Calgary seniors and their pets visit AARCS for free wellness clinic

Georgia Rose gets her teeth checked at a free senior's pet wellness clinic held by AARCS.

A Calgary animal rescue organization welcomed seniors and their four-legged friends to a free wellness clinic on Tuesday.

The Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (AARCS) began hosting free pet clinics for people 65 years and older last year.

“A lot of people might be living on a tight income, so even paying a few hundred dollars at the vet can really affect someone’s finances,” said Amy Corpe, AARCS director of animal health. “We don’t want them to have to choose between buying groceries versus providing their animal with vet care.”

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“A lot of things are very costly these days, so it’s just a great way for owners to be able to provide adequate vet care for their pets that they love so much.”

The organization has held four clinics for seniors so far.

“We provide wellness exams, vaccines and deworming,” Corpe said. “If the owner has a medical concern with the animal, then we will look to address that for them.”

Veterinarian Kian Lund says clients at the clinics are always thankful for the help, sometimes showing their appreciation with smiles and hugs.

“Honestly, everyone we meet is so entirely grateful,” he said. " Which is really rewarding."

Lund says many of the dogs he sees have gum disease, tartar buildup and gingivitis.

He says at a regular vet clinic, the fees are out of reach for seniors.

“I would say a normal consult is running you between $85 to $125, just for the examination,” Lund said. “Vaccines are probably around $30 to $60 on top of that, and then de-wormer depends on the size of the dog – because the heavier the patients, the more you have to purchase – so that can range quite a bit.”

Tuesday’s clinic ran from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at AARCS’ Safe Haven location on 74 Avenue S.E.

Luna Paradis and her mom Tara visited with their dogs Georga Rose and Bella.

Paradis says the dogs are part of the family, calling them her “fur babies.”

“We’re just so grateful, because the dogs haven’t had their shots in a few years because of the finances,” she said. “It helps tremendously.”

“If it wasn’t for AARCS doing this clinic today, our dogs would not have been vaccinated or deworming or anything – and that’s important."

By offering these services for free, including microchipping, AARCS says it’s helping seniors keep their companions at home where they belong.