Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson’s proposed budget would eliminate funding for 24-hour emergency veterinary care in the Portland area.
Those dollars, provided to DoveLewis Animal Hospital and nonprofit On-Call Community Rescue for Animals, currently help cover after-hours care for sick and injured lost and stray animals, as well as the county’s foster pets.
“It’s tough, because everything we do at (Multnomah County Animal Services) is important,” said Margi Bradway, director of the Department of Community Services, which oversees animal services and suggested the cuts as part of a slimmed-down budget proposal it provided to Vega Pederson. “But we did have to cut some of our contractual services.”…