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(Published in the August 2005 Issue)
Reaching Out A Helping Hand
Shelter vet aids in natural disasters and global training
By Scott and Ann Springer
Dr. Rachel Francis took a different path than her fellow Tufts Veterinary School graduates of 2001. As she donned her cap and gown and proudly accepted her degree she never dreamt she'd be doing what she's doing, or to enjoy it so much.
Shortly after graduation, she left her vet position at a VCA private practice, to be a medical director for a central Massachusetts shelter.
The Clinic VCA at Animal Shelter Inc. is a privately owned shelter where Dr. Francis treats approximately 3,000 to 4,000 cats and dogs a year. The shelter is a no-kill, limited-admission shelter located in Sterling, Mass.
Dr. Francis is "a donation" from VCA Animal Hospitals of America, which pays her salary and benefits.
Nothing she learned in vet school prepared her for the path she pioneered in this first of its kind partnership which evolved almost 4 years ago. "They don't cover shelter issues in vet school," Dr. Francis, DVM, said. "Working in the shelter is so much more public health-oriented. We see tons of infectious disease and abuse issues that private practice vets just don't deal with."
Dr. Francis felt overwhelmed by the number of animals in need and her lack of training on how to deal with this type of health care crisis. "The biggest eye opener for me has been to see the amount of work that needs to be done," she said.
But nothing prepared her for the reward she would have either. For Dr. Francis it was always her desire to give back to her community and her field, but she never seemed to find the time while she was in vet school. So, when this opportunity came up she jumped at the chance.
"Giving back to the community was always my goal," she said. "I've realized there is this whole other world. You can do so much good with so little."
And Dr. Francis does a lot. On a typical day, she spends an hour or so checking on surgical patients in recovery and assessing new patients. She then goes into surgery for six or seven hours. In a typical week she will perform 80 to 100 surgeries.
The rest of her 10-hour shift is spent checking on her surgical patients from that day, assessing new intakes, and meeting with the shelter director or discussing health needs of pets with their adoptive owners.
Sometimes she even takes her work home with her. Recently, "She took home sick kittens to foster with URI's and she will keep them there until they are well," said Leigh Grady, the executive director of the shelter.
Above and beyond
Occasionally this young and eager vet gets away from the shelter for a vacation, but she rarely takes the time to catch up on sleep and improve her tan. Instead, she's flying off to do triage for animal victims of hurricane, or traveling to the Galapagos Islands to implement and train vets on sterilization programs.
On a recent trip to the Galapagos Island of Santa Cruz, Dr. Francis, worked with a grass roots spay and neuter campaign to help to reduce the dog population on the island reserve. Dogs were forming into packs and were eating endangered species of animals.
Dr. Francis was able to sterilize 200 dogs in a week and train local Ecuadorian vets on the proper protocol to keep this sterilization program going. "In third world countries vets are trained to treat cattle and horses, and are not trained in small animal medicine," she said. "It's very rewarding to start the program and leave it in their hands to carry on."
This past year, Dr. Francis and Grady, traveled to Florida to help treat animals after Hurricane Charlie. SPELLING OF HURRICANE AND APPROXIMATE DATE.
"It was so unorganized when we got there," she said. "There were 2 vets and 600 animals in a MASH unit." The animals were suffering from exposure, dehydration, and many were under stress from being displaced.
The MASH unit served as a triage, as well as a temporary kennel, for people who couldn't keep their animals with them. They saw every kind of small animal from chickens and bunnies to cats and dogs.
"The local vets down there were amazing," she said. "They would come in before and after work to help out, but they couldn't do it by themselves."
Dr. Francis and Grady helped out for five days and then handed-off the impromptu clinic to the Orlando vet community, which had organized a massive aid effort. "We felt much better when we left knowing that it would be in good hands," she said.
In addition to these trips, the pair has also provided medical care to animals in Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico. Dr. Francis worked 15-plus-hours daily with limited equipment, no sterile fields, and dirt floors, Grady said.
"She's truly a one-of-a-kind vet," Grady said. "I've worked with hundreds of vets over the past 12 years and she is definitely in a class by herself."
Scott and Ann Springer are freelance writers living in Southern California. |
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