When the clinic becomes a shelter: The hidden story of pet abandonment
Dr. Geoff Carullo, DVM, FPCCP, DPCVSCA
- Articles
- 3 min read
For many pet owners, the veterinary clinic is a place of healing. It’s where hope is restored when a beloved dog or cat falls ill. But for some, the clinic has become something else entirely — a dumping ground, a last stop before walking away. Across the country, more and more clinics are facing the painful reality of pet abandonment.
Owners sometimes treat veterinary hospitals as rescue centers. They bring in a sick pet for confinement, but when the bill grows or the prognosis turns grim, they quietly disappear. Some never come back. The result? Dozens of animals left in cages, confused and alone, waiting for an owner who will never return.
At Greenwoods Pet Hospital, we have been blessed never to experience this since opening in 2007. Every single patient confined with us has always been claimed and paid for. Not a single abandoned dog, not a single unpaid bill. But this is not the reality everywhere. In Camarin, North Caloocan, the doctors of CamarinVet Doctors Animal Clinic have had to release a public notice discouraging abandonment after encountering repeated cases of pets left behind at their premises. Their strong message is clear: “We are a healthcare institution, not a foster home.”
The burden is heavy. Clinics are not shelters. Each abandoned pet takes up space meant for the next patient, consumes food and medicine, and adds to the emotional strain of veterinary staff who never wanted to see an animal treated like disposable property. Worse, these pets become silent victims, deprived of the dignity of either proper care or a responsible farewell. As CamarinVet highlighted in their statement, abandoned pets may also bring communicable diseases into the clinic environment, endangering both other patients and themselves.
This issue forces us to confront deeper questions: What does responsible pet ownership really mean? Is it enough to love your pet when things are easy, but walk away when it gets hard? Vets commit their lives to saving animals, but we cannot shoulder alone the responsibility that rightfully belongs to owners.
The truth is simple: bringing a pet into your life is not just joy, but a commitment. It means saving for emergencies, facing the hard choices, and never abandoning the animal who once trusted you completely.
We hope that by speaking out, we remind every pet owner: your vet is here to help, but we cannot replace your responsibility. And to fellow clinics struggling with abandonment cases — from Camarin to countless other communities — you are not alone in this fight. Let’s keep educating, advocating, and protecting our patients, even when humans fail them.
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Dr. Geoff Carullo is a Fellow and the current President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners.
