VCA offers free boarding for pets displaced by wildfires

As wildfires continued to burn on the West Coast, VCA Animal Hospitals announced it would offer free boarding for pets whose owners had to evacuate their homes.

The hospital network, which operates more than 1,000 clinics in North America and Japan, has offered this service during previous wildfire emergencies.

VCA hospitals in Oregon and California have been providing boarding assistance during the current crisis, which has lasted weeks, burning more than 5 million acres in California, Oregon and Washington.

Pet owners were encouraged to call ahead to make sure space was available for their pets.

“We understand that catastrophic natural disasters like these wildfires are made even more stressful for people with pets, and VCA is here to help pet owners find a safe place for their pets during this difficult time,” said VCA president Todd Lavender.

Oregon’s Mail Tribune reported an initial influx in one veterinary hospital of cats who had been burned in the fires, though officials said less obvious injuries, like respiratory system damage, couldn’t be detected immediately. At the time, most of the burned patients were cats, who are prone to injury since they often hide or run away during emergencies.