Community Medicine for People and Pets

WHAT are we? Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) is a registered charity. Its mandate is to improve the health of homeless and vulnerably housed communities through veterinary care to their pets, and to connect their humans with health and social services.

WHERE are we? CVO clinics are present throughout Canada, including Vancouver, Kelowna, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo, and York region. CVO started in 2003 at the Ottawa Mission.

HOW do we help people and their pets? CVO is staffed with veterinary and community volunteers and operates out of partner agency locations. Clients and their pets are referred to programs through case workers operating out of our partnership agencies in the community. Programs include:

• Full service clinics offer preventative care, including an examination, vaccinations, treatment for parasites, implantation with permanent identification (microchip), and owners receive education and advice on nutrition, dental care, and behaviour.
• Pet Fairs that include pet health education, pet dental education and supplies, grooming and nail trims, and access to pet food and supplies.

One Health Services

One Health is the collaborative relationship between human and animal health and the social and physical environment. All clinics and pet fairs have social and various health services embedded within them, depending on the partnerships in the region. These services include smoking reduction and cessation, primary health care including flu vaccination, dental care access, harm reduction (naloxone kits, safe injection supplies), and healthy living/ exercise advice.’