Everyone knows that when your pet is sick, you take it to see the veterinarian, but at the Sacramento Zoo on Saturday, children and their families brought stuffed animals needing a patch up to the second annual Stuffed Animal Vet Clinic.

Produced by Sacramento's chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, this year’s vet clinic treated over 160 stuffed animal patients, twice as many as last year.

Checkups cost $3 per animal. Children and families who did not have an animal friend of their own had the opportunity to adopt one lightly used pet for $1.

The event raised $600, which will be donated to the Sacramento Police Canine Association, in order to assist the police dog, Bodie, with veterinary care and recovery.

On the Veterinary Hospital Lawn inside the zoo, participants checked in at a reception table before continuing to the vet stations for a checkup. A veterinarian, a vet resident, one vet tech, two docent volunteers and one zoo keeper waited to perform the physicals.

Armed with an assortment of standard medical supplies, such as band-aids, gauze, syringes for needleless shots and stethoscopes, each stuffed animal vet “cured” the furry friends of the illness claimed by the child.

Pets that couldn't be fixed with a band-aid or gauze were taken to the surgery station, where two docent volunteers, dressed in medical scrubs, worked independently to stitch up animals with more severe tears.

Whether a participant's animal needed a simple physical or surgery, everyone walked away with a smile.
 

Zoo Docent Shirley Manning checks in participant Kiera Carston, 5, and her animal friend, Piggy. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Kiera watches Veterinarian Sathya Chinnadurai, while her brother Koen Stone, 7, gets ready to have his pet looked over. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Koen, Kiera and Stuffed Animal Surgeon / Zoo Docent Jasmine Chavez smile after Piggy comes out of nose surgery. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Andrew Stone, 3, and his mother Andrea describe how his pal, Beaver, cut himself on his head and tail on their pool. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Chloe Metzger, 5, shows her Stuffed Animal Vet how her pet snake, Anna, has a rip on its neck before the exam began. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Chloe is brave while her pet snake, Anna, goes into surgery for neck re-stitching. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Catherine Buckels, 3, listens to her stuffed animal vet before handing over her dog friend, Penny. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Catherine shows how Penny has an ear problem. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton Little Catherine stands patiently waiting and watching while her friend is in surgery getting an ear stitched. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Penny the Corgi is all better and Catherine is happy. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Some pets needed to recover after surgery. Those pets were placed in pet carriers until the owners returned later. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Vet stations (two main tents on left) with surgery station right side of vet stations. Upper right is adoption center. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton) Zoo Docents Jasmine Chavez (left) and Margaret Hayes (right) work to repair furry friends. (Image by: Melanie Getchell-Moulton)