Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital

Established in 1990, Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital provides donor-subsidized veterinary services for pets owned by economically disadvantaged families and individuals. In 2008, Harrison Memorial medical staff provided veterinary care to more than 12,000 sick and injured animals. Harrison Memorial also provides spay/neuter surgeries to the community to help control pet overpopulation, as well as providing discounted spay/neuter surgeries to homeless animals in the care of rescue groups.

Harrison Memorial is the largest not-for-profit animal hospital in Colorado and is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association at its highest level, symbolizing our commitment to the highest standards of patient care.

Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital Hours of Operation:
Monday-Friday
6:30AM – 12:00PM and
1:30PM – 5:30PM
Closed Saturday & Sunday

Services

For Appointments Call:
303.722.5800 ext. 525
Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital located at:
191 Yuma Street
Denver, CO 80223
Front door located on the Southeast corner of the building

CVMF is funded by donations from individuals, businesses, corporations, foundations and fees for services.  If you wish to make a donation to Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital click here. 

Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital Services
• Spay and neuter surgeries, available to the general public.
• Veterinary services to pets of income-qualified clients.
• Spay and neuter surgeries, trauma services,  diagnostic, medical, and surgical services for Denver area shelter or rescue organizations.
• Vaccination and microchipping clinics in low-income neighborhoods.

Harrison Memorial Angel Fund
Harrison Memorial’s Angel Fund allows compassionate individuals to care for their pets even when they cannot afford to do so. The Angel Fund is made possible by donations from caring individuals such as yourself to provide needed veterinary care for pets of those less fortunate.

For these pet owners, Harrison Memorial is often the only resource available, and it is our mission to provide veterinary care to pets of owners who are economically disadvantaged … pets that would not receive necessary medical treatment without our generous Angel Fund donors.

Angel Funds are the lifeblood of care for our clients and their pets. We invite you to make an investment and donate one of two ways to our Angel Fund Program. We are most appreciative of all support, for we know and experience every day how Angel Fund gifts help us continue to serve the increasing demands for assistance. Please take a moment to read how the Angel Fund makes a difference in the lives of so many animals. Your gift does make a difference!

Foxy
Pepper
Tiny

Foxy
The attack that left Foxy with several bite wounds is, unfortunately, an all too common occurrence. When animals come to Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital with injuries sustained in an attack, the experience can not only be traumatic for the animal, but also the family. Luckily, the staff at Harrison Memorial is trained to deal with these difficult situations. Their compassionate care and concern for both the animal and its family make the best of a scary situation. 

Foxy’s ordeal left her with some serious bite wounds. As a seven year-old Pomeranian, she’d had years of experience interacting with other dogs – and had never had any problems. However, on that fateful day, an interaction with one dog took a turn for the worse. The injuries she sustained as a result of the incident left her with several puncture wounds. When her owners brought her to Harrison Memorial, the medical staff immediately assessed the damage to her small body and began working on a path to recovery. 

Fluids, pain medication, wound cleansing, and careful monitoring were all part of the process that helped Foxy get through this difficult time. Although much of her red, fluffy Pomeranian fur had to be shaved to allow her wounds to properly heal, Foxy still kept a smile on her (still furry) face. We are happy to report that the outlook is good for Foxy.  We know that when she leaves the hospital, it will be thanks to the Angel Fund, which provided much needed assistance to help Foxy’s family pay for this unexpected and unfortunate experience. 

Pepper
Little Pepper, a 14 year-old Chihuahua, had an unfortunate encounter with several other dogs that left him in a critical state. However, his feisty attitude made it difficult for the veterinarian to determine the severity of his wounds. It was only after he was under anesthesia that the staff realized how extensive his wounds were. After one and a half hours in surgery, little Pepper had seven drains placed in his tiny body to help his wounds heal. Pepper’s family was extremely grateful for the assistance they received from the Angel Fund.

Tiny
On a cold October day, when the rest of the city was fighting icy roads and slippery sidewalks, the Sanchez family was fighting for their new puppy’s life. “Tiny”, named for obvious reasons, was a four-month-old Sharpei with fur the color of rust.  When the Sanchez family walked in to Harrison Memorial Animal Hospital, Tiny was struggling to take each breath. Having been referred to Harrison by another veterinarian in town, Tiny’s family reported that Tiny was suffering from aspiration pneumonia. The veterinarian took one look at Tiny’s pale gums and sad eyes, and placed her into an oxygen cage to help relieve the respiratory exhaustion.

For the next five days, Tiny stayed at Harrison Memorial, mostly in the oxygen cage. The technical staff continually monitored her breathing rate and helped break up the fluid in her lungs by tapping the sides of her chest, a procedure called Coupage. The veterinarians kept Tiny on antibiotics and IV fluids to help Tiny’s little body fight off any possible infection. It was heart-breaking to watch something so small have each day be so hard. On the fifth day, after gradual improvements had been made and Tiny now had enough respiratory power to bark at each staff member as they walked by, Tiny was able to go home.  While her owners were in the lobby at Harrison Memorial, they overheard another distraught pet owner talking to a doctor about the treatment for their dog. Apparently this woman’s dog also needed to be in an oxygen cage, but the added cost of this treatment was more than she could afford. Knowing how much the oxygen therapy helped their dog, Tiny’s family would be an Angel for this woman’s dog, paying for the treatment of a stranger’s family pet. 

Unfortunately for Tiny, her conditioned worsened again and she returned to Harrison Memorial only five days later. Tiny’s family explained that Tiny was having trouble sleeping and she wakes up gasping for air. The doctors at Harrison took more x-rays of Tiny’s chest and found something that needed further investigation. In order to see inside of Tiny’s little body more clearly, Tiny was fed Barium, a white substance that travels through the digestive system like a thick vanilla milkshake. If there is a blockage or obstruction somewhere, the Barium will not be able to flow beyond that point. Our veterinarians could then take x-ray’s of Tiny’s body and see if and where the Barium stopped flowing. What they found was an extremely rare condition called a Hiatal Hernia. Tiny’s stomach had pushed its way through her diaphragm into her chest cavity. With the stomach filling the space needed for the lungs to expand, Tiny had to take extra breaths to compensate for the lack of room in her chest to breath.  

Emergency surgery was required to pull Tiny’s stomach back where it is supposed to be. A few pieces of suture were used to tack Tiny’s stomach into place to prevent it from migrating back into the chest cavity. Thanks to a great catch from the veterinary staff and a successful surgery, Tiny was breathing normally again in no time and moved out of the oxygen cage.  However, the added medical condition and costly treatment to repair the problem had taken a toll on the Sanchez’ finances. Recognizing that even Angels need an Angel sometimes, Harrison was able to help Tiny’s family by relieving some of their financial strain. Thanks to the wonderful and generous donors to our Angel Program, Tiny’s family received the funds they needed and Tiny is now a healthy growing puppy with a big appetite and zest for life! 

Mercy Fund
Often, individuals without any economic resources seek veterinary care for their animals at Harrison Memorial. To help alleviate turning away any suffering animal, a Mercy Fund has been established. The fund provides fully subsidized veterinary care for animals whose owners have no economic resources to pay for veterinary care. 

Harrison Memorial serves primarily economically disadvantaged clients. While fees for veterinary services at Harrison Memorial are already significantly subsidized, it is often still unaffordable for many of Harrison Memorial’s economically disadvantaged clients. Animal owners are still often deterred from having their pets treated because they see veterinary care as an unnecessary expense, especially when faced with the inability to meet their most basic financial needs. Animal owners often resort to relinquishing their animals to an animal shelter, where these often overcrowded facilities are forced to euthanize. Or some let their animal become stray, often without current vaccinations or having been spayed or neutered, thereby further contributing to the diseased and overpopulated feral and stray populations. In economic downturns such as those our communities are experiencing, Harrison Memorial’s Mercy Fund is becoming more critical to meeting the needs of pets (and their human companions). 
 

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