The cold winds of Saturday morning were met with smiling faces from a team of volunteers from the Animal Welfare Committee of Surry County, Surry Medical Ministries, Humane Solution, and the vet team from DEGA. They created a pop up veterinary clinic in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church in Pilot Mountain to offer vet care to pets and owners in need.
DEGA Mobile Veterinary Care is a nonprofit based in the Triangle that provides their pop-up clinics in various locations to give basic vet care to cats, dogs, and pet pigs that would otherwise may not see a veterinarian. Dr. April Gessner and Dr. Bennett Deddens, spouses who met in veterinary training, held their first clinic on Valentine’s Day last year in Raleigh.
Determined for Everyone to Gain Access to Veterinary Care (DEGA) was born from Dr. Gessner’s desire to help pets on a more local level just as she has done in years of international volunteer work involving animals. It was also created to honor the memory of her beloved dogs Dega and Ghon by helping pets in need.
This desire brought DEGA on Saturday back to Pilot Mountain for their second time partnering with the Animal Welfare Committee to provide treatment. Advance registration for the event filled up fast with 23 confirmed appointment times, but they were anticipating more by the end.
Lee Stalcup, a volunteer and one of the organizers of the event, is thankful for the help from DEGA who offered a “needs based service, and a service to our community.” She would know a little something about communities coming together to aid animals. As the rescue coordinator for Mayberry 4 Paws, around the animal community in these parts Stalcup is known as an animal advocate of the highest order.
“Everyone at the event is involved in animal rescue in some way,” she said, adding that it takes a big heart to deal with animals in need. As this was a needs-based event, some of these animals and their owners may not have had the ability to seek out veterinary care.
While not offering a full suite of veterinary services, the clinic providing rabies vaccinations, checkups, microchips, minor treatments, flea and tick preventative, and heart worm preventative to some pets who may not have loved the attention from random strangers. The animals are sent home with more supplies depending on what is needed, a stack of dog food and treats were standing by.
Jessica Dunlap, president of the Animal Welfare Committee, had her daughter Alyssa along to assist with checking in the animals as they arrived at the church. A pop up clinic to be sure, the process still mirrored a vet’s office. Parents waited in cars as the animals went to be examined by the team of four vets and two vet techs.
Tender touches were observed and soft words spoken to dogs shivering in a brisk wind, with no sign of mom or dad to be seen. Animal lovers were all around though, the warmth and gentle nature of the staff of volunteers helped to calm confused animals.
Dunlap mentioned she is hopeful to add in the future spay and neuter services to these clinics. Animal advocacy groups have been presenting the lack of low/no cost spay neuter clinics as one of the root causes for pet overpopulation in the county. DEGA recently received a grant and purchased an additional mobile unit for such services.
As Amber Golding of Tiny Tigers Rescue can attest, one stray cat can yield more than a dozen kittens in one year. Having spay-neuter solutions that are easy to access, and affordable, could reduce the number of pets at the animal shelter annually who are put down at county expense.
Dunlap relayed a story from last October of a homeless woman who walked four miles with three dogs for treatment from their clinic, and the volunteers drove her where she needed to go afterward. The event meant for the animals was able to do so much more, she wishes though she could do more.
Replicating the success of these needs-based clinics again in this area will help to do just that, she said. Having the partnership with DEGA and the flexibility of the mobile care center will allow clients an ease of access to these low/no cost services that can be hard to find.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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