For 13-year-old Shih Tzu Lilo, the ASPCA Bronx Community Veterinary Clinic is the place where vaccines, allergy care and a neuter surgery happened, and where his owner says keeping him has been possible. In an ASPCA profile published July 8, 2025, longtime South Bronx resident Sonja M. calls the clinic “my go-to place.” This article covers Lilo’s story, what the clinic does, and what readers in similar situations should check before counting on it.
Lilo and Sonja’s story
Sonja M. has lived in the South Bronx for years. She says she and Lilo have been coming to the clinic “since they opened,” which was March 2020. Of Lilo, she says: “Lilo is like a person to me; he’s my constant companion.”
According to the ASPCA profile, the clinic vaccinated Lilo, gave him allergy medication, and neutered and microchipped him. More recently he was seen for skin allergies and an eye condition. Desire Marulanda, the clinic’s interim senior manager of operations, said: “He was sneezing and licking his paws, so our veterinarians prescribed medication to ease his symptoms.” The profile does not name the medication or diagnose the eye problem.
The financial stakes come through Marulanda too. She relayed that Sonja said keeping Lilo would be impossible without the clinic because of financial constraints. That is Sonja’s own assessment as passed along by clinic staff, not an independent review of her finances. It is also one family’s experience, and it does not show that every household will get the same services or appointments.
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What the clinic offers
The profile says the clinic provides basic veterinary services for cats and dogs: physical examinations, vaccines, in-house diagnostics, and medication, free of charge for eligible clients. ASPCA’s service listing describes it as appointment-based, affordable primary care in the South Bronx for low-income Bronx residents. An ASPCA job listing from 2026 describes the wider community clinic scope as high-volume spay/neuter, preventive care, and treatment of minor illnesses and injuries.
That scope matters. This is primary care, not an emergency hospital or specialty practice. Lilo’s story fits it: routine prevention, allergy management and minor-illness treatment.
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Before you count on it
- Eligibility: ASPCA describes the service for low-income Bronx residents. Specific income or program requirements were not spelled out in the sources, so ask ASPCA directly.
- Appointments: A local veterinary resource listing gives the address as 501 East 161st Street and says appointments are required and walk-ins are not accepted. Hours, contact routes and openings change, so check ASPCA’s current page.
- Cost: “Free of charge” in the profile applies to eligible clients. Do not assume every service is free for every visitor.
- Emergencies: A primary-care clinic is not set up for urgent after-hours cases. If your pet is in acute distress, go to an emergency veterinarian.
The numbers behind the clinic
| Figure | Value | Source and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Animals served since opening | 63,618 (26,575 dogs; 37,043 cats) | ASPCA, July 2025 profile; cumulative total at publication, not a current count |
| Pet-care visits | 31,485 | ASPCA, 2025 profile |
| Spay/neuter surgeries | 32,133 | ASPCA, 2025 profile; for owned animals and rescue groups |
| Animals cared for in 2024 | More than 35,000 | ASPCA 2024 annual-report page; Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens community clinics plus mobile clinics combined, so not Bronx-only |
Why access is the issue
The ASPCA frames the clinic against a national problem. It cites a 2018 Access to Veterinary Care Coalition survey in which 28% of pet owners had faced a barrier to care in the prior two years and 23% could not provide preventive care for at least one pet. It also cites Pets for Life data estimating about 17 million pets in underserved communities had never seen a veterinarian; the profile gives no year for that estimate. These are figures as relayed by the ASPCA, not checked against the original reports.
Dr. Lori Bierbrier, ASPCA senior medical director for Community Medicine, Eastern Region, states the goal: “One of our priorities is keeping people and pets together by providing accessible veterinary care and resources.” She adds, “The clinic is a real benefit to the community.” Lilo, at 13, is a case in point: older pets need steady, affordable care, and that is often what decides whether they stay at home.
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