Client News

PETS IN NEED OF GREATER CINCINNATI CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS OF HELPING PETS AND THEIR PEOPLE
April 9, 2018

 

Non-Profit Clinic Provides Veterinary Care for Pets of Low-Income Families

CINCINNATI, OH – April 9, 2018 – Founded in 2012, Pets In Need of Greater Cincinnati (PIN) is the region’s only resource for comprehensive low-cost veterinary care for pets living in low-income homes. At its clinic in Lockland, a professional and compassionate staff of veterinarians and technicians provides:

• Wellness care, including exams and vaccines
• Diagnostic testing and treatment of acute and chronic health conditions
• Vouchers for spay/neuter surgeries
• Pet food and monthly flea/tick and heartworm prevention

In the Greater Cincinnati area, an estimated 150,000 cats and dogs live in poverty alongside their human families, many of which struggle to pay for their own healthcare. For them, a visit to a private veterinary practice is completely out of reach due to limited financial resources. PIN imposes no geographic restrictions and in 2017 the clinic served pets from more than 1,800 households from the 15-county Greater Cincinnati area. All households enrolled for PIN services are income-qualified at or below 150% of the current federal poverty level. Services are not free; clients make a minimal co-pay for each vet care visit and for monthly prevention products.

“We believe everyone deserves to have the joy of a pet and all pets deserve to be healthy and safe in a loving home” said Ann Hill, Executive Director of PIN and one of its founders. “No one should ever have to face the unimaginable decision to surrender a pet for financial or health reasons — especially into a shelter and rescue system that is already overburdened.” PIN currently collaborates with SPCA Cincinnati on a surrender prevention program funded by a grant from PetSmart Charities. Pet owners contacting the SPCA to surrender a pet for health reasons are given the alternative of keeping their pet and receiving free veterinary care at PIN. Hill said that the results so far are encouraging. “We’ve prevented surrenders for reasons as simple as a bad flea infestation.”

The organization will celebrate its fifth anniversary with an Open House at its Lockland clinic at 520 W. Wyoming Avenue, 45215, on Sunday, April 15, 2018. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be provided. For more information on the event please visit http://pincincinnati.org/upcoming-events/

About Pets In Need:
Pets In Need, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, is committed to helping pets stay healthy and together with the people who love them. Pets In Need provides low-cost veterinary care and food for pets from homes in which income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. The clinic is the only resource of its kind in Greater Cincinnati and has served pets from thousands of low-income households since its inception in 2013. To learn more about Pets In Need and the services it provides, please visit PINCincinnati.org.