November 05, 2015
Contributed Art/PennVet
Police officer holds cat served by Penn Vet Shelter Animal Medicine Program.
With the new year fast approaching, animal lovers just received a funding challenge to help the Penn Vet Shelter Medicine Program develop and deploy a medical-grade mobile unit for pets in communities without access to medical care.
The John T. and Jane A. Wiederhold Foundation, an animal welfare organization established in 2012, launched the $150,000 challenge match Thursday to fund the purchase of the mobile unit, which will substantially increase Penn Vet's medical, teaching and community service capabilities.
Every donation up to $150,000 will be matched and donated to complete the state-of-the-art, 40-foot mobile clinic, which will include a surgical suite, a prep room, an animal holding area, a radiograph machine, and custom data connections in addition to commercial grade heating and air conditioning.
“This generous grant from the Wiederhold Foundation is both a tremendous investment and a call-to-action to further Penn Vet’s leadership in shelter medicine and community outreach,” said Dr. Brittany Watson, Penn Vet’s Director of Shelter Animal Medicine and Community Engagement. “The mobile unit will enable us to be a resource in the community for surgical, medical, and educational initiatives.”
The Weiderhold Foundation will also provide $225,000 in gifts to Penn Vet to support two new clinical trials through the Veterinary Clinical Investigations Center (VCIC). The first study, supported by a $75,000 challenge match from the Wiederhold Foundation, seeks to create a tool that can measure chronic pain in cats, who are known to instinctively hide their symptoms.
The second study, which aims to establish a cartilage grading system for dogs with knee osteoarthritis, will be supported by a $150,000 gift from the Wiederhold Foundation.
Donations to Penn Vet's Shelter Animal Medicine Program can be made here.
Learn more about the Penn Vet Animal Shelter Medicine Program in the video below.
