|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News |
|
|
|
|
Aiding Animal Victims Displaced by Katrina
"Every time you turned around, someone was touching or hugging a dog or a cat," says Michele Papero, a research associate in Durland Fish's laboratory in the Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases and veterinary technician at Shoreline Animal Emergency Clinic, of efforts made by volunteers to care for rescue animals of Hurricane Katrina in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Papero is a member of Rural Area Veterinary Services, a group under the umbrella of the Humane Society, which provides veterinary care in impoverished areas. Rural Area Veterinary Services, along with Veterinary Medical Assistance Team (VMAT), the veterinary part of Federal Emergency Management Agency, deployed over 300 volunteers consisting of Humane Society staff, members of VMAT, veterinarians, technicians, animal handlers, and people with shelter experience, to Hattiesburg and hundreds of more volunteers to affected areas in Jackson, Louisiana and Gonzales, Louisiana. Volunteers came from all 50 states and from Canada. The Forest County Multipurpose Complex in Hattiesburg housed the shelter Papero volunteered in from September 24 to October 1.
Hattiesburg housed 700 animals consisting of cats, dogs, horses, pigs, goats, geese, and tropical birds who were either strays, rescued animals or surrendered pets from the Gulf area of Mississippi. Four barns were used to house the animals. They were given antibiotics for pre-existing conditions, treated for ailments such as heat stroke, kennel cough, upper respiratory infections, diarrhea, and pyometra, an infection of the uterus that sometimes occurs in unspayed female dogs, a life-threatening condition in which uterus fills with bacteria that produce toxins that can damage the kidneys. Papero's shelter sent a group of their veterinarians and technicians to both the Jackson and Gonzales shelters where animals were much more ill and being treated for dehydration and gastrointestinal problems due to consuming contaminated water. "We didn't see too much of that where I was. Not everybody was on medication, but you wanted to be sure you looked at everyone every day," Papero said. "Even if you're not providing medical care, you're trying to clean kennels and feed and water that many animals."
Despite what devastation the animals had been through, Papero noted that the animals wanted for nothing. The shelter had a complete pharmacy of medication, prescription food, toys, bowls, and leashes. All items supplied by the shelter had been donated. Truckloads of ice were delivered to shelter. Ice was put in the water bowls and the cats were given ice packs for their stalls on hot afternoons. She emphasized the love, care, compassion, and teamwork that went into treating the animals and making the shelter a success. One of the things that struck Papero the most was at their daily staff meeting when one volunteer said, "These animals are all people's pets, and we should all treat them like they are someone's pets." "And they were," said Papero, "They were."
When they arrived at the shelter, the animals received a decontaminating bath with a safe chemical that would disinfect them in case they had been in any type of human excrement or in any kind of area that was of risk to humans. They also received a veterinary examination, were de-wormed, vaccinated and micro-chipped. The microchip is a little computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice, injected underneath the skin so that if an animal gets lost, the animal can be scanned, and reclaimed. The animals were photographed and records were kept outside of their door stating where they were found, whether they were rescued or surrendered, their medical records and their picture. All animals from Mississippi and Louisiana shelters were shipped to no-kill shelters around the country and are listed on Petfinder.com and Petharbor.com. The shelters are required to hold the animals for 30-45 days, so their owners have a chance to find them. After the waiting period, the animals are put up for adoption or put in foster homes. She states that once the animals are healthy, "they will thrive in a nurturing environment." -Story by Marcie Foley |
||||||
|
 |
|
