How a nonprofit is bridging the gap in access to pet vaccines

To highlight National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month this March—an initiative created by Petco Love, a nonprofit dedicated to pet health and welfare—dvm360 spoke to Susanne Kogut, JD, president of Petco Love, and Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM, chief veterinarian and board member of Petco Love, about the organization’s Vaccinated and Loved campaign, which provides free vaccines to pets in need, National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month, and the importance of educating pet owners about preventive care.

In the talk, the gap in access to pet care was also discussed. According to Kogut, survey data from 3.35 million vaccines distributed throughout the US by Petco Love revealed that only 36% of the pet owners receiving these free vaccines reported that their pet had previously been vaccinated, underscoring the significant access gap that the organization is working to close.

In an upcoming event on March 30, 2025, Petco Love is focusing on vaccinating 1000 pets at a free drive-through pet vaccination clinic at the Wheatley Height Sports Complex in San Antonio, Texas, in partnership with San Antonio Animal Care Services (ACS).¹ At the event, San Antonio ACS will provide free DAPPv, HCP, and rabies vaccines, along with free microchipping services.

Below is a partial transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM: So, you know, Petco Love recognized a big gap in this country around preventable diseases that we see in pets, and really wanted to go after providing free vaccinations for underserved communities, specifically around some of the common infectious diseases we see in certain parts of the country. And so that's going to be [parvovirus] and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats. So, you know, really trying to promote access to care through vaccinations with preventable diseases.

Susanne Kogut, JD: We created March as National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month back in 2022 and it was really to bring more attention and to create more awareness about the importance of vaccinating our pets. We also wanted to celebrate our Vaccinated and Loved campaign as we sought to get millions of pets vaccinated by offering free pet vaccines.

Whitney Miller, DVM, MBA, DACVPM: Another kind of goal that we want to come out of both the Vaccinated and Loved campaign and National Pet Vaccination Awareness Month is through prevention of these diseases, you know...veterinarians and shelters will be seeing less of these diseases come in. [These diseases are] a mental strain on the profession, [they’re] a financial strain on pet parents, and so, you know, while we are focused on the overall numbers, getting pets vaccinated—and that is a key in this campaign—we can't forget about the downstream effects on benefiting both pets, pet parents, the veterinary profession, and, you know, the animal welfare industry.

References

1. Petco Love declares March as National Pet Vaccination Month, celebrates success of Vaccinated and Loved campaign. News release. Petco Love. March 4, 2025. Accessed March 26, 2025. https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/petco-love-declares-march-as-national-pet-vaccination-month-celebrates-success-of-vaccinated-and-loved-campaign-302390978.html