Colorado Veterinarian Sends Mobile Clinic For Free Medical Care To Ukraine
By Shawn Patrick on February 28, 2023
A Colorado veterinarian is providing free medical care for pets in Ukraine with a mobile vet clinic. Dr. Jon Geller has earned a reputation as a compassionate veterinarian, offering free services to pets living on the streets. So it was no surprise when the Fort Collins vet hopped on a plane to go and provide support for the countless pets that would need help after the Russians invaded Ukraine last year.
With his nonprofit Street Dog Coalition, Geller set up a vet clinic on the Ukrainian-Romanian border to offer vaccines, microchips, and pet passports so families fleeing the war could travel with their pets. It meant a lot to Geller to help people and their pets in their time of need. “The experience for me was the experience of a lifetime, being over there,” he says.
Now the good doctor is teaming up with Worldwide Vets to continue helping Ukrainians and their furry family members. Together, they’ll soon be launching a mobile vet clinic to provide free care to pets in Ukraine. “It’s got a surgery suite. It’s got a second place to do procedures and surgeries. It has 12 or 16 cages,” Geller says of the mobile clinic. “We’ll be taking care of stray animals, animals with war injuries, some just need preventive care.” He’s seen first-hand how important it can be for people to have their pets with them amid all the turmoil. “Sometimes their pets are all that are really keeping them going in times of despair and hopelessness,” he says. “They need assistance. We can provide it.”