.

American Veterinary Medical Foundation Donation

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF)—the charitable arm of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)—announced a donation of $20,000 to help California’s animals and the veterinarians treating them. Half of the donation will be given to the California Veterinary Medical Foundation for the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps, and the remaining $10,000 is being donated to the UC Davis Veterinary Emergency Response Team.

"The AVMA and AVMF are committed to working together with state and local relief agencies to provide our colleagues and the people and animals they serve with the assistance they need," said John de Jong, DVM, AVMA president.

Henry Schein’s Hotline

The Henry Schein Disaster Relief Hotline is open for veterinary customers who have been affected by the California wildfires to help them reopen their practices as soon as possible. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with real-time assistance available from 8 am to 7 pm (EST) for veterinarians who experience operational, logistical, or financial issues.

"Our hearts and prayers are with the families of those who have lost their lives, as well as the people and communities throughout California coping with the destruction caused by the wildfires," said Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein’s CEO. "We are prepared to help health care providers whose practices have sustained damage, and we encourage those practitioners to contact our disaster relief hotline for assistance."