LSU Shelter Medicine Program receives ASPCA grant

Pictured right: LSU Shelter Medicine Fellow Brandy Duhon treats a cat on the grounds of the Avoyelles State Penitentiary.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recently awarded a $10,000 grant to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM). The funds are earmarked to provide part of the salary for the 2014-2015 shelter medicine fellowship position, which is offered to graduate vets who are interested in receiving specialized training in shelter medicine.

“The ASPCA is pleased to provide partial funding for the veterinary fellowship position,” ASPCA senior director of Shelter Research and Development Kathleen Makolinski says. “We recognize the value that this position serves in educating veterinary students about the many challenges faced by animal shelters as they strive to provide care for homeless animal populations.”

LSU’s Shelter Medicine Program provides veterinary medical services to 30 animal shelters and four prisons in South Louisiana. Under the supervision of a faculty veterinarian and the shelter fellow, fourth-year vet students work with facilities’ staffs to improve animal health, spay/neuter adoptable animals, increase adoption rates and ensure humane euthanasia. Students also create educational seminars for children and shelter volunteers and workers.

“The grant has been a real plus for the program,” LSU Shelter Medicine Program Director Wendy Wolfson says. “The fellowship helps train a veterinarian in shelter medicine, which is very different from private veterinarian practice. By training more veterinarians and veterinary students in the specialty, animals are more likely to get the help they require to make them more adoptable.“

Since the program’s inception six years ago, the number of fourth-year students enrolled in the shelter medicine rotation has doubled, as has the demand for veterinary services at the shelters.

“I really could not run this program as efficiently without help from the additional [veterinarian],” Wolfson says. “Having this position allows us to increase the number of students taking the rotation and helps increase the number of visits the program can give to each shelter.”

This year, Brandy Duhon, a 2013 SVM graduate, serves as the shelter medicine fellow.

“I think it’s important that our students get a taste of real, everyday veterinary medicine before they graduate,” says Duhon. “Some students have never been to a shelter and don’t know the positive impact they can have on the animals and shelter workers. Our job is not only about caring for the animals. It’s also about educating shelter staff so they can appropriately provide for the many animals in their care.”

For more information about the ASPCA, click here. For more information about the LSU SVM, click here.

Sasha is a Rottweiler/Great Dane mix born. This five-year-old is good with other dogs and loves people. Weighing in at a trim 85-to-95 pounds, this big girl will need a home with some room to roam.

Uno is a super sweet male tabby. This bewildered young kitty wandered up to a house, after he was most likely dumped off. When this adolescent first entered rescue, he had a respiratory infection and an infected eye. Now, that’s he’s on the mend, he’s ready to find a forever home, which shouldn’t be too hard to find since he is good with dogs, cats and children.

Zeke is male tricolor beagle. This two-year-old is good with other dogs, cats and would be fine with kids. He and another male beagle were living at an abandoned water well. Apparently, they had been on their own for some time when a volunteer noticed one running down a road and followed him back to the well. After a week of feeding them, the volunteer was able to gain Zeke’s trust and bring both into rescue. Now, the beagle boys are looking for a forever home where they will never have to fight off predators, go hungry or be cold and wet again.

Leon is a beautiful male Ragdoll mix (possibly purebred). While Animal Control officer caught this three-year-old in a cat trap, he is anything but feral. He loves having his ears rubbed and being brushed. Unfortunately, this great guy has tested positive for FIV, so he must be an only cat or live with others who are also positive. Fortunately, FIV cats require no extra care and live a normal life.

Cappuccino—Cappi, for short—is a male poodle/Yorkie mix. Weighing in at about nine pounds, this three-year-old is a sweet boy. Although he has never been around cats, this little guy gets along well with other dogs. He is best suited for a home without young children.

Destiny is a sweet one-year-old female tuxedo. She gets along with other cats and dogs. When she and her siblings dumped at a local kill shelter, their previous owner didn’t stop long enough to bring them inside. Instead, he abandoned them outside the building, leaving shelter workers to get them out of a tree. Since then, life has gradually improved for the litter, and Destiny and her siblings are now ready to find permanent homes.

All these pets have been spayed/neutered and vaccinated and litterbox trained. Many other adoptable dogs, puppies, cats and kittens are available from Rescue Me Animal Welfare Society. For more information, click here.