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 tooth brushes, we love being able to offer our clients items to help them out.
- Volunteer: we can use a hand!
- Become a foster: our foster program is a unique and amazing way to help out pets and their families. It’s easy and free for fosters, and it changes 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 rabbies vaccine
- $100 can spay a dog so that their family can get into housing
- $200 helps us provide a month of boarding and foster 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
Pat Bowdish
pat.bowdish@supportuw.org
(608) 332-4750
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.
Thank you for thinking of us!
We welcome your new or gently used pet and human supplies–please see the list below for our needed items. We have mail service at our clinic and are happy to take items at WisCARES, either by mail or during our hours of operation. Donations can be shipped to or dropped off at:
WisCARES
1402 Emil St
Madison, WI 53713
Please note that we are currently unable to offer pick-up of donations due to staffing levels.
Are you in need of a receipt for your donation? Please include with your donation your name and where you’d like the receipt sent to (either a physical mailing address or an email address). Please note that it may take up to two weeks for your receipt to arrive, and that our front desk staff are often students or volunteers, and unable to provide that receipt.
Thank you again for thinking of WisCARES! Please let us know if you have any questions by contacting us.
Supplies Needed
Many of our clients depend on our “pet food and supply pantry” to provide for their pets and families. We stock a variety of pet- and person-related items to help with basic survival for unsheltered pet owners as well as supporting healthy animal behavior for those of our clients who are housed, so that their pets do not provide an extra risk for eviction or barrier for leasing. Nearly all of our supplies are from donations. Some of our priorities vary with the season, but we are always in need of the following items to pass directly on to our clients:
- Gas cards ($10-20 denominations)
- Cat carriers
- (Human) toiletries (small items: toothpaste and toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant shaving supplies, menstrual products, etc!)
- Hand and foot warmers
- Dog crates (collapsible wire preferred)
- Dog and cat treats
- Dog and cat toys (new or good condition and washable)
Please visit our frequently updated wishlists:
Medical Donations
Thank you for thinking of us! We are able to use some medications donated from pet owners at our free clinic. Please keep in mind that we are unable to accept the following:
- Opened medications of any kind (this is a change from our previous procedures, due to some changes outside of our control–we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause!)
- Controlled substances
- Reconstituted liquid medication
- Opened insulin or insulin syringes
- Expired medication
- Human prescription medications
For these items, please visit the Med Drop for instructions on disposal. If you have questions, feel free to contact us for further information.
Please contact us at wiscares@vetmed.wisc.edu if you wish to know what our current list of medical supply needs are. We’re always happy to talk!
We have currently established volunteer programs for students in the UW schools of Veterinary Medicine, Social Work, and Pharmacy. If you are interested, please email us at wiscares@vetmed.wisc.edu for information on upcoming orientations and projects.
We are working hard to build out opportunities for community members.
Currently we are looking for:
- People willing to use their own vehicle to drive supplies to people lacking transportation
- Foster families: 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 community members coming and lending a hand at our clinics. Interested in any of these? 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 pet care provider would need to take the animal to an emergency clinic (at our expense).
What types of pet(s) 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?
The length of time in foster care varies depending on the circumstances of the pet owner. The longest length of time is 90 days–we ask for a 90 day commitment from our foster homes.
Will I meet the owners of the pet(s)?
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 pet(s)?
No! WisCARES provides food, cat litter, necessary supplies like dog kennels and toys, and medication such as flea/tick and heartworm preventative. Foster pets will be up to date on vaccinations before being placed in a home. Foster families are not responsible for veterinary bills, including emergency medical care.
Will I be paid for taking care of pet(s)?
Foster pet care is a volunteer position. Thank you for your help!