Transcript Slide 1

SpayNeuterNac
Wendy Blount, DVM
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
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
Estimating Pet Population
• Step 1 – Determine # of Households
• Local emergency management
• City Planning/Zoning Department
• County building permit division
• Tax appraiser’s office
• US Census information – by county
EXAMPLE – 100,000 Households
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.
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
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.
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
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’
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
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
• It’s too expensive, we can’t afford it
We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?
Program will harm the financial well being
of local veterinarians
• Maddie’s 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
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
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
<$35K are not spayed or neutered
We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?
Low Cost services are not necessary
2800 cats
THAT’S A LOT OF
CAT LOVIN’!!!
We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?
Low Cost services are not necessary
3400 DOGs
THAT’S A
PUP-U-LATION
EXPLOSION!!!
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
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
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
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
We Do We Need Low Cost Spay Neuter?
How do we keep costs down?
• Donations
• >$68,000 in equipment and supplies
donated 2009-2011
• Commitments for $8500 more in 2011
• >$25,000 professional labor 2009-2010
• >$10,000 support staff labor in 20092010
• projected >$50,000 support staff labor
in 2011
• Private donations to those supporting
the project
How Do We Know it Will Work?
• It’s a numbers game
• If we do enough surgeries, euthanasia and
shelter intake numbers will come down
• If we don’t, they won’t
• Our goal is to do 1000 surgeries this year
• Average 20 a week
• Surgery one day a week
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 <700 animals away from adopting
out all healthy pets in the shelter
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
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 setup 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
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.
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
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
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
About US
Becky Adams
• Veterinary Technician
• Responsible for absolutely everything
Becky and Cletus, filling out paperwork for his
pre-anesthetic exam
About US
Amadeus
About US
Michele Sprague
• Director of Volunteers
• Amazing powers of persuasion
Michele tells us how she
really feels about dogs
who reproduce
indiscriminantly
About US
Brenda Hayter
• Anesthetic Induction and Patient Prep
• Volunteer
About US
Judy Mahoney
• Patient Recovery
• Volunteer
About US
Judy Mahoney
• Patient Recovery
• Volunteer
Lola enjoys a “JuMo spa recovery”
About US
Betty Yuracko
• “Chart Nazi” – Medical Records
• Volunteer
Some of our many other volunteers
How Can You Help??
• Volunteer
• Michele Sprague [email protected]
• Director of Volunteers
• Donate Funds
• www.spayneuternac.com
• HS of Nacogdoches
• City of Nacogdoches
• St. Francis Rescue
• O’Malley Alley Cats
• Donate Lunch for Volunteers
• Jamie Shelton
• 560-5011
• Shelter Director