As of this point there are at least 2 more babies and possibly more.
Thank you to everyone who is helping. We were getting close, but still need more help, especially with 16 + babies in addition to the others we are saving.
I so appreciate every penny that is donated. I am hoping and praying we can pull this off and LEAVE NO HORSE BEHIND!
I will update as more come in.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
The Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Big Day of Giving is TODAY!! This is still time to to take part in this community grown 24 hour giving challenge. A day to GIVE where your HEART is!
The horses of AAE have our hearts and we hope they have yours too!
Taylor came to AAE December of 2019. Taylor was rescued from a kill pen (by a private party) in July and taken to a board/care facility. Only thing is, it seems her rescuer forgot to go back to take care of her. She never paid for her board/care, she never had her hooves trimmed, she never had her teeth checked and she never vaccinated her.
Taylor is an older TB mare (20-ish), about 15.1 hh, and an absolute sweetheart.
Her hoof and dental care were long neglected, though her hooves looked ok from the outside. Her hooves were long, her bars and sole were much overgrown, and it was all stuck within her hoof walls.
She had her first trim shortly after arrival, she was vaccinated and dewormed, a microchip was placed, and her teeth were floated. She has a dental condition called “Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis” (EOTRH); however, radiographs indicated her teeth and jaw structure remain in relatively good, solid condition. Her tongue tends hangs out of her mouth a bit; it just adds a little more character to this sweet gal. As with all the horses at AAE, she continues her routine care is maintained while she is here
Taylor has had a tough life, and she really needs a soft landing, ideally into a companion home where she’ll be doted on and loved a lot.
Today, May 2, 2020, we should be celebrating AAE’s 11 years of horse rescue with our Boots & Bling event. Boots is AAE’s annual fundraising event, critical to our ongoing operations.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we’ve had to postpone our event until it’s safe to resume large gatherings. We are feeling the impact like so many of you. We are also saddened we are not spending today with you, our friends, volunteers, donors and sponsors.
If you were planning to attend tonight, in the spirit of Boots & Bling, please visit our website and donate to our Fund-A-Need to support our Feed and Vet Care budget through the pandemic.
Share our Posts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
THE HORSES NEED YOU!
Can You Believe May 7th is Almost Here!
The Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s Big Day of Giving on May 7th is a 24 hours giving challenge. A day to give where you heart is.
Guess What?! You don’t have to wait for May 7th be a part of it!
You can donate now on the Big Day of Giving Website. We understand many continue to be impacted by COVID-19, but we hope you will give where your heart is and make a difference in the lives of these horses.
This giving timecomes during a period of great uncertainty, especially for our horses, and your support is needed now more than ever.
Commit to GIVE today!
You can make a one time gift, or make it a recurring and give monthly!
This year we are happy to announce we have a matching donation challenge of $1500! Dollar-for-Dollar your donation will have double the impact!
*To help engage your giving spirit even more! We are giving away Vintage AAE Merchandise for all donations over $150!
A Gift Certificate to AAE’s Used Tack Store for one item for every $150 donation; limited to stock on hand
ABOVE – How beautiful and precious am I? Please help Mom save me in honor of my brother Christmas!!
I begin this update with heartbreaking news for those of you who haven’t heard,
I had to say goodbye to Baby Christmas. He fought so long and hard, and was improving so much. Sadly we found out that the infection was so bad for so long that it damaged the inside of his neck beyond repair. His wounds were so severe there was simply no way to save him. I loved that little boy beyond measure, and he loved his Mom. Thankfully he passed peacefully, surrounded by love after days of eating his munchies and hangin’ out with Mom. THANK YOU to everyone who stepped up for this beautiful soul.
NOW MEET DANDELION. She shared the same daddy as Christmas, a gorgeous stallion named Black Jack.. So it’s almost like we still have part of him.Now when the tears stream down my face from the agony of losing Christmas, my beautiful Dandelion seems to hug me.
She was also attacked by most likely the same predator as her brother. She has horribly infected wounds that need flushed and cleaned several times a day, as well as needing 4 injections a day. We are praying once again that we get a miracle. Thankfully her prognosis, although a bit guarded, is extremely more positive than Baby Christmas’ was.
Of course we are still paying off vet bills for Christmas and Skipper, as well as 2 of the Sad 7 etc. etc. THANK YOU to my angels who sent payment directly to our account at the vet, or donations to us directly. You are amazing and so appreciated.
It’s time to stock up the barn with hay for the winter. We are currently in the middle of another ongoing rescue. We will share more when the horse is safe. We need to save him (them?), vet him and get him back home. (So glad the roads down south are not covered in ice and snow.)
We so appreciate the love and support. With 4 milk babies going through about $600 worth of milk powder a week, and 30 equine here at the rescue (most of them special needs), it costs a pretty penny to do what we do. So thank you for making it possible to save these lives!
If you want to donate directly to our vet, here is the information.
Zimmerman Veterinary 1 775-623-0981 and let them know it is for “Palomino – Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang”.
PLEASE LET’S “GIT ‘ER DONE” ONCE MORE and save these precious lives!!!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
This little pistol was only about five days old when she came to AAE.
Mom didn’t come down for winter with the rest of the herd, but March 1st, 2018,
she had a reason. Mom (Martina) delivered this beautiful little girl, and
she needed better nourishment to keep them both alive. They showed up at the barn at DreamCatchers, and we got a call. Their winters are harsh up there, and survival can be difficult for the little ones. Martina and Valentine were several mare/foal pairs that came in last year. This year was Valentine’s year!
Her name came from the little heart on her muzzle. She was such a brave lil’ squirt
She was tiny but mighty, and she let you know it!
Valentine had a large umbilical hernia, so large, some mistook her for a gelding.
It sure made it easy to spot her in the herd.
Once she was weaned, she was set up for surgery to repair the hernia. It was a big one..
Poor little miss energy hated her recovery, 60 days on stall rest.
She healed fine, and it wasn’t long before she blossomed into this big, beautiful girl.
(For any of you that remember Dayton, she looks like she could be his lil’ sister).
And look at her now….she moved to her new home earlier this year!!
We always look forward to updates from our adopters.
If you’ve adopted an AAE horse and we haven’t been in touch lately,
please drop us a line and let us know how things are going.
If you’d rather mail a check, please make check payable to
“All About Equine Animal Rescue, Inc.” and send to
2201 Francisco Dr. #140-174
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
We’ve Extended Our Hours!
Check out our facebook page for pop-up hours and specials!
Proceeds from the store support AAE operations.
If you’d like to donate tack or join the volunteer team at the store, please send us an email.
New Volunteer Needs
As many of you know, we’ve been trying to expand store hours.
TACK STORE SUPPORT:
We need a second person (no experience necessary) to help staff the store on Tuesday, Wednesday, and/or Thursday afternoons, 2p-6p, can you help?
If you’re interested in helping with tack store activities (e.g. cleaning donated tack, researching/pricing, organizing, helping customers, sharing AAE info, admin support, and more), we need you.
Current store hours are Fri-Mon 12-4p, and recently added Thurs hours 2-6p.
We can always use help during any of the current hours, too.
Please email us if you are interested/available Tues, Wed, or Thurs afternoons, 2-6p.
ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT:
If you are available to help with administrative activities, we are creating admin hours in the office at the store.
We have a variety of administrative tasks we need help getting done.
Please email us if you are interested/available Tues, Wed, or Thurs afternoons, 2p-6p.
BOOTS & BLING 2020
We have kicked off our Boots & Bling planning for 2020.
The event has included a catered BBQ Dinner, DJ Music and Dancing, Live/Silent/Dessert auctions,
a special fundraiser, and line dancing with instruction.
We need help in most areas for planning for this event to make sure its a huge success for AAE and our horses.
Please email us if you are interested in helping with Boots & Bling.
We meet once a month until the event.
SPECIAL PROJECTS AROUND THE BARN
Maybe you’d like to help around the barn, but don’t want to work directly with the horses, or you don’t like to muck?
We could use some help cleaning and organizing, whether it’s the feed room, the meds room, the office, the tools, groundskeeping, painting shelters, monitoring the fencelines, tree trimming, coordinating vehicle maintenance, or a zillion other things.
There’s so much that needs to be done, and
we could use some extra hands to help keep things looking nicer and more clean.
Please email us if you are interested/available during regular barn shifts,
Mon-Sat 8a-noon, Sun 9a-1p or afternoons 3p-6p.
Daily Horse Care, especially pm shifts needed now
(Daily 8a-12p or 3p-6p)
Used Tack Store Support, all areas
(Fri – Mon, 12-4p)
Barn/Facility Maintenance
Foster Homes, Long-Term Foster/Sanctuary Homes
Capital Campaign Support
Board Members
Fundraising/Events
Grants – Writing and Research
Volunteer, Project, and Activity Coordinators
Outreach Activities
Youth Programs
Therapy Programs
Veteran Programs
Special Projects
Admin Support
Marketing
Graphics
Social Media
Bloggers
Photographers
Media and/or Photo Librarian
More, more, more
Interested in volunteering or volunteering in other areas?
Tiny pens, no shelter and winter is here with a vengeance. There is not enough room to move around to get warm and you cannot get away from the snow and wind. Add very little feed to the mix and you have some devastated horses. WE NEED TO SAVE THEM NOW! Failure is not an option.
Meet SKIPPER, a very sad and very worried stallion. When I first saw him, my heart sank. It was like South Dakota all over again. Not only his feet, but the fact that he was actually eating his waste. He was not sniffing around for hay, he was literally chomping down on the feces in his pen. These horses will do whatever it takes to survive.
(The gentleman taking care of these animals has been in the hospital and stepped up to ask for help. They are not even his horses, so I am so thankful that he asked for help, even thought the last thing I was wanting for Christmas was 7 more horses.)
We need to save Mama and her little baby. Mama has had zero milk for sometime and is old and emaciated. I had to pay their bail today. I simply could not bear the thought of her and her baby out in the cold, hungry and trying to survive.
Three more heavily pregnant mares and the 2 stallions need us also. Every one has hoof issues, and even the little baby has horribly long hooves. This is another thing I learned in South Dakota, (from Karen herself). A very young baby with really long hooves is the result of starvation :(
It’s a tough time of year to pick up 7 new kids, and Chilly Pepper needs your help. These horses need your help.
We are going to have extensive veterinary, farrier and feed expenses. We will need homes for the pregnant mares and the stallions once their feet are better and they are gelded. However, there is no way I can say no and leave them there.
It’s almost Christmas! Let’s give them the gift of happiness, love and the care they deserve!
If you want to donate directly to our vet, here is the information.
Zimmerman Veterinary 1 775-623-0981 and let them know it is for “Palomino – Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang”.
PLEASE LET’S “GIT ‘ER DONE” ONCE MORE and save these precious lives!!!
Below – Poor SKIPPER eating his waste :(
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
Chilly Pepper’s kids need your help today. We have 15 orphaned foals on hand, and we are going through milk and supplies like crazy.
Every single baby has had to be seen by a vet, and most of them needed medication of some sort. Many are still on, or finishing up their meds, and happily all are guzzling milk like crazy.
The simple fact is that to properly take care of an orphan foal, it is expensive. While the 7 NV kids’ initial vet bill is being covered by AWHC and the Horse and Man Bucket Fund, Chilly Pepper is still incurring all the normal costs. In addition to all the vet bills for the NV babies, we are responsible for any ongoing vet bills and all of the expenses for all of them.
Boring things like BioSponge, Probiotics, milk pellets, hay, shavings, etc. etc and of course the most expensive item, their milk powder, are costing well over $200 plus a day. It is imperative they get everything they need now, and they are. However, we need help to keep saving lives.
We also need to maintain vehicles, trailers etc., and although the NV babies trickle in one or two at a time, (and those rescues are not as dramatic as the large groups we get at any one time), they still have the same costs once we get them, and we still need to buy milk and give them the best care possible.
We have permanent residents at Chilly Pepper, as well as many other kids who are getting the TLC they need to be ready for their forever homes. It all depletes the budget, but is necessary to do what we do.
We simply cannot save these lives without y’all.
We are currently standing by for not only more Yakima Babies in WA, but others in NV. So as always, there is never a dull moment or that thing they call rest, lol.
So please help these beautiful babies today!
Thank you as always, to all the folks who have stepped up and are part of this amazing journey and responsible for saving all these lives.
YOU, are the reason these horses have a chance!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
GOT MILK? We are going through milk by the gallons, and MORE BABIES ARE FLOODING IN, .WILL YOU HELP US SAVE THEM?
Another 911 call.There are babies at the shipping yard and we need to buy them/pick them up by Sunday. There are at least 4, and those numbers are normally higher by the time we get there.
The nursery also was put on notice that one of the Trappers has a large group of horses and will have orphan foals for us next week. We need to make sure we can save them so they do not get left out on the range for coyote bait. CAN WE COMMIT TO THEM? It is up to you.
We knew the rush would be here soon, and of course it is here before we are ready.Just by Sunday we will have 12 babies IF we get the funding needed to purchase, save, feed and vet them. This does NOT include the group coming in next week. As usual, we are still in the midst of one rescue, when the next one hits.But we are on the front line and we are the difference between life and death for these babies, not to mention all the adults we save along the way when we can.
We were hoping to slow down, but instead the volume of babies in WA is doubling, and we are now once again the “go to” rescue for the Virginia Range orphaned foals in NV. As I write this, Travis is on his way to pick up 3 more in NV and bring them to Chilly Pepper.
So you can be sure we will need all of your help, every time you want us to save more lives. YOU ARE THE ONES SAVING THESE LIVES! We simply cannot do it without you.
Due to the increase in potential babies, we are going to have to expand the nursery facilities in WA, help get our satellite in ID setup with more much needed, life saving equipment, and somehow get more space where we live so we have more housing for more foals at once.
Sadly, it is that time of year when we go from one emergency to the next, and many times they are in the middle of the ongoing one. You are saving so many lives, but ALL OF IT depends on you, your donations and your love and support.
So as always, we are willing to do the 24/7 care, the boots on the ground and be available at a moment’s notice, but your funds are what make it possible. So please remember that EVERY TIME we throw out a fund raiser, WE ARE ON THE WAY to save more lives.
The front line is brutal, and we live in a horrifyingly cruel world. Your love and support is what gives us the courage and strength to keep on.
Most of you are lucky and will never have to stand and watch in horror as the horses are loaded on the slaughter truck, while their babies are screaming for their families.What we see on a daily basis is taking it’s toll. But right now, we will keep on saving as many lives as we can, and that is ALL BASED ON YOU!
THANK YOU! for each and every one of the lives you have already saved, and for sticking with us through this nightmare and helping us save as many lives as we can.
Please give generously today, so we can “git ‘er done”. I need to let the folks know whether we will have funds to purchase the babies this next week and this weekend.
Below:
THANK YOU FOR OUR MILK. WE LOVE IT AND IT SAVES OUR LIVES!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KEEP HELPING US SAVE MORE LIVES, YOU CAN GO TO:
WIN (WILD HORSES IN NEED) is a 501c3 IRS EIN 55-0882407_
If there are ever funds left over from the cost of the rescue itself, the monies are used to feed, vet, care for and provide shelter and proper fencing for the animals once they are saved.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt. Strength, courage, and confidence defined Calico Girl. This brave filly stood strong one last time after suffering a catastrophic injury late yesterday afternoon. Although we’re not sure how it happened, the herd had been frolicking in the pasture, and we’re guessing she took an awkward fall on slippery ground. She fractured the head of her right femur beyond repair. There were no options for her but to ease her pain.
Calico Girl came to AAE with her mom, Gypsy, in April 2018. They traveled the road from She was just weeks old. She was an incredibly confident and proud little gal. Her every move was bold and brave. Calico Girl protected her mom from the fierce humans at AAE in the cutest way. She’d stand tall and proud, the half-pint she was, and give a look that said “Stay back Mom, I got this”. Really, it took her a long time to trust humans, even though she met them very early on. She wanted, but resisted in such a sassy way.
Really, she was a clone of her mom. She looked, she acted, she oozed of Gypsy. Ironically, Calico Girl came to AAE DreamCatchers Wild Horse and Burro Sanctuary for safety from the harsh winter elements. These things aren’t supposed to happen here, and not to such a young life. Calico Girl has so much love and life to give.
Only recently was she really letting go and proudly enjoying human interaction. Today, we’ll all grieve for what could have been, an exceptional, athletic, bold and brave life…that will never be. How? Why? We’ll never know. We only know this sweet girl was loved by many and will be missed by more.
Many of you know our horses that arrive without a name are given Country artist inspired names. Calico Girl’s name didn’t follow that tradition. There’s a reason. Cali’s mom, Gypsy, was adopted from the Broken Arrow (aka Indian Lakes) holding facility in Fallon, Nevada, in May of 2010 and placed at DreamCatchers to live out her life as a mustang. Gypsy had lived in Warm Springs Canyon, one of five Herd Management Areas in the Calico Mountains of Nevada, collectivey called the Calico Complex. In late 2009/early 2019, BLM captured 1,922 horses in “the Calico Gather”. Because we learned of Gypsy’s history (thank you, Maya), and she had to leave DreamCatchers, we wanted baby’s name to be special. Gypsy’s adopter, Elyse, decided “her name is “Calico Girl” in honor of, and to help us all/her future people all know and remember the wild horses. She is a proud descendant of hearty, lovely horses.”
Run free, bold and beautiful girl. You weren’t supposed to leave us so soon!
We’ll miss you, Cali Girl. You will be remembered in our hearts, youngest one.
Another special friend to remember!
Many of you have followed our version of “Where’s Waldo?”. Cupcake was AAE’s version of where ever you are, there she was. Cupcake came to AAE back in 2008, before AAE was AAE…before horses…before just about anything else. She was about 3 or 4, and one of three goats that brought life to a dead pasture and new life to a once shuttered barn.
Cupcake had her castle in “The Farm”. She’d sit upon her throne, with a vision of a tilted crown on her head. She was royalty around AAE. She had a sore under her tail that persisted, and back in late 2017, it was biopsied. Sadly, it was a squamous cell carcinoma. It was between her rectum and vulva, in an area it could not easily be removed. It was likely to progress rapidly. Cupcake was not phased by the big “C”. She was happy, healthy, and had a never ending appetite. Right about this time, she became an escape artist. She loved people. She loved food. She loved to visit the barn at feeding time and eat everyone’s food. Since her days were numbered, the only thing to do was to name her Queen of the barn and give her authority to do anything and everything she wanted, without limits.
Well, maybe a few. Cupcake quickly became a curiosity. She was dog-like. She loved grooming. She loved people. She loved people food. What could it hurt?
You’d think a big belly ache would follow a bucket like that, right? Funny girl. She grazed, she tasted, she was satisfied. Cupcake was as sweet as her name, and she would eat anything, even cupcakes. Day went by. Weeks went by. Months went by. The “sore” grew, and grew, and time passed. As the sore grew, the question of the day, often silent and often spoken, was “How is Cupcake today?” Quality of life was number one. As long as she was happy, otherwise healthy, with a good appetite….for food and life, all was good. As long as she visited the at feeding time (am and pm), all was good.
Cupcake was everywhere, and she’d help herself to whatever was served to her….or she looked like it was served for her, good or bad. In time, she’d wander down to the barn and join a circle of friends as if she was participating in the conversation. Over the last few months she forged a special friendship with a new volunteer, Marina. It started with just a “bite”, and became a routine, it seemed a daily offering, not only from Marina, but from all the volunteers. Popcorn, Doritos, Sun Chips….all kinds of human foods, bought specially for Cupcake. Bags of chips had her name.
This sore became an eyesore. It was ugly, it was all “C”. Yet, this gal remained unphased for nearly a year. It grew, as did our love for her, this amazing lil’ goat. She ate, she wandered, she visited the barn regularly. She never missed a meal. Sadly, the day came a few weeks ago when she pottied and she strained. Damn! A few days later, it happened again. Quality of life was number one. The day had come. The dreaded call was made, and “the” appointment was set with several days for everyone to say good bye to this special girl, with the promise we’d make a special trip to ease any pain.
Cupcake never skipped a beat until that very day. On her day, she was ready. She didn’t visit the barn. How blessed could we be that she chose the same day.
Wander and eat to your hearts content, sweetest one.
You’re brush is here any time you’d like to visit.
We’ll miss you, Cali Girl. You will be remembered in our hearts, youngest one.
Daily Horse Care, especially pm shifts needed now
(Daily 8a-12p or 3p-6p)
Used Tack Store Support, all areas needed now
(Fri – Mon, 12-4p, other days possible)
More opportunities:
Barn/Facility Maintenance
Foster Homes, Long-Term Foster/Sanctuary Homes
Capital Campaign Support
Board Members
Fundraising/Events
Grants – Writing and Research
Volunteer, Project, and Activity Coordinators
Outreach Activities
Youth Programs
Therapy Programs
Veteran Programs
Special Projects
Admin Support
Marketing
Graphics
Social Media
Bloggers
Photographers
Media and/or Photo Librarian
More, more, more
Interested in volunteering or volunteering in other areas?
AAE took in this handsome TB gelding in November 2013 after relinquishment by his owner resulting from a neglect situation. He was thrilled to hop onto the trailer when we picked him up. Smokey was a 20-ish Thoroughbred gelding. He seemed to be an absolute gentlemen, and we were told he was an ol’ trail string horse. He was thin and suffering from a respiratory issue. Smokey was visited by Dr. Stolba soon after arrival, and he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection/mild pneumonia.
He was started on course antibiotics while in quarantine.
Fortunately, he rebounded and quickly became a volunteer favorite. Smokey was truly a kind ol’ soul, but he had a few quirks that needed exploring and work. Some days he’d meet you at the gate, other days, he’d rather be alone, and he would play hard to get….and he was hard to get. In time, and with lots of love and kindness from AAE’s volunteers, Smokey softened tremendously.
He had a some additional vet needs taken care of once he was in better health, including much needed dental and hoof care, as well as vaccines and deworming. Later, he had a sarcoid removed from his inquinal area. He also had a swelling adjacent to his wither evaluated. Turns out, radiographs showed an old fracture of one of his vertebrae. We didn’t discover this until after trying to saddle him. Although he accepted a saddle and bridle without issue, any pressure on the horn or gullet when mounting, he would bolt forward. It didn’t take long to realize there was a problem. It sure made sense after seeing the radiographs. A piece of a vertebra had fractured off and lodged between his spinal column and shoulder blade. Poor ol’ guy!! No more riding for this guy!
Sadly, Smokey had two failed adoptions over the past few years, one due to his anxiety after being moved, another due to a financial distress situation.
Thankfully, this earlier this year, Smokey moved on to a family with 10-acres of beautiful green pastures, and he became buddies with an older gelding. Here he is going to meet his new buddy for the first time on his way to happily ever after!
21 days until 2019, YOUR donation means more horses can be helped! Donate Today!
‘Tis the Season, time to join AAE every day this month as we share stories straight from the barn to show how your support has helped horses in 2018. This year was very special, and there are so many stories to be thankful for!
As we count down to 2019, please help us prepare for another year of helping horses. Your donations will assure we have ample funding for veterinary care to