Press Room

Press Releases

June 2008

RENO, Nevada, June 16, 2008 — Maddie’s Fund®, one of the country’s largest animal welfare foundations, is launching an unprecedented campaign in Northern Nevada to promote regular veterinarian visits for pets. The campaign, Pets Love Vets, aims to help pets live longer, healthier lives by educating residents about pet care and connecting them with local veterinarians.

Pets Love Vets will feature a paid television advertising campaign running from June 16 till mid-July on Northern Nevada network and cable stations. Advertisements will direct local residents to www.PetsLoveVets.com, where they can learn more about milestones in their pets’ lives and find trusted veterinarians in their areas by zip code search.

“Pets are like members of our family,” said Richard Avanzino, president of Maddie’s Fund. “Just as we rely on a family doctor for ourselves and our children, our pets, too, deserve regular care. We believe that starting a lasting relationship with a trusted, local veterinarian is one of the best ways to ensure longer, healthier lives for pets.”

Maddie's Fund would like veterinarians to become a more trusted source of information about care, which can include spaying/neutering, heartworm prevention, vaccinations, wellness exams for older pets and medical problems related to obesity.

“Pets need regular health care, just like people,” said Dr. Dennis R. Wilson, DVM and the Hospital Administrator for the Animal Emergency Center in Reno. “In fact, because dogs and cats age more quickly than humans, they need even more routine care then most people expect. Too often, I see pets come in with illnesses and injuries that are devastating and expensive to treat, and many could have been prevented if they were diagnosed and treated sooner.”

Maddie’s Fund selected Northern Nevada as its pilot site to complement current pet welfare activities underway by local veterinarians and shelters. For example, the University of Nevada, Reno, conducted a survey from November 2007 to February 2008 of more than 600 Northern Nevadans to determine rates of pet ownership, spaying/neutering, and other opinions and experiences.

One of the key findings is that the number one reason people give up a pet is because of perceived behavior problems. This is of particular interest to animal welfare organizations because veterinarians can play a pivotal role in evaluating and solving some common behavior issues. This not only can improve the lives of pets and their guardians but also helps to keep animals from being surrendered to shelters.

Pets Love Vets is Maddie’s Fund’s second project in the Northern Nevada area. In February, the SPCA of Northern Nevada launched a low-cost spay/neuter program for low-income residents in order to reduce the Northern Nevada animal shelter population.

For more information about Pets Love Vets — or to view the television spot — visit www.PetsLoveVets.com.