Humane Animal Partners is expanding wellness services in Wilmington.
The organization is adding low-cost veterinary services at its Wilmington location, which previously only offered spay-neuter and vaccine clinics.
A physical exam is $40 and a follow up is $30.
HAP CEO Patrick Carroll says the move is in response to some Delawareans struggling to find veterinary care at local animal hospitals and veterinary centers.
“I think a couple of factors are that because of the pandemic, people adopted," he says. "But they also reflected a lot, they had time, so they would be like, ‘Oh, well, my dog hasn't been to the vet in a while.’ And so they haven't thought about that and they said, ‘I should get them in’ or ‘My cat needs a visit or their vaccines.’.
Carroll adds many vet staff are taking time off, retiring or quitting due to the pandemic. Vets and vet techs are experiencing “compassion fatigue,” which the Humane Society of the United States says can negatively affect morale and job performance and ultimately lead to high staff turnover.
Carroll says there has never been a better time for them to expand their services.
“With the pandemic and just the way things have been, vets are completely busy and overwhelmed with the need," Carroll says. "And so not only have we seen that, we've even had some vet partners give us their blessing that we should get into that wellness work, because there's just such a need that they cannot fulfill.”
Sussex County pet owners are struggling too, Carroll says, but a $188,000 grant from PetSmart Charities is allowing HAP to pilot a new pet medical care program to determine the most useful service delivery methods. They also hope to pilot a new clinic in Sussex as well.
