Animal Sanctuary EMS
While I was at home for Christmas holiday, I volunteered at Higher Ground Animal Sanctuary (HGAS) for two weeks of pre-clinical EMS. The sanctuary takes in a variety of domestic species, including dogs, cats, small ruminants, horses and donkeys, small furries, poultry, pigs, and cattle.
Reflective Commentary
For my last pre-clinical EMS placement, I spent two weeks volunteering at HGAS, an animal rescue close to my home. My experience there showed me how much pressure rescues are under to care for their animals and find them homes while working with limited resources. I learned about many of the challenges that animal rescues face, both generally and specifically in my community. I also learned about working with people who view animals
During my placement, we had days where volunteers didn’t show up, we were running low on space and supplies, and we struggled to get animals to the vet and pay for their care. These things were a constant challenge for us, and I suspect they are challenges that any rescue would face, regardless of their location or species focus. I learned that animal intake and care is only half of what animal rescuers do. I was surprised at how much time my supervisor spent organizing events, combing through adoption applications, and meeting with potential candidates.
Of the many challenges specific to the animal rescues our area, there were two that stuck out to me. The first is that the Spokane area is experiencing an increase in feral cats, and their burden on animal shelters is becoming overwhelming. HGAS was already at maximum capacity for cats when I was there in December, and that was well before the start of kitten season in March. Each year from March to May, animal rescues in my area experience boom in unwanted cats because of their natural breeding season [1][2]. My supervisor expressed her concern about how they were going to manage the influx of shelter kittens this year while I was there for EMS. Now, at the end of March, our local news station is already asking people to open their homes for fostering sick cats because our shelters are too full to accommodate them [3]. Some communities are successfully decreasing cat intake in shelters using “Shelter-Neuter-Return” and “Barn Cat” programs [4]. It’s clear that this is becoming an issue in Spokane, and I’m curious to see how my community will adapt to address this issue in the long term.
The second challenge that stuck out to me was the ethical dilemma surrounding the intake of a pair of Jersey bull calves from a Washington dairy farm. These calves were accepted at HGAS to keep them from being slaughtered for meat, a decision I personally might not have made. After I completed my placement, I wrote about what I learned about working with people who have different ideas on the use of animals from me in my RCVS Student Experience Log (SEL) reflection:
“[My supervisor] and I have differing views on a variety of things, particularly the use of animals. She lives a vegan lifestyle and has a generally negative opinion of the dairy industry, which made collaborating on the care of the two Jersey bull calves, rescued from a dairy across the state, somewhat precarious. Ultimately, our relationship was one of mutual respect, and I consider this to be very good practice for when I will give medical advice to clients with a different perspective on the use of animals than my own.” [5]
I also wrote about the calves and their care in my Animal Welfare Associated Reflective Exercise (AWARE) which is attached in the documents section of this asset. The highlights of this reflection are that rescuing an animal may not improve their welfare if the care they are receiving is not meeting their needs, and that sacrificing welfare to avoid an early death may or may not seem appropriate to someone based on where they fall on the animal use spectrum.
In conclusion, my experience at HGAS allowed me to practice a wide variety of skills and has provided an opportunity for me to learn more about the animal populations in my community and to reflect on my personal beliefs surrounding animal use. I appreciate the time I spent at the animal sanctuary, and it’s very likely that I will volunteer there again this summer.
[1] Nutter FB, Levine JF, Stoskopf MK. Reproductive capacity of free-roaming domestic cats and kitten survival rate. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 2004Nov;225(9):1399–402.
[2] Wallace J, Levy J. Population characteristics of feral cats admitted to seven trap-neuter-return programs in the United States. Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery. 2006Aug;8(4):279–84.
[3] Yngelmo C. Foster homes needed for Spokane cats [Internet]. KXLY. KXLY; 2019 [cited 2019Mar30]. Available from: https://www.kxly.com/news/foster-homes-needed-for-spokane-cats/1063226660
[4] Janke N, Berke O, Klement E, Flockhart DT, Coe J, Bateman S. Effect of Capacity for Care on cat admission trends at the Guelph Humane Society, 2011–2015. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 2018Jan4;21(3):283–94.
[5] The rest of this reflection can be found by navigating through my SEL page from this link: RCVS Student Experience Log
Documentary Evidence
Attached are my EMS Feedback form and the AWARE assignment I completed for this placement.
Intended Learning Outcomes Satisfied
1. Communications – I communicated with my supervisor both verbally and via text message. I relayed information to other volunteers and instructed them on what tasks needed to be performed for the day. I also addressed members of the public on behalf of the sanctuary and organized animal transportation with foster homes and the vet clinic.
2. Independent and Collaborative Learning – I learned a lot during this placement, often by figuring out how to do things by myself, but also from collaborating with my supervisor and the other volunteers at the sanctuary. Over time I was able to streamline the daily chores, and I helped solve several issues with cleanliness and organization of the facilities. I also was able to collaborate with my supervisor on the care of two calves, where I was able to share what I’ve learned from my cattle experience.
3. Safety – I safely handled animals of each species at the sanctuary, I wore gloves and appropriate clothing for daily chores, and I regularly cleaned and disinfected the tools and facilities I used to care for the animals.
4. Animal Handling – I handled almost all of the animals at the sanctuary by the time I finished my placement. I learned a lot about handling fractious cats, I helped catch loose farm animals on several occasions, and I halter trained both of the calves at the sanctuary.
5. Clinical Skills – I often gave injections and oral medication, and I helped examine sick and injured animals on a daily basis. I also spent a day with the veterinarian that performed most of the small animal spays, neuters, and dentals. I watched surgeries and helped with patient care and intake, and she walked me through some of the reasoning behind the techniques, medications, and long-term care strategies she chose to use.
8. Animal Body Systems – Daily chores at the sanctuary included visually assessing the health of the animals there and responding to their behavior to better meet their needs. I paid attention to how much everyone was eating and drinking as well as how healthy their excrement was. Anyone that was starting to become ill got treated immediately, and animals that appeared overly stressed in the group environment were moved to a quieter space.
9. Diseases of Body Systems – Many of the animals that came to the sanctuary were ill in some form. A lot of the cats that came in were chronically ill with upper respiratory infections, and several others had neurological deficits and kidney problems. Managing the symptoms for these cats were a challenge in the shelter environment, but it was interesting to try and figure out how best to help them.
10. Ethics and Welfare – Animal welfare was an important focus at the sanctuary. Many of the animals I cared for came from animal abuse cases, other shelters, or were sick or injured when they arrived. While some of the animals would never make a full recovery or would be adopted, each of them was treated with their welfare in mind. I also spent a lot of time considering the ethics of pet ownership and animal rescue, after seeing the consequences of the treatment of some of the animals at the shelter.
11. Pathology – One of the long-haired, incontinent cats at the sanctuary got cut by accident while his rear end was getting shaved, and his wound became infected. I helped care for him when the cut happened, when infection set in, and when he finally healed up. I got to see how the wound on his leg progressed from a clean cut to a puss-forming wound then to when it healed over.
12. Infectious Disease – Again, many of the cats at the sanctuary came in with upper respiratory infections. As most of the cats were group housed, it was difficult to keep the infection from spreading to the healthier cats. Many of the very sick cats were isolated until their symptoms became less severe, and we used vitamin supplements and occasionally blanket treatment for the group-housed cats. Occasionally, my supervisor would take puppies infected with parvovirus, but these would go directly out to foster homes that could isolate them and provide constant care.
13. Pharmacology – I measured and administered oral and injectable drugs to the animals at the sanctuary several times. I also got to discuss drug use with the veterinarian who was doing most of the spays and neuters for the sanctuary. We specifically talked about medications used in her low-cost clinic for analgesia and anesthesia during surgery, as well as allergy medicine for dogs.
14. Professionalism – I got to practice my professionalism skills daily during my time at the sanctuary. I was constantly working with other volunteers who had varying experience and comfort levels when working with animals. I also interacted with the public on behalf of the sanctuary and with people who had different ideas on animal use than myself. I practiced carrying intelligent conversations with people about animal ethics and welfare without getting emotionally charged, as well as how to give advice and share my experience without being condescending.
15. Animal and Human Health – My supervisor at the sanctuary had a background in nutrition and holistic medicine for people, so we had some interesting conversations about human health in addition to our conversations about animal health. We talked a lot about nutrition, and how it affected the animals at the shelter. We used high-quality pet foods and vitamin supplements to help keep the animals healthy and usually to get them up to an appropriate weight. We also talked about zoonotic disease and made sure that we were using and providing the appropriate PPE and hand-washing facilities for the other volunteers.
16. Reflection – My supervisor and I consistently spent time reflecting on the work we were doing. We went over everything that happened during daily chores, and we discussed what we could do to improve for the next day. We also discussed longer-term goals and what the challenges for those might be, and we shared our experience in animal care with each other.
17. The Veterinary Practice – A few times during my placement, I picked up and dropped off animals at the vet. I also spent an entire day with one of the vets working for the sanctuary doing spays, neuters, dentals, and a mass removal. I learned what shelter medicine looks like, specifically how shelter vets strategize their surgical procedures and clinic space to be able to provide acceptable care at a low cost to shelters.