'Angel' Vet Operates on 1,300 Rescue Cats and Dogs in One Year for Free

Vet bills can be a huge expense for owners, but an animal shelter in South Carolina is on a mission to help as many animals as it can for free.

At Oconee Humane Society, vet Dr. Paul Black and vet technician Abigail Arellano have performed 1,358 surgeries on a voluntary basis in the past year—and they're still going.

Arellano, who helps oversee the care of thousands of animals at the shelter, told Newsweek: "These pets were brought to us because their owners couldn't afford to have the surgery done elsewhere. Had we not been available for these animals, they would have suffered a slow and painful death.

"In other cases, the animals would breed and add to the overpopulation. Some would have diseases, go undiagnosed and untreated because they couldn't afford testing and medications at a regular vet."

The rewarding nature of the work keeps Arellano going each day. "We are helping animals that normally wouldn't be able to get this level of care," she said. Many of them are unlikely to have survived without the surgery.

"I would like to add that all of this was made possible because of Dr. Black. He is the one who had the dream for this clinic and turned it into a reality. On top of that, he volunteers his time and all 1,358 surgeries without getting paid. Because of his selflessness, we are able to do all these wonderful things."

The rising costs of owning a pet are putting an added strain on many Americans' wallets, and preventing a number of people from rescuing a pet because they simply can't afford it. Lisa LaFontaine, the CEO of Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, recently told PBS that their animal intake has risen by four percent, but adoptions have gone down by 10 percent.

For those animals lucky enough to get adopted, it isn't always permanent, as La Fontaine explained that she's seen a lot of owners forced to bring their pet back to the shelter as they couldn't keep it.

The daily costs of owning a pet can be difficult enough, but if any medical treatment is required, owners will really feel the pinch. Pet owners spent about $35.9 billion on veterinary care in 2022, according to the American Pet Products Association. It was the second most expensive category, behind pet food with a spend of $58.1 billion. The association expects vet care costs to rise to $37 billion in 2023.

In 2022, the Oconee shelter took in 2,171 animals and staff worked tirelessly to bring them back to full health. Once recovered, many of the animals can be put up for adoption in hopes of finding a forever home.

Arellano has been documenting the shelter's hard work on her TikTok account (@abigailada12). In June she shared a video highlighting how the "low-cost clinic has done over 1,000 surgeries" in seven months. She also shows social media users some of the animals in need of homes.

She told Newsweek: "Surgeries are free for shelter animals and community cats. Pet owners can come to the humane society and purchase a low-cost voucher. There are two types, one is income based and is between zero and $30. The other is a flat rate for anyone, no proof of income needed.

"This voucher covers the whole surgery, including pain medications. We're able to do this with donations, grants and working with the county. We have done spays, neuters, limb amputations, dental extractions, tumor removals and eye removals. We are equipped to handle almost any surgery.

"I love knowing we are making a difference for the pet owners and animals in our community. People on social media love seeing what we do. They especially love Dr. Black because he volunteers at the clinic. They comment saying we are angels, that they are proud of us and thanking us."

TikTok viewers are certainly impressed. One wrote: "Congrats y'all. You guys are doing a great thing!"

Another commented: "I love this. This needs to be spread around."

Update, 07/21/23, 7:34 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add comments from Lisa LaFontaine.

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