A LETTER FROM OUR CEO

Safety – to be safe and to feel safe – should not be a privilege. But the sad reality is that there is a cost to keep pets safe and this is a privilege that many pet parents cannot afford.

The latest Pet Population Survey from The Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI) revealed that there were 7.9 million dogs and 8.5 million cats in Canada in 2022 – which is an increase from 7.7 million dogs and 8.1 million cats in 2020.

It brings me great joy to see that more families are enjoying the unique human-animal bond, a companionship that animals bring, but the same survey also revealed that nearly 1 in 5 pet parents wanted or needed preventative care in the past 12 months but were not able to access it due to affordability or the inability to get an appointment, among other reasons.

This means that 1 in 5 pet parents can’t access the care they need to keep their pets safe.

Access to animal care and support is a critical challenge facing animals globally. As a leader in animal welfare, we’re taking a holistic approach to remove barriers and provide access to care.

For example, through our Public Veterinary Services so far this year, we have provided core vaccines for over 1000 cats and over 530 dogs to protect them against serious illnesses such as parvo-virus, distemper, and rabies – but our mission moves us to do more.

You’ll see in this issue of Animal Talk that our experts are also continually exploring new treatment types and plans, such as a faster treatment for heartworm, sharing our research with other organizations, and going outside of our community to help those who have limited access to veterinary care.

Our fight to ensure access to care is far from over – we have much more work to do to help keep more families together and keep more pets out of the cycle of vulnerability.

Together, we continue to effect change in our community. I want to personally thank you for all that you’ve done. It’s your support behind every life-saving vaccine, every preventative measure, and every published research article. It’s you, and people like you, who provide every animal with their own home to live a full and meaningful life. Your generosity is what makes all this possible.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jacques Messier, DMV, MBA Chief Executive Officer