Access to Veterinary and Behavioral Care is Fundamental

Access to veterinary and behavioral care is foundational to a thriving humane future for pets, people, and the professionals who care for them. When families can access support for their pets, they stay healthier, remain in loving homes, and experience longer lives.

More than 1 in 4 pet owners experience barriers to veterinary care, including affordability, transportation, and availability of services. Tens of millions of pets in the U.S. are not receiving adequate preventive, medical, or behavioral care, even though over 97% of pet owners consider their pets part of the family. Currently, approximately 50 million pets in the U.S. do not receive needed veterinary care, highlighting the significant gap between the care pets need and the care families can access.

Maddie’s Fund and The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation, sister organizations in the Duffield Family of Foundations, believe that narrowing the access to care gap is essential in order to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals, while advancing innovative and sustainable models that offer access to veterinary and behavior care that pets need to thrive.


Maddie's Fund Supported Studies:

Free Access to Care Resources

Maddie’s University offers FREE resources such as self-paced courses, recorded webcasts (many offering continuing education and/or RACE credits) and Community Conversations.

Access to Veterinary Care Webcast Recordings

Community Conversations

Keeping People & Pets Together Webcasts

Access to Behavioral Care Webcast Recordings

Access to Care Grant Partners