Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA: COVID-19 Operation Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The grant from the Petfinder Foundation was used to cover veterinary care for animals that entered our shelter during the shutdown instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past three months, our shelter has remained closed to the public. We have performed all operations by appointment only, including fostering and adoptions.
Since receiving funding from the Petfinder foundation, we have had 1,396 animals enter our care, including 245 owner surrenders and 411 strays. The funds from the Petfinder Foundation enabled us to continue to provide high-quality care for every one of these animals, including thorough veterinary exams upon intake. These exams are vital for identifying pets that are in need of further veterinary care and for keeping transmissible diseases out of our shelter, ultimately resulting in happier, healthier pets and higher adoption rates.
With the help of the Petfinder Foundation, we have found loving adoptive homes for 766 pets since receiving funding on May 15.
This grant helped the SPCA maintain our high standards of care for the pets that enter the shelter. Specifically, the grant from the Petfinder Foundation helped us provide intake exams for over 22 pets who arrived at the shelter since May. Each intake exam is performed as soon as possible after a pet arrives at the shelter, and before it enters the general shelter population or foster care. Each exam costs approximately $45, and includes the administration of core vaccines, flea and tick preventative, and a microchip. Through these exams, potential medical issues can be identified early, and pets in need of immediate veterinary care can be rapidly moved to our clinic for treatment to prevent needless suffering.
How many pets did this grant help?
This grant covered the cost of intake veterinary care for approximately 22 pets.
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
When Lady Eloise arrived at the shelter as a 1-year-old stray, she was very skinny, with external parasites and areas of hair loss. During her intake exam, the clinic staff noticed that she had an infected wound in her mouth that would need treatment. Lady Eloise was prescribed antibiotics and pain medication to help with her wound and received a DAPP and rabies vaccine and a dose of flea and tick preventative.
Once her stray hold was completed, Lady Eloise was spayed, her damaged teeth were removed, and her remaining teeth were thoroughly cleaned. While Lady Eloise recovered from her surgeries, she was moved into foster care. Her foster reported that Lady Eloise was sweet and affectionate, but was very high-energy and loved to be outside. With this information, we placed Lady Eloise with an interested adopter as a foster-to-adopt to ensure that she could be happy and fulfilled in her new home.
After a week and a half, Lady Eloise’s fosters made it official and Lady Eloise has found a happy forever home!
