Veterinary Partner Spotlight: VCA Shoreline

When asked why Joanne Watkins, hospital director of VCA Shoreline Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center, signed up her practice for Waggle, she echoes what we've heard so often from practices across the country: "It is heartbreaking for us to see a pet family in need, unable to afford the cost of this care."

Unfortunately, as a specialty practice dealing with emergency, specialty, and critical care, the team at VCA Shoreline sees it all too often.

VCA's not alone. An estimated 500,000 U.S. pets face what the industry has dubbed economic euthanasia each year, making the issue far too pervasive for any single practice to solve. "It's just not financially feasible for these hospitals to do that much pro-bono work and keep the lights on," says Waggle CEO Steven Mornelli. "And the cost to hospital morale is much greater than people realize." After all, the vast majority of pet-health practitioners get into the field to save lives, not to give pet guardians the news that a cure may be available, but out of reach due to cost.

Giving hospitals and pet guardians another choice is what inspired Waggle. "When I explain it to hospitals, they just immediately 'get it,'" Mornelli says. "Most even care more about how it will help their team's morale than the financial benefits."

Watkins and VCA Shoreline were one of the earliest hospitals to sign up, and they've been seeing the advantages ever since. "Being able to offer another option for our clients when mainstream options have been declined or failed is a great benefit, not just for the patient and parents, but it makes our staff happy too!" she says. Within its first three months with Waggle, the hospital registered eight cases and raised $4,525 to help pets in medical crisis get care.

How? VCA Shoreline's gotten the whole staff on board. "Our staff typically takes photos of our pets on arrival and in recovery, a way to let our pet families know how their pets are doing," says Watkins. "We have one internal staff member who looks after the social media campaign with our Waggle cases, and one external consultant who also contributes to promoting our Waggle cases. It is a team effort!"

The hospital encourages the whole team to share the campaigns they register with Waggle and makes sure the hospital's social media channels share as well, helping add to the credibility when third parties like Waggle and the pet's guardian share.

"I think one of the great values of working with Waggle is owner involvement," says Watkins. "Our two most successful cases were ones where the owners were heavily involved in cross-posting and sharing their stories, and both were fully funded because of it."

Kousa, a dog who was attacked while trying to save her owner from another dog, is a prime example. Joanne notes, "It was a great story of the dog remaining with her family and enjoying a full recovery, it could not have been a better outcome."

VCA Shoreline is one of many Waggle partners having great success with crowdfunding care for pets in financial need. Their work has not only saved the lives of pets but also relieved families of having to make heart-wrenching decisions about their beloved pets and spared the practice staff from the emotional toll this takes.

Through our partnerships with veterinary practices such as VCA, Waggle is able to give pets a second chance and families more precious time with them. Please consider donating to a pet in medical crisis today. Have any questions on how Waggle can partner with your veterinary practice and get pets the treatment they need? Contact us.