YOUNGSTOWN — For pet lovers, a four-legged addition to their lives is like introducing another family member. So, it’s important for them to have healthy cats and dogs.

On Sunday, the Marjorie Hartman Family Foundation Pet Clinic hosted by Youngstown State University Pre-Veterinary Society presented an opportunity for their cherished ones to receive necessary health care at a discounted rate at Stambaugh Stadium Gymnasium.

Before her death in 2008, Hartman, who lived in Austintown, set up the charity to fund and promote animal welfare in the Mahoning Valley. Not only does it sponsor the Pet Clinic, but the lifelong animal lover set up a scholarship and endowment that assists those enrolled in the pre-veterinary program at YSU to achieve their academic and veterinary dreams.

Since 2018, the clinic has grown in the number of pets helped with nearly 30 in its debut to more than 250 receiving treatment in each of the past two years.

“There is an outpouring of gratitude from the community, and they have expressed the need for this,” said Donald R. Crum, assistant organizer of the Marjorie Hartman Family Foundation Pet Clinic.

“For some, veterinary care may not be able to be obtained due to various reasons, and this clinic gives them a chance to afford it and keep their pets healthy,” he said.

According to Crum, people and pets waited outside in the chilly, rainy elements hours before the 10 a.m. opening in order to make sure they were cared for at the clinic.

Among the services offered were free nail clipping, low-cost vaccines, exams and bloodwork that were performed by licensed veterinarians from Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Stark and Carrollton counties.

Volunteers included registered veterinary technicians and students from YSU, Kent State University veterinary technician program and the Mahoning County Career & Technical Center animal science program.

The YSU Pre-Veterinary Society is an organization composed of students interested in going into the veterinary / animal care field. At YSU, they take their undergraduate courses and prerequisites necessary to get into vet school before becoming the next generation of veterinarians, registered veterinary technicians or workers in other areas of the animal care field.

At the clinic, their duties included set up, breakdown, organizing of supplies and general flow of the patients.

Animal lovers who appreciated what the Pet Clinic provided also gave some insight into how its multiple-tiered promotion made an impact.

A YSU graduate student who will receive a nurse practitioner degree in December, Emily Streck of Youngstown explained that she brought her four cats after finding out about the clinic through her email feed.

“I thought it would be great to come and get my cats seen by a great veterinarian and a great organization. This is just a phenomenal service that the community gets,” she said.

Allison Mahr of Girard attended with her two dogs — Humphrey Bogart and Betty.

“We heard about it on the local news and came here because it was more affordable than our regular vet. It seemed like a really cool opportunity to help out the YSU students,” she said.

A registered veterinary technician at Crago Veterinary Clinic, Crum laid the groundwork for the clinic prior to his YSU graduation.

“My love of animals and wanting to help them, and my love of medicine, led me to this career / profession,” he said.

Local veterinarian and YSU graduate Dr. Tina Costarella made the clinic a reality in 2018.

An added bonus to the pet clinic finds the student volunteers gaining hands-on experience as well as networking with local professionals.

“The students from these programs along with the YSU Pre-Vet Society get skills with patient handling and restraint, helping with physical exams, drawing blood, giving vaccines, trimming nails, running some blood tests and fecal floats,” Crum said. “They will also get experience with medical documentation and record keeping with client interaction, along with other aspects of working in a clinic setting.”

After another successful event, the pet clinic was a win-win-win — for the cats and dogs who receive necessary treatment, the pet owners on tight budgets and the students whose participation looks impressive to potential veterinary schools.