[ cover story]
Getting to the Heart of The Street Vet,
Dr. Kwane Stewart
D
r. Kwane Stewart has seen this before—a crisis of huge proportion, affecting millions of people financially, resulting in pets being abandoned as people struggle to survive. Today it’s COVID-19, but in 2008 it was the Great Recession, and the fallout was the same: People losing their jobs, struggling to pay the rent or mortgage, and dropping their pets at shelters out of desperation. If you live or work in Los Angeles, you may have seen Dr. Kwane walking the neighborhoods. They call him The Street Vet. He arrives in scrubs, medical bag in hand, stopping to chat with the people perched here and there, holding tight to their dog, cat or bird. Over the last eight years, he’s covered miles of territory, looking for the pets and people 42 petcompanionmag.com
that other pedestrians seem to try not to see. He offers a smile, conversation, and then, if the owner accepts, a professional veterinary exam. Right there, on the spot, for pets who live on the streets of Los Angeles with their owners. He’s The Street Vet—veterinarian, animal advocate, public speaker—and now, media personality. Because if you haven’t actually seen him on the street, you can catch him on his docuseries of the same name: The Street Vet airing internationally. Keeping animals safe has been his overarching purpose throughout his life. Growing up in New Mexico, he was always bringing home stray animals, hoping to save them all. He worked as a veterinarian in traditional brick-and-mortar practices, ultimately landing in California, serving mostly people who could pretty easily afford veterinary care for their pets.
Then the financial crisis known as the Great Recession struck in 2008. He saw firsthand how people, barely making ends meet and in panic mode, abandoned their pets at local shelters, believing they could no longer care for them. Dr. Kwane went on to become the County Veterinarian for the Stanislaus Animal Services Agency in Modesto, then Chief Veterinary Officer at American Humane, which included serving as National Director of the legacy No Animals Were Harmed® program. Today, he continues to look out for animals, working for Netflix as the movie set animal expert for both movies and commercials. That is, when he’s not practicing veterinary medicine, fundraising for his clients, or speaking on behalf of animal causes. He spent Mother’s Day this year at the San Diego Convention Center, a temporary shelter for people experiencing
