Connie VarnhagenGeneral Veterinary Hospital

University of AlbertaEdmonton Humane Society Prevent Another Liter Subsidy Program

varn@ualberta.ca

Controlling Companion Animal Overpopulation

Companion animal overpopulation

Spay/neuter program models

Volunteering

Protocols

Getting involved/learning more

Overview

Lack of knowledge

Lack of finances

Disposable pets

Lack of veterinary care

Cultural differences

Companion animal overpopulation: Causes

Zoonoses

Noise

Property damage

Injury to animals and humans

Animal welfare effects

Companion animal overpopulation: Effects

Voucher

Fixed Clinic

Mobile

In Clinic

MASH

Spay/Neuter Models

Free or reduced-rate voucher for spay/neuter based on specific criteria

Voucher

eedition.windsorthisweek.ca/doc/windsorthisweek/windsorthisweek/2012070501/27.html#26

AdvantagesAlmost no overheadClient may be able to choose veterinarianHelps build relationships

ChallengesClient complianceTypically more expensiveSmaller numbers of animals than other models

Voucher

various

Regular hours surgery by appointment, often specializing in feral and pediatric surgeries

Fixed Clinic

spayneuter.ontariospca.ca

Weekend clinics at the Edmonton Humane Society

Low income, disabled

Subsidized spay/neuter, general treatment

No current start-up cost

Modified Fixed Clinic: Edmonton Humane Society Prevent Another Liter Subsidized Spay/Neuter Program

AdvantagesHigh volume/High quality Known in the community

ChallengesLocal veterinarians perceive competitionExpensive to build and maintain

Fixed Clinic

Specially equipped van travels to different areas to reach underserved areas

Mobile

reginahumanesociety.ca

AdvantagesWider geographic reachSelf-containedGood for public awareness

ChallengesExpensiveSpace limitationsObtaining good will of local veterinarians

Mobile

Use veterinary clinic when closed for specialized spay/neuter

In Clinic

rescue4life.org

AdvantagesNo equipment costsBuilds relationships

ChallengesObtaining good will of participating clinicsVolunteers

In Clinic

Organization takes own equipment into community, using borrowed spaces.

MASH

souldog.org

abtaskforce.org animalbalance.net

Alberta Spay and Neuter Task Force

Animal Balance

Soul Dog Rescue (Colorado Animal Rescue League)

PAE Ambato and Municipality, Ecuador

2 to 5 day clinics in underserved areasVolunteers generally pay transportationClinic provides or subsidizes food and housing

MASH

AdvantagesLess expensiveAbility to serve areas of needDevelop public awareness

ChallengesStorageTime to set up and take downObtaining good will of local veterinariansVolunteers

MASH

Success!

New Hampshire subsidized spay/neuter program (White, Jefferson, & Levy, 2010)

Success!

Complete the Animal Empathy questionnaire

Complete the Volunteering with Animals questionnaire

Find your scores with the Score Sheet

So, do you think you’d like to volunteer?

Clary & Snyder (1991) Functions of Volunteering

Function Motivation to Volunteer

Values To express or act on important values, such as humanitarianism and helping the less fortunate

Understanding to learn more about the world and/or exercise skills that are often unused

Enhancement to grow and develop psychologically through involvement in volunteering

Career to gain career-related experience

Social to strengthen one’s social relationships

Protective to reduce negative feelings, such as guilt, or to address personal problems

Others who volunteer in veterinary care

How do you compare?

Mean

Animal Empathy 149

Volunteering with Animals

Values 5.0

Career 4.1

Understanding 3.8

Enhancement 4.3

Protection 4.6

Social 4.4

The team...arrives together

leaves together

parks individual egos at the door

recognizes that each position is indispensable to success

works very hard

has a blast supporting the human-animal bond

A typical day

Safety of the animals and humans are key!

Association of Shelter Medicine Veterinarians’ Spay-Neuter Task Force, JAVMA (2008)

Roles and responsibilities for all positions

Animal care and handling

Medical records, client communication

Drugs

Surgery

Protocols

Effective

Wide margin of safety

Rapid onset, reasonable duration, rapid offset

Economical

Anaesthetic protocols (Ko & Berman, 2010)

Gas anaesthetic

PA: opiate + sedative (+/- anticholinergic)Induction: dissociative + relaxant/sedative

Injectable anaestheticOpiate + alpha-2 agonist (+/- additional dissociative,

relaxant/sedative)

Common Anaesthetic Protocols

Post-op pain control

Long-acting, broad spectrum antibiotic

Core vaccines

Internal and external parasite control

IdentificationIdentification tattoo/microchipSurgical tattoo, eat tip/notch

Medically necessary treatments

Common additional procedures

Ask around!Alberta Spay/Neuter Task Force (abtaskforce.org)

Search the web (and contact for references)ASPCA (aspcapro.org)Animal Balance (animalbalance.net)

Consider a career

Start your own program!

How to get involved

Spay/neuter campaigns are varied

Spay/neuter campaigns are successful

Spay/neuter campaigns are high quality

Spay/neuter campaigns are rewarding

Summary

ASPCA (aspcapro.org [click on National Spay/Neuter Project])

ModelsArticlesGeneral protocolsLinks

Humane Alliance (humanealliance.org)

VideosSelf-test!

PetSmart Charities (petsmartcharities.org [click on Spay/Neuter])

Lots of webinars, handouts, information

Spay USA (spayusa.org)

List of clinics General information

Some good web resources