"I just want to help," San Diego veterinary technician LeeAnn Ramsey told NBC 7 recently. "There's so many people out there who can’t afford stuff for their dogs and cats, and I just jump in there a lot of times to help them out."
Ramsey has worked at the Grand Animal Hospital, in Pacific Beach, since 1996. This year, she started seeing people bringing their pets into the clinic who couldn’t afford to take care of their dogs and cats after losing work during the pandemic. So she came up with an idea.
"I raised money by setting up a fundraiser on Facebook," Ramsey said, adding, "I reached out to friends, and I, of course, donated myself many times to help out with the fundraiser."
So far, Ramsey has raised between $2,500 and $2,700 through her DIY FB fundraiser, and has helped dozens of pets and their owners.
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"Mostly it’s during the appointment that I speak to them," Ramsey said. "I would talk to them about, just small talk: If they lost their job during the COVID, how’s things going?… If I give them an estimate for the services, a lot of times, I can see that they can’t afford or they’ll tell me they can’t afford stuff. And they have to, you know, pass up on medications or treatment. And it just -- it breaks my heart, and so I help out as much as I can."
One pet owner and pup Ramsey helped out stands out.
"There was this one, it was a pitbull," Ramsey said. "We did blood work and fluids, and her blood work was horrible. Her kidneys were failing, and her liver was failing. One of my coworkers helped out with the blood work. I helped out with everything else. But we ended up doing the dog’s blood work after we had her on IV catheter and fluids, and she did like a total 360. And she always tells me I saved her dog’s life."
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Ramsey is hoping to raise even more through the hospital to help more families and their pets.
"Even if it’s just for flea control, or you know, I helped out with paying for a spay for somebody that is, actually, was, homeless," Ramsey said. "I don’t know, I just want to help out people because I know what it feels like, you know, to not be able to treat your animals and take care of them."
Want to help Ramsey help out pet owners? Give the Grand Animal Hospital a call at (858) 272-1320 and let them know you want to make a donation.
