Veterinary Medicine - October 2007 - (Page 684)

E UTHANASIA O Community WHAT WORKS FOR Dr. Brian Forsgren Dr. Brian Forsgren’s small-animal practice occupies a refurbished Coca-Cola plant on the banks of the Cuyahoga River in the shadows of downtown Cleveland. His is a poor neighborhood. “You do a socioeconomic map of any area,” he says, “and you’ll see that most veterinary hospitals are located where the rich people live. Nobody wants to come here. Here you can see it. We are in a war. “It’s average transaction fee vs. access to care. If you only provide care for those who can totally afford it and then you make it the gold standard all the time based on profit motivation, that’s intrinsically unethical. “I want the profession to have a bigger self-image, more complete, more balanced,” he says. “I want the profession to at least open the door a little bit and let some of those people in because even rich communities have animals that nobody owns—hit-by-cars and feral cats. You can, at least, start thinking in terms of your role in the community and what your responsibility is as opposed to just how much money you can make. Opening up minds and hearts is phase one.” If you want a nonphilosophical reason to be an activist in your community, he says, here’s one: “If you are perceived as the source of animal welfare within your community and you show this by example, you’ll actually be mobbed,” says the 2002 Ohio Veterinary Medical Association Veterinarian of the Year, adding his practice has experienced “catastrophic” growth, “$500 to $1,000 a day more income in 2007 than in the year before.” Even so, he figures philanthropy costs the $3-million-practice $100,000 a year. He suggests documenting pro bono work (what he calls a philanthropy audit) and creating a nonprofit organization to help subsidize philanthropy (see “Raising funds to offset philanthropic losses” on page 682). 4. Create your own in-house rehabilitation and adoption program. Rescue groups can assist you with such a program. Dr. Gary Patronek, VMD, PhD, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University, suggests making yourself aware of the various re-homing groups in your community, though he cautions against referring to groups before screening their work. In his area, a veterinarian could use the services of 40 to 50 regional breed groups. “There are networks of foster homes,” he explains. “It’s like a loose sponge, an unorganized network of grass roots organizations and individuals. It calls for more effort on the part of veterinarians.” As Dr. Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, director of the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine program at Cornell University, puts it, “We live in communities, and veterinarians have an obligation to the larger community.” Dr. Forsgren agrees: “We’re not here just to make money or to have our egos fed,” he says. “We’re here for a reason. All that self-worth stuff that our generation believed in— well, some of us still think about that.” O REFERENCES 1. Secovich SJ. Case study: companion animal over-population programs in New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Maine. Available at www.spayusa.org/main_directory/03-programs_and_ clinics/statewide_publicly_funded/study_three_state_programs.pdf. 2. Imagine Humane. Solutions to the overpopulation of pets: state funded spay/neuter in New Hampshire. Available at www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/NH_pdf.pdf?docID= 5541&AddInterest=2600. 3. FIREPAW. Cross-program statistical analysis of Maddie’s Fund programs. August 2004;9. Available at www.maddiesfund.org/organizations/org_pdf/firepaw_program_analysis.pdf. 684 October 2007 VETERINARY MEDICINE http://www.spayusa.org/main_directory/03-programs_and_clinics/statewide_publicly_funded/study_three_state_programs.pdf http://www.spayusa.org/main_directory/03-programs_and_clinics/statewide_publicly_funded/study_three_state_programs.pdf http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/NH_pdf.pdf?docID5541&AddInterest=2600 http://www.aspca.org/site/DocServer/NH_pdf.pdf?docID5541&AddInterest=2600 http://www.maddiesfund.org/organizations/org_pdf/firepaw_program_analysis.pdf

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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