Coast Mountain Veterinary Services
What is the Stryker Fund?
In March, 2022 a cat named Stryker brought into the clinic.
Stryker was in a critical condition when he was brought into our care from a rural location. With Stryker's family unable to afford the necessary surgery, they had to make the difficult decision to surrender him to the local shelter in order to get him the life-saving treatment he needed.
The family brought him directly to the clinic, where we handled the surrender paperwork. They were very upset, but through tears told us that they would do whatever they needed to do to see Stryker live, even if it meant he wouldn't live with them.
After admitting Stryker, we sat and spoke with the family, who shared with us that Stryker wasn't originally their cat, it had belonged to their daughter, who had passed away the previous year. It was their final link to their daughter, and they couldn't afford his surgery so they had to say goodbye.
Due to their selfless act, Stryker survived. He’s a fighter and is now healthy again.
When you're faced with a situation like this, it's normal to feel helpless, and accept that sometimes this is what happens. And it is. We've all seen cases like this working in veterinary care, but the staff at Coast Mountain never want to see something so heartbreaking happen in our area again. So, we started the Stryker Fund.
The Stryker Fund, in honour of Stryker’s story, was created to pay for one-off surgeries with expected good outcomes. It supports the special cases where families cannot afford to pay for this surprise expense and would otherwise see the pet euthanized or surrendered.
We expect this fund will not only help our clients when faced with heartbreaking conditions, but also support our local shelter, Whistler Animals Galore. WAG has been a longtime partner of Coast Mountain Veterinary Services and we are happy to work with their support on this initiative to help keep pets in their homes and out of shelters.
How do you qualify?
We have strict guidelines in order to qualify for this fund.
If your animal needs emergency care, and finances are of a concern, please mention this to our staff, and they will take the case to the necessary personnel to find out if you qualify for the program. There are specific factors for qualification that are set out to avoid any misuse or abuse of allocated funds and to ensure we can continue to offer this important community program.
The case must be presented to and signed off by the management team. This does mean that, unfortunately, not everyone will qualify, as it is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We will also consult any necessary outside specialists or shelter staff to make informed decisions.
How can you help?
Donate!
If you would like to donate to the Stryker Fund, we are accepting donations by means of etransfer. You can send your donation to: [email protected]. Please note that it’s a Stryker Fund donation.
We’re always coming up with new ways to raise money within the hospital, stay tuned for special donation events like nail trim days and pet portraits by donation. We’re happy to offer these opportunities to our community so come by and support the cause with your pet!
Have a credit on your account with us? You’re welcome to donate that too!
Corporate Donations
If you would like to support us as a business, we can provide you with a donation jar, and materials to reach out to your own clients to help raise money.
Larger corporate donations can be handled by contacting the clinic or emailing: [email protected].
Zeus' Story
Zeus was the first recipient of help from The Stryker Fund.
At just two years old, Zeus was hit by a pickup truck near his home just north of Whistler and suffered a severe break to his hind leg.
Zeus's very dedicated family desperately tried to come up with the amount of money needed for a repair at another hospital, but with time running out, and not able to produce the over $10k needed, they opted instead to amputate the limb under medical recommendation.
Zeus' Story
Zeus was the first recipient of help from The Stryker Fund.
At just two years old, Zeus was hit by a pickup truck near his home just north of Whistler and suffered a severe break to his hind leg.
Zeus's very dedicated family desperately tried to come up with the amount of money needed for a repair at another hospital, but with time running out, and not able to produce the over $10k needed, they opted instead to amputate the limb under medical recommendation.
Zeus' amputation was performed by Dr. Dayton and Dr. Sola and he was back up on his remaining paws and ready to play in a matter of days!
Since then Zeus has adapted well to his new life as a tripod, and is enjoying his summer playing with the other family pets.
We're so happy we could help ease the financial burden of Zeus' care on his loving family who were already emotionally devastated seeing him in pain.
It's a delight to see Zeus living his best three-legged life with his family, and seeing The Stryker Fund already making a difference.
Thank you so much!
Todd's Story
Todd is a cheeky one year old kitten, who was brought in when he started vomiting up everything he ate and drank.
It turns out Todd decided his Mum's silicone straw looked just delicious and chewed up the whole straw into inch-long pieces before ingesting the lot.
Todd needed emergency surgery to remove all this silicone from his stomach, and then a follow up hospitalization stint with us after he struggled post-surgery.
A portion of the bill was raised through Go Fund Me, but we were delighted to step in and pay for the rest.
