Phone: (608) 262-3950 – Please leave a detailed message if your call is not answered. If you do not hear from us by our next open day, please feel free to call back!
Address: 1402 Emil St, Madison, WI, 53713
Email: wiscares@vetmed.wisc.edu
Bus: Madison Metro Transit – Stop 4192
Available services
- Pet food and supplies pantry
- Intake and answers to basic questions
- Information and referrals to community services
- Help with social service needs
Does your animal require immediate attention?
WisCARES does not provide emergency care. Contact one of the local emergency clinics. WisCARES does not provide emergency veterinary medical care. Some options in the area are:
UW Veterinary Care: (Campus location) | 608-263-7600
Veterinary Emergency Service: (Madison East, Middleton, and Janesville) | 608-831-1101
What is a veterinary emergency?
Please note our program does NOT have agreements with these clinics to cover the cost of appointments or emergency veterinary care. If you are concerned you should still call them – you will be able to reliably reach a veterinary medical professional to talk you through your concern. If your pet does need to go in, there are programs that can be used to help cover the cost of emergency care. Please visit the resources tab for further information.
Are you experiencing a Housing Crisis?
Contact the housing intake line at 855-510-2323. For more information click here
Pet Care Clinic Hours
.
Monday: By appointment only.
Mondays offers prescheduled wellness appointment times only.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 9:00AM – 4:00PM
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays offer prescheduled appointment times. Some same-day services may be available, depending on capacity.
Thursday: 9:00AM – 2:00PM
Prescheduled pet surgeries only.
Call or email us to schedule appointments, ask questions, and request supplies.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I qualify?
We allow self qualification for access to services. Please call us at (608) 262-3950 or email and we’ll help you get the process started!
Where is the clinic?
We are located at 1402 Emil St in Madison, WI. We’re just off of Fish Hatchery Road by the Beltline, across the street from Dunkin Donuts and Firehouse Subs.
What do I bring to my veterinary appointment?
Please bring any copies of records you may have, any lease-related paperwork you need addressed, and any questions you have. We do not need proof of low income or homeless status.
My pet needs _________ and I cannot afford it. Can you help?
Maybe! We are happy to respond to email or phone messages and to do our best to directly help if we can and brainstorm help if we cannot. We cannot help with security deposits or veterinary bills at other clinics.
What if I don't have a copy of my animal's medical records?
We can certainly try to get that for you. You can call 608-262-3950 or email with your name, your pet’s name, the clinic you visited, and an email address or a fax number you would like your records sent to.
What is available at the pet food pantry?
We have dry dog food, dry cat food, wet cat food, and cat litter at our pet food pantry. Please note that these are the only items we regularly have in stock. We also frequently have an assortment of collars, leashes, litter boxes, and other supplies – these are not guaranteed. We also try to keep stocked a small human supply pantry of items such as tooth brushes, shampoo, and pocket packs of tissues. (And yes, we take donations of all of these things–check out our needed donations!)
How do I access the pet food pantry?
You must be a current WisCARES client to access the pet food pantry. We are able to provide free or low cost pet food depending on your client qualification. Please note that most of the food and items in our pet food pantry are donated. Because of this, supply and availability of specific food varies.
How much pet food can I get from the pantry?
The amount of food that we are able to supply at a given time is dependent on our current stock available. Please note that the pet food pantry is meant to supplement our client’s supply, but cannot be the sole food resource. Dry dog and cat food and litter may be re-packaged into gallon ziploc bags.
If you have transportation difficulty or a situation that requires a special approach, please send us an email or leave us a phone message to see if an exception or special arrangement can be made.
What if I am a Community client?
We do have low-cost pet food for sale–both maintenance diet and prescription food. Please call or email to ask about supplies!
Who can use the boarding program?
You must qualify as a client to use the WisCARES foster and boarding program. Our boarding program is intended to allow clients to gain access to the following services:
- Emergency shelter
- Inpatient health services
- Inpatient mental health services
- Treatment programs
I need to verify an animal’s rabies vaccination status/need records from one of your patients.
Please email us with the first and last name of the patient and, if you have it, the rabies tag number. Rabies vaccine status is the only information we will give out without verbal consent of the owner of the animal. If you are in touch with the animal’s owner, please have them call or email and request that we send information about the animal to you. If the owner is not available, or the animal has a new owner, please indicate that as well in your message and we will try to work to make sure the pet has the information needed to provide it the care that it needs.
I am a veterinarian at another clinic, seeing a WisCARES patient. Will WisCARES pay their bill?
WisCARES cannot cover bills from other clinics.
I have a client who I believe would qualify for your services.
Clients do not need a referral to work with us. That being said, you are more than welcome to call or email and discuss their situation with us