Working together to save lives in Florida

The Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA) Foundation and the nonprofit foundation Frankie’s Friends have partnered together to help save pets’ lives. The partnership’s mission is to provide grants to assist with the cost of lifesaving or life-enhancing emergency or specialty care for pets whose families are unable to afford the full cost of treatment, according to a news release.

“This partnership is really going to be vital to increase awareness of Frankie’s Friends for the families who have never heard of us before,” Danielle Martin, Frankie’s Friends executive director, said in the release. “It’s step one in the relationship of showing what is possible when the veterinary community and our foundation work together to really make an impact on pets all across the country.”

The partnership assists animals in need of life-saving emergency care, and will also support veterinary professionals who want to deliver that care. “We as veterinarians are taught to save, and when finances come in and play a part, it makes it hard,” Beth Keser, DVM, FVMA District 5 Representative, said in the release. “If [pet owners] don’t have the finances, then it’s a difficult conversation we have to have, and it breaks our heart.”

This partnership has already saved a pet’s life. Binx, a 1-year-old kitten, received life-saving emergency surgery for a foreign body obstruction after his owner was unable to afford the feline’s care due to a car accident that left her bank account drained.The FVMA Foundation, along with Frankie's Friends, stepped in and provided the necessary funds to cover Binx’s care, saving his life.

“With every single fiber of my being, thank you,” said Binx’s owner, who asked to remain anonymous. “You [FVMA Foundation and Frankie’s Friends] made the difference between me having to give up my pet and being able to keep him, and I will be forever grateful. My life has not been easy, and this money, this break, truly saved Binx’s and my life. I will definitely be donating to this wonderful fund after Binx and I recover from this.”

Binx’s story is why the partnership exists and why the FVMA Foundation and Frankie’s Friends are fully dedicated to saving the lives of pets who can live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life if they can get the care they need, according to the foundation.The FVMA Foundation’s Crucial Care Fund and Frankie’s Friends are another vital resource veterinarians can offer clients, which will help make veterinarians’ jobs that much easier to bear, Keser added.

Frankie’s Friends was founded in 1999, helping more than 1,500 animals in need of assistance each year with the goal of bridging the gap between what’s medically possible and financially feasible for pets in need. For more information regarding the FVMA Foundation and its partnership with Frankie’s Friends, including how to donate, please visit https://fvma.org/crucialcare/.

Reference

FVMA Foundation, Frankie’s Friends announce partnership. News release. Florida Veterinary Medical Association. September 19, 2025.