Regardless of the type of program being utilized, it’s important to optimize pain control for cats and dogs undergoing spay/neuter. There are many acceptable and affordable analgesic agents to choose from. A veterinarian can design an anesthetic/analgesic protocol that incorporates the following concepts:

Multimodal Pain Control
- Combines multiple pain control agents in a single protocol
This allows drugs to act synergistically to control pain. Since a lower dose of each drug may be used in the combination, the negative side effects of each drug are minimized.

Pre-emptive Pain Control
- Use of a pain control agent prior to initial surgical incision
This is important because generally it is easier to prevent pain than it is to treat pain once it occurs.

References
Looney, A., et al, The Association of Shelter Veterinarians veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs, JAVMA, Vol 233, No. 1, July 1, 2008.

The above article, as well as many other related resources, can be found at the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ website.

What are your protocols for controlling pain for cats and dogs undergoing spay/neuter surgery?

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Makolinski, DVM

Related links:
“Tip of the Week: Shelf Employed”
Upcoming Webinar: “Funding Your Spay/Neuter Program”

Heard of foster programs that prohibit foster volunteers from bathing kittens under 4 weeks of age because…they’ll get wet?

Here to challenge that tired old policy is Dr. Sandra Newbury, DVM, Koret Shelter Medicine Program, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, who reminds us, “Kittens were born wet!” Bathing the little ones is important in preventing skin infections and removing feces that might accumulate in a kitten’s rear and result in blockages. “Just keep them warm, using warm water and towels,” she says.

Dr. Newbury further points out that bathing is also a great way to get fleas off of youngsters who are too young for the topical treatments—and is safer than some of the alternative powders or other insecticides. “A nice warm bath with a very little bit of mild soap slows the bugs down and lets you pick them off with much greater ease,” she says. “Don’t forget to have a nice warm towel ready to receive!”

For more tips on fostering puppies and kittens, from neonates to 8 weeks old, listen to the free recording of Dr. Newbury’s webinar, “Early Age Care for Foster Animals.”

Related links:
Webinar Series: Foster Care with Dr. Sandra Newbury
“2 Top Tips for Your Foster Families”

Providence Animal Rescue League (PARL) uses a simple form to communicate need-to-know info before a dog walker heads out the door:

The icons indicate which toys, treats and activities the dog prefers, as well as his skill level on leash, creating an easy-to-digest visual that minimizes confusion for staff and volunteers. And by laminating the chart, the Rhode Island agency makes it simple to reuse – they just use a marker to write over the plastic.

PARL hangs each dog’s harness alongside his form, which reminds folks to check the dog’s latest info as they grab the leash for their walk. As you can see, there’s a handy calendar at the bottom of page for staff and volunteers to initial when a dog has been out.

Got a way to amp up the communication amongst your staff and volunteers? We’d love to hear, so shout at us in the comment box.

P.S. Guess where PARL got the inspiration for their form? We hate to brag, but what the heck – they told us it was right here: Tip of the Week: (Dry Erase) Boarding School. Thanks for reading, guys!

Related Links:
Tip of the Week: (Dry Erase) Boarding School
Sample Enrichment Schedule

Looking for ways to improve the set-up in the area where you perform high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter?

The shelves pictured here:

• Serve as a place to efficiently house trapped cats before administration of anesthetic/analgesic agents and performance of spay/neuter, as well as following monitored recovery from anesthesia.
• Are constructed of material that is easy to clean and disinfect. Shelves are lined with newspaper to further assist with cleaning process.
• Are located in a quiet room, where trapped cats receive minimal auditory and visual stimulation prior to and after surgery/anesthesia.

The humane box traps shown remain covered to minimize the spread of infectious disease and to give cats a ‘hiding place.’ The traps are also labeled with the cat’s identification number and caregiver’s name.

P.S. You can also use shelves like these in your intake areas to get those crates off the floor!

Photo courtesy of Humane Alliance

Related links:
“Tip of the Week: Spay/Neuter Survival Kit”
“Tip of the Week: Tat’s All, Folks!”
Webinar Series: Spay/Neuter

Got a secret? Bangor Humane Society does—and we’re so glad they’re letting us spill the beans! The Maine agency’s Paw It Forward program, in which dozens of adoptable animals are secretly sponsored by other adopters, donors and local businesses, is promoting good will and pet adoption all throughout the community.

Here’s how it works:
- A donor, individual, business or adopter chooses a dog and pays that dog’s adoption fee
- The sponsorship is not advertised, but instead is noted on the dog’s paperwork and in-house as a Paw It Forward dog
- When that dog is adopted, the adopter gets surprised with the waived fee due to the generosity of a donor
- They are asked to “paw it forward” to another dog on the adoption floor still waiting to find a home

BHS started the Paw It Forward program during the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge—here’s one of the first adoptions to be secretly sponsored. Once the dog was adopted, BHS revealed and thanked the sponsor—Bangor Y Camp—on their Facebook page.

“The hope is to cause a ripple or domino effect,” says BHS. And they’re definitely seeing some ripples—about 90% of BHS’ adopters who discovered their fee had been paid by an anonymous donor opted to “paw it forward” and pay for another available dog!

For agencies who are thinking about trying this program, BHS explains that the key to marketing is in the messaging. “It is important to keep the sponsorship a secret so it is not the reason for adoption,” says BHS.

When the pup’s adopted, though, mum’s no longer the word. Take a photo of the sponsored dog with their new family and share it—along with an explanation of the program—on your social media channels, and be sure to highlight and tag local businesses or groups who pay sponsorships.

The secret’s out… so whadda ya think? Could a Paw It Forward program give you a leg up on promoting adoption in your community?

Thank you to Stacey R. Coventry, Bangor Humane Society Volunteer and Public Relations Manager, for contributing to this article.

Related links:
Little Black Book of Adoption Promotion Ideas
“Take Five Friday:  Sponsor-A-Kennel Programs”