Kwane Stewart has loved and been surrounded by animals his whole life and knew he wanted to care for them from a young age. But working as a vet at a shelter during the recession - and having to decide which animals lived and which were euthanized - almost made him walk away from the profession altogether. Dr. Kwane shares the life-changing encounter with an unhoused man and his dog that inspired him to create the non-profit Project Street Vet - and ultimately saved his career as a vet. He explains why “some of the most remarkable pet parents [he’s] ever met are in the streets.” And he opens up about his own love of animals - from his childhood cat who helped him cope with being bullied, to the 10-foot python he had in college, to Kora, the German Shepherd he adopted from the shelter he used to work. As a bonus, Dr. Kwane also provides the very serious, very medically scientific reasons why giving your poochie woochie smooches and snuggle wuggles makes you feel better.

If you’re in the mood to support a pet-related cause, you can find Project Street Vet here.

And if you are hankering for more about Dr. Kwane, his website is here, where you can find his book, What It Takes to Save a Life

Dr. Kwane is also the Chief Veterinary Officer at Kismet. Every time you buy their pet food, they make a donation to Project Street Vet too.

Follow Dr. Kwane:

On Instagram here and here

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Furball Confidential is created and hosted by Jen Moroz

Talia Schlanger is our producer

She also co-created our theme music with David Travers-Smith, with Brian Kobayakawa on bass

Reza Dahya does the video and sound design and editing

Dani Stover does our social media

Our show artwork is by Adrian Forrow

Marina Hanna does our audience development

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