Want to help us? We’re happy for you to get involved! You can:
- Make a gift: your financial contributions go a long way towards helping us keep our clinic accessible to those who need it most!
- Donate supplies: from gently used pet supplies to toothbrushes for humans, we love being able to offer our clients items to help them out.
- Become a foster: providing short-term care for animals is a great way to help pets and their families. We take care of all the expenses. You’ll receive plenty of snuggles and love while you’re helping to change lives!
Have any questions? Have a unique way to help out our clinic? Contact us and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can!
Gifts allow WisCARES to do even more to support animal health and well-being and keep pets with their families. All donations make a difference!
- $15 provides a dog with a rabies vaccine
- $100 can spay a dog so that their family can get into housing
- $200 helps us provide a month of foster care for a dog so that their person can access their own medical care
How to give
Online
Gifts via debit/credit card, Google Pay, PayPal or Venmo can be made through the UW Foundation.
To donate by mail, send a check made payable to the UW Foundation and write “WisCARES” in the memo line. Mail to:
UW Foundation
US Bank Lockbox
Box 78807
Milwaukee, WI 53278
Other ways to Give
For information on other ways to give, such as securities or through your IRA, please contact
Heidi Kramer
heidi.kramer@supportuw.org
(608) 327-9136
Setting Up a Fundraiser
If you are interested in setting up a fundraiser, learning more about some of our larger goals or projects, or have any questions please email us at wiscares@vetmed.wisc.edu for further information.
Donating Items
With the help of our donors, WisCARES maintains a pet food and supply pantry to support our clients in caring for their pets. Our top needs tend to change over time, so check our Amazon Wishlist and our Chewy Wishlist. If you are looking to purchase items from our curated needs, look there first!
Our clients also need items for personal care or pet care that may not be on our wishlists, so if you have used items, items that didn’t work for your family or items that were accidentally sent to you, we can use those too!
Many of our clients need everyday pet essentials. These things include items like: leashes, cat carriers, beds, brushes, toys, jackets and litter boxes. This also includes food, treats and litter.
Often these items may look like fun or unnecessary upgrades, but many clients need them to have more success meeting their pets’ individual needs. Dog harnesses can help dogs who may be unsafe walkers or who have neck or spinal injuries. Puzzle feeders and slow feeders can help pets that eat too fast or who have anxiety and benefit from enrichment. Nail scratch boards for dogs and soft paws for cats can help those who struggle with nail trims. Durable large dog toys can help dogs with anxiety and high chewing drives.
We have many sick patients. These patients benefit from things like medical diets, slings, insulin syringes, diapers (both male and female), ramps and glucose strips. We also take unopened, non-expired pet medications. We do not take controlled substances, reconstituted liquid medication or human prescription medications. We safely dispose of many drugs using med drops, so feel free to err on the side of bringing something if you are unsure if we can use it.
We try to keep a small but steady supply of small toiletry items (toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, menstrual products), hand warmers and socks. Donated gas cards ($10–20 denominations) or taxi vouchers can also help our clients get to us when transportation is difficult. We do NOT take human items that are non-wellness related like: clothes, toys and furniture. These items can be used at places like Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul’s.
We have volunteer programs for students in the UW schools of Veterinary Medicine, Social Work, and Pharmacy. We also welcome volunteer hours from people who are trained veterinarians, CVTs and other medical professionals. If you are interested, please email us at wiscares@vetmed.wisc.edu for information on upcoming orientations and projects.
We are also looking for:
- People willing to use their own vehicle to drive supplies to people lacking transportation
- Foster providers: Continue reading below if you’re curious! Here is the application form. We’d love to have a conversation with you about what being a foster family entails.
We are also open to chatting with community members about lending a hand at our clinics. While we don’t have set roles for volunteers, let us know if you have unique skills that you would like to share! Email us, we’d love to hear from you!
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What is foster pet care?
Foster care involves taking care of someone else’s pet for a short time. One of our goals is to help people keep the pets they love. We provide foster care for the pets of our clients until they are able to live together again. We look for people who love animals and want to help people who are in a difficult situation. We need homes where the pets will be safe and well cared for.
What is involved in foster pet care?
The main role of a foster family is to provide a safe, loving home to a pet for a short time. Many of our clients want to know how their pets are doing in foster care, and occasionally ask to visit with their pets—a service WisCARES will arrange and transport for. WisCARES asks for updates on the pets in foster care to pass on to their owners. In the case of an emergency, a foster provider could be asked to take the animal to an emergency clinic (at our expense).
What types of pets are placed in foster care?
Mainly adult cats and dogs. Placement is based on the type of animal someone would like to foster.
How long do pets stay in foster care?
We ask fosters to commit to providing a stable home to an animal for 90 days, although the length of each stay varies, with many being quite a bit shorter. Some may be for only a few days. We will discuss each animal’s situation with you before you begin caring for them.
Will I meet the owners of the pets?
Foster families and pet owners will not meet each other. Pet owners and foster providers will not be given each other’s information.
Is there a cost in taking care of foster pets?
Nope! WisCARES provides everything you need, including food, bowls, toys, cat litter, leashes, and crates. Foster pets will be up to date on vaccinations before being placed in a home, and you will be shown how to administer any needed medications, such as flea/tick and heartworm preventative. Foster families are not responsible for any veterinary bills, including emergency medical care.
Will I be paid for taking care of pets?
Fostering animals is a volunteer position. You’ll be rewarded in warm snuggles, wet noses, and our sincere appreciation.
Will my foster pet be healthy?
Before placement into a foster provider’s home, all animals are examined by our veterinary team to see if they are medically and behaviorally fit for foster care. Some animals may be approved with mild medical issues, and we will discuss management of these with you. We may also send medications home for anxiety to help with the transition into your family. We ensure that all animals are up to date on their core vaccines, are given appropriate preventatives for fleas, ticks and heartworm and many animals receive a nail trim if needed prior to being placed with a family. Sometimes medical issues arise during a fostering period. If this happens, let us know and we will provide you with the appropriate next steps.