VanSickle’s chance came in late September. With the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Farr, the HBSPCA’s Medical Director, she tackled a milestone in her veterinary education: performing surgery on an animal by herself.
How the HBSPCA is Partnering With The University of Guelph on Shelter Medicine
Sarah VanSickle didn’t know exactly what to expect when she landed a chance for hands-on learning at the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. But, as a fourth-year student in the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, she was thrilled.
She and 10 others in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program would be part of a collaboration between the two organizations. They’d attend weeklong rotations in fall and winter that would throw them into the fray of shelter medicine. They could perform animal surgeries and exams, support foster pets, and help with Pet Health Outreach Clinics in the shelter and off-site.
“I was really excited that there was a program available at a shelter so close to my home,” says VanSickle. “I am from Caledonia, Ont., and it’s only 20 minutes from the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA. I’ve always been interested in shelter medicine, and to have that opportunity so close to home was really great.”
“I wasn’t really expecting to be able to do surgery completely on my own, since I’ve not done that before. I think I did my first cat spay while I was there, from start to finish,” says VanSickle. “I was nervous at the beginning, but Dr. Farr gave me a lot of encouragement and advice, and I was able to do that surgery on my own. I felt very proud of myself and my skills and my ability to do more surgeries in the future.”
More spay and neuter surgeries followed, along with other opportunities. VanSickle did medical checks on animals and gave them vaccines. She did an eye stain on a cat and helped with dental procedures. One night, she and Farr left the shelter to run a pet health wellness clinic in Hamilton.
“We got to help service members of the community — low-income families, their cats and their dogs. We gave out vaccines and did some basic medical care, like treating ear infections and skin issues. I got to run my own table for that. I got to kind of play the primary role of the veterinarian, which was really exciting for me as a student, to get to practice my skills.”
It’s that kind of skill-building that drives the latest expansion of the HBSPCA’s program with the Ontario Veterinary College. Students in earlier stages of their education can now see first-hand what shelter veterinarians do.
Seventy first-year students are helping at Pet Health Outreach Clinics from October 2024 to March 2025, and 56 second-year students will be on hand from December 2024 to April 2025. After that, the HBSPCA hopes to also involve third-year students.
These one-day placements are meant to ease the future veterinarians into the experience, and the Ontario Veterinary College will send a supervisor along with them to help.
“They’re going to experience some animal handling and restraint,” says Karen Reichheld, director of animal services at the HBSPCA. “They’ll be taking some histories of animals. They’ll be doing some physical examinations of cats and dogs and potentially small animals that are on site, talking about diagnostics, a little bit of clinical problem solving and treatment planning and then some medical records.”
They’ll also be working with Michelle Macnab, the Director of Community Wellness and Communication, who’ll run wellness clinics on-site. The full value of the program lies in a mutually beneficial experience for both participating students and the HBSPCA — with the ultimate goal of helping animals and the community.
“I definitely think it was a really valuable program for me and any other vet student who wants to do a rotation there — just to integrate yourself into the community and help people with their animals and help the shelter animals,” says VanSickle.
“It’s beneficial to help them but also very helpful for the hands-on surgical skills, getting to do the wellness clinics, and just practicing skills that you need as a general practice veterinarian.”
She adds that one of the most eye-opening parts of the program was simply watching all that goes on from day to day.
“It’s just seeing the role of a veterinarian in a shelter setting, how busy they are, and how many things they have to juggle every day — from surgery to general vaccines and medical problems,” she explains.
Reichheld echoes the sentiment. She says there can be about 250 animals in the shelter each day. Some live there temporarily while others could be surrendered, moved into foster care, or come in for medical care. The outreach clinics, though, are in a unique position to serve a growing need in the community.
Reichheld says that since January, the HBSPCA has seen nearly 1,000 animals through the outreach program for preventive health care — possibly twice the number as last year.
“I think the biggest benefit of the program is for the future of those young veterinarians learning that the new way of shelters is service to community,” says Reichheld. “This year we’ll likely touch at least 7,000 animals through adoptions and TNVR, our high-volume spay and neuter, outreach. This is where animals are being served. So we need veterinarians to come and be here with us. There is a future in employment in shelters.”
By Melissa Hank
