Since our inception in 1986, we have focused on helping people help animals by supporting disaster preparedness and response, animal welfare education, and the human-animal bond.
Disaster Response
In early December 2022, the Foundation provided a $15,000 grant to the OSU CCVM Dean’s Fund for Disaster Response, a dedicated pool of money to support a veterinary approach to disaster preparedness and response. This particular grant will be earmarked to provide disaster training and education to veterinarians, veterinary support staff, and veterinary students.
The training and education is managed and directed by DAM Vets, the College’s Disaster Action Management team, and is a coordinated effort with the Oregon Department of Agriculture Animal Health and OVERT (Oregon Veterinary Emergency Response Team).
Wildfire Relief
In 2020, 35 fires that swept across western Oregon and engulfed approximately 5 million acres, highlighted an ongoing need for rapid response to emergencies and disasters affecting the health, safety and welfare of animals from pets to livestock to wildlife.
In response to this disaster, we stepped forward by providing grants:
- $10,000 to Sound Equine Options (SEO) for medical care and treatment of horses in its care. This donation matched a $10,000 grant by the Foundation for the Horse (AAEP) to SEO. Founded by OVMA member Dr. Scott Hansen, Sound Equine Options is a Gresham nonprofit organization that focuses on addressing the abuse, neglect and abandonment of horses. It also played an integral role in evacuating horses during the numerous fires this summer and early fall, specifically the Riverside Fire. SEO also helped move and rescue horses and other livestock during the Eagle Creek Fire that razed 50,000 acres in the Columbia River Gorge in September 2017.
- $4,000 to two humane organization in Southern Oregon that evacuated, rescued and treated hundreds of pets during the wildfires that hit this region of the state especially hard.
- The AHFO is also a recipient of a $15,000 donation by AmeriSource (parent company of MWI) and will be distributing these funds as part of disaster relief for the recent wildfires.
Disaster Preparedness Planning
In 2017, we created and distributed a packet entitled Disaster Preparedness: Resources for Veterinarians and Clients to all active Oregon veterinarians. It provides clinicians with material on including pets and large animals in disaster planning that can be easily distributed as client handouts, and also information on the critical elements to keep in mind while creating an action plan for the veterinary practice before and after a disaster.
We have supported statewide efforts to create community-based disaster preparedness plans though the publication of guidelines for such efforts, which were distributed to all counties in Oregon. These community based programs have responded to emergencies such as wildfires. We have also conducted disaster preparedness workshops, which included the veterinarian’s role in disaster response, across the state.
Resources for Animal Owners