The National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA) has released several statements and protocol recommendations for animal shelters amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We’d like to bring attention to their recommendations for releasing unaltered pets from animal shelters and cat intake protocol, and we strongly encourage shelters to adhere to them. The U.S. Surgeon General has… Learn More
Patches the Dachshund had 70 percent of her skull removed, but you’d never know it by looking at her. Four years ago, Patches had a bump on top of her head. Her owner, Danielle Dymeck kept an eye on it as it continued to grow. Turns out it was a life-threatening tumor. It was pressing… Learn More
APEX, N.C. — Whether they are performing spay and neuter procedures in a private practice, spay-neuter clinic, mobile clinic or veterinary school, veterinarians can now reference newly updated and expanded professional guidelines that encompass all aspects of the spay-neuter process. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ 2016 Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs were recently… Learn More
High-volume spay/neuter programs come in all shapes and sizes, from standalone clinics, to MASH-style operations, to mobile vans, to in-shelter surgical suites, and more. A task force of experts from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) has just released their 2016 guidelines to best practices to ensure excellent animal care in high-volume spay/neuter programs —… Learn More
Senior pets are special. Shelter pets are special. And senior pets in shelters need some special considerations when it comes to anesthesia. Dr. Emily McCobb is a board-certified veterinary anesthesiologist and Director of the Shelter Medicine Program at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. At the 2015 ASPCA-Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Conference at… Learn More
There’s no question that spaying and neutering are critical components of pet population control. But some of the science on its risks and benefits isn’t as supportive, and more and more pet owners are asking questions about routine spay/neuter that those of us in animal welfare may not be able to answer. Recently, the American… Learn More
If your animal organization is serious about saving lives, preventing suffering, and treating animals with their physical and emotional well-being in mind, here are five resources you can’t do without: 1. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines to Standards of Care in Animal Shelters Available as a free download, this is the bible of… Learn More
Today, we know that the sensation of pain itself inhibits healing and raises stress levels in animals, and that, by preventing and treating pain agressively, we promote faster recoveries and avoid many post-operative complications.
When Darryl the cat came into Alachua County Animal Services in Florida, he had a huge hole in his palate. No one knew what caused it, but it made eating painful, and led to constant nasal infections. Fortunately, Operation Catnip and Alachua County Humane Society got involved, and plucked him from the euthanasia list… Learn More
Controlling post-surgical pain in female cats is an important part of any spay/neuter program. A recent study compared two commonly-used pain medications, and found one far superior to the other.