Asheville affordable pet care clinics offer free services for Emma, Deaverview residents

ASHEVILLE - The cacophony could be heard from down the road, a blend of barks, whines and infrequent muted meows that spilled from a lively lot in Asheville's Emma community, where dozens of dogs were lined up with their respective owners or milling about in the green field fronting the church, waiting for their number to be called.

Adam Cotton, clipboard in hand, seemed to have a jovial handle on the madness. As Asheville Humane Society's director of community solutions, Cotton was the point person for the May 17 Affordable Pet Care Clinic, which turned out to be the largest affordable clinic they've ever held.

By the end of the two-hour window, veterinarians and others with PAWS Mobile Veterinarian Clinic and Appalachian Animal Hospital served 92 pets and 57 households, of which 34 were Spanish-speaking. Of the pets served, 59, or 64%, were from Spanish-speaking households.

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Offering cash-only services, and with affordable, transparent and fixed rates for various vaccines, exams, nail trims and more, the event targeted "underserved" communities in need of additional support for people and their pets.

"Yes, you absolutely saw a cat on a leash," Cotton said, surveying the eclectic mix of household pets. There was something of a children's book quality to the teeming crowd outside Emma Fellowship Church — big dogs and little dogs; scruffy, shaggy and sculpted dogs; dogs in pairs and dogs alone; dogs of all colors and temperaments; and, of course, the occasional disgruntled cat.

While the Humane Society regularly holds Affordable Pet Care Clinics, and has for years, this one was larger, more widely advertised and offered free clinic services for Emma and Deaverview residents with proof of address, such as a utility bill or ID card.

A private vet typically sees 20 people in eight hours, Cotton said. At the May 17 clinic, they served more than 90 pets in two hours.

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Free or reduced cost care

The free care was made possible by a $120,000 grant from PetSmart Charities, intended to address challenges accessing veterinary care in primarily Latino communities.

"These funds will be used to expand the scope of our community solutions branch and take services and pet wellness clinics into the community," said Asheville Humane Society marketing assistant Mabel Lujan in a May 16 email.

Rising costs combined with geographical and cultural barriers have left many communities out of the veterinary care system altogether, the accompanying release said.

Per 2020 census data, Emma, an unincorporated community in Buncombe County, has a population of 2,174. Of its residents, 991, or nearly 46% identify as Hispanic or Latino.

With a basic exam as low as $35 and vaccines ranging from $10-$20, Alejandro Carvajal Flores, a veterinarian at Appalachian Animal Hospital, said the prices at the affordable clinic are discounted anywhere from 50%-60% from what would traditionally be found at veterinarian hospitals.

Carvajal Flores moved to Asheville from Mexico City in 2017, and said he's the only Spanish-speaking vet he knows of in the Asheville area.

"For families that have pets ... the prices are going up the last two years pretty bad," he said. "And sometimes (pet owners) want to take care of their animals, they want to do the vaccines ... but the prices are prohibitive for a bunch of them."

Through the clinics, he hopes they can reach the populations that don't always have easy access to vet care. Sometimes they see pets that have been sick for months, have fleas or parasites, but prices have prevented owners from seeking help.

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The event was hosted by UNETE, a Hispanic-led, nonprofit based in Emma, which deploys certified community health workers in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson and Transylvania counties. They are headquartered at the church, and had a table set up at the clinic site, handing out pamphlets and pet food.

Executive Director Norma Duran Brown said the church is the "heart of (the) Emma neighborhood."

“It was such a vibrant amazing atmosphere. Unconditional love. Pets’ love is so healing and amazing," she said. “It was very nice to see several sectors of our community interacting, chatting through their pets or keeping their pets apart," she said, the last with a laugh, thinking of all the overeager dogs on straining leashes.

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'An arm and a leg'

Shari Brown, 36, from West Asheville was waiting in line with Chevy, her 8-year-old cattle dog mix. Mottled gray and white, Chevy panted quietly on the asphalt, shyly submitting to a few head scratches.

Brown said she had called her usual vet to get flea and tick medicine for Chevy, but since he's gone "a year and a week" without seeing them, they wouldn't sign off on his medication, and the quote for the cost was higher than she had hoped.

She immediately started looking for a low-cost clinic, found a posting for the event that day, and drove right over. Her "miracle baby," Brown said Chevy typically avoids any major health issues, so he's been relatively low cost.

But Cotton noted that most everyone wants what is best for their pets, and when vet care prices them out from the ability to afford that care, "it's devastating."

The Humane Society often takes in animals from communities like Deaverview, Emma and Asheville public housing when people can't pay the vet bills.

"So this is one opportunity we have to reach out to that community, and try to reduce the amount of animals that end up needing to come into the shelter because (owners) can’t afford the care that they need to do what’s best for the animal,” Cotton said.

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Wendy Acevedo, 19, was also in line, alongside her mother, Marina Lule, both of Canton. At Acevedo's feet, tiny, barrel-shaped dog Loki was waiting for his appointment.

Acevedo said they brought him in for vaccines and a nail trim, hoping to avoid the expensive prices of their typical clinic. When asked her favorite thing about Loki, Acevedo conferred with her mom briefly in Spanish, before turning back: "He is a cool dog," she said, smiling.

A fondness for their pets seemed a universal feeling at the clinic event, with too-big puppies cradled in arms, gentle chiding directed at the habitual barkers, and vets murmuring softly to the animals receiving care.

Katerina Dougherty, 26, from Fletcher, was sitting with sibling Australian Shepherds Boomer and Pepper, who posed politely for photos at her direction.

“It’s cheap. I came for the cheap prices,” she said of the event. Dougherty used to work as a veterinary assistant herself, she said, but grew weary of high prices and the push for pharmaceuticals.

“I come to places that care about the animals, like giving vaccines without charging an arm and a leg," she said. "Just being able to charge so they can come out and do it again.”

Regular affordable care is especially important, she said, so if the big cost surgeries do become necessary, there's money left to afford it, rather than it all going to routine vaccines.

“What did I do before you?" she asked the dogs crowding by her feet. "I have no idea.”

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When is the next event?

The next Affordable Pet Care Clinic is June 14 at its usual location at 800 Fairview Road, unit C-1 (around the back of the building) in River Ridge Mall from 10 a.m. to noon, where it is held every other month. Clients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis, and services are cash only. The clinic includes free administering of microchips for pets, and free clinic services for Emma and Deaverview residents.

Cotton said the event will return to a location in Emma, Deaverview or another targeted Buncombe County neighborhood in July.

Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Looking for low cost vet care? Asheville Humane Society holds clinics