Mocca, Askum, and Teeny Tiny patiently wait to see the vet on a wet Thursday afternoon at St. Peters Church, located at 301 Machleary St, Nanaimo. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

ALL PAWS ON DECK

VIDEO: Free vet clinic continues to serve Nanaimo’s four-pawed friends

Apr 21, 2022 | 3:58 PM

NANAIMO — A free vet clinic remains committed to checking over furry friends and family members, free of charge.

Helping Paws community clinic runs roughly once a month at St. Peter’s Church on Machleary St. near downtown Nanaimo and except for a few pandemic-related pauses the clinic has been in operation for almost three years.

Local veterinarian Courtenay Large said it’s clear these kinds of services are badly needed within the community.

“It’s getting more and more popular, there’s definitely a big need in the area for wellness services for folks who are having a bit of a hard time.”

They see somewhere around 40 pets every month in a two-hour period with three or four veterinarians helping out, with appointments limited to dogs and cats.

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Large said the most common treatments they provide include administering vaccines, flea and tick control and minor health conditions.

If the pet needs more involved procedures such as spaying or neutering, blood work, or surgery, the Helping Paws vets work with the owner to prepare them for the next steps.

“We’re also giving folks information, like, ‘your puppy is eight weeks now, it’s going to be spayed or neutered in six months or so, so you better start saving up,’ that kind of thing.”

They also help the owners find local vets to perform these procedures, as the pandemic has caused wait times for surgeries and appointments to be weeks or even months.

Large said vet offices across the country are also facing staff shortages while there has been a big surge in the pet population since the pandemic first started.

It’s causing severe strain on the veterinarian’s mental health with events like this helping to shake off some of the burn-out and fatigue caused by the grind of regular clinic life.

“Because of the high demands, high stress, the high burn-out rates, I find the people that come here really find that providing this services is really rewarding for them,” Large told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They all find it a really rewarding way to give back to their community to put the joy back into their job.”

Dog owner Leanne brings her 5-year-old dog Morgan in regularly for her monthly flea and tick medication.

She said this service is invaluable for someone who might otherwise not be able to have a furry friend.

“This is a chance for somebody to have a pet they can’t necessarily afford a shot for. I called the vet but I really couldn’t afford much but she needed to be looked after still.”

For more information on the Helping Paws program or to make a donation, you can go to their Facebook page.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow