AWA and NJ Aid for Animals partner up to help Camden City pets March 31

The Animal Welfare Association (AWA) is partnering with NJ Aid for Animals, Inc. to deliver a range of services to promote care and improve the quality of life for animals in Camden, and is offering free, life-saving vaccines for animals belonging to city residents on Saturday March 31.

The clinic will take place at the FOP Lodge, 1137 Federal Street, Camden City, from 9 a.m. to noon. No reservation is required.

“We learned that life-threatening dog and cat illness were on the rise in urban areas and knew we had to do something,” said Maya Richmond, Executive Director of AWA.

In today’s tough economy many pet owners can’t afford preventative vaccinations for their pets and over time this can lead to a major pet-health epidemic. AWA wrote a grant to the ASPCA asking for funding to help Camden City residents protect their dogs against the highly contagious parvo virus and to protect their cats against upper respiratory illness and calicivirus.

Parvo is a deadly condition that ranks second only to hot weather trauma as the top cause of preventable canine deaths in summer. There is no drug to give to a dog that kills parvovirus once the animal is infected.

To deliver these vaccinations as quickly as possible to pet owners, AWA is partnering with NJ Aid for Animals, Inc (NJAFA), which operates NJAFA’s Community Pet Day in Camden City.

Partnering allows more pets to get vaccinated through these already scheduled clinics.

“We want to get to the most animals and hope to vaccinate as many as possible,” said Kathy McGuire, founder and President/CEO of NJ Aid for Animals, Inc.

NJ Aid for Animals’ and Animal Welfare Association (AWA) partnering is an example of rescue organizations coming together for the community and to support each other in a difficult economy.

At the Community Pet Day pets receive vaccinations, identification tag and collar, leash, nail trim, and shaving for free. They can also receive some additional services, like flea treatments for a nominal fee. Discount coupons for pet spay/neuter are also handed out.

Community Pet Day is a program NJAFA is looking to expand to similarly distressed communities. The AWA has a list of towns to which they are bringing their mobile clinic to provide similar clinics to over the summer months. Richmond says, “It is through partnering, collaborating, sharing services, donations and cooperation with other agencies that we can serve the animals the best.”