Animal welfare groups from San Rafael to Santa Cruz and Sacramento have posted free and low-cost vaccine clinics and free pet food days for the fall, with dates running from Saturday, October 10, through Saturday, December 19.
The San Francisco SPCA (SF SPCA) says its mobile clinics serve neighborhoods that face the steepest barriers to veterinary care. Pet food help has made the news as well. On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, during the federal government shutdown, ABC7 reported that Marin Humane was collecting dog and cat food for SNAP recipients, to be handed out through local food banks. Lisa Bloch of Marin Humane spoke to the station about people having to choose between food for their pets and food for their families.
Rules differ from place to place. Some clinics take walk-ins while others see pets by appointment only, and some services are limited to one county or to owners with low incomes. The listings below give prices, eligibility and hours as each organizer states them. Schedules can change, so check the linked page or call before going.
Marin County: a free drop-in clinic
Marin Humane holds its next Pet Safety Net Community Clinic for Pets on Saturday, October 10, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM at Marin Health and Human Services, 3250 Kerner Blvd. in San Rafael. Everything is free: rabies vaccines, the DA2PP vaccine for dogs and the FVRCP vaccine for cats, plus microchips and pet food and supplies, for Marin County pet owners with low incomes.
The clinic is drop-in, and its page sets no income threshold. Marin Humane has not posted a schedule for later clinics. Its Pet Safety Net program takes questions at 415-506-6255 or psn@marinhumane.org.
San Francisco: no-cost clinics for dogs
The SF SPCA's mobile vaccine clinics offer no-cost preventive care for dogs. Priority goes to puppies under one year old, dogs that have never been vaccinated and dogs at high risk for diseases such as parvovirus.
Visits are by appointment only. Booking opens the Wednesday before each clinic at sfspca.org/book-mvc, so booking for the Saturday, October 17, clinic opens on Wednesday, October 14. The SF SPCA's events calendar lists three clinics, each from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM:
- Saturday, October 17: Southeast Family Health Center, 2403 Keith St., in the Bayview
- Saturday, November 21: City of Dreams Community Center, 1030 Oakdale Ave., in Hunters Point
- Saturday, December 19: St. Anthony's, 150 Golden Gate Ave., in the Tenderloin
San Mateo County: low-cost clinics by appointment
The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) holds low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics for cats and dogs, by appointment only, at its Coyote Point Shelter, 12 Airport Blvd. in San Mateo. Its clinic page lists rabies, FeLV, FVRCP and DHPP vaccines at $15 per vaccine and microchips at $30.
Evening clinics run from 6:00 to 7:50 PM on Wednesday, October 14; Wednesday, November 18; and Wednesday, December 9. Morning clinics run from 9:00 to 10:50 AM on Saturday, October 17; Saturday, November 7; Saturday, November 21; Saturday, December 5; and Saturday, December 19. On Friday, October 9, the page showed the Wednesday, October 14, and Saturday, October 17, clinics as full. Sign-ups for the November clinics open Saturday, October 17, at 12:00 PM, and for the December clinics on Saturday, November 21, at 12:00 PM. People who cannot book can call 650-340-7022, ext. 332, to join a waitlist.
Oakland: walk-in vaccines with posted prices
The East Bay SPCA holds walk-in clinics for dogs and cats at its Theodore B. Travers Family Veterinary Clinic, 8323 Baldwin St. in Oakland, offering vaccines, microchips, tests and deworming. The clinics are not for sick pets. Walk-ins are seen first come, first served, and people with appointments get priority. Hours are 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, closed from 12:00 to 1:30 PM.
The SPCA's events calendar lists walk-in clinic days on Monday, October 12; Tuesday, October 13; Thursday, October 15; Monday, October 19; and Monday, October 26. Check the calendar for later dates. Posted prices include:
- Dogs: rabies, DA2PP and Bordetella, $18.50 each; Lyme, $23; lepto, $23; canine influenza, $40 per dose
- Cats: FVRCP, $18.50; FeLV/FIV test, $47; FeLV vaccine, $40; Purevax rabies, $25.50 for the one-year shot or $75.07 for the three-year shot
- Microchips: $20
The clinic's number is 510-569-1606, and its email is clinic@eastbayspca.org.
Santa Cruz and Sacramento: free pet food and low-cost care
The Santa Cruz SPCA runs a free Pet Food Pantry with dog and cat food for families and seniors in Santa Cruz County. It is open Sundays from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the SPCA, 2601 Chanticleer Ave. in Santa Cruz, and the SPCA's events calendar lists it every Sunday from Sunday, October 11, through Sunday, November 22. The listing gives no other eligibility rules; check the calendar for later dates.
The Sacramento SPCA, at 6201 Florin Perkins Road in Sacramento, lists a low-cost vaccine clinic by appointment on Mondays through Wednesdays and on Saturdays, booked at sspca.org/vaccineappt. It also lists low-cost spay and neuter services Monday through Saturday by appointment, with a waitlist at sspca.org/clinicwaitlist, and a free pet food program, PAWPantry, which it lists as ongoing. For PAWPantry details, call 916-383-7387.
How to help
The Santa Cruz SPCA lists a volunteer orientation on Sunday, October 18, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and a foster orientation by Zoom on Monday, October 26, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM.
See SF SPCA mobile clinic details
From Saved by the Saddle
Saved by the Saddle runs free horsemanship programs for military veterans and at-promise youth at Ocean View Stables in Daly City, and is building R&R: Rescue and Rehab, its horse rescue program. No horse is in its care yet: a vet and farrier on call, a quiet space for a new horse, a written intake standard and funding for a decade or more of care come first.
Sources: Marin Humane, "Community Clinic for Pets: San Rafael"; San Francisco SPCA, "SF SPCA Mobile Vaccine Clinics"; San Francisco SPCA, events calendar; Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, vaccination clinics page; Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, events calendar; East Bay SPCA, "Vaccine Clinics"; East Bay SPCA, events calendar; Santa Cruz SPCA, events calendar; Sacramento SPCA, home page; ABC7 News, report on North Bay nonprofits fighting food insecurity (Tuesday, November 4, 2025). Organization pages were accessed Friday, October 9, 2026.