When our humane investigator rescued Taz from conditions of horrible neglect, the SPCA staff was shocked by her emaciated frame, runny eyes, disease riddled coat, and ulcerated bottom. A year ago, this pitbull's chances of survival would have been slim indeed. But medical care has come a long way at the Richmond SPCA. Taz was given Ivermectin injections for mange and antibiotics for ulcers, tested for heartworms, and fattened up with frequent meals in our hospital room. Now her reddish coat shines, and she frolics on her daily walks. She has responded to the first kindness in her life with tail wags, licks, and bright eyes, winning the heart of the woman who adopted her.

Taz is symptomatic of the great strides that have been made in the care animals receive at the SPCA, where we are now treating a wider range of problems, restoring more animals, and saving more lives. Staff is better trained, and more hours and dollars are being spent on care. Animals feel better, staff morale is improved, and adopters are taking home healthier pets. "It gives me a great sense of relief that we're able to give better care for more animals," said Nancy Hill, Director of Animal and Customer Care. "You know they're feeling better and life is better for them here."

Dr. Kay Gross, who became our new veterinarian in November, is now seeing patients 2-3 days per week. She examines the animals, recommends treatments, and suggests whether the patient can be treated at the shelter or needs to visit a veterinary clinic. As former Executive Director of the Norfolk SPCA, Dr. Gross understands the special needs of shelter animals. "She has a remarkable level of commitment to the mission of caring for homeless, stray, and neglected animals," said Robin Starr, Executive Director.

We now have a full time kennel technician responsible for animal health care. Heather McKee's primary job is administering treatments, but she also maintains medical charts on each animal and assists Dr. Gross in identifying those who need help - a challenging task with patients who don't talk. "Heather combines a real technical skill with an enormous amount of gentleness and care," noted Starr.

In December we instituted a more detailed system of record keeping. All the patients have individual medical charts which list test results, inoculations, medications, and other history. The new system has improved both the efficiency and the effectiveness of our care.

The hospital room closet, once sadly undersupplied, is now fully stocked with a wide range of supplies. "We're able to treat a greater variety of illnesses," said McKee. "We're also able to test for more conditions, such as parasites, ear mites, mange, and much more." Most significantly, we can now test on-site for heartworm in dogs and feline leukemia/FIV in cats. New instruments include small and large scales for weighing patients and a microscope for diagnosing various ailments. We have also converted a temporary holding area into a nicely stocked examination room.

Improving the condition of those in our care is the bottom line. "Some of the most desirable, easily adoptable pets come to us because they have a medical problem that the owners can't or aren't willing to fix," said Starr. "We can give a whole new lease on life to these pets by taking care of a very treatable condition. It also gives our staff a tremendous sense of emotional reward - it's very fulfilling for us all."