Portland Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA)

Dr. ten Broeke joined the PVMA Executive Board in 2012 and has served as the Executive Board President from 2014-2018. The PVMA is a membership organization for approximately 600 area veterinarians. It is dedicated to our veterinary community and the advancement of the profession. The PVMA’s mission statement is to inspire and elevate the Portland veterinary community through personal and professional connections. For more information, go to www.PortlandVMA.org.

Canine Companions for Independence Coffee Creek Puppy Raising Program

Gladstone Veterinary Clinic is proud to be a puppy sponsor for Canine Companions for Independence. CCI is a non-profit organization that provides disabled individuals with highly trained companion dogs. CCI partners with Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the state women’s prison located in Wilsonville. The puppies spend their first four months with puppy starters, then they are raised by selected inmates at Coffee Creek, where they learn basic skills. The Canine Companions prison puppy raising program not only benefits the puppies but the inmate program participants as well. They have the opportunity to learn communication skills, responsibility, dependability, problem-solving techniques, work ethic, and teamwork skills. The women involved in this program at CCCF consistently they express their gratitude for the experience and the opportunity to give back to the community. Of the handlers released, none have returned to state custody making the recidivism rate for this program 0%.

Gladstone Veterinary Clinic provides all veterinary care for a sponsored puppy for his first 18 months of life until he is transferred to CCI’s training center in Santa Rosa, California. After 2 years of training, the service dogs are matched for free with an individual in need. We are proud to have sponsored Pioneer, Inzo, and Stefan, and are waiting impatiently for our next puppy to sponsor.

Find out more here.

International Veterinary Volunteer Work in Central and South America

Dr. ten Broeke began her veterinary volunteer work on Navajo and Zuni Reservations in New Mexico and Arizona with Rural Area Veterinary Services as a veterinary student in 1999, and she was immediately hooked. She also traveled to Guatemala to care for horses, cows, dogs, cats, and whatever else was brought to the 3-week field clinic. She loved the idea of pairing her love of veterinary medicine with her love of travel, and continued to participate and lead many trips in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Peru, with a primary focus on working horses in those communities. The rewards that come with one-on-one teaching experiences with students, connections made with people all around the world, and the visible difference it can make to both animal welfare and human quality-of-life is incredible. The program provides valuable training and experience for hundreds of future veterinary professionals, from both developed and developing countries, that goes far beyond anything they could learn in a classroom alone while instilling a long-lasting sense of responsibility to help these underserved communities. Sadly, Rural Area Veterinary Services has suspended their involvement in Central and South America due to funding cuts, but Dr. ten Broeke and others are involved in developing a sustainable program in the Peruvian High Andes and Nicaragua to fill the immense need in those areas.

Portland Animal Welfare Team (PAW Team)

The Portland Animal Welfare (PAW) Team saves lives, alleviates suffering, and keeps pets and people together by providing free veterinary care to the pets of people who are experiencing homelessness or extreme poverty. Honoring the healing power of the mutually beneficial human-animal bond, PAW Team has been responsible for enhancing and saving the lives of thousands of cherished companion animals. Gladstone Veterinary Clinic veterinarians and team members have volunteered with PAW Team veterinary clinics. We have also provided free dental surgeries for PAW Team patients whose severe dental disease is impacting their quality of life. By helping these patients, we know we are also helping the people who depend on them for companionship, safety, and emotional support. For more information, visit www.PAWTeam.org.

School Groups, Scout Troops, Summer Camps, etc.

We will happily provide organized tours of our hospital and can also provide classroom presentations on topics such as What does it mean to be a veterinarian? or How to meet a new dog with various school groups, scout troops, and other organizations. If you’d like to organize a tour or a classroom presentation, please contact the clinic at (503) 653-6621. We also work with several area schools’ job shadow and internship programs to give students the opportunity to see what it’s like to work in a veterinary hospital.

Fences For Fido

Fences for Fido is a Portland volunteer-run non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the lives of dogs living outdoors on the end of chains, tethers, or in small kennels by building them a free fenced yard, insulated dog house, and spay/neuter services or other veterinary care. Gladstone Veterinary Clinic partners with Fences for Fido to provide discounted veterinary care for the dogs they serve, and also for foster animals that are surrendered to them. Occasionally, a foster dog comes into our clinic and never leaves, which was the case with Dr. Winkler’s dog Fen, who was adopted from Fences for Fido. Learn more at www.fencesforfido.org.

Several of our team members volunteer with the Feral Cat Coalition to help reduce suffering for existing feral cats and prevent the births and suffering of future generations. The program focuses on trap-neuter-return of feral cats who have caregivers feeding them. The caregivers trap the cats and bring them to FCCO’s mobile hospital where they are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and have their right ear tipped for future identification. Cats with illness or injury may receive additional treatment. The cats are then returned to where they are being fed, and the caregivers continue their commitment to feed and care for them. The program is run solely through donations and time and skills donated by veterinarians, technicians, and other cat-lovers. For more information, go to www.feralcats.com.

Audubon Society of Portland

For the past 20 years, the veterinarians at GVC have donated time and skills to Audubon Society of Portland’s Wildlife Care Center (WCC). The WCC is Oregon’s busiest wildlife rehabilitation center, administering care to over 3,000 native animals per year. GVC veterinarians and team have performed orthopedic surgeries, diagnostic procedures, and consultation on individual cases. GVC also donates medical supplies and equipment to the WCC. In addition, we have participated in Audubon’s Junior Wildlife Vet Camp. For more information, go to www.audubonportland.org.

Partner Veterinarian for the Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Lifetime Health Program

Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine Lifetime Health Project offers dog lovers the opportunity to join a nationwide effort to make the world a brighter place for dogs. Through the Canine Lifetime Health Project, Morris Animal Foundation manages groundbreaking studies designed to prevent and treat major diseases affecting dogs. Studies under the Canine Lifetime Health Project may help to identify new tests, diets, and therapies for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of important health conditions in dogs. The first study under the Canine Lifetime Health Project is the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which is the largest observational study ever conducted in veterinary medicine. As a partner veterinarian, we have the opportunity to support science that advances canine health. Find out more here here.