SpayNeuterNac

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SpayNeuterNac

• Wendy Blount, DVM

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Targeted Spay Neuter

• Target those who would not otherwise have their
  pets altered
• Low income
• Low interest
• One or two zip codes, or more or less
• Estimate the number of unatlered pets in the area
• Target 35-80 of this number in as short a period
  as possible

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Estimating Pet Population

• Foundations, donors, and elected officials want
  statistics and hard data supporting requests for
  more funding.
• Licensed animals are a small subset of total
  animals not a good estimate
• There are formulas to estimate, and then adjust,
  based on what you know about local demographics

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Estimating Pet Population

• Step 1 Determine of Households
• Local emergency management
• City Planning/Zoning Department
• County building permit division
• Tax appraisers office
• US Census information by county
• EXAMPLE 100,000 Households

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Estimating Pet Population

• Step 2 Estimate of Households with dogs, cats
  and pet birds
• 39 of US Households own a dog
• 39 of US Households own a cat
• 6 of US Households own a bird
• Source The American Pet Products Manufacturers
  Association's 2003-2004 National Pet Owners
  Survey.

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Estimating Pet Population

• Step 2 Estimate of Households with dogs, cats
  and pet birds
• EXAMPLE
• 100,000 households x 0.39 (percent dog owners)
  39,000 dog-owning households
• 100,000 households x 0.34 (percent cat owners)
  34,000 cat-owning households
• 100,000 households x 0.06 (percent bird owners)
  6,000 bird-owning households

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Estimating Pet Population

• Step 3 Estimate of dogs, cats and pet birds
• Average 1.7 dogs per household
• Average 2.3 cats per household
• Average 2.5 birds per household
• Source The American Pet Products Manufacturers
  Association's 2003-2004 National Pet Owners
  Survey.

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Estimating Pet Population

• Step 3 Estimate of dogs, cats and pet birds
• EXAMPLE
• 39,000 dog-owning households x 1.7 (average dogs
  per household) 66,300 dogs
• 34,000 cat-owning households x 2.3 (average cats
  per household) 78,200 cats
• 6,000 bird-owning households x 2.5 (average birds
  per household) 15,000 pet birds

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Do We really have a pet overpopulation problem in
  Nacogdoches County?
• Euthanasias per capita are used to assess pet
  overpopulation in an area
• Euthanasia humanely killing pets at animal
  shelters
• Because they are not adoptable
• Because there are no available homes
• In the Northeast where pet population is ideal,
  euthanasias are 5 per 1,000 capita (5 EPC)
• Pet Transports
• Rescue Waggin

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Do We really have a pet overpopulation problem in
  Nacogdoches County?
• TX, Southern CA and FL have the highest EPC in
  the US, per PetSmart Charities.
• San Antonio is at 40 EPC
• Over the past 3 decades on Nac County,
  2,000-4,000 unwanted pets have been euthanized at
  our shelter each year
• population has grown from 47,000 to 63,000 during
  that time
• EPC have remained 40-80 during this time, with no
  trend downward
• Our Pet Overpopulation Problem is as bad as is
  gets in the United States

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Arguments Against
• There are already a dozen veterinarians in this
  county who do spays and neuters
• Program will harm the financial well being of
  local veterinarians
• Program will only cannibalize local business
  without solving the pet overpopulation problem
• Low cost spay-neuter usually means low quality
  health care services for pets
• Its too expensive, we cant afford it

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Program will harm the financial well being of
  local veterinarians
• Maddies Fund Study (Frank et al)
• Low cost SNC screen for financial need
• Increase total number of spays and neuters done
  in an area
• Do not cannibalize full service surgeries
• 85 of the pets/owners served do not have/seek
  regular veterinary care

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low Cost services are not necessary
• Census says 21 of residents of Nacogdoches
  County live below the federal poverty line (HHS)
• 13,000 people in poverty
• 2.49 people per household in Nac County
• 5300 households in poverty
• AVMA 37 of households own an average 1.7 dogs
• AVMA 32 of households own an average 2.2 cats
• 3400 dogs and 2800 cats in poverty
• In Nacogdoches County

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low Cost services are not necessary
• Chu et al, JAVMA, 2009
• Family income is the strongest predictor as to
  whether cats in a household are spayed or
  neutered
• 50 of cats in households with income lt35K are
  not spayed or neutered

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low Cost services are not necessary
• 2800 cats
• THATS A LOT OF
• CAT LOVIN!!!

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low Cost services are not necessary
• 3400 DOGs
• THATS A
• PUP-U-LATION
• EXPLOSION!!!

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low Cost services are not necessary
• We are counting only euthanasias at our shelter
• Hundreds to thousands more occur at veterinary
  clinics
• Untold numbers of dogs and cats killed at the
  hands of our citizens, or left to die of exposure
• Drowned, Shot
• Connected to car exhaust
• Knocked on the head
• THE ONLY WAY TO PREVENT THE DEATHS IS TO PREVENT
  THE BIRTHS

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• Low cost spay-neuter usually means low quality
  health care services for pets
• Humane Alliance
• Association of Shelter Veterinarians
• American Animal Hospital Association
• Each pet gets a pre-operative exam
• Prepped in the prep room, and then brought into
  the surgical suite
• Surgeon wears mask, cap and gown
• Pain meds not optional
• Written anesthesia and surgery reports
• IV fluids and bloodwork as indicated
• Monitored every step of the way

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• It costs too much
• It costs taxpayers as much as 176 to impound,
  house, and destroy a homeless pet through the
  shelter system.
• 40-80 will spay or neuter the same pet
• Cat neuter as little as 25
• Large dog spay as much as 75
• These are subsidized costs
• Donations
• Volunteer labor
• 1 City employee
• Average cost per surgery is 65.
• Fees set at cost

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• How do we keep costs down?
• 65 per surgery is way less than cost at a full
  service clinic
• We staff the clinic with 4-10 trained volunteers
  each week
• Veterinary technicians
• nurse practitioners, pharmacists
• social workers
• business owners
• shelter directors
• professors and teachers
• massage therapists, rescue workers
• Housewives

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We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?

• How do we keep costs down?
• Donations
• gt68,000 in equipment and supplies donated
  2009-2011
• Commitments for 8500 more in 2011
• gt25,000 professional labor 2009-2010
• gt10,000 support staff labor in 2009-2010
• projected gt50,000 support staff labor in 2011
• Private donations to those supporting the project

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How Do We Know it Will Work?

• Its a numbers game
• If we do enough surgeries, euthanasia and shelter
  intake numbers will come down
• If we dont, they wont
• Our goal is to do 1000 surgeries this year
• Average 20 a week
• Surgery one day a week

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How Do We Know it Will Work?

• There many examples of similar programs which
  have been successful
• Knoxville, TN - Linda Chassy, DVM
• Low cost spay-neuter began in 2007
• 20,000 surgeries done in 4 years
• County population 436,000
• 2009 euthanasias down by 2000
• 2010 euthanasias down by 2500 more
• Down 4500 total from 2007
• Puppy intake dropping steadily for 24 months in a
  row
• Now lt700 animals away from adopting out all
  healthy pets in the shelter

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How Do We Know it Will Work?

• There many examples of similar programs which
  have been successful
• Indianapolis, IN
• County population 890,000
• 13,000 surgeries in 2010
• 130,000 surgeries since 1999
• Euthanasias dropped from 22,000 per year to
  10,000 per year since 1999

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Our Story

• 2005 Humane Society of Nacogdoches County met
  with local vets
• 2007 Proposal by local vet to purchase
  equipment for SN clinic at the shelter
• 2009 HSNC asked me to purchase set-up equipment
  and supplies and do surgery, secured permission
  from City
• 40,000
• Jan 2010 HSNC petitioned City to administer the
  clinic
• March 2010 began training volunteers, did 23
  surgeries during the training period
• June 2010 HSNC agreed to pay surgical fees for
  animals owned by people living in poverty

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Our Story

• August 17, 2010 City of Nacogdoches voted to
  hire 1 full time employee, pay professional
  labor, replenish supplies and administer the
  project
• 98,000 budget, break even
• August 23, 2010 clinic opened to shelter
  animals
• January 2011 clinic opened to the public
• January 2011 St. Francis Rescue of Nacogdoches
  agrees to pay medical costs for all pit bulls
  owned by family who qualify for low cost fees.

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Our Story

• February 2011 local benefactor agrees to pay
  surgery fees for all animals leaving the the
  shelter to go to rescue
• 50 animals this year
• April, 2011 DSHS grant makes all surgeries on
  animals not adopted from the shelter free to
  owners
• 34,000
• May 2011 HS donates 5000 to expand OR to 2
  surgery tables
• September, 2011 local benefactor donates
  serology machine, dioagnostic sets and ultrasonic
  instrument cleaner
• 13,000

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Who Do We Serve?

• Those who adopt from the shelter, regardless of
  financial need
• Still have the option to have pets neutered at
  regular vet
• Those who live below federal poverty line
• Free services for 10 co-pay
• Those who qualify for various state aid
• Low cost services, 25-75

Pebbles spayed February 3 and now in her new
home
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About US

• Jamie Shelton
• Shelter Director
• the glue that
• holds us together

Jamie and Merlin Merlin was seized from a puppy
mill, in poor health. Jamie gave Merlin a foster
home until she found her permanent adoptive home
last year
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About US

• Becky Adams
• Veterinary Technician
• Responsible for absolutely everything

Becky and Cletus, filling out paperwork for his
pre-anesthetic exam
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About US
Amadeus
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About US

• Michele Sprague
• Director of Volunteers
• Amazing powers of persuasion

Michele tells us how she really feels about dogs
who reproduce indiscriminantly
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About US

• Brenda Hayter
• Anesthetic Induction and Patient Prep
• Volunteer

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About US

• Judy Mahoney
• Patient Recovery
• Volunteer

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About US

• Judy Mahoney
• Patient Recovery
• Volunteer

Lola enjoys a JuMo spa recovery
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About US

• Betty Yuracko
• Chart Nazi Medical Records
• Volunteer
• Some of our many other volunteers

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How Can You Help??

• Volunteer
• Michele Sprague - mdstx77019_at_yahoo.com
• Director of Volunteers
• Donate Funds
• www.spayneuternac.com
• HS of Nacogdoches
• City of Nacogdoches
• St. Francis Rescue
• OMalley Alley Cats
• Donate Lunch for Volunteers
• Jamie Shelton
• 560-5011
• Shelter Director