HSSC-Winter-2023-North-Bay-Pets-Final - Magazine - Page 6
A problem is a chance for you to do your best. - Duke Ellington
As a regular reader of our publications, you
are well aware of the critical overcrowding
that shelters around the country continue
to face. This, coupled with the ongoing
post-pandemic veterinary shortage, has
resulted in a crisis of capacity that is impacting
the most vulnerable animals – nationally, statewide and right here in our own community.
There is hope on the horizon, however.
Thanks to your generous and compassionate
support, HSSC has an outstanding shelter
medical program. We are able to transfer
in dozens of animals each week who would
otherwise face euthanasia due to lack of
space, including those with treatable medical conditions. Our
hardworking regional partners count on us to help provide
positive pathways to home for these precious lives.
Also thanks to your support, HSSC is a leading provider of
low-cost, accessible spay/neuter services for owned pets in
Sonoma County, which helps reduce the volume of unplanned,
unwanted or abandoned animals from entering our local
shelter system. Now, we are leaning into these strengths and
providing yet another lifesaving resource to our community.
This year, in partnership with Community
Animal Medicine Project and California for
all Animals, HSSC has created an advanced
training program for veterinarians. SOCO
SNIP (Sonoma County Spay Neuter Instructional Program) is a spay/neuter training center located at our Santa Rosa campus that
provides licensed California veterinarians with
the opportunity to gain hands-on surgical and
clinical techniques for High-Quality, High-Volume Spay and Neuter. This program gives
DVMs time to practice and re昀椀ne skills and
troubleshoot problems with an experienced
spay-neuter surgeon/coach.
Our 昀椀rst session of SOCO SNIP was a resounding success. Not
only did participants increase their capacity and con昀椀dence in
spay/neuter procedures that they can now share out in their
own communities, but they also completed 95 spay/neuter
procedures in just 4 days!
In addition to animals in our care, we were able to take in
animals from our local partners, Sonoma County Animal Services
and North Bay Animal Services, to help reduce their caseloads.
Our training program is also helping support spay/neuter e昀昀orts
beyond Sonoma County by hosting veterinarians participating
from under-resourced regions throughout Northern California.
We are so excited to build on this momentum and expand
overall access to care in our state! Please watch this space
for updates on this progressive new program and the important
impacts these collaborations are making for the animals.
Together, we are part of the solution! Your gift to our Angels
Fund helps animals who need medical care on the path to their
forever homes. For more information about SOCO SNIP, please
visit humanesocietysoco.org/medical-programs/soco-snip/
Scan to donate to the Angels Fund,
supporting all of the HSSC shelter
medicine programs
Dr. Beyer, Instructor + Dr. Heirich, Trainee
