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Webinar Presented by:
Kathleen Makolinski, DVM, ASPCA Senior Director, Spay/Neuter Programs
Regardless of the type of spay/neuter program used, high-quality, high-volume service can be achieved. Hear the discussion of universal strategies to deliver high-quality service. Learn about recommendations and implementation tips related to preoperative care, anesthesia, surgery and postoperative care.
Shelter medical staff, spay/neuter program coordinators and those interested in developing effective sterilization programs will benefit from this free, 60-minute webinar.
Listen to the recording
Download the slides (.pdf)
Check out top tips from this webinar:
- Myths? Busted!
Despite what you may have heard, withholding water prior to spay/neuter surgery is neither necessary nor recommended. Also, pediatric patients between 6 and 16 weeks old should be fed 2-4 hours prior to surgery to help prevent hypoglycemia. Animals older than 16 weeks should have food withheld for a minimum of 4 hours, but withholding food for >6 hours is not warranted. – The Association of Shelter Veterinarians veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs, JAVMA, Vol 233, No. 1 July 1, 2008
- Scale Skillz
Knowing a feral cat’s weight is important in determining his drug dose. Simply weigh the trap with the cat inside it, and deduct the weight of the trap (measured previously) from the total weight.
- Handle with Care
For those not-so-cooperative cats in humane box traps, make sure you have a trap divider that allows for administration of anesthetic/analgesic agent without handling the cat. And to save time and decrease the chance of serious errors, use a drug dosing chart like the one below.
- Add “Tattoo Artist” to Your Resume
Don’t want the animal you sterilized to endure another surgery by accident? A tattoo placed on the lower abdomen of spayed and neutered animals is a great way to indicate that an animal has been surgically altered.
- Prevent Hypothermia
It is important that animals who undergo spay/neuter are kept warm. House littermates together, use a warmed surgical scrub, and after surgery, cover animals with clean towels or blankets. A simple warm rice sock wrapped in a clean pillowcase can be placed near the recovering patient to provide warmth.
- Be Available
Make sure there is a plan in place to receive questions and concerns from owners and caregivers who have recently had their animals spayed/neutered. For example—following surgery, designated team members can have their cell phones turned on and check voicemail periodically. |
