Providing your cat or dog with the veterinarian services it needs to stay happy and healthy is not always easy while living on limited funds in college. Students often find themselves struggling to take care of their pets because of the high cost of veterinarian visits. But having a pet is made easier with Emancipet, an organization dedicated to helping every family care for their pets, no matter their financial situation.

“Emancipet is a nonprofit that is on a mission to make spay, neuter and preventative veterinarian care affordable and accessible for all pet owners,” Marketing and Communications Coordinator Dana Hansen said.

Since its founding in 1999, Emancipet has spayed and neutered more than 183,000 cats and dogs. Around half of those surgeries have been totally free for the owner, according to Hansen.

Emancipet sponsors around three free days per week for Travis County residents. The free services the Emancipet staff provides includes spay and neuter surgeries and vaccinations.

Travis County residents are asked to arrive at the mobile site by 6 a.m. to ensure there will be room in the mobile clinic that arrives at 8 a.m. Pet owners drop their pets off with the mobile clinic and can pick them up at around 5 p.m.

The other days of the week, Emancipet offers low cost services for anybody, not just Austinites. With Emancipet, male cats can be neutured for as little as $29. Female cats cost $44, male dogs cost $60 and female dogs cost $65 for spay or neutering. Vaccinations range from $11-$25 and microchips are given for just $15.

The discount can make a significant difference when considering the cost of spay/neuter at a typical veterinarian can cost several hundred dollars.

All of Emancipet’s services can be accessed at either the Austin or Pflugerville clinic. In addition, the organization makes an effort to travel to residents all around Central Texas.

“We have two mobile clinics that serve the seven surrounding counties as far north as Killeen and as far south as Seguin,” Hansen said.

Hansen believes that every family should be able to have a pet that wants one because of the joy that animals bring to the lives of their owners.

“We don’t just care about animals, we care about their owners and the part that they play,” Hansen said. “We look at the full picture of keeping pets healthy and happy and working with the families that love them.”

Watch this video to learn more about Emancipet’s mobile services: