Veterinary Medicine - October 2007 - (Page 682)

E UTHANASIA O Community Advice from the Veterinary Medicine shelter euthanasia rate down to the level that will make it unnecessary to put down adoptable animals, we just have to do five million more surgeries nationwide each year than we’re doing now.” Marsh advocates placing “shelter euthanasia in the same context as any epidemic threat.” That means, he says, approaching the problem scientifically, with adequate data and planned strategies. “The scientific approach allows you to put together a realistic plan,” he says. “Then it’s not about hope. It’s about meeting your goals. “Just as you heard the axiom, ‘the poor will always be with us,’ people thought, ‘shelters will always have to put down healthy cats and dogs to Practitioner Advisory Board Corey Entriken, DVM. Because some clients won’t invest much money in treating their exotic pets, I do a lot of pro bono surgeries or other treatments and readopt those that need it to secure homes. In the last six months alone, I’ve surgically repaired a rabbit’s laceration, amputated a cockatiel’s leg, found an abandoned pigeon a home, and enucleated a rat’s eye—all pro bono. control their populations.’ The idea is you can’t do much about it. But the reality is that if you come up with a strategy and you look at the data, you can do something.” An important reason the New Hampshire program worked, Marsh says, is the recognition that lowincome communities contribute more animals to shelters because a larger proportion of household pets remain intact. Once poor pet owners—about 15% of the population—had an affordable program, a dramatic drop in shelter Raising funds to offset philanthropic losses Cleveland practitioner Dr. Brian Forsgren’s philanthropy audit provides a rough estimate of services and medicines he gives away each year treating animals that he says live on the margins of society. If he gives a 10% discount to a rescue group for $20,000 in services, that’s $2,000 for the audit. If a Good Samaritan drops off a seriously injured cat, the cost of euthanasia is a philanthropic contribution. His local humane society brings in abuse cases for evaluation; he sends a bill but is never reimbursed. More for the audit. “If you add all this stuff up,” he says, “it gives you a hard figure to defend your philanthropy. No cash is moving and you can’t write it off, but it gives you a conceptual basis for just how good a neighbor you are being.” Dr. Forsgren uses the audit to solicit funds for Project Noah, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization he started to supplement the community work his practice donates in Cleveland.* Four area animal hospitals have joined in the project. “We’re taking local monies to solve local problems through the established veterinary healthcare delivery system,” he says. “We get the cash to the critters.” Dr. Forsgren says he has raised about $70,000 in the last three years through Project Noah. Veterinarians can raise funds through organizations like Project Noah in several ways, he explains. He uses direct-mail appeals to his clientbase, describing the cases he’s handled on a pro bono basis. He also sponsors a 5-K race in Cleveland. Creative veterinarians, he says, might sponsor an art show or a walk for animals. And having 501(c)(3) status makes it possible to deal with bequests. Of course, the front desk cookie jar is still an option. It’s a way to help bridge what Dr. Forsgren calls the “care gap” for disenfranchised animals without running the practice into the red. Dr. J.C. Burcham also thinks that philanthropy and profitability can walk hand-in-hand. “This is a business,” she says, “we’re not nonprofit. But you’re here because you love animals and you want to help them. It’s nice to know that when a special case comes in, you can help.” To help animals that might otherwise be euthanized or left untreated, Dr. Burcham’s practice set up the Angel Fund. The fund was the started after a puppy, Louise, arrived at the practice with a parvoviral infection, and the owners couldn’t afford treatment. They signed a consent form to have the puppy euthanized. “It was just a puppy, and we had the means to save it,” Dr. Burcham recalls. “Our staff was so upset at the thought that we would euthanize this puppy, so we all pulled together and started the Angel Fund.” Louise was better a few weeks later and looking for a family. On a shelf in the waiting room, the practice sells high-quality pet toys to endow the fund and provide emergency money for future Louises. Thanks to the practice’s clients, the Angel Fund is flourishing. *The Internal Revenue Service lists the possible exempt activities of a 501(c)(3) organization as “… charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and the preventing (of) cruelty to children or animals.” For more information, go to the Internal Revenue Service Website at: http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=96099,00.html 682 October 2007 VETERINARY MEDICINE http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=96099,00.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - October 2007

Veterinary Medicine - October 2007 Contents Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald Toxicology Brief Idea Exchange Animal Sheltering in the United States: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow The Euthanasia Problem Offer Basic Behavior Counseling for Every Pet at Every Visit Promote and Perform Early Spaying and Neutering Assist Owners in Selecting the Best Pets for their Lifestyles Champion Animal Welfare in Your Community CE Form Product Review Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - October 2007

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