Shelter’s Edge

Is your agency involved in high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter or interested in helping the free-roaming cats in your community? Then you need to know our Veterinary Outreach department’s Kathleen Makolinski, DVM, Senior Director of Spay/Neuter Programs, and queen of the ASPCA’s SOP manual for mobile/spay neuter clinics.

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your role at the ASPCA.

Dr. Makolinski: I work with the spectacular veterinarians within Veterinary Outreach (Drs. Lila Miller and Miranda Spindel) to achieve our strategic goals. This year I am developing a plan for a textbook giveaway (Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters) and facilitating the distribution of grants from Veterinary Outreach. 2011 has afforded me several opportunities to share various spay/neuter resources with veterinarians, veterinary technicians, veterinary students and animal welfare advocates at several conferences. I have also been very fortunate to collaborate with ASPCA staff members from Spay/Neuter Operations and conduct research related to free-roaming cats.

Shelters’ Edge: What are some of the services you offer shelters around the country?

Dr. Makolinski: It is an honor to work as a member of the ASPCA’s Baseline Assessment Team. This team learns about the operations and challenges faced by ASPCA Partnership Communities and offers assistance as they develop a plan to improve animal health, initiate or enhance spay/neuter services and increase live release rate. I also answer email and telephone inquiries from those who wish to start or improve upon shelter or community-based spay/neuter programs.

Shelters’ Edge: In terms of veterinary medicine, what is the one most important thing that shelters can do for the animals in their care?

Dr. Makolinski: Decreasing the length of stay for shelter animals is important to decrease the occurrence of shelter-acquired infectious disease and increase the number of animals that an organization can help within their community. Decreasing an animal’s length of stay can often be accomplished by providing necessary services for the animal in an efficient manner. For example, providing appropriately timed spay/neuter surgery for an adopted animal allows the dog or cat to leave the shelter without any unnecessary delay in their stay.

Shelters’ Edge: What advice would you give to someone wanting to start a high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinic?

Dr. Makolinski: Collaboration with various community organizations is key to the success of high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics. Working with municipal shelters, not-for-profit shelters, rescue organizations and free-roaming cat advocacy groups allows a spay/neuter program to identify where the greatest need for spay/neuter exists within a given community and also allows for judgment of the program’s impact. Additionally, such cooperation often provides the basis for a transportation program so that targeted populations of animals can gain access to the spay/neuter clinic.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s one thing about being a veterinarian that not everyone might know?

Dr. Makolinski: Most people become veterinarians because they like animals and want to help them. However, in order to be truly effective, one must also enjoy communicating with the people who serve as their caregivers!

Wanna learn more about starting a mobile spay/neuter clinic? Join us for a free webinar.

What else do you want to know about high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter or starting a clinic? Type your thoughts and questions for Dr. Makolinski in the comment box.

Related links

ASPCA Shelter Medicine Resources

SPCA Serving Erie County & Feral Cat FOCUS: Working Together to Help Feral Cats

Resources for Veterinarians: Organizing a Wet Lab

“Research Update: Is That Cat Feral?”

This Sunday may be the start of National Poison Prevention Week, but the folks at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) work ’round the clock (literally!) to educate pet owners and professionals about poison prevention. Camille DeClementi, VMD, Senior Director of Animal Health Services at the APCC—and board-certified diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Toxicology and the American Board of Toxicology—tells you what you (and your community) need to know.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s a typical day for you at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center?

Dr. DeClementi: During a typical shift I work with 10 to 15 colleagues, including other veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants. Our center answers about 550 calls per day. About 70% are from animal owners and about 30% are from veterinarians or their staff members. The majority of our calls are regarding dogs and cats, but we also take calls on other species, including birds, pocket pets, horses, cows, goats, pigs, fish, non-human primates and wildlife. In 2010, we helped animals in 61 different countries!

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your most memorable case.

Dr. DeClementi: In my 11 years working in the APCC, we have had some very interesting cases—including a dolphin who ingested a battery, a herd of cattle poisoned by nitrates in their water, cats who’d had Minoxidil applied to them to help their hair grow back, and dogs who became very ill after ingesting sugar-free gum containing xylitol.

But the most gratifying cases for me are those where we help the animal and are able to calm the owner. I recently took a call from a veterinarian who brought a bottle of medication home and placed it on the counter, then left the house. When he came home he found that his two dogs had eaten the entire bottle. He was truly panicked when he called, and thought his actions were going to lead to the death of his companions. I was able to talk him through treating his dogs and assure him that with appropriate and aggressive treatment that I expected they would do just fine. His relief and gratitude made that a memorable case for me.

Shelters’ Edge: How does the APCC work with shelters?

Dr. DeClementi: The APCC occasionally receives calls from shelter employees if an animal in their care has been exposed to a potentially poisonous substance. Our employees have lectured at shelter conferences on various topics, including avoiding toxicity from the use of cleaning products in shelters, insecticides and worming products. Some shelters include APCC materials including refrigerator magnets in their adoption packs.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s the most important thing shelters can tell adopters about poison prevention for pets?

Dr. DeClementi: Adopters should keep in mind that having a dog in the house is like having a toddler who can chew anything up!  And cats can get up on most any surface and knock things down. Some pets may even be more at risk than children because, unlike children, they are commonly left unattended. They are also likely to chew open some containers, including those considered child-safe. The ASPCA website has additional information regarding poison prevention.

Shelter employees should also mention that it is often not safe to use a product on an animal species for which it is not intended. For example, using a concentrated permethrin flea product labeled for dogs could prove deadly if used on a cat.

What are your thoughts and questions for Dr. DeClementi? Please type them in the comment box.

Related links:

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
Poisonous Plants List
Toxicology Resources for Veterinarians

Tomorrow may be the 17th annual Spay Day, but the ASPCA works every day to bring free and low-cost spay/neuter services to New York City and beyond. Get the whole scoop from Aimee Christian, Vice President, Spay/Neuter Operations. P.S. Going to Humane Alliance’s The SNIP! Summit March 31-April 2? Be sure to catch Aimee’s workshops there!

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your role at the ASPCA.

Aimee Christian: I oversee all of the ASPCA’s spay/neuter operations, and we have a lot going on! In the six years I have been here, I have seen our department grow tremendously. In 2005 we had two mobile clinics. Today, our fleet of five mobile spay/neuter clinics service New York City’s five boroughs seven days a week. We offer free and low-cost spay/neuter for cats and dogs belonging to residents on public assistance or in financial need. We provide free spay/neuter for free-roaming and homeless cats and dogs from shelters, rescue groups, foster networks, adoption centers and from TNR projects. We also offer special Spay Day events for free-roaming cats and for pit bulls. Now we are in the process of opening a Humane Alliance-model stationary spay/neuter clinic to supplement capacity in New York City, and in the spring we are launching a national mentorship program called the National Spay/Neuter Project that will provide guidance and support to small organizations wishing to start up a mobile, MASH or in-clinic style spay/neuter operation.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s the secret behind the success of Spay Sundays at the ASPCA’s Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital?

AC: We started our Bergh Spay Days in September 2009 as an experiment. We wanted to see if we could do the in-clinic model of high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter. Since Bergh is closed on Sundays, it seemed like a great opportunity. The hospital staff kindly allowed our team to use their waiting room and surgery suite. We brought our equipment, consumables and staff. We followed all of Bergh’s SOPs for cleaning and disinfecting and then opened the doors to up to 125 homeless and free-roaming cats in a single day! Since its inception, we’ve done 1,751 cats at these events. Our secret is collaboration. For example, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals helps transport the cats to us and we have lots of volunteers keeping the day organized. Everyone helps!

Shelters’ Edge: What advice do you have for an agency that wants to offer high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services?

AC: I would remind them that there are lots of mentorship opportunities out there, and lots of grant money, too. Contact the ASPCA and our partner agency, Humane Alliance, to see how we can help you get your program started, or improve a program already in existence.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s one myth about free-roaming cats held by others in the animal sheltering field that you’d like to debunk?

AC: I get the impression that many people in animal sheltering think free-roaming cats live short and miserable lives and shy away from all human contact. I have found this to be untrue. In a managed TNR colony (i.e. cats who have been trapped, sterilized, and returned to their colony to be managed by a caretaker who monitors their health and immediately sterilizes any newcomers), free-roaming cats can live long and healthy lives. Studies have shown that feral cats in managed colonies usually live much longer than the previously believed 2-5 years. A close friend of mine has had a relationship with her outside cats for upwards of five years now, and it’s very similar to the bond she has with her indoor cats.

Shelters’ Edge: We bet you’ve seen a lot, so…what’s your favorite spay/neuter slogan?

I definitely have seen them all, but I never get tired of them. My favorite was a cute T-shirt I got from BAD RAP that says “Don’t litter!,” but then the ASPCA made black T-shirts saying “I’m into S&N,” which makes people do a double-take whenever I wear it. It really gets the attention spay/neuter deserves!

Please type your thoughts and questions for Aimee in the comment box.

Related links:

ASPCA National Spay/Neuter Project
Starting a Spay/Neuter Program
Trap-Neuter-Return
Humane Alliance

In case you haven’t already met her, we’re thrilled to introduce you to a long-time leader in the animal sheltering field, the ASPCA’s own Julie Morris, Senior Vice President, Community Outreach. Here, Julie talks about her early days as a kennel tech, the hallmarks of a great shelter, what the future looks like for the field, and a dog who changed her life.

Shelters’ Edge: What was your first job in animal sheltering?

Julie Morris: I started working in the shelter as a kennel tech at the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) in Ann Arbor, MI. My plan was to take a year off from graduate school, where I was enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Psychobiology, and I got a job at the shelter sight unseen over the phone—I’d never even been to an animal shelter! My plan was to re-apply to a different graduate school and bide my time at the shelter until the following fall semester.

Shelters’ Edge: What’s one thing about this work that you weren’t expecting?

JM: I had no idea my life would change drastically and I would be “sucked” into animal protection and be forever involved in the mission of saving lives. I wasn’t expecting that it would be so fulfilling and all-consuming. After almost ten years at HSHV, including several as Executive Director, I moved on to Michigan Humane Society in Detroit and then to the ASPCA in 1990.

Julie with Ed Sayres, ASPCA President and CEO

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your current role at the ASPCA.

JM: I’m the Senior Vice President of Community Outreach (CO). There are five departments under CO – the common denominator being “providing positive outcomes for animals at risk.” The departments are: ASPCA Adoption Center, Community Initiatives (works in the ASPCA Partnership communities, assists shelters around the country and administers shelter and equine grants), ProLearning (responsible for ASPCApro, ASPCA $100K Challenge, Shelter Research & Development), and the Community Outreach Program Office (affectionately known as COP) – the administrative arm.

Shelters’ Edge: Over the span of your career, what’s changed most for the animals?

JM: While many animals, primarily bully breeds and cats, are still in jeopardy, the numbers of animals euthanized has decreased dramatically. When I started, we had litter after litter of puppies (including purebreds) coming into the shelter and now, at least in some pockets of the country, puppies at shelters are a rare commodity. Sometimes it is difficult to see the forest for the trees, but we are making progress!

Shelters’ Edge: What’s changed most for the public?

JM: The public has become more educated and aware of animal issues including animal sheltering, spaying and neutering, vegetarianism, etc. This doesn’t mean there aren’t problems, but there is most definitely greater awareness.

Shelters’ Edge: And what’s changed most for shelter workers?

JM: I think shelter workers of today are wearing more hats—including using new technology and software, different cleaning procedures, emphasizing both mental and physical health, customer service (in past this was largely ignored), providing behavioral enrichment, and most importantly, being more flexible with the public and adoptions.

Keisa

Shelters’ Edge: You’ve met—and helped to save—so many animals throughout your career! Are there any whose stories still stick with you?

JM: Countless animals have made an impact on my life and kept me going over the years. One was, of course, my first dog, Keisa, who was adopted during my first year at the Humane Society of Huron Valley. Her story began in the winter of 1978, when a garbage collector on his early-morning rounds heard a strange noise from inside a trash dumpster on Ann Arbor’s northwest side. Opening the dumpster to investigate, he found a cardboard box containing a litter of half-frozen, terrified, whimpering husky-mix puppies. Outraged, he brought the puppies into HSHV after his rounds were completed. We christened the puppies the “Fluffer Nutters” because after being bathed and brushed, they were the softest balls of fur imaginable. Every day, I found myself making several trips to the Fluffers’ corner of the shelter to spend time with them. One, a particularly outgoing female, I adopted!

She eventually outgrew her fluffiness and lived for runs in the woods and swimming anywhere at any time of the year. She found water almost anywhere we went and would gallop in and swim furiously, barking at the bubbles her movement created. She moved cross country with me when I came to work for the ASPCA and lived to 14 years of age until she died of bone cancer.

Shelters’ Edge: What are the hallmarks of a great shelter?

JM: Number one is having both passion and a sense of urgency for the important job they are doing. Never be satisfied with the status quo and continue to strive to do better and save more lives.

The basics, of course: clean and inviting facility, friendly, welcoming staff, active volunteer program, comprehensive medical program with vaccination on intake, behavioral enrichment for shelter animals.

Active programs should include comprehensive adoption program, affordable and accessible HQHVSN (High Quality High Volume Spay Neuter), foster care, feral cat TNR and work with rescue groups.

Shelters’ Edge: It’s no secret that burn-out and compassion fatigue are issues for those who work in animal sheltering. What’s the secret to your success in the field—and at the ASPCA?

JM: It’s an issue of balance. You need to care enough to put your heart and soul into the work you do, which leaves you vulnerable to compassion fatigue. But you also need to have a personal life, hobbies and interests (outside of animal protection) and be able to keep a balance. Of course, this is easier said than done and something I continually struggle with.

Shelters’ Edge: Now a silly one—what’s your theme song for the ASPCA Community Outreach department?

JM: This one is tough. I’d have to say the Addams Family theme song and “Shiny Happy People” by REM. They will probably offend everyone in Community Outreach, but it makes sense to me. ;-D
[Editor’s note: LOL. And we at Shelters’ Edge think that’s a compliment!]

Shiny, happy -- and kooky? -- with colleague Sam in New Orleans

Shelters’ Edge: What advice do you have for folks want to make a difference in animal sheltering and rescue?

JM: Get involved to the best of your time and ability and decide in advance what your limits are. Can you donate to your local shelter, volunteer your time, foster animals, or do you want a full-time career in animal protection?

Shelters’ Edge: What does the future look like for the ASPCA’s work in the animal sheltering field?

JM: The future is really exciting. I have seen lots of positive changes in my 30-plus years, and know there are still positive changes to come. I’m particularly excited that dogs and puppies in shelters are increasingly less and less at risk (with the exception of bully breeds). The ASPCA is leading the way in shelter research and development, exploring new methodologies that save lives and increase adoptions, RTOs, feral cat programs and spay/neuter efficiencies.

Please type any questions or thoughts you have for Julie in the comment box.

In the coming year, we’ll be reserving this space every month to introduce you to ASPCA experts whose work saves shelter animals’ lives. First up, meet Miranda Spindel, DVM, MS, Director of Veterinary Outreach. Dr. Spindel talks about serving on the task force for a groundbreaking project in our field – the Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, released this month by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.

Shelters’ Edge: Tell us about your role at the ASPCA.

Dr. Spindel: I work in the department of Veterinary Outreach, along with two other amazing veterinarians, Dr. Lila Miller and Dr. Kathleen Makolinski. The department provides information, support, outreach and consult to veterinary professionals, communities and shelter staff on all aspects of shelter medicine. Although there is often overlap in what we do, Dr. Miller focuses efforts on anti-cruelty, Dr. Makolinski specializes in spay/neuter issues, and I work primarily with shelter health/wellness and infectious disease issues.

Shelters’ Edge: So, is vet school as hard as they say?

Dr. Spindel: Four years sounds like a long time, but vet school went by in such a blur! It is definitely hard to get in to vet school. Once there, I’d say the actual intensity required is good preparation for the professional experience of being a successful veterinarian.

Shelters’ Edge: What are some of the services you offer to shelters around the country?

Dr. Spindel: Veterinary outreach members speak frequently at veterinary colleges, conferences, and continuing education events for shelter staff and volunteers. Education and outreach are part of our everyday mission. We regularly consult with shelters that have questions or are experiencing particular issues, like how to prevent or manage an infectious disease outbreak. Veterinary Outreach also works closely with programs like the ASPCA Partnership and the Mobile Spay/Neuter Program, where we not only provide a service, but also work together with shelters and their communities to discover effective ways to save more animals’ lives.

Shelters’ Edge: What has been the most rewarding experience you’ve had at the ASPCA?

Dr. Spindel: That’s hard to answer! I love my job, and have had so many great experiences, encounters and opportunities at the ASPCA! I really enjoy working with the ASPCA Partnership communities – from the first baseline assessment where we visit the shelter in a small team and spend time with the staff to learn about their operations, to the phone calls, emails and meetings that follow through the years. Shelter medicine is still such a new field and there is so much to learn about what works and what doesn’t work. The opportunity to introduce changes and then gather data over several years to actually evaluate effect is pretty unique!

Shelters’ Edge: In terms of veterinary medicine, what is the most important thing that shelters can do for animals in their care?

Dr. Spindel: If I had to pick a single thing, it would be vaccination of all animals on intake (per accepted shelter standards). This seemingly small and relatively inexpensive medical step can be lifesaving for an individual animal and can limit widespread infectious disease.

Shelters’ Edge: Congratulations on the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters! Can you tell us a little about them?

Dr. Spindel: This is such a milestone project for all of us! The ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters is a white paper that highlights best and unacceptable practices as well as minimum standards of care in animal shelters. Although there are papers that outline standards for care of animals in laboratories, kennels, zoos and other settings, this is really the first time animal shelter care has been specifically addressed, and it is a very exciting landmark for our field!

The paper is the result of several years of research and writing by a task force of the ASV consisting of 14 veterinarians with extensive shelter expertise – including direct work in shelters, academia, national organizations, municipal sheltering, and work in the private sector. The goal of the guidelines is to provide information that will help any shelter, regardless of resources, philosophy or mission (so a foster home, a municipal agency, a sanctuary, etc.), meet the physical, medical, and behavioral needs of the animals they care for.

The document is based on well-established principles known as the “Five Freedoms” that essentially speak to needs of animals remaining constant regardless of where they are kept. These principles were originally developed in 1965 by the Brambell Commission in the UK to guide the care of farm animals, but they are equally applicable to companion animals.

Shelters’ Edge: Any advice or suggestions for our readers as they take their first look at the guidelines?

Dr. Spindel: The guidelines may seem overwhelming at first. I would encourage readers to glance over the document, and then later go back and read one section at a time more thoroughly (there are twelve sections) with an open mind. Pay attention to the use of words like “Must,” “Should,” and “Ideally,” which have been carefully selected by the authors.

The information is meant to be achievable, practical, and relevant to every reader and intended as a tool for communities and shelters to self-improve. Rather than dismissing a particular idea or recommendation as not applicable to one’s own work, try to focus on what action steps toward positive change for the animals in your care seem possible. The real merit of having written standards of care lies in what we, as the animal sheltering community, now actually do with them.

Feel free to type any questions in the comment box, and get your copy of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters here.Related links:
Association of Shelter Veterinarians
“Shelter Veterinary Medicine,” by Dr. Lila Miller
Shelter Medicine
Webinar with Dr. Spindel: Infection Control—Understanding Those Valuable Vaccines
Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters