Welcome to WisCARES

What is WisCARES?

  • We are an innovative veterinary and social service organization!
  • We have subsidized cost veterinary care for low-income individuals.
  • We have further subsidized cost services for individuals in Dane County experiencing homelessness.
  • We have free social services for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Social Services (WisCARES) is an outreach partnership at the University of Wisconsin that provides basic veterinary medical care, housing support and advocacy, and other support services to Dane County pet owners who are low income, currently experiencing or are at risk of homelessness, as well as those who are unable to pay for veterinary medical services needed for access to housing. 

WisCARES started in 2014, and we have grown every year! In the 2016-2017 year, we saw over 350 patients. Fifty-nine patients entered our boarding and foster program. We were able to help over 40 patients with more complex services, including:

  • Urgent and emergency medical services at an outside facility
  • Spay and neuter services
  • Dental treatment for stage 3 or 4 dental disease
  • Medically necessary euthanasia

This was achieved through the efforts of two full-time staff members, a handful of devoted student employees, and about one hundred and fifty volunteer veterinarians, veterinary techs, and veterinary, pharmacy, and social work students–and of course, with the help of our community of donors!

Our services and programming focus on keeping pets with their owners, preventing surrender to animal shelters, empowering people to care for their animals, providing housing resources and aiding animals and their people to gain access to the social support services and healthcare they need. Our program provides concrete services in the following areas:

  • Veterinary medical care
  • Animal boarding and foster placement
  • Case management assistence
  • Housing resources
  • Provision of pet food and supplies
  • Education

We are located at 1402 Emil St, Madison, WI 53713.

Our phone number is (608)561-7387.

Our hours are currently Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9:00AM-4:00PM. We have veterinary services by appointment only, but please feel welcome to stop in and ask us questions during our open hours!

Mission Statement

We protect the human-animal bond within vulnerable populations through provision of veterinary medical and social services, increasing access to human health services, and providing education, social support, and community space. We do this using a one-health framework that acknowledges and leverages the relationship between people, pets, and communities. We provide quality training and research opportunities for students of participating disciplines, promoting interdisciplinary relationships and collaboration.

Vision Statement

A Dane County where all pets and all families have equal and consistent access to veterinary medical care, social support, and human health services.