Helping Hands Vet Helps Pet Parents Avoid Economic Euthanasia

As a Tripawds member you understand the financial implications of paying for a limb amputation for your dog or cat. This surgery can cost in the thousands of dollars and the sad fact is, it’s just not an option for many economically distressed pet parents. When faced with paying for surgery, these pet lovers are forced to euthanize their animal simply because they can’t afford the vet bill. Dr. Laurie Pasternak, DVM, is one vet in Northern Virginia who understands the devastation this causes, and she is on a mission to end “economic euthanasia” at her Helping Hands Vet Clinic in Richmond.

Helping Hands Making a Difference

We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Lori (far right) and her business partner Jacqueline Morasco (second from right) at the Greyhounds Rock Conference in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

We learned about their amazingly affordable services that are making a difference in pet parent’s lives as well as their local community. We want to share the Helping Hands news with you in case you or someone you know is faced with economic pet euthanasia.

Bare Bones, Big Quality

As a practicing vet for over 12 years, Dr. Lori decided to open Helping Hands because she grew weary of encountering growing numbers of pet parents who were forced to euthanize their animals because of a lack of funds.

She opened the clinic with just four staff members and the mission of providing high quality surgical and dental care to pets at affordable rates.

Since Helping Hands is a referral-only clinic and limits their services to just surgical procedures and dental care, they can afford to keep rates low. The clinic is out-patient only and Dr. Lori relies on her client’s regular vet to provide all post-op and follow up care. As a result, she is able to provide extremely affordable rates to pet parents from all financial backgrounds (see her Procedure Rates list).

“I don’t want anyone to be in the position of having to choose between feeding their kids or treating their dog,” she told Best Friends Magazine. Dr. Lori’s clinic accepts veterinarian-referred from all around the U.S. and Canada and performs surgeries ranging from amputation to laceration repairs.

Lend a Hand, Pay a Bill

Although Dr. Lori’s rates are extremely affordable when compared to mainstream clinics, even those bare bones fees can be out of reach for some pet parents. For these clients, Helping Hands gives pet parents the option of volunteering an hour of their time for every $10 they owe on their vet bill.

Clients can work at Helping Hands or a local animal-related organization. Since $5 of every procedure performed at the clinic is added to a “Helping Hands Fund,” the clinic is able to cover the costs of these situations.

The community response to Helping Hands has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to the countless numbers of caring animal lovers who have donated money and time to helping Dr. Lori end economic euthanasia, the clinic is making a difference in the lives of pet parents everywhere.

Visit the Helping Hands website to learn about the great work Dr. Lori and her crew of volunteers and staff are doing!

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