LOST PETS DESERVE VETERINARY CARE

Eye removal may be needed if it is badly injured and causing pain Photo credit: Taken by Cat’s photos, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Eye removal may be needed if it is badly injured and causing pain. Photo credit: Taken by Cat’s photos, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

When missing dogs and cats end up at shelters, these unfortunate, lost pets deserve veterinary care. Some suffer from injuries ranging from minor to serious. Others become malnourished because they eat whatever they can find. And, numerous animals will not get the medications they normally would at home. They all need help. Some will receive it but for way too many their future is grim. Sadly, those are the ones without hope and, ultimately, they will be put down. 

When a lost pet has surgery and follow-up it has a better chance of going home or being adopted
When a lost pet has surgery and follow-up, it has a better chance of going home or being adopted

Medical Attention Saves Shelter Animals

About 10 or 12 years ago, I read about a case like that on social media. It’s something that haunts me to this very day. There was a young adult, blue, pitbull-type dog, with the sweetest but saddest face. It was standing in a concrete pen, on three legs, at the Miami-Dade Municipal Shelter. And, it was plain to see that the other leg was fractured. 

Despite, shelter volunteer efforts to find an organization to pull him and get the medical attention he needed, nobody responded. Two days later the staff put him to sleep (although there is a stronger term I think would be more appropriate!).

This example illustrates what can happen when nobody acts to give lost pets the veterinary care they deserve. It takes lives; it doesn’t protect them.

DR. EDWARD AND THERESA GARCIA

Veterinary Care Pioneers Form Partnership

The story begins in 1971, in Colorado, when Dr. Edward Garcia (father of Theresa) opened North Metro Emergency Animal Hospital. In fact, it became the first 24-hour animal hospital in the Rocky Mountain Region. And, it was quite an ambitious undertaking. The staff of 30 included the area’s first Board Certified veterinarians. They managed four surgery rooms, a full kennel, and their own in-house x-ray facilities—a rarity back then.

With good veterinary care a surgeon can examine an x-ray and treat an injured shelter animal immediately
With good veterinary care a surgeon can examine an x-ray and treat an injured shelter animal immediately

Pet Surrenders And Animal Drop-Offs

Located right off a major highway and close to the Denver Municipal Animal Shelter (DMAS), the hospital soon became well-known. “Every week people would drop off an astounding number of animals,” commented Theresa Garcia. “We became ‘famous’ for taking in animals as opposed to their surrender at the DMAS. They knew that the medical attention the pets received would far outweigh what the shelter could provide.”

The cut on this dog’s shoulder received attention as soon as it arrived at the animal hospital
The cut on this dog’s shoulder received attention as soon as it arrived at the animal hospital

She explained that a few of the animals lived on the premises until their adoption, or the DMAS found the rightful owner. Shockingly, though, fifty percent of the time the owner didn’t want to take the animal back!

Heartbreaking image of an abandoned senior dog showing signs of extreme neglect
Heartbreaking image of an abandoned senior dog showing signs of extreme neglect

Surrendered, Lost, Abandoned

For decades, the Garcias absorbed the temporary boarding and medical expenses for all these surrendered and lost canines and felines. And, to this day, they continue to donate their veterinary services to DMAS. Their commitment to providing medical attention is saving shelter animals’ lives. Encouragingly, many other smaller family-owned animal hospitals across the country are doing the same. They truly love their communities and strive every day to end needless suffering.

Shelter drop-off suffering from demodectic mange and hair loss will be treated and put up for adoption
Shelter drop-off suffering from demodectic mange and hair loss will be treated and put up for adoption

Vaccination Records Help Track Pet Ownership

Also, let’s remember that one of the ways to reunite a lost pet with its owner is through vaccination records. And, North Metro Emergency Animal Hospital was able to assist DMAS in another way. “At one time, our veterinary facility was the only one open and available to assist the municipal shelter,” Garcia remarked. “A large percentage of lost pets were vaccinated here so we had 24-hour access to owner addresses and phone numbers.”

Much needed eye drops can make a lost pet’s wait at the shelter more tolerable until it’s owner is found
Much needed eye drops can make a lost pet’s wait at the shelter more tolerable until it’s owner is found

Needless to say, this partnership was a very successful one. “Our veterinary hospital became the first one in Colorado to enroll in the now mandatory licensing program. And, we are also very proud of another achievement. We were the first to offer the DMAS vouchers to waive registration fees for seniors and minorities,” Garcia added. 

To Sum Up

There’s a lot more to learn from Theresa about her non-profit organization, Pets 4 People. Also, there’s exciting news about the animal hospital’s new facility and expanded services for a holistic approach to animal medicine. But we’ll keep all of this on hold for another day! In the meantime, however, you can visit http://pets4people.org for an overview.

Together, let’s keep our precious pets healthy, happy and safe!  

More must-read articles in this category:

Recently updated blog, now the introductory article in a mini series on losing, finding and reuniting companion animals https://petpeevesunmasked.com/lost-pets-search-tips

Here are stories about what some resourceful pet parents did to get reunited with their missing dogs and cats https://petpeevesunmasked.com/helpful-strategies-find-pets/

Pet guardians forget that dogs have wild instincts and can easily run off https://petpeevesunmasked.com/dogs-run-away-because/

TAKE LOST PETS HERE FOR MICROCHIP SCANNING

A microchip can be scanned at any time, day or night
If you find a lost pet, take it immediately to be scanned for a microchip. Photo curtesy of Big Creek Veterinarian Hospital, Ontario, Canada

If you see a dog or a cat hiding or roaming, with no visible ID, it just may have a chip. Remember, you can always take lost pets here for microchip scanning in the hopes that its owner can be located. 

Of course, this all depends if the animal in question is friendly enough so that you can transport it somewhere to find out if it is chipped. In the event that a microchip is found, hopefully the pet, owner and veterinary information is current. And, if that is the case, then a happy reunion is much more likely.

Around The Clock

Let us suppose you found the pet late in the day, or at night, after normal office hours. I see so many people posting online that they picked up a lost pet, but it’s late, and they are going to take it to a vet’s office first thing in the morning. Please don’t wait. Every hour that passes is time wasted. An owner, a family, is desperately searching for their furry companion. But where to go?

Where To Take Lost Pets For Microchip Scanning

Here is a list of places that will scan for a microchip, and they do not charge for this service. There is always somewhere open at any time of the day or night, at weekends and on holidays.

1. A veterinary clinic, open during official office hours.

2. Banfield Animal Hospital, located inside all PetSmart stores, which has longer hours of operation than your   normal veterinary clinic. 

3. Other pet store chains also provide this service.

4. An emergency animal clinic. They are open 7 days a week, 365 days a year, during the hours your usual veterinary clinic is not.

5. Your local privately-run animal rescue organization as well as the municipal shelter (also known as a pound).

Try To Avoid Municipal Shelters

Please take note that once you surrender a lost pet to the municipal shelter, the animal’s future will be uncertain. The pound is supposed to comply with a mandatory hold for a certain number of days in order to give the animal’s owner time to claim it. If it is not claimed within that time period, they can put it up for adoption. 

One Of My Pet Peeves

Unfortunately, there are reports every single day of pounds across the country that do not put a pet’s welfare first. They ignore these “hold” laws and have even put the animal down within hours of it being dropped off. Sadly, in other instances, it may be destroyed, even if it has a medical problem that is treatable and does not exhibit aggressive behavior.

A Pep Talk To Remember 

My tip for today: be responsible and do everything in your power to keep your pet(s) safe…not sometimes, not most of the time, but ALL of the time.

Together, let’s keep our precious pets healthy, happy and safe!  

More must-read articles in this category:

All the steps to find a missing pet http://petpeevesunmasked.com/lost-pets-search-tips

A better chance of reuniting lost pets http://petpeevesunmasked.com/one-pet-id-isnt-enough

Also, you might like this related topic on domesticated cats that are allowed to roam and don’t return home: https://petpeevesunmasked.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-statistics/

ONE PET ID ISN’T ENOUGH

Hopefully these two dogs also have microchips since one pet ID isn’t enough to get them back home
Hopefully these two dogs also have microchips since one pet ID isn’t enough to get them back home

Did you know that one pet ID isn’t enough when you face the odds of never being reunited with your dog or cat if it gets lost? Yes, it’s true. Here’s some of the data which will probably shock you.

First it shows that an estimated one in every three pets will go missing at some point in their lifetime. Then it gets worse. Less than 20% of dogs and 2% of cats will ever be reunited with their human family. Did you expect to read this or were you surprised?

Now let’s analyze what steps pet parents can take so that the chances improve.

One Identification Option

The first stop that most “owners” of a new puppy, kitten, adult dog or adult cat make is their local pet supply store. They want a visible identification for their recently acquired companion. So they buy a blank ID tag and use the retailer’s engraving machine. The instructions are really easy to follow. You type in the pet’s name, a contact phone number and anything else of importance.

That, of course, is a start, but what’s better than one pet ID? Two pet IDs! And here’s why. Let me ask all you pet parents this. Does your pet wear its collar and tag all the time? By that I mean all the time it is outdoors AND all the time it is indoors? Possibly not. For that very reason, the point I’m trying to get across is that a dog or a cat can “escape,” run off and go missing from any location, including the home.

A Second Pet ID

As I just mentioned, if your pet has a collar and ID tag but isn’t wearing it, one pet ID isn’t going to be enough to get him home. So now let’s look at microchips and scanning.

In recent years, the practice of microchipping pets has seen a significant surge because of one indisputable fact. Pet guardians now realize they have a far better chance of finding their pet if it has a chip rather than solely relying on one visible ID tag. Collars often get pulled off and tags can become detached. 

Remember, microchip databases can be accessed 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Furthermore, it is usually possible to have a pet scanned at any time by going to an animal hospital during regular office hours. Also, emergency animal clinics are open at night-time, weekends and on holidays.

To Sum Up

Very obvious but often forgotten, it’s important to keep all ID information updated, particularly after moving to a new address.

And, to summarize, be responsible and take precautions. Protect your pet by using BOTH a visible ID AND a microchip ID. Because now we know that one type of identification alone just isn’t enough.

Together, let’s keep our precious pets healthy, happy and safe!  

More must-read articles in this category:

All the steps to find a missing pet http://petpeevesunmasked.com/lost-pets-search-tips

Pet guardians forget that dogs have wild instincts and can easily run off https://petpeevesunmasked.com/dogs-run-away-because/

Chip scan 24/7/365 to get a missing pet back home http://petpeevesunmasked.com/take-lost-pets-here-for-microchip-scanning/

Also, if you’d like to read about the safety concerns of domesticated cats that are allowed to roam, please visit https://petpeevesunmasked.com/indoor-outdoor-cat-statistics/