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VECCS Gives is the charitable arm of the Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society (VECCS). It fulfills its mission with the help of your generous donations, sponsorships and the support of dedicated volunteers.
Your donation helps support VECCS Gives in fulfilling it’s mission of providing assistance and funding for projects that promote better care for animals in need.
As you process your donation you will be given the following options:
You can make a donation as an individual, as a practice or organization, or anonymously.
You may also make a donation in honor of a special patient or client (Pet Memorial / Client Memorial) or to express appreciation for an extraordinary veterinary team (Honor Veterinary Team). For $1000 or more, a commemorative plaque will be sent to the practice for display.
Each September VECCS Gives hosts a Project for Animal Welfare (PAW) in the city where IVECCS is held. In partnership with a local non-profit, VECCS Gives provides free veterinary care to pets owned by at risk families in the community.
Past PAW Events
2024 St. Louis, MO
This year, the VECCS Gives Service Project focused on supporting the Bi-State Pet Food Pantry, a St. Louis-based all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Their mission is to keep pets with their guardians during financially difficult times by providing emergency assistance with pet food.
Since its first distribution in 2010, where over 300 pounds of pet food were handed out, the Bi-State Pet Food Pantry has grown significantly. Today, they assist around 400 pets from 100 families each month, and in 2023 alone, they distributed over 190,000 pounds of pet food.
Thanks to our generous members and attendees, VECCS Gives was able to help support this essential organization. All proceeds from this year’s VECCS Gives raffle during IVECCS ($20,343) went directly to the Bi-State Pet Food Pantry, which relies entirely on volunteers. Your generous donations will make a lasting impact, ensuring that pets can stay with their families during tough times.
2023 Aurora, CO
In lieu of an on-site service project during 2023 IVECCS, VECCS dedicated the full amount of funds raised from the VECCS Gives Raffle ($26,391) to Believe Ranch and Rescue. A horse rescue that provides educational programs and community initiatives to raise awareness about horse welfare and responsible ownership. Part of Believe Ranch’s mission is also to make a difference in the lives of humans through their equine-assisted coaching programs using rehabilitated rescue horses whose therapeutic nature and beautiful souls transform lives.
265 Horses have been saved, to date!
2022 San Antonio, TX
VECCS Gives partnered with Hope 4 Hounds to provide access to veterinary care for animals belonging to homeless residents. A $15,000 donation was made to Hope 4 Hounds
2021 Nashville, TN
Due to ongoing COVID concerns VECCS Gives did not host an animal welfare project in Nashville, however, our raffle was a huge success and we were able to donate $15,000 to SAFPAW.
SAFPAW provides pet food, supplies, and veterinary care free of charge to pet owners who are homeless or living at or below the poverty level.
2020 Virtual
Since IVECCS was virtual VECCS Gives did not host an animal welfare project. We did run a successful fundraising campaign and were able to donate $5,000 to the Bi-State Pet Food Pantry of St. Louis, MO.
2019 Washington DC
VECCS Gives partnered with the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County to provide free veterinary care to 200 animals. Prince George’s County functions out of a trailer in an underserved community with many low income pet owners.
In addition, VECCS Gives donated $7,720 to the SPCA/Humane Society of Prince George’s County.
2018 New Orleans, LA
VECCS Gives partnered with the Louisiana SPCA and performed 64 spays and neuters on shelter animals and a feral cat population. Basic veterinary care was also provided and one of our volunteer criticalists helped trouble shoot complicated medical cases at the adoption center. A $3000 donation was made to the Louisiana SPCA.
2017 Nashville, TN
In partnership with The Street Dog Coalition and SAFPAW of Nashville, volunteers provided free veterinary care to pets of the homeless on the streets of Nashville. Fifty animals (49 dogs and 1 cat) were cared for. In addition, we donated $2,000 to SAFPAW.
2016 Dallas, TX
Over a dozen volunteers spent the entire day assisting Ranch Hand Rescue with much needed enclosure repairs, gate maintenance and various construction projects. We also donated $7,000 to Ranch Hand Rescue.
Ranch Hand Rescue is an animal sanctuary and counseling center. RHR rescues abused and neglected farm animals and, after rehabilitation, finds loving homes for them. For those animals that cannot be adopted out, RHR provides a caring and safe sanctuary. Under the guidance of a Licensed Professional Counselor, RHR utilizes Equine/Animal Assisted Counseling to provide hope and healing for children who have suffered severe trauma, have been the victim of abuse or domestic violence.
2015 Washington DC
VECCS Gives board member, Dr. Lorna Lanman, met with the Alexandria Welfare League to assess their current evacuation and disaster plan. Dr. Lanman provided detailed advice how to improve their plan and their evacuation strategy. She was pivotal in helping them draft a new plan that more appropriately manages pet and pet owner evacuation and animal housing and care.
2014 Indianapolis, IN
VECCS Gives raised $10,000 for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department K9s. Since their K9s already have vests, the department will use the money for much needed supplies:
NAVEMS Basic First Responder Course
Operational K9 Handlers & First Responders’ Veterinary Prehospital Care. NAVEMS carries on the VECCS Gives tradition of hosting a free First Responder prehospital veterinary care workshop for police officers, EMS, SAR groups, military, and firefighters.
NAVEMS carries on the VECCS Gives tradition of hosting a free First Responder prehospital veterinary care workshop for police officers, EMS, SAR groups, military, and firefighters.
Join us for this intensive 1-day course, designed for OpK9 handlers, first responders, and veterinary professionals, this training equips you with vital skills to provide immediate care for trauma and environmental injuries in Operational K9s.
Through presentations, hands-on exercises, and scenarios, discover how to handle bleeding, manage airways, and address common issues like heat-related illness and opioid toxicity. Elevate your ability to safeguard our K9 heroes with this comprehensive training.
NAVEMS Prehospital Veterinary First Responder Certification Course
VECCS Gives is honored to offer a scholarship for the NAVEMS Prehospital First Responder Certification Course at IVECCS. This scholarship aims to provide support for eligible VECCS members who may not otherwise be able to attend the NAVEMS Prehospital First Responder Certification Course. There is a growing need to train Operational K9 (OpK9) Handlers, non-veterinary first responders, and human healthcare-prehospital providers in emergency point-of-injury trauma and non-trauma field care of emergent and non-emergent medical conditions encountered by OpK9s. Despite the increasing number of VEMS first responder training courses being developed across the U.S., there is no standardization in the curriculum provided by these courses. As a joint collaborative effort between the veterinary and human prehospital care communities, NAVEMS Prehospital Veterinary First Responder Certification Course provides a prehospital, pre-veterinary care training program that all states and territories may follow as a template in developing their own specific OpK9 VEMS protocols and training.
When disaster strikes, relief funds and efforts are primarily focused on human needs. As a result, few resources exist for the innumerable animals that remain in desperate need of care. The Dougie Fund, established in memory of our dear friend and board member, Dr. Douglas Macintire, is designed to provide support and assistance to veterinary emergency and critical care professionals struggling to meet the needs of animals impacted by disaster in their community.
To apply for assistance through The Dougie Fund, please contact: [email protected].
Douglas Macintire, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM, Diplomate ACVECC
Dougie was a gifted veterinarian. She was passionate about teaching and was a mentor to many students, interns, residents and colleagues. She was generous with her finances when others were in need and giving of her time no matter how much work needed to be done. As a board member Dougie was eager to make a difference and always willing to pitch in and get her hands dirty. Dougie’s strong spirit remains a part of our foundation and helps keeps us focused on our mission to enhance the quality of life for animals in need.
Disaster Relief Initiatives
2023: $20,000 to Animal Lifeline Emergency Response Team to help with the Canadian Wildfires
2023: $20,000 to Maui Humane Society to help the organization’s effort to help animals impacted by the Lahaina Wildfires
2023: $10,000 to Veterinarians Without Borders to help the organization’s effort to help animals impacted by the earthquakes in Turkey
2022: $10,000 to aid animals in the Ukraine, providing care, shelter, drugs and more
2022: $20,000 to Sea Turtle, Inc. for generators to provide safety during a South Texas freeze
2022: $15,000 to Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association for disaster relief amidst severe tornado damage
2020: $5,405 to Zoos Victoria for relief during the Australia Fires
2018: $9,000 to North Valley Animal Disaster Group for relief during the California Fires
2017: $8,000 to Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation for disaster relief after Hurricane Harvey
Access to Emergency Care Grant
The VECCS Gives Committee is pleased to announce the Access to Emergency Care Grant to fund a clinical study that investigates strategies to improve access to care by reducing client costs and/or eliminating barriers to care for common emergent conditions in domestic animals. A total of up to $25,000 US is available, either as a single grant or divided between 2 or more awards. More Information Here
NAVEMS Prehospital First Responder Training Scholarship
VECCS Gives is honored to offer a scholarship for the NAVEMS Prehospital First Responder Certification Course (591). VECCS Gives is the charitable arm of VECCS, one of our goals is to improve the safety and welfare of working canines through training and education. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide support for eligible VECCS members who may not otherwise be able to attend the NAVEMS Prehospital First Responder Certification Course (due to financial reasons).
Open to Credentialed Veterinary Technicians and Veterinarians who are registered for IVECCS 2024 as VECCS Members. Attendees already registered for this lab are still eligible to apply. More Information Here
Community Care Grants
The VECCS Gives Community Care Grant assists VECCS members in hosting an event that offers free veterinary care to pets owned by at-risk families in their community.
VECCS members seeking financial support for their event may apply for the VECCS Gives Community Care Grant to cover expenses not offset by donations or sponsorships. More Information Here