Emancipet is one of 22 groups working with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the office of the Governor and First Lady in Puerto Rico as part of a groundbreaking relief initiative: the HSUS Spayathon for Puerto Rico. The project will bring much needed free veterinary care to the still devastated island, which is still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria.
Puerto Rico’s stray pet population has exploded to 300,000+ animals, and threatens to grow more if strapped pet owners can’t secure the care they need for their pets. The Spayathon will spay/neuter and vaccinate 25,000 animals on the island at no cost to pet owners over the course four relief trips.
Emancipet has made one trip to the island already, performing 750 surgeries in just seven days! We have three additional visits planned and plan to increase to 1,000 surgeries on our next trip.
To ensure the Spayathon has a lasting impact, island veterinarians are working alongside each of the teams and receiving training in high volume spay/neuter surgery. When the Spayathon is over, we will leave behind tens of thousands of dollars of medical equipment as a gift to island vets, enabling them to continue their high-volume practice.
We learned so much from our experience providing free care to pet owners in crisis following Hurricane Harvey in Houston, and we’ve seen the same thing in Puerto Rico: pet owners lining up – sometimes overnight – so that they can secure care for their beloved pets. This is especially remarkable when we consider that many of the clients in PR still don’t have fresh water, electricity, or even shelter – but they all want what’s best for their cats and dogs.
Please support our work in Puerto Rico! It costs about $1,700 to send each staff member, but we welcome a gift at any level. We estimate we’ll need about $25,000 to get through Round two in November with added staff.
Here’s a short video from our first trip in June 2018.
