Richmond SPCA Blog

Support for the Clinic for Compassionate Care

Editor's note: In addition to the wonderful comments on Tuesday’s blog, where we announced the March 5 opening of the Clinic for Compassionate Care, many of our supporters have emailed us, all conveying their enthusiasm for these much-needed new services. We wanted to share a few of those messages with you.

This is wonderful news. Our area desperately needs a low cost clinic for our loved ones in situations where money is limited. I am employed by a vet clinic and I will tell them about the new facility as we have clients who are financially limited and we often try to find a place for them to take their pets that is low cost.

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I would like to say thank you for all you do!!!!!!!!!!! I am on 100% disability and you have helped me before. I refuse to let any animal to be left behind.

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Thank you for providing this service. So many people have to decide if they can afford to keep their pets. During rough times our pets become more important for our own well-being.

I no longer live in your area. My vets have actually lowered their prices so their patients can afford to stay healthy.

When I lived in Richmond, for 18 years, all my big furry friends came from the Richmond SPCA – even the purebreds. Thanks for providing me with so much love.

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It’s such needed great news. My pet is getting older and vet costs have worried me. I feel for those who have lost their jobs or who have children to feed and educate. Now our best friends have a safety net and a promise for a longer life.

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My husband was out of work for a year and a half and he now has a very low paying job,(but it's a job). Because of this we are so far behind in our bills we have a hard time deciding what comes first. We have a Rottweiller mix we got there over 10 years ago that is now suffering with diabetes. I give him insulin twice a day, but due to our finances, we [have been] unable to keep him up with vet visits.

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I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your newsletters – I never cease to be impressed with the work you are doing. These communications are always so wonderfully well-written and to the point. I am proud to be a supporter of such a forward-thinking organization. Keep up the good work – YOU are the real heroes here. Many thanks!

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To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Related links:
Clinic homepage
Qualifications to become a client
Meet the clinic staff
Contact the Clinic for Compassionate Care
Frequently asked questions

Clinic for Compassionate Care will offer pets affordable care they can’t afford to do without

Today we made an announcement to the media that we are very excited about, and I wanted to share this news directly with those of you who read our blog. The Richmond SPCA will open the Clinic for Compassionate Care on March 5, providing full-service veterinary care by appointment to the pets of low-income guardians, pets adopted from the Richmond SPCA on or after March 5, pets referred to the clinic by another veterinarian, and pets in government shelters on a low-cost, high-quality basis.

This is the most recent in the many groundbreaking advances for the well being of animals that the Richmond SPCA has made. Since our founding in 1891, we have always been on the forefront of positive change and have pushed both our community, and the animal welfare field nationwide, to adopt new approaches and to let go of outdated notions in order to save more animal lives. Playing that role is not always easy because ours is a field that resists change. Well, when you think about it, what field does not resist change? Maybe some high-tech fields do not, but most of them resist change because people resist change.

Offering low-cost, high-quality veterinary care for pets of low-income guardians is a new and novel approach that has not been done in our community or in many other communities in the US. We know that many companion animals desperately need us to do this for them. There are many of them who are beloved members of families that simply cannot afford to provide their pets with the veterinary care they need. The result is that many pets suffer and die needlessly and many people are faced with the misery of relinquishing or euthanizing a beloved pet with a treatable ailment. This has been confirmed in empirical research that was done for us by Alan Newman Research and in our own experience with the Wellness Clinic we have operated since 2009. We do not in any way fault the veterinary community for this circumstance because they must make enough to pay the expenses of their clinics and to provide themselves and their families with a reasonable living. Veterinary practices are regularly faced with the difficult situation of a pet in need of expensive treatment and a guardian who cannot afford it. The Clinic for Compassionate Care will provide them with an alternative to offer the guardian.

The Richmond SPCA’s role is to save animal lives, advocate for their well being and make sure that more cats and dogs find good homes where they will be loved. Our new Clinic will be a great tool in accomplishing these goals. Our Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic will continue to do its great work providing sterilization surgeries for our pets available for adoption, feral cats, pets adopted from other shelters, and pets of clients of the Clinic for Compassionate Care. The reception office, which may be reached by calling 804-521-1330, will begin taking calls for appointments and other information February 27. In the meantime, please visit the Clinic for Compassionate Care website at www.richmondspca.org/clinic for more details.

We are proud to be that rare organization that does not see obstacles as insurmountable, is not mired in the status quo and does not fear forging a new way. We act with energy and guts because the animals count on us for their lives.

Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Share these images to capture attention for spay/neuter!

When the Richmond SPCA first began providing high-volume, free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to pets throughout Richmond eight years ago, our good and very creative friends at Barber Martin Agency designed a series of edgy advertisements to promote these essential services. Slogans such as “This time we’ll fetch the balls” and “Great news for your dog, not to mention your leg” raised eyebrows, but more importantly, they motivated pet guardians throughout our community to important action. Since 2004, our Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic has performed more than 85,000 spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats, which has distinguished it as one of the most successful high-volume sterilization operations anywhere in the country. But with more than 3 million homeless animals still dying annually in shelters nationwide for the lack of a home, spaying and neutering remains an important tool to reducing the population of orphaned pets. Our continued promotion of the availability of affordable sterilization services in our Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic remains critical, and we need your help spreading this message. The folks at Barber Martin Agency are back at it, and they’ve recently designed a series of new posters to promote our ongoing low-cost spay and neuter campaign. With catchy phrases such as “She walks around naked all day. What do you expect?” they are sure to get some attention. Check out the new artwork and consider posting one or more of these images, along with a link to www.richmondspca.org/clinic, to your own blog or share with your social media network and encourage pet guardians you know to do the right thing – spay or neuter their pets. (Click any image at left to view full size.) We will also post these to our Facebook page to make them easy to share.  Surgery fees in the Richmond SPCA Smoky’s Spay/Neuter Clinic range from $30 to $75. Pets can receive other low-cost services, such as preventative vaccinations, the day of surgery. To book an appointment, visit www.richmondspca.org/clinic.

Our clinic operates Tuesday through Thursday and performs more than 10,000 surgeries each year. Be responsible, protect your companion and do your part to end pet homelessness in our community.

Tamsen Kingry is the chief operating officer at the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Meet the dedicated Licensed Veterinary Technicians of Smoky's Spay/Neuter Clinic

This week is National Veterinary Technician Week, and we wanted to celebrate by recognizing a few of the wonderful, dedicated Licensed Veterinary Technicians who are so vital to the operation of our Smoky's Spay/Neuter Clinic. The theme this year is "Pets and Vets Need Techs," and we couldn't agree more. In addition to the three techs you'll meet in the video - Heather Johnson, Jenna Stowell and Kate Hall - there are two additional LVTs, Kelly Carollo and Tricia Dance, who are no less committed but were unavailable to be interviewed. 

These five professionals are part of a team that will spay and neuter more than 10,000 pets in the coming year. In a high-volume setting, this amazing team ensures that each pet receives the same standard of care that would be given in a full-service veterinary clinic. 

Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Sick, injured and neonatal homeless animals need your support in the Amazing Raise

Tomorrow morning you’ll see a change on our homepage, richmondspca.org, and here on our blog. For 36 hours, both pages will feature the Amazing Raise donation widget from GiveRichmond. This 36-hour online giving challenge is organized by GiveRichmond with a commitment of $100,000 from the Community Foundation. Participating non-profits have the chance to win grant prizes throughout the event, and the top prize is $10,000.

With your help, we hope to win the top prize, which goes to the organization that has the most unique donors give $50 or more during the giving challenge that begins at 6 a.m. Oct. 5 and concludes at 6 p.m. Oct. 6. Gifts and grant prizes to the Richmond SPCA during this time will be designated to our Cinderella Fund.

The Cinderella Fund is a pool of resources that enables the Richmond SPCA to save the lives sick, injured and neonatal homeless animals. Last year through these resources, we delivered essential medical treatment to more than 2,000 orphaned pets, but with your help in the Amazing Raise, we can do more. Enable us to assist orphaned pets who come to us with extreme illness or injury, animals too young to survive without around-the-clock care and serious medical intervention, and pets who are in need of behavioral rehabilitation. Your gift of $50 or more during the Amazing Raise could turn in to $10,000 in grant prizes that will guarantee a future to our community’s most vulnerable animals.

Sam is one of more than 1,300 kittens this year who has a bright and happy future thanks to the commitment of our staff and foster care volunteers. The photo on the left shows Sam in his first weeks of life, helpless and requiring bottle feeding. The medical care we provide along with around-the-clock care from foster families enables kittens like Sam to grow strong and healthy, eventually reaching the age when they can be neutered and placed in a loving home, as you see him on the right at 8 weeks of age.

The treatment we provide homeless pets includes those with ophthalmic and orthopedic needs, heartworms, heart murmurs, food allergies, gastrointestinal obstructions, mange, ear conditions, urinary tract diseases, thyroid abnormalities, anemia, intestinal parasites, gastrointestinal diseases, feline infectious peritonitis, feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus, ringworm, parvovirus, cancer, upper respiratory infections, skin conditions, diabetes and a host of other ailments.

After being hit by a car, 2-year-old pug Jackson was surrendered to Richmond Animal Care & Control because his owners could not afford to treat his injuries. RACC also lacked the resources to address Jackson’s needs and contacted the Richmond SPCA. The small dog came to us with a fractured mandible and nerve damage to a front leg that he was unable to use. Because of our Cinderella Fund, the Richmond SPCA was able to send Jackson to a surgical specialist who put a plate into his jaw to repair the fracture. It is now healing well, and our veterinary team is also hopeful that his leg will not need to be amputated as he is now regaining some sensation. Our Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Angela Ivey fit Jackson with an orthopedic brace to help continued rehabilitation of his leg while he is doing physical therapy in foster care.

Your selfless gift during the Amazing Raise will support the thousands of sick, injured, and neonatal pets cared for at our Robins-Starr Humane Center. You are their heroes and their best friends.

If you have a blog or website, there’s a way you can support us in the Amazing Raise beyond your own gift. The donation widget is easy to embed in any website or blog and only requires 427 pixels of space. If you are willing to add it to your own site, whether business or personal, I will email you the embed code and instructions as soon as it is available tomorrow morning. Please contact me at thanes@richmondspca.org.

Tabitha Frizzell Hanes is the director of communications of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Related: 
Amazing Raise bonus prizes and events to support the Richmond SPCA
RSVP and invite your Facebook friends to Latenight @ Lemaire. 
What is this Amazing Raise all about? See our original post.  

Veterinary Career Observation Program

Editor's note: Katie Harris is now back in school, but she started her summer in a very memorable way. She was the second camper to attend our week-long Veterinary Career Observation Program, which was a brand new offering this year through our Humane Education Department and Department of Veterinary Services. 

I have always been in interested in becoming a veterinarian, but the Veterinary Career Observation Program at the Richmond SPCA opened my eyes to the many different specialties of veterinary medicine. Throughout the week I observed an ophthalmologist diagnose a lens luxation on a kitten, a surgeon perform heart and ACL surgeries on dogs, veterinarians spay and neuter many cats and dogs and a cardiologist diagnose heart diseases through an ultrasound. I also observed many of the dedicated Richmond SPCA staff members administer shots and medicine, give checkups to the public’s pets and care for sick animals waiting to be adopted. On the last day I was at the Richmond SPCA, the veterinarians preformed over sixty surgeries! I was able to have many hands-on experiences including giving medicine to dogs and helping with a microchip clinic. I was taught how to prepare an animal for surgery, learned about the tools for surgery and got to help with the preparation too. Before coming to the Richmond SPCA, I had decided I wanted to be a small animal vet working in a private practice, but now I really want to work with shelter animals.

I had been volunteering at the Richmond SPCA for several months but was amazed with everything that goes on behind the scenes. The numerous vets, vet technicians and vet assistants are all passionate about their work and the welfare of animals. They are always busy giving checkups, performing surgeries and making unhealthy animals transferred from municipal shelters happy and ready to be adopted. One of the things the Richmond SPCA does that makes it different from other animal shelters is spaying and neutering feral cats. When you walk past the surgery rooms there are cages with sheets over top of them lining the walls. These are the feral cats about to have surgery. The Richmond SPCA puts sheets on the cages to make the cats more comfortable and less frightened. They take as much care with these homeless animals as they do with the public’s pets because one of their goals is to ensure the welfare of all animals.

All of the animals at the Richmond SPCA are happy and healthy because of the dedicated staff members. My week in the Veterinary Career Observation Program was the highlight of my summer. I learned so much about veterinary medicine and how the Richmond SPCA operates. I also gained a sense of the shelter, the volume of animals seen each day and the type of people who work there – all very dedicated, energetic and inspiring. 

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name

Continued Immiticide shortage puts heartworm-positive pets in danger nationwide

In December 2009, I wrote a blog about a shortage of Immiticide, the only licensed drug in the United States to treat adult heartworms – a fatal disease if left untreated – in dogs. Unforeseen technical difficulties in production (specifically of melarsomine - the active ingredient in Immiticide) were to blame, according to Immiticide’s manufacturer, Merial.

When we first learned of this shortage, veterinarians were told that it could last until April 2010. But in fact, the shortage continues today. Until recently, however, the shortage had not meant that we could not obtain the drug in order to treat heartworm positive homeless dogs in our care prior to adoption. Each of our requests to the manufacturer to purchase Immiticide to treat our shelter animals was honored, and over the last 20 months, we’ve delivered this lifesaving treatment to 105 dogs (including Buzz, pictured).

Then abruptly last week, and without sufficient explanation, Merial denied a new request of ours to purchase Immiticide to treat a recently-transferred heartworm positive dog presently in our care. We received a letter earlier in the week from the manufacturer stating that a new supply interruption had occurred, but the company has not been forthcoming with additional information. The only thing we’ve been told is that the shortage could last weeks to months.

While the news of the original shortage in 2009 was concerning, we ultimately were able to obtain Immiticide every time we needed it, which meant we could continue to deliver essential treatment to heartworm positive dogs at our center – most of them ones we transferred into our care from local government shelters. The lack of communication from Merial of a timeframe in which the supply will be restored amplifies those concerns. Fortunately, we had enough supply of Immiticide on hand to proceed with treatment of the dog who tested positive last week.

Unlike during the original shortage, when searches on merial.com produced details of the shortage and limited supply distribution, recent searches for Immiticide return “no results found.” Is this an indication that supplies of this lifesaving drug will not return? 

Since there is no other drug approved by the FDA to treat the condition, the American Heartworm Society has produced a document to give guidance to the veterinary community on managing heartworm disease while the drug is unavailable. Among those recommendations are restricting all activity and limiting all exercise in dogs following a positive test and until the product is available again. The AHS plan also recommends administering heartworm prevention until the supply of Immiticide is restored; however, the management plan also addresses the possibility of a dramatic, potentially fatal reaction to the initial dose of heartworm preventative when administered to dogs infected with heartworms. For this reason, it is advised that the first dose of preventative be given in a clinical setting under close observation for at least eight hours.

For homeless pets in the care of the Richmond SPCA who are diagnosed with heartworms and for which Merial does not permit us to purchase a supply of Immiticide for treatment, we will follow the recommendations outlined in the AHS’s management plan.

The prospects for heartworm-positive dogs in other shelters around the country have already been shown to be dismal in news stories reported over the weekend. Lacking assurance from Merial that timely restoration of Immiticide supplies is a priority, the possibility that their manufacturing problems will be a death sentence for homeless dogs nationwide is now reality. 

For owned pets, this situation underscores the importance of prevention. Be certain that your pets are getting their heartworm preventative year round – and communicate to your friends and family how vital it is for their pets’ health as well. Access to preventative medication is available at low cost for income-qualified clients through the Richmond SPCA’s Wellness Clinic. For information about scheduling an appointment for your pet, visit us online.

To help protect heartworm-positive dogs in need, consider expressing your concerns and frustrations related to this shortage to Merial and demand answers.

Dr. Angela Ivey is the director of veterinary services for the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Ticks: the other creepy crawler!

Many of us do not have to travel far from our front door to encounter ticks. The tick is not only a nuisance parasite but can transmit diseases (such as Lyme disease) that are harmful to us and our pets. Like fleas, prevention of tick encounters is important in order protect ourselves and our pets. Most veterinarian-approved flea products also include ingredients for tick prevention. However, there are important differences between the flea and tick life cycle that allow the tick to seem more formidable.

Ticks, like fleas, are skin parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts (such as dogs, cats and humans). Unlike fleas, ticks do not live their entire life cycle on one host. Most species of ticks will encounter three hosts within their life cycle. Since two of the hosts are usually wildlife (e.g. deer or rodents), we have very little control of the reproduction of ticks. This is important to understand because tick products are only killing one stage of the tick life cycle. Therefore, the use of a monthly topical tick preventive alone will not control the tick population.

Prevention is the key to reducing tick encounters. There are 3 effective ways:

1. Prevent ticks from attaching
   • Use monthly veterinarian approved topical products.
   • It is very important to follow application instructions to increase efficacy of product use.
2. Find and remove ticks
   • Check for ticks daily and remove attached ticks with tweezers
   • Common sites of tick attachment are the head, ears, neck and feet of our pets.
3. Environmental control
   • Treat the yard. This may require a professional exterminator. 

Veterinary approved products are generally 95 percent effective at killing ticks but these products do not kill or repel ticks instantly. Since there is no product that is 100 percent effective and the life cycle of the tick is difficult to control, finding some ticks on your pets is a realistic expectation. If you have followed all of these recommendations and continue to have a difficult time controlling ticks, other effective products (such as a tick collar) are available. Your veterinarian can help you determine the best product for your cat or dog.

Several flea and tick products are available through the Richmond SPCA. If you would like more information or would like to make an appointment for your pet, please visit www.richmondspca.org/wellness.

Rosalie Gibson, DVM, is an associate veterinarian at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be  used as your screen name. 

Growing research into heartworm disease does not change reliance on available preventatives

Dr. Gibson draws blood from a dog to perform an annual heartworm test.

Responsible pet owners give their dogs one of several different available brands of monthly heartworm preventative. The preventatives are made by several different pharamaceutical companies and each one is marketed for a particular, unique quality. The important quality common to all of these products, however, remains the fact that they prevent heartworm disease, a common and potentially fatal infection.

Like all aspects of medicine, heartworm disease is a changing entity. Over time we discover new information about the parasites themselves, how they interact with our pets and how we can best protect our pets from the disease. Recent news reports have included alarming mentions of heartworms that may be resistant to our preventative medications. We have known for decades that different strains of heartworms exist, and new drugs to prevent their spread are constantly being developed. While studies are still ongoing, at this time there is no definitive evidence that any heartworm strains are immune to available preventatives. Because this is such an important health matter for our beloved companions, it remains an ongoing mission of the veterinary medical profession to develop new and better ways to protect our pets from heartworm disease.

Currently our preventative medications, when given at appropriate doses and time intervals, are still effective in preventing the vast majority of heartworm infections. Even if we find that their efficacy is declining and new medications are needed, our current best medicine is to continue giving our pets these trusted preventatives, keeping them safe from heartworm disease. Management of our pets' health is a neverending pursuit of the knowledge and means by which to do what is best for each of our beloved companions. Therefore as veterinary and pharmaceutical research continues to look forward to new solutions, we remember to value the excellent care options already available to our pets.

Danielle Irving, DVM, is an associate veterinarian at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be  used as your screen name. 

Related posts:
What is heartworm disease, April 25, 2011
Heartworm testing and heartworm preventative in dogs and cats, April 27, 2011
Treatment of heartworm disease comes with risks, April 29, 2011

Creepy, crawly season: What pesters your pets?

It is creepy, crawly season again, so as caregivers to our cats and dogs, the control of fleas is on our front burner. Prevention of these critters is an ongoing year-round battle that doesn’t allow for defenses to be put down for a moment.

You may see an adult flea or two on your pet and think, “Oh, it was just a couple,” but keep in mind, it is estimated that the adult flea population is about 3-5 percent of the immature flea population. In other words, for those couple of adult fleas you see, there could be hundreds of eggs, larvae and pupae (the three immature stages of fleas) on your pet or in your environment. Don’t wait until you see “just a couple;” start preventing fleas on your pets now.

Flea prevention products for dogs and cats vary in how they are administered, what they treat, and what life stage of the flea they affect:

• Once-a-month topical treatments are very popular for their convenience and effectiveness. Frontline Plus, Revolution, and K-9 Advantix are some of the more common brands. Each will treat fleas at one or more stage of maturity, and can prevent other parasites. For example, Revolution is also a heartworm prevention and ear mite treatment, Frontline Plus works well killing ticks, and K-9 Advantix kills fleas and repels mosquitoes.
• There are also flea preventions in pill form. Among them are Comfortis, which lasts for a month and kills adult fleas quickly, and Capstar, which lasts for 24 hours but will help get the population of adult fleas under control rapidly.

Because there are so many options when it comes to flea control, it is important you decide with your veterinarian which one is best for your pets. Species, size and age of your pet are the first considerations, but where your pet will be going and what he or she will be exposed to also factor into the decision.

Whichever product you choose, read and follow the instructions carefully.

No flea prevention product will be completely effective if the environment remains infested. Treating the environment is as important as treating the pet. There are preventive measures as well as more extreme treatments for a home, and as with the pet, prevention from the start will save time, money and frustration in the future.

Vacuuming is the first line of defense indoors. Concentrate on cracks in wood floors, the edges of furniture, under drapes and anywhere your pet sleeps. It is important to remove the vacuum's bag or empty the container after each use and discard the contents outside in a sealed bag. Don’t forget to wash pet bedding and slipcovers on a regular basis as well.

If your indoor environment has become infested, a fogger may be used. Plan a day when the house can be empty of all pets and people. When choosing the fogger, pay attention to how many square feet it is meant to cover and calculate how many are needed for your home. Follow instructions carefully.

There are commercially available treatments for outdoor areas as well. If your yard needs to be treated, use the recommended amount for optimal efficacy, and follow the directions on the bottle exactly to keep you, your family and pets safe.

Several topical and oral flea preventions, including those mentioned above, are available for purchase through our Wellness Clinic. If you would like more information or would like to make an appointment for your pet, please visit www.richmondspca.org/wellness.

Eileen Holst-Grubbe is the coordinator of veterinary services at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be  used as your screen name.