Community Vet Outreach Program

What is Community Vet Outreach?

Community Vet Outreach (CVO) began as a registered charity in 2003, operating at the Ottawa Mission. It’s mandate is to improve the health of homeless and vulnerably housed communities through veterinary care to their pets, and to connect their humans with health and social services.

CVO clinics are now present throughout Canada, including Vancouver, Kelowna, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Guelph, York Region, and in our communities of Waterloo Region and Perth County.  The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth operates and funds the CVO clinics in our communities.

How do we help people and their pets?

CVO is staffed with veterinary and community volunteers and operates out of partner agency locations.  Clients and their pets are referred to programs through case workers operating out of our partnership agencies in the community.  Programs include:

• Full service clinics – these clinics offer preventative care, including examination, vaccinations, parasite treatment, microchipping, and owners receive education and advice on nutrition, dental care and behaviour.
• Pet Fairs – these clinics include pet health education, pet dental education and supplies, grooming and nail trims, and access to pet food and supplies.

What are ONE HEALTH Services?

One Health is the collaborative relationship between human and animal health and the social and physical environment. All clinics and pet fairs have social and various health services embedded within them, depending on the partnerships in the region. These services include smoking reduction and cessation, primary health care including flu vaccination, dental care access, harm reduction (naloxone kits, safe injection supplies), and healthy living/ exercise advice.’

“We help to maintain a strong and healthy human-animal bond for those to whom that bond may be the most significant relationship in their life.”

Partners