DVM 1.5 - PRACTICAL AT SPCA

Our group did our practical by volunteering for 6 days at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) located in Jelutong, Penang. It was an eye-opening experience for me and I learned many new things. I realize about some issues on strays, practice of euthanasia, spaying and neutering, responsible pet ownership as well as the importance of educating the public.

We reported at SPCA Penang at 8.30am on 4 May 2009. We were greeted by Mrs. Golgi and Mrs. Lily who enlightened us about the objectives and functions of SPCA Penang. Mrs. Golgi also brought us around the compound while briefing us on their daily operations, facilities and services. We were organized into 3 groups whereby each group was in charge of different tasks every day. The daily tasks were cleaning the cattery and feeding the cats; feeding the dogs and letting them out for socialize; dispensing medications and supplements according to each animals’ record.

We were informed that SPCA Penang is a non-profit community-based organization whose primary objectives are to protect and care for animals. They take actions to prevent cruelty and suffering of animals. They try to promote kindness towards animals through public awareness. They also make efforts to ensure responsible pet ownerships. SPCA Penang maintains an animal shelter with 32 kennels and a cattery. Their main work at the shelter is to rescue, rehabilitate, heal and re- home the animals that are sent here. Most of the animals are cats and dogs which are strays or abandoned by their owners.

There are several staffs in SPCA Penang. Mrs. Lily is the main person in charge while Mrs. Golgi assists her. Mr. Muru is the kennel man who handles all the cleaning and feeding of the animals in the shelter efficiently. There are also 3 drivers in charge of the 3 Society’s vans. The vans are needed to patrol the island to investigate complaints of cruelty and neglect. They visit areas especially markets and eating stalls where animals may be at risk of abuse because there is where strays tend to find food. They also provide transport with a nominal fee to pet owners who need to send their pets to the veterinary clinic for vaccinations and treatments. Some volunteers come to help around the shelter on a frequent basis as well.

Throughout our week at SPCA Penang, we saw about 3 adoptions, 4 euthanasia, and 6 new additions at the shelter. Many visitors came to the shelter looking for adoption. However, good adopters are hard to come by. As a matter of fact, some people came here trying to get pedigrees for their own breeding or selling purposes, regardless of the RM150 deposit charged by SPCA Penang which is compulsory to make sure all the animals from SPCA Penang are neutered. The shelter hopes to give every dog and cat equal chances of getting adopted regardless of being a mongrel or a pedigree. Therefore, they make an effort to help or advice any owners who give up or abandon their pets at the shelter. Still, some pets are abandoned at the shelter with terrible conditions such as the neglected Shih Tzu we saw which came in with bad skin and eyes problems.

For that reason, the shelter briefs every potential owner who comes to the shelter for adopting about some strict guidelines because owning a pet is a great responsibility and requires at least, a ten-year commitment. Owners are advised to strictly consider the time, space, and money and most importantly love and care for their pets. The staffs are also very helpful in providing information about the temperament of each animal in the shelter as the animals are handled daily and given chances to socialize with the staffs, volunteers and other animals at the shelters. This socializing helps the animals regain their thrust for humans as well. SPCA Penang also do a good job posting about animals for adoption, lost animals, as well as animal fostering program on the web.

Everyday, there are more animals coming into the shelter than being adopted. Sadly, the reality is that there are far too many animals to be re- homed and the shelter has limited space and money. For this reason, many animals that are untreatable and unadoptable must be humanely euthanized. SPCA Penang has a euthanasia policy and I support it after a week of experience at the shelter. They really consider the condition of the animals before making the decision to euthanize them. Among the conditions we saw were animals that are too young (below 2 months) which are sick, animals that are seriously diseased or injured, and the overcrowding of the shelter. As Mrs. Lily puts it, it is better to make sure 50 potentially adoptable animals living healthily and happily at the shelter, than to have 100 animals at the shelter but not managed properly. If some of the unadoptable animals are not put to sleep, other adoptable animals might lose their chances of being placed at the shelter for adoption, and may end up as a stray on the streets.

We witnessed the euthanasia done by Dr. Gurdev Gill who administered the sick animal with Dolethal by intravenous injection. As for very young animals, trained staff in SPCA will use chloroform. Both ways put the animals to sleep with minimum stress and suffering. Dr. Gurdev Gill comes to SPCA Penang twice every week to treat the animals at the shelter. Each and every animal at the shelter have their own health record and the staffs do a great job updating every record as well as making sure all the correct medication is given everyday. The animals are given vitamins and supplements as well. We also bathed dogs having skin diseases with medicated bath solution prescribed by Dr. Gill.

We also had the chance to visit Dr. Gill’s veterinary clinic. We were shown how x-ray was done as well as the process of neutering a female dog from the shelter. I realized the benefits of neutering animals, and also the importance to educate every pet owner about it. Neutering animals makes them less aggressive without the unnecessary hormone activities, they will have less disease which involves their sexual organs, and most importantly decrease the overpopulation of unwanted animals. Lastly, we also saw some vaccinations done for the puppies at the shelter. The vaccinations are very important to eliminate risk for infection of distemper, hepatitis, respiratory illness, canine leptospirosis, canine parvovirus, corona virus and rabies.

We also had the opportunity to get involved in educating the public. SPCA Penang was invited to educate children aged 4 to 6 at a kindergarten. I was given the task to prepare the slides for the children. With ideas and help from Mrs. Golgi and my fellow course mates, I managed to come up with a simple educational slide suitable for children. On the day at the kindergarten, Mrs. Lily talk to the kids about the shelter, abandoned animals, strays, and how to be a responsible owner to their pets. The kids understand quite well and gave good responses. We brought along 2 puppies and 2 kittens whereby the children got the chance to touch and hug them. I think it was really a great way to reach out to the younger public as it will help them grow up to love and care for animals.

It was an educational week for me and I learned a lot at the shelter. We got useful advices from Mrs. Lily, Mrs. Golgi and Dr. Gill. I also salute the dedication of all the staffs at the shelter. They really did a good job at maintaining the shelter. The shelter runs almost entirely on public donations and funds raised through fund raising activities. Therefore the support from the public is very important. Public awareness is the key to reduce home- less animals and to prevent cruelty to animals.

PET ADOPTION GALLERY~~
for those in Penang~~
http://www.spca-penang.net/spca_penang_adoption_photo_galle.html

check out shanton (his name is actually santo), rover, roma and all the others!!

3 May 2009 – Sunday

Check in Tune’s Hotel

Dinner. Giant. Heritage Road.

4 May 2009 – Monday

First day at SPCA Penang

Met Mrs Lily, Mrs Golgi, Mr Muru.

Different tasks assigned for 3 separate groups.

1 group in charge of medicine dispensing and feeding.

1 group in charge of bringing out the dogs for play.

1 group in charge of the cattery.

Me and Eric Cheah were in charge of the cattery.

Let out the cats except those which are not allowed to due to surgery or sick.

Clear out the litter boxes.

Clean the cattery individual cages.

Feed the cats. Mixed dry and wet food. Make sure all cats have own bowl. Make sure bowls are arranged properly and put in water plate to prevent ants.

Feed medication and vitamins.

Prepare litter box by putting 3 layers of newspapers and shreds.

Keep and clean the bowls at 2pm. Put back the cats into the cages as well. Check that all cats have their own water bowls and litter boxes.

Back around 5.30pm.

Ate at Goodall Food Center near Gurney Drive. Walk along Gurney Drive and drop by Gurney Plaza.

5 May 2009 – Tuesday

Me and Faiz in charge of cattery.

Bath the dogs.

Do slide for kindergarten presentation.

Back around 5pm.

Chern Ping bring us to Jalan Penang stalls to eat. Nice old KFC.

6 May 2009 – Wednesday

Me and Eve in charge of medication.

Adult dogs were all given cod liver oil pills and red vitamins.

Puppies were all given vit-sorbits.

Medication given according to each dog’s heath report card.

Same goes for cats.

Me and Eve went to the Smart Readers Kindergarten with Mrs Lily to teach children.

Brought along 2 kittens and 2 puppies (Terra & Rover)

Dr Gurdev Gill weekly visit to SPCA to check out the cats and dogs.

Ate at Goodall Food Center again. Watch ‘Coming Soon’ at GSC Gurney Plaza.

7 May 2009 – Thursday

Me and Eve off to Dr Gill’s clinic at Jalan Bagan Jermal.

13 year old Doberman put to sleep due to bleeding malignant tumour on leg.

Arthritis in poodle. Need glucosamine and chondroitin?

Hard to handle aunty customer because she dint understand the explanation.

X-ray a dog and visit the dark room to process the film.

‘O-Gao’ black dog.

Spayed Mandy the white SPCA dog.

Drive around penang. Burn carcasses at incinerating place.

Bath dogs in Tac-Tic.

Dinner at Buffet Steamboat at Jln McCallister. Go OneStop for snooker but full. Go Queensbay and sit by the sea.

8 May 2009 – Friday

Do medication.

Feed dogs and cats.

Puppies below 4 months fed 3 times a day. Above 4 months 2 times a day.

Morning dry food, afternoon dry food mix wet food mix boiled rice.

Give them 20 minutes to eat their food then keep the bowls. Do not leave the bowls out in the rain. Soak the bowls in soap water before washing.

Play with Santo(Zhu Zai), Rover(Chou Chou), Trudy(Helicopter Ear), Shelby(Lost Boy).

Long lunch break, nice white coffee but with bee, super $$ nasi kandar, buy ghee hiang.

Dr Gurdev Gill long interview and amazing ‘make-me-tabib’ lecture.

Put to sleep: Shadow (Sick black baby dog), Nana (blind Mini Pinscher), Blaze (Papilloma virus at mouth), Zeno (Sick brown baby dog).

Adopted: Happy and Jessie (Black dogs), Ino (Siamese kitten)

Need to Lysol and Bleach kennels after the animals are put to sleep.

Photo session.

Go Northam Café for dinner. Nice sea view and nice food.

Money counting, Uno, Truth or Dare session.

9 May 2009 – Saturday

Check out hotel.

Last day at SPCA. Shopping (2 shirts, 1 bag) and farewell speech.

Clean poo and urine for one last time.

Feed cats medicine but pour over the plate when left 3 cats.

Say last goodbye to all the dogs at SPCA.

Lunch at yummy vegetarian shop.

Travel back to KL. From Penang to Sg Buloh only 3 hours.