Where Will We Go? Statistics University of Wisconsin Shelter Medicine Course (Spring 2013) Pediatric spay/neuter Providing spay/neuter - Shelter animals - Owned animals Spay/Neuter: Targeting, Techniques, & Special Considerations Community assessment for spay/neuter April 4, 2013 Targeting spay/neuter toward at-risk animal populations Kathleen Makolinski, DVM (kathleen.makolinski@aspca.org) 1 2 More Related Information Statistics Approximately 5,000 animals shelters in US Spay/Neuter is valuable in stemming companion animal overpopulation problem 5-7 million companion animals enter shelters/year Spay/Neuter is significant aspect of shelter medicine Neuter contracts do not work well - Less than 60% compliance rate 3-4 million animals euthanized in shelters/year Best to have animal sterilized BEFORE leaving shelter 60% of dogs in shelters and 70% of cats in shelters are euthanized 3 Spay/Neuter is a community issue, not just a shelter issue 4 Anesthetic Considerations for Pediatric Spay/Neuter Pediatric Spay/Neuter Sterilization between 8-16 weeks of age Predisposition for hypoglycemia Ensures ability to neuter before adoption Decreased ability to maintain body temperature Prevents accidental pregnancies Altered metabolism and excretion of drugs Surgery faster, easier, less expensive Fasting for only 4-6 hours prior to surgery Shorter recovery & healing time Offer food within 1 hour of recovery Essential in fight against overpopulation 5 6 1
Surgical Considerations for Pediatric Spay/Neuter Kitten Spay Ovariohysterectomy Smaller incisions Fair amount of clear abdominal fluid Fat surrounding ovaries is decreased Can use an ovarian pedicle tie or possibly one ligature on ovarian pedicles Routine skin closure 7 8 Reproductive Tracts of Puppy and Kitten 9 Spay Incision in Kitten 10 Scrotal incision(s) Hemostat technique to tie spermatic cord in a knot or can use suture No skin sutures 11 12 2
13 14 15 16 17 18 3
Concerns about Pediatric Spay/Neuter Concerns about Pediatric Spay/Neuter Obesity Urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence in female dogs Influenced by a multitude of factors Most commonly reported risk factor for obesity is sterilization One study showed that increased urinary incontinence suggests that delaying ovariohysterectomy until at least 3 months of age may be beneficial. Diameter of penile urethra in male cats Numerous studies have failed to detect a correlation between sterilization of cats at any age and decrease in diameter of the urethra 19 A different study did not reach this conclusion. 20 Concerns about Pediatric Spay/Neuter Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff (second edition) Animals in Shelter Editors: Lila Miller and Stephen Zawistowski Pediatric Neutering Chapter Leslie Appel and Janet Scarlett HOME! 21 22 Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals High quality spay/neuter to be provided in a cost effective manner Unaltered Animals in Shelter Shelter animals are transported to an off-site location for spay/neuter HOME! Spay/ Neuter 23 Shelter animals are spayed/neutered on site? 24 4
Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals Items to be considered when determining where shelter animals should be spayed/neutered: Items to be considered when determining where shelter animals should be spayed/neutered: For off-site Spay/neuter. For on-site spay/neuter Cost of surgery Compensation for staff to transport animals Cost to insure, fuel, maintain transport vehicles Cost for follow up care of post operative complications 25 Purchasing and maintaining equipment Ongoing purchase of consumable items Cost of support staff Cost of employing or contracting a veterinarian 26 Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals Spay/Neuter for Shelter Animals Timing of Spay/Neuter Before cats/dogs are placed in adoptions area? Spay/neuter services for shelter animals should be provided in a timely manner and not cause an increase in their length of stay. After cats/dogs are chosen for adoption? or Combination of BOTH 27 28 Spay/Neuter of Owned Animals Spay/Neuter of Owned Animals Timing of Spay/Neuter Companion animal knowledge, attachment and pet cat care and their associations with household demographics for residents of a rural Texas town At 4 months of age or older to allow for development of immunity through vaccination Prior to development of sexual maturity to prevent accidental litter Ramon, Slater, Ward Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2010 74 % of companion cats were sterilized 20 of 30 cats had a litter prior to sterilization Of all litters produced, 85% were accidental 29 30 Might owner compliance increase if spay/neuter is scheduled at 4 months or soon after as opposed to 6-8 months? 5
Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs WHY? Step ONE Determine which spay/neuter services are currently being offered 31 32 Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs Step ONE A valuable tool in performing a community assessment is ASPCA/PetSmart Charities Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic Database 33 34 Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs Barriers to Spay/Neuter Step TWO Messaging Spay/Neuter, Lessons from the Gulf Coast Spay/Neuter Campaign (HSUS, Cammisa, H. 2009) Who is currently not seeking spay/neuter and why? www.humanesociety.org Pet Adoption & Spay/Neuter: Understanding Public Perceptions by the Numbers (Kelly Campbell, PetSmart Charities, 2012) www.petsmartcharities.org 35 36 6
Other Animal Populations that May Have Difficulty Obtaining Spay/Neuter Barriers to Spay/Neuter Reasons owners cite for not having pet sterilized: Cost Haven t gotten around to it Have never thought about it Not necessary pet confined to home Pet is too young Intend to breed animal Unaware of spay/neuter program Cannot access spay/neuter program 37 38 Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs Community Assessment to Determine Spay/Neuter Needs Step THREE Step FOUR Design spay/neuter program to serve animals not Implement or enhance spay/neuter program to provide service for currently underserved animal population currently being spayed/neutered Decide: - Better utilization of an existing program OR - New spay/neuter program 39 Build capacity to serve as many animals as possible 40 But WAIT Truly Targeted Spay/Neuter Let s Hear From YOU! There s MORE!!! 41 42 7
Spay/Neuter: Targeting & Measuring Impact Questions to Ponder All spays/neuters are important But unlimited resources need to be spent wisely Within animal populations not currently being spayed/neutered, who are the animals most at-risk for losing their life? Focus spay/neuter on animals most at-risk to enter shelters for reasons of overpopulation How can we best measure impact that spay/neuter services has in communities? 43 Gives us means to measure impact of spay/neuter 44 How Can We Target Spay/Neuter Toward Animals Entering Shelters? GIS A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. Geography Zip codes GIS (Geographic Information System) 45 GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. (www.gis.com) 46 OK What Does That Really Mean? For Example Cat Intake Map GIS has the ability to map a shelter s intake data so we can easily visualize data and make informed decisions 47 48 8
Cat Intake with Cat Spay/Neuter 49 50 Adult Dog vs. Puppy Intake (NYC) 51 52 Community Collaboration What is Needed for GIS Program? To best use spay/neuter resources, need local shelter(s) to share intake data/maps with spay/neuter program(s) Community Collaboration Need ongoing relationship between shelter and spay/neuter program to judge impact of spay/neuter interventions and re-focus resources as needed Clean Data 53 54 9
Clean Data 55 Why is CLEAN Data So Important? We want to do VERY targeted spay/neuter so that we reach the animals who are most at risk for shelter intake Need 85% of community s animal intake data 80% of records need to contain all necessary data - Species - Address or - Breed cross street - Intake type - City - Intake date - State - Age - Zip code - Gender - Animal ID # - Feral? - Spayed/neutered at intake? If we re using the wrong addresses, we will target the wrong areas and this is where the finder lives? What if this is where the animal was 56 found. The finder s address doesn t tell us which area needs our help the most! GIS Resources ASPCApro.org Pitbull, American (Multnomah) American Pit Bull Terrier (HSSW) Webinars GIS checklist How to clean data? Prepare to map? American Staffordshire Terrier (Multnomah & HSSW) 57 58 Intake in One of the Intervention Areas 30 Intervention 25 20 3000 fliers JUVENILE 20 15 ADULT redeemed 10 5 59 0 60 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug 10
What Have We Learned by Trying to Target Spay/Neuter Towards Areas of High Animal Intake? Outreach Strategies for Spay/Neuter Traditional outreach methods may not work (examples: fliers, newspaper, bus ads, billboards) Let s Hear From YOU! Barriers of language, understanding and in some cases simple survival Outreach becomes vital in achieving spay/neuter goals 61 62 HSUS Pets for Life Program Ponder This Pets for Life builds humane communities using innovative strategies and fresh approaches designed to extend the reach of animal services, resources, and information to under-served areas. Develop list of at least 2 new ways to reach people in targeted geographic areas with spay/neuter message Addressing the critical need for accessible, affordable pet care, Pets for Life helps animals by empowering the people who care for them. 63 64 HSUS Pets for Life Program HSUS Pets for Life Program Meeting people in the neighborhoods where they live, and marketing services strategically using canvassing and community organizing techniques, is much more effective than traditional advertising in reaching owners of unaltered pets in underserved communities. VIDEO Adequate follow-up is critical to BUILD RELATIONSHIPS and ensure that animals veterinary needs are met 65 66 11
GIS Results? ASPCA evaluating several communities where spay/neuter interventions have been implemented based on intake data mapped through GIS Follow results on ASPCApro.org 67 68 What are your QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? 69 70 12