Mercer Veterinary Clinic was founded in 1993, and is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization independent of UC Davis that provides free medical care for the companion animals of the homeless. The clinic personnel meet on the second Saturday of every month at Loaves and Fishes, a Sacramento-based organization which provides an array of services to the homeless.
Mercer Clinic is a cooperative effort between multiple groups, including veterinary volunteers (doctors and students), undergraduate veterinary aide students, and veterinary companies sponsoring our efforts. More than 30 veterinary students, working alongside veterinarians, volunteer their time each month. Students conduct clinical examinations and practice veterinarian supervised preventative medicine on feline and canine patients, including heartworm prevention, flea treatment, and vaccinations. Mercer Clinic offers several on-site services beyond clinical examinations and vaccinations, including an in-house pharmacy and laboratory. Laboratory services include FNAs, cytologies, SNAP FeLV/FIV and heartworm tests, pre-surgical blood test analysis, as well as complete blood panels analyzed through an off-site lab. We maintain a stock of prescription diets for patients with special needs, including hypoallergenic diets. In addition to improving the lives of the pets of the homeless, the clinic works to reduce pet over-population. Clients are counseled on the benefits of spaying and neutering and surgery is provided at no cost.
In order to provide further access to veterinary care, Davis Pet Advocacy and Wellness, DPAW, was founded as a satellite clinic of Mercer in 2020 to serve the pets of the homeless in Davis. DPAW offers the same services as Mercer.
The human-animal bond is critically important to the homeless, who often consider their pets their only family, and finding ways to support this bond is a large part of Mercer's mission.
Founded in 1993, Mercer is a non-profit run by UC Davis veterinary students and volunteer veterinarians who are passionate about helping animals and owners in need. We are a once-monthly clinic that serves pets of the homeless in Sacramento, where we provide free medical services to an average of 140 dogs and cats each month. We rely entirely on donations and grants to provide critical services such as flea and heartworm prevention, vaccinations, and free spay/neuter services to our clients.
Our general funds are used for vaccinations, heartworm preventatives, spay/neuter surgery, diagnostic tests, medications, and more.
Many of the procedures that are needed for our patients cannot be performed at Mercer. We only hold our clinic once a month, and often times we'll have patients with acute needs between clinics that cannot wait to be seen by a veterinarian. We work with Mercy Pet Hospital, a low-cost clinic located in Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks, to refer our clients when their pets cannot wait for the next clinic to be seen. Though this clinic is low-cost, we can be limited in what services can be provided to our clients by the costs of the procedures, as we have to make sure our referral funding can be used for any unexpected procedures for all of our clients. Donations support our efforts to make sure our clients are able to receive necessary care for their pets at no cost to them.
We are always extremely grateful for the help of veterinarians licensed in the state of California. Volunteering at monthly clinics would allow us to see more patients and low-cost veterinary care between clinics would benefit pets with urgent needs.
We are also looking to update the building and our equipment to improve our volunteer's learning experience.
We would like to purchase a new centrifuge for our laboratory. We need it to perform some basic tests for our patients.
We are grateful for donations of pet food and pet blankets, sweaters, and coats.
At Mercer Veterinary Clinic, our mission is to provide high quality veterinary care to pets of people in need. By providing our services at no cost, we hope to help undeserved communities which have difficulty accessing medical care for their pets. We believe that that nobody deserves to carry the mental burden worrying for their loved ones, both the two legged and four legged.
Additionally, we understand that a diverse volunteer team allows us to more easily connect with the diversity of our clientele. We welcome of students, technicians, and doctors of all backgrounds, as each of them bring unique life experiences and skills to help serve our community better.
Organization name
Mercer Veterinary Clinic
1993
Tax id (EIN)
68-0284501
Mission Category
Animal Related
Operating Budget
$100,001-$250,000
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Funding: Program, Volunteers, In-Kind Donations
Local Counties Served
Sacramento
Address
1321 North C Street #125Sacramento, CA, US