Veterinary care just got a fresh set of wheels through the Humane Society for Southwest Washington’s new mobile clinic.
On Friday morning, the Humane Society welcomed the first clients to the Sandra Richardson Miller Mobile Veterinary Clinic, a new program intended to address the gap in access to pet care in Clark County. The 33-foot recreational vehicle provides low-cost spay and neuter services for pets of people who are receiving government assistance, income-qualifying or unhoused or in transitional housing. It also offers targeted wellness care.
Andrea Bruno, president of the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, said the clinic is the first of its kind in the area.
“What we’re really trying to do with this is provide low-cost affordable care for families who probably aren’t accessing much care at all,” Bruno said. “Our goal is to do the basics and provide as much resources and education that we can to ensure that we can keep those people and pets together. If we can address things at the base level, then they can keep their pet and manage it instead of having to give it to a shelter.”
Cost of Mobile Clinic Services
Exam fee: $20 required for all services
Spay and neuter services: government assistance, $30 per cat; low-Income household, $60 per cat
Flea prevention and treatment: $10-$20
Dewormer: $10
Rabies vaccine: $15
Canine core vaccines (DHPP, Bordetella, Leptospirosis): $20
Feline core vaccines: $20
Tapeworm treatment: $10-$35 (dependent on weight)
Microchip (HomeAgain): $20
Add-on services only:
Nail trim: $10
Ear cleaning: $20
Cardboard kennel (for cats only): $10
Services for the community are now available by appointment only at hssw.org/mvc.
The program will start by providing spay and neuter services for cats. Wellness care, including vaccinations, microchips and preventative care, will be available for both cats and dogs.
The clinic operates four days a week at the Humane Society for Southwest Washington, 1100 N.E. 192nd Ave., Vancouver, and two other locations: Umpqua Bank, 8015 N.E. Highway 99 in Hazel Dell, and ilani, 1 Cowlitz Way, Ridgefield. Bruno said the clinic will eventually expand to operate at four partner locations throughout Southwest Washington.
On Friday, the clinic’s medical team — Dr. Kayla Harris, veterinary technician Kate Shimek and veterinary assistant Isabel Chavez — played with Mia, a 5-year-old cat available for adoption, while waiting for people to arrive for their appointments. Fifteen appointments were scheduled for the day. The trio will run the clinic Wednesday through Saturday.
Harris said she hopes to eventually create information sheets about certain pet diseases, vaccines and treatments to keep pet owners informed.
“We don’t have all the same equipment as a general practice has, but we’re just trying to get the basic care out to the community,” Harris said.
A brand new mobile veterinary clinic typically costs about $500,000, Bruno said, but the Humane Society was able to buy a slightly used model for about $100,000.
“It’s taken us about nine to 10 months to get the program off of the ground, but it really was kind of a seize the moment. What we’re really trying to do is get more accessible resources out into our community and this is part of that strategy,” Bruno said. “We will try to have set weeks of the month when we’re at the same location, so people can come back for follow-up appointments, as well.”
The clinic was named after Sandra Richardson Miller, a longtime donor and Humane Society for Southwest Washington board member, who died in 2022.
“For a long time, we saw there was a need for veterinary care. We will always be here for the animals, but my goal is not to have animals come to us if there is something we can do to intervene with our expertise,” Bruno said. “Keeping people and pets together — that’s really the idea.”
