Posted: Jan. 17, 2009, 3 a.m. EST
The spay-neuter program guidelines are intended to ensure the welfare of pets at high-volume sterilization sites. |
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recently announced its endorsement of The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs. The guidelines were created to advance high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter programs.
“The ASPCA encourages both pediatric spay-neuter and pre-adoption sterilization of shelter animals,” said Ed Sayres, ASPCA president and chief executive officer. “Therefore, we endorse the guidelines document as a means to ensure the welfare of individual animals when they undergo sterilization procedures, regardless of where such surgeries occur. We also strive to educate communities regarding the many public benefits of spay-neuter for cats and dogs.”
The guidelines, first published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association last July, discuss standardization of animal care regardless of where sterilization occurs, for example, in mobile units, stationary clinics or humane societies. They include information regarding patient selection, pain management, surgical procedures, anesthetic monitoring, record-keeping and identification of sterilized animals, and provide a reference for state boards of veterinary medicine.
“The existence and diversity of numerous high-volume spay-neuter programs created a need for guidelines that addressed appropriate veterinary care for patients,” said Kathleen Makolinski, DVM, ASPCA’s director of veterinary outreach, who is part of the task force that created the guidelines. “By drafting these guidelines, the task force was able to make practical recommendations that are attainable by all programs.”
The Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened the task force of 22 veterinarians with funding provided by the ASPCA and PetSmart Charities.