Animal Processing 101

Taken from the standard operating procedure at ACS:

303  ANIMAL PROCESSING

All animals placed in the intake area must be assessed by the veterinary and shelter staff before being moved.

All adult dogs will be vaccinated with Distemper-Hepatitis-Parvo-Parainfluenza (DHPP) immediately upon arrival.

All puppies will be vaccinated with Distemper-Parvo-Parainfluenza-Hepatitis (DHPP) vaccine at 6, 9, 12, and 15 weeks of age.

Cats will be assessed to determine if domestic or feral.  Healthy cats will be placed in the Cat Intake Room.  Sick or injured cats will be placed in the Cat Isolation Room.  Feral cats will be placed in the Feral Cat Room.

Upon arrival, all puppies 2 weeks or older will be dewormed with Panacur (fenbendazole) for 3 days.  All adult dogs will be dewormed with Strongid T (pyrantel).

Upon arrival, all kittens 2 weeks or older will be dewormed with Strongid T (pyrantel).

All dogs should receive a Bordetella vaccine as soon as they are old enough based on the vaccine label.

 I picked these 4 girls up yesterday from ACS and as is usually the case there is nothing on their medical paperwork to indicate they were dewormed.  Deworming a puppy as soon as possible can mean the difference between life and death if they are heavily infested.  Unfortunately, ACS chooses not to follow their own procedures.  I have two theories as to why this is not being followed other than the obvious fact that they're just plain lazy.  First, why should they deworm them if they are just going to turn around and kill them in a few days? If they wait they can save a buck.  Second, deworming can cause diarrhea and even vomitting sometimes and no one wants to adopt a dog they think is sick. Plus diarrhea and vomitting can also be signs of other disease which would make more work for staff in trying to determine if a puppy was just having normal wormy poop or if it was sick with parvo or distemper.  They would have to do away with the diarrhea = euthanization practice they have settled into.

The only time a dog or puppy will be dewormed is if it is "worked up" by the vet staff for adoption or rescue.  Since some dogs are pulled by rescues who do their own vetting it is becoming more and more apparent that procedure is not being followed over there. Puppies at ACS already have the deck stacked against them.  They can be immediately euthanized for no reason at all if they are under 4 months; if they actually make it past that hurdle then their tiny bodies and weak immune systems have to survive a general population kennel where disease is rampant.  Can we at least give them a fighting chance by clearing their bellies of the parasites that prevent them from gaining any nourishment?

Cut the crap, Hendel!

When this photo appeared on the ACS Pet Harbor web site it set off a flurry of emails to ACS for obvious reasons. Who in their right mind would think it was ok to post a photograph of a frightened puppy cowering in a mess of their own feces?  The emails from rescues started before 9AM demanding a new photo and information on the dog. 

FINALLY, at 6:00PM after repeated attempts for an answer from someone at ACS the following response was sent out:

RE: Feces Puppy Still in Cyberspace!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 6:00 PM

From: "Elizabeth Brown"

 

Unfortunately, this puppy was euthanized earlier today due to behavioral and medical concerns.

 

Elizabeth Ann Brown
Senior Management Analyst - Live Release
City of San Antonio
Animal Care Services Department
O: 210-207-6655
C: 210-508-8953
Do your part to save lives! Please sterilize your pets.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.

 

Behavioral concerns?  What kind of behavioral concerns does a 3 month old puppy have?  And why wasn't rescue contacted when they realized this puppy was sick?  Why did no one answer the numerous emails sent to ACS employees throughout the day?  Actually, someone did answer an email.  ACS Director Gary Hendel sent the following email to a concerned citizen at 3:42PM.  Unfortunately, he was either lying or grossly misinformed about what was going on in his kennels at ACS.  Not only was another picture NOT taken or uploaded, but the puppy was already dead. 

 

 

From: Gary Hendel
Date: March 22, 2011 3:42:13 PM CDT
To: Brenda
Subject: RE: Puppy in Feces

Hi Brenda.

This photo was taken as the dog exited our animal care truck and we realize it's not the best.  A new photo has been uploaded.  Please be aware that we didn't put the animal in this condition.  It was picked up frightened and hungry and as soon as we got to the shelter the puppy was cleaned and given food and a warm bed.  We cared for this puppy as if it were our own.... because it is.

Gary


What is it going to take for them to get their proverbial shit together over there at ACS?  These are not isolated incidents anymore.  This kind of thing happens on a daily basis.  The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing and the left hand just doesn't care. 

Hooch needs a home.

If you're missing your Dogue de Bordeaux you'll never find her on Pet Harbor.  ACS thinks she's a Sharpei. 

Why is every other dog at ACS a chow?

This morning they had this dog labeled a chow mix so I complained.  She's no more a lab than she is a chow, but at least she has a better chance now.  Chows are often subject to breed restrictions just like pit bulls. :(

More chow mixes at ACS...WTH?

For those that don't know, here are some chow pictures. There are at least 20 other breeds that better fit the dogs pictured above.

Breed Identification...

Why is this dog a German Shep mix?

But this one is a lab mix?

This is not a chihuahua!

It took days for me to get ACS to change the breed description on this dog.  Luckily, they gave her some extra time because of it, but a lot of dogs are not so lucky.

Kelly the Broken Chihuahua

"What's wrong with this dog?"  That's what rescuer Kelly Walls asked the kennel worker when she saw this little girl sitting in her crate.  In a perfect world, ACS should notify rescue when they have an injured dog that needs more medical attention than they can provide.  While they don't pretend to understand why, they know that there are rescues in this City that will take the injured dogs to make sure they have a chance.  Unfortunately, this little girl sat for two days, without any medication for her pain, before Kelly just happened upon her in the kennels. She was rushed to a private vet only to learn that her injuries were far more severe than anyone could have imagined.  Her spine had been severed, most likely from being hit by a car and the decision was made to euthanize her. The only ray of light is that she did not die alone in a cold and careless animal control facility, but peacefully while being comforted by two rescue angels.  She knew love and kindness before she left this earth.  Allowing an animal to wallow in pain with such a catastrophic injury is inhumane and the decision not to immediately euthanize or to contact rescue is inexcusable. 

No-kill 2012 is a Joke.

It sounded good on paper I guess and I'm sure they had the best of intentions six years ago, but no-kill 2012 is a joke and completely unattainable due to the utter lack of concern by the current city leaders and citizens in San Antonio.  There is no way you can increase intake (as ACS has been instructed to do) and decrease euthanasia.  It's basic math, people!!  The only way that it's going to happen is to change the culture in a city that doesn't want to change. A city that is currently being led by a mayor who could care less about the problem. 

Education regarding responsible pet ownership, free spay/neuter clinics, enforcement of existing city ordinances to stop the back yard breeders...all of these initiatives were to be put in place yet while I know they exist you'd be hardpressed to find them unless you were really looking.  We have to flood the city with these services so that people see them everywhere they go.  So they hear about them on the news, see them at the grocery store, the pharmacy, their workplaces, their schools.  There needs to be more money spent on mobile spay/neuter units, there needs to be education on responsible pet ownership in all the schools in every district.  There needs to be PSA's put out by the CITY and not just AAPAW. This is the only way to combat the stray problem in San Antonio so we can make the streets safer for everyone, to encourage companies to bring their business to a city that takes pride in itself and to stop the needless suffering of the animals in San Antonio and Bexar County.  But until someone who can make it happen gives a damn things will forever remain the same.  San Antonio will have one of the worst pounds in the nation for a city of its size and no-kill will remain something that happens in other towns.