06/17/2026
Funds raised from our shows and activities allow us to give to other organizations as well. BARCS Medical Fund provides much needed care to shelter and community pets alike and we are happy to be able to support them.
When most of Baltimore is still asleep, the lights are already on inside BARCS. At 5:00 every morning, our veterinarians arrive while it's still dark outside. In the winter, they're often the first people in the building, chipping ice from the sidewalks before unlocking the doors.
They like these quiet hours.
Before volunteers arrive. Before staff meetings begin. Before the phones start ringing. Before Animal Control trucks begin pulling into the parking lot. Because this is their chance to see every single patient.
More than 250 animals are already depending on them before breakfast.
Dogs recovering from surgery. Tiny kittens being bottle-fed. Cats receiving antibiotics. Puppies on IV fluids. Injured strays. Cruelty cases. Animals waiting for test results. Seniors needing pain medication. Every animal receives exams and rechecks. Every treatment plan is updated. Every patient is checked during medical rounds before another busy day begins.
Whether it's 2:00 in the afternoon or 2:00 in the morning, BARCS also maintains an internal 24-hour emergency on-call system, ensuring immediate access to medical guidance when an animal's condition suddenly changes.
At 7:00 a.m., another part of our hospital is already hard at work.
Our surgeons, surgery technicians, and assistants begin a 10-hour day performing an average of 30 surgeries. Today happened to be one of our public spay days, where they also provided free grant-funded spay surgeries for owned pets in our community. On days like these, they can perform more than 50 surgeries before heading home.
On an average day, 35 new animals arrive needing care. Some are surrendered by families who have run out of options and sit with our medical team to share years of medical history. Others come through our doors with no history at all, brought in by Good Samaritans or Baltimore City Animal Control after being hit by cars, abandoned, neglected, or found wandering the streets.
Sometimes an Animal Control truck pulls up carrying a dozen animals at once. Sometimes they bring one. Other times, they bring us 100 animals from a single home.
Either way, our medical team springs into action.
Last night, they brought us Gus Gus. (Pictured.) This gentle 12-year-old dog was brought to us by Baltimore City Animal Control after being found alone in a vacant house. Neglected for far too long, Gus Gus was painfully thin and suffering from severe dental disease, overgrown nails, and irritated, inflamed skin where patches of fur had been lost.
The moment he arrived, our veterinary team got to work. Gus Gus received flea and tick treatment, a nail trim, medications to address his skin and ear issues, antibiotics, supplements to support his aging joints, and a carefully monitored feeding plan to help him regain weight safely. While his road to recovery will be long, and he may find the perfect adopter ready to help him heal or he may eventually be transferred to a rescue partner for ongoing care, his healing began when he walked through our doors.
Most people know BARCS saves animals. What many don't realize is how. Behind every adoption photo is a hospital, right inside our shelter.
A hospital staffed by six veterinarians and an incredible team of veterinary technicians, surgery technicians, assistants, and dedicated volunteers, some of whom spent their careers working in human hospitals before bringing their skills to the animals of Baltimore.
Every year, this team provides:
-More than 8,000 surgeries
-More than 110,000 medical exams
-Thousands upon thousands of vaccines and medications
-Daily treatment plans for every one of the nearly 12,000 animals who come through our doors each year, whether they're dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles... or even the occasional alligator.
It is the largest and busiest shelter medical program in our region. And it exists because of you.
Unlike many hospitals, there is no insurance company paying these bills. There is no government reimbursement for emergency surgeries, medications, diagnostics, daily treatments, or any other medical care expenses. Every bandage. Every vaccine. Every surgery. Every lifesaving medication. Every morning our veterinarians walk through those doors at 5:00 a.m...
..is made possible 100% by donors.
Summer has arrived, and we know what comes next. More injured animals. More orphaned kittens. More heat exhaustion. More disease. More emergencies. More animals with nowhere else to go.
The summer “storm” is coming. It always does. Will you help us make sure our hospital is ready for every animal who needs us?
Your gift today to BARCS' Medical Care Fund will help ensure that when the next animal arrives, our medical team has everything they need to say yes.
Right now, you have the opportunity to make that compassion go twice as far.
Our friends The Wilner Foundation and The Trexler Foundation; Jeff Abarbanel and David Goldner, have pledged an emergency dollar-for-dollar match on all donations up to $12,500 through June 18. That means every $10 becomes $20. Every $50 becomes $100. Every gift saves more lives. Your donation today, of any amount, will help ensure that animals like Gus Gus never go another day without medical care, shelter, and love.
Please help us give a second chance to every animal who needs us.
❣️Double Your Donation Today: www.barcs.org/medical-care-fund
