Many Calgarians struggle to afford long-term pet care, so students in the University of Calgary's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Class of 2025 wanted to start something after noticing a need for more support for marginalized families.
UCVM-CUPS Fund recipients Roxy, left, a five-year-old Boston terrier mix, and Harlow, a one-year-old pit-bull terrier. Photo Credit: Tammie Samuel
The students identified this gap through their hands-on experience at the UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic, a course-based initiative by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), CUPS and VCA Horizon Veterinary Group.
Kayla Jordison, Lauren Cody and Alexandra Ferguson, now UCVM fourth-year students, initiated the UCVM-CUPS Fund in 2024, helping raise more than $20,000 (with Giving Day matched funds), to help with costs for services such as dental surgery, spays and neuters. These are procedures not provided during rotations at the Pet Health Clinic, where budgeting supports consultations, vaccinations, nail trims and other simple care.
"I was so inspired there were people lining up out the door to access this care," says Jordison, BA'22. "It really pulled on my heartstrings, knowing that they weren't able financially to meet the demands of what they wanted to do for their animals."
Support transforms lives pet and human
Kirsty Kay, a client of CUPS and fund recipient, says her pit bull, Harlow, has been with her on her toughest days.
"She means the world to me I just love her so much," she says.
As a low-income student at Sundance College, Kay needed help to afford Harlow's spay surgery, which she was told prevents the risk of fatal infections from repeated heat cycles in addition to preventing unplanned litters.
"Having those funds taken care of for me was just a blessing. It took the weight of the world off my shoulders," she says, adding Harlow underwent surgery at VCA Canada Forest Lawn Animal Hospital on Nov. 19 last year.
Meanwhile, Angel Nagy, also a CUPS client and fund recipient, knew she couldn't afford an unexpected litter of puppies, either, especially not with six kids of her own. Her Boston terrier, Roxy, had given birth before and the thought of going through it again weighed heavily on Nagy's mind.
"When this opportunity was presented to me, I was in tears. It's life-changing a huge, huge opportunity to benefit the pets that we love," says Nagy. Roxy was spayed at VCA Canada Riverbend Animal Hospital on Nov. 18 last year.
Solution born from innovative learning
Having already helped 15 pet owners, Dr. Serge Chalhoub, DVM, a UCVM professor, says the fund has been a game-changer. The current president of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association, he helped start the UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic in 2015 to support disadvantaged Calgarians while, at the same time, providing students with real-world experience. Also involved in the clinic's creation were Dr. Jack Wilson and then-UCVM Dean Alastair Cribb, both DVM. Chalhoub has been co-ordinating the clinic ever since.
"I was blown away when students came to me with this idea," he says, adding this inspired the creation of a committee to oversee the initiative, including UCVM communications, development, DVM students from years one to four, Chalhoub, and Peggy Mountjoy, a teaching support technician who liaises for their clients and clinics. "This fund really helps us bridge that gap for care continuum. That's what we want: for pets to stay at home with their owners."
While fund-supported procedures are not carried out at the UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic, Chalhoub says a stipulation ensures a UCalgary student is involved whenever the funds are used at one of the four other Calgary VCA Canada Horizon Group clinics, encouraging even more opportunities for innovative learning through community outreach.
Vet Ball supports fund
While the UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic relies on support from the faculty, partners such as Nestlé Purina PetCare and VCA Horizon Veterinary Group, the client-support fund relies on community donations, with its biggest fundraiser being the UCVM Vet Ball, an annual gala attended by DVM students, alumni, faculty, sponsors and plus-ones.
This year's private event on March 8, hosted by the Gasoline Alley Museum in Heritage Park, promises an evening of celebration and rallying to spread the message of why it's important to prevent unwanted litters and keep pets in homes, thus saving space in shelters a mission very much at the heart of the UCVM-CUPS Fund.
"I think being part of a community, we have responsibilities to better the lives of others, whether that's people or animals, and being part of the UCVM-CUPS Fund has absolutely been a conduit for doing that, which has been incredibly rewarding," says Jordison.
Learn more about the Vet Ball and the UCVM-CUPS Fund by emailing morgan.mclean2@ucalgary.ca or kayla.jordison@ucalgary.ca.
Learn more about the UCVM-CUPS Pet Health Clinic by emailing nikki.knopp@ucalgary.ca
