!

"#" %&'"()*
+,-* -.


/"012#&(2 %)3"4*
+,-* -%5* -!



"#$%#&' ()*+
,-.#/01# 23%$4' 5$1/#6
789649& 23$-%64#413$
:9;3&4

1otqet 2eto lostltote





2



1u }anuaiy 2u14


The Neuical Assessment Team fiom Taiget Zeio Institute was inviteu to visit Escambia County
Animal Sheltei (ECAS). This iepoit was uevelopeu while woiking with sheltei staff anu
auministiatois uuiing a consult with the sheltei. Buiing the consultation, many ECAS staff
membeis weie helpful, caiing, anu piofessional. It was cleai to us that the suppoit staff at ECAS has
high hopes anu enthusiasm foi impioving conuitions anu caie at the sheltei, as well as incieasing
the numbei of lives saveu in the Pensacola aiea.

Below is a biief summaiy of oui key iecommenuations. The sheltei shoulu be commenueu foi its
uesiie to save moie lives. We look foiwaiu to woiking with the sheltei in the futuie as it stiives to
inciease animal health anu welfaie anu impiove live outcomes.

0nce again, thank you foi the oppoitunity to visit youi sheltei anu consult with you. We sinceiely
hope that oui evaluation will pioviue helpful insight that will seive to impiove ueliveiy of caie to
the animals anu people of youi community. We anticipate that you will have questions about oui
iepoit anu look foiwaiu to woiking with you in oiuei to explain anu tailoi oui iecommenuations to
fit the neeus of youi oiganization, staff, anu the animals you seive.


Sinceiely,


Saia Pizano, BvN, NA
Katheiine Polak, BvN, NPB, NS

Taiget Zeio Institute




!

Contents

LxecuLlve Summary......................................................................................3


LffecLlve opulaLlon
ManagemenL................................................................................................8


8ecord keeplng and lndlvldual Anlmal
ldenLlflcaLlon..............................................................................................13


lellne Pouslng, SanlLaLlon, and
Welfare.......................................................................................................16


Canlne Pouslng, SanlLaLlon, and
Welfare.......................................................................................................20


veLerlnary Servlces.....................................................................................24


LuLhanasla racLlces...................................................................................30


laclllLy ueslgn.............................................................................................34


lnLake rocedures ......................................................................................39


CommunlLy CaL
ManagemenL ............................................................................................. 44


4


SLafflng ......................................................................................................30


opulaLlon SLaLlsLlcs.................................................................................. 32





!

672890&:2 !9;;"#<

Target Zero Institute (TZI) was invited to the Escambia County Animal Shelter (ECAS) to
consult on the state of the agency and identify opportunities for improvement to create a no-kill
community. This report provides an overview of the most important findings observed during
the consultation. The recommendations are based on best practices for optimizing the health and
welfare of shelter animals provided by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV)
Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.

1. The shelter is in the enviable position of having the financial resources to staff a full-time
veterinarian, however, this report will outline the serious concerns regarding the medical
and surgical care of animals and finds it necessary for the County to take immediate
action in this area. Veterinary oversight in the shelter is currently lacking. Shelter
medicine is truly a unique blend of both population and individual animal medicine.
Complete veterinary care of shelter animals requires focused expertise combining
elements of epidemiology, infectious disease control, behavioral care, surgery, and
shelter management. Seamless communication with the veterinarian and shelter staff
should be open and efficient, and the veterinarian should have sufficient protected time
available for daily contact with every animal, surgery, and medical procedures, and take
part in protocol development. Medical communication throughout the shelter is currently
fragmented and personality conflicts compromise overall organization efficiency. Please
find further details on page 23 of this report.
2. Population trends reflect a moderate increase in total live release rates from 30% in 2011,
to 36% in 2012 and 38% in 2013. ECAS currently employs a dedicated and
compassionate staff, committed to the health and welfare of the animals in its care. In
addition, groups such as the Pensacola Humane Society (PHS) is committed to partnering
with ECAS to help save more lives.
3. A lack of written protocols, combined with inadequate staff training, a lack of authority
and accountability, and inefficient communication affecting virtually every aspect of
shelter operations hampered the already overwhelmed staffs ability to effectively
complete their work. Time must be set aside to develop clear standard operating
procedures and to train staff. Implementation of written sanitation and monitoring
protocols, intake processing, staff training, documentation, and decreased length of stays
will help control disease rates.
4. The single largest category of intake is stray adults cats. The vast majority are healthy at
the time of intake, yet they are also the most likely to be euthanized because there is
insufficient capacity for their adoption and transfer. Ironically, adult cats are more likely
to be adopted into new homes from the street than from a shelter. ECAS impounds less
than 2% of the countys outdoor cat population annually and euthanizes most of them. At
6

a conservative estimate of $150 to impound, house, and adopt or euthanize each cat, the
county spends nearly a quarter million dollars each year in a futile cycle of cat removal.
ECAS should cease intake of healthy adult cats and refer concerned citizens to local
humane agencies and Trap-Neuter-Return programs instead. Exceptions can always be
made for exigent circumstances and partnerships should be pursued so there is an avenue
for spay/neuter/release and vaccination for these cats.
5. Basic indicators of health were not systematically observed or recorded. Implementing
cage!side daily observation cards of long-term custody animals, daily rounds, and more
effective use of Chameleon shelter software will enhance the staffs ability to move
animals efficiently to live outcomes, improve interdepartmental communication,
recognize and respond to animal health and behavioral threats, and monitor trends over
time.
6. Like other municipal animal shelters in Florida, Escambia County Animal Shelter has
endured a protracted series of budget and staffing cuts, leaving it under-resourced for the
number of citizens and animals it serves. ECAS is significantly understaffed for the
completion of even the most basic animal husbandry needs. This results in not enough
time to meet all the needs of animals, assisting potential adopters, and providing excellent
customer service. Ultimately, understaffing leads to stressed and diseased animals with
decreased adoptability, stressed staff with compassion fatigue, and loss of life-saving
ability.
7. There were few acceptable cages for humane housing of cats. While the cages in the cat
adoption room were furnished with elevated beds, the cages themselves did not provide
separation between eating, litter, and resting areas, and were too small to allow the cats to
express normal behaviors such as hiding, walking, stretching to full body length, or
standing with their tail erect. It has been shown that poor cat housing increases stress-
related upper respiratory infections in cats. Modifying cat housing should be prioritized
by cutting portholes in between cages to effectively double the cage size that each cat has
when the daily census allows.
8. Spay/neuter surgical capacity at ECAS is limited to 10-12 surgeries daily, with up to 5 of
those allocated for community low-cost surgeries. This number is not enough to keep up
with the number of animals adopted daily. As a result, animals are adopted out
unsterilized, and the wait time for a surgery slot exceeded a month at the time of the
assessment. The number of surgeries performed must be increased through the hiring of
additional veterinary technicians, the hiring of a veterinarian skilled in high-volume
surgery, or outsourcing of surgeries and discontinuing the public program until all shelter
pets are sterilized before leaving the shelter.
9. For the past few years, the adoption of animals has been ECASs main mechanism for
live release. Future gains in life-saving are likely to come from initiatives that decrease


!

shelter animal intake, improve reunification procedures, and increase the number of
adoptions/transfers.
10. ECAS should strive to create a pro-adoption culture to be considered among the premier
pet adoption destinations in Pensacola. All visitors to the shelter should encounter a
welcoming, pro-adoption culture epitomized by exceptional customer service. Heavy
foot traffic and positive word of mouth are critical to boosting adoption numbers and
increasing the lifesaving capacity of the shelter. The reestablishment of a robust
volunteer program would dramatically help staff provide better customer service, enrich
the welfare of animals in the shelter, and facilitate live-releases.



8

6==280&:2 %)>93"0&)( -"("?2;2(0
Sheltei management anu staff iepoit a uesiie to continue to inciease live ielease anu have set goals
foi saving moie lives. They iecognize that moie efficient management of the population will be
necessaiy to continue these tienus, ueciease length of stay, minimize uisease anu optimize animal
welfaie. The facility is lucky to have highly motivateu, capable staff membeis as they aie among the
most valuable sheltei iesouices. ECAS shoulu effectively manage the sheltei's population by
ieuucing intake anu impioving live ielease piogiams.

The sheltei shoulu focus on the following tools foi conqueiing sheltei ciowuing:
Piacticing intake uiveisionsuiienuei pievention
Implementing a Feial FieeuomCommunity Cat piogiam
0tilizing Chameleon sheltei softwaie
Assigning a point-of-contact peison to cooiuinate tiansfeis to the Bumane Society anu
othei appioveu iescue gioups
Cieating a pio-auoption cultuie

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Imp|ement a Iera| Ireedom program (see sect|on on Commun|ty Cat Management)

The numbei of auult cats enteiing the sheltei has fai exceeueu the numbei of tiansfeis oi
othei live ielease oppoitunities. Cuiiently, all feial cats aie euthanizeu (with the exception
of eai-tippeu cats) anu the majoiity of stiay cats aie euthanizeu. All feial anu othei tiappeu
cats shoulu be uiveiteu to local tiap-neutei-ietuin piogiams oi ieleaseu thiough a sheltei-
neutei-ietuin piogiam. 0ntil a piogiam is establisheu, the sheltei shoulu uiscontinue
taking in feial oi tiappeu cats unless they aie ill, injuieu oi have iuentification anu can be
ieuniteu with theii owneis. Eveiy cat ieleaseu shoulu count as an inuiviuual animal intake
at the sheltei as well as a live ielease anu life saveu.

2. Comp||e a ||st of commun|ty resources for a|ternat|ves to she|ter surrender and
attempt to proact|ve|y d|vert |ntake

Intake staff shoulu be tiaineu to uo the following:
Ask those suiienueiing litteis of unweaneu puppies anu kittens to caie foi them
until they aie olu enough foi spayneuteiauoption
Ask pet owneis what they neeu help with such as subsiuizeu vet caie, shoit teim
fostei caie because of a family emeigency, etc.
Euucate those suiienueiing about the iisks of putting the pet in the sheltei anu
encouiaging them to place the pet themselves (compile a list of alteinatives oi


!

uevelop a special place on the sheltei's website to help those people netwoik)
! Compile a list of tiaineisbehavioiists anu iefei those suiienueiing uue to behavioi
issues
! Place a laige sign at intake uisclosing chances foi euthanasia:

"#$%&' () *#$+ #+,#-./#+$ . 0#$0 '%/0.+.1#. &#12 ./ . 10'3/'& #+ 4.-215+6#33'7 "8
The sheltei shoulu be commenueu foi alieauy placing a similai sign uisclosing available
kennel space.
3. Ut|||ze the med|a for adopt|on spec|a|s and promot|ons


Bue to iecent negative piess, the sheltei is hesitant to have any piesence in the meuia. The
sheltei shoulu seek to paitnei with the meuia, using it as a iesouice to auveitise auoption
specials anu inciease foot tiaffic thiough the sheltei.
4. Lnsure cons|stency and accuracy of stray ho|d|ng t|mes


When ieviewing Chameleon iecoius, animals weie fiequently noteu to have inappiopiiate
stiay holuing times. Accuiate holuing times anu ieview uates aie ciucial in minimizing
sheltei length of stay (L0S). As the sheltei tiansitions to using Chameleon moie effectively,
accuiacy of uata entiy must be assuieu.

3.
D|scont|nue the pract|ce of |oan|ng out traps to the pub||c



ECAS alieauy faces hefty intake numbeis, so it is ill-auviseu to seek moie cats that woulu leau to
highei euthanasia numbeis.
10


6. Cffer return-to-owners that |nc|udes rab|es vacc|nat|on, ||cense, and ster|||zat|on rather
than |mpound fees


Foi those animals that aie alieauy steiilizeu anu up-to-uate on iabies vaccination, invoice the
ownei ieclaim fees to facilitate timely ielease of the animals to the ownei when they aie unable
to pay those fees. Bue to the peiceiveu inability to waive oi negotiate ieclaim fees by fiont
uesk staff, up to Su% of owneis looking to ieclaim theii lost pets aie unable to claim them uue
to financial ieasons. As the sheltei uoes not actually ueiive funuing fiom ieclaim fees (they
entei the County's geneial funu), the sheltei loses moie money impounuing, caiing foi, anu
euthanizing these pets than they woulu by foifeiting the ieclamation fee. Fiont uesk staff
appeaieu unwilling to waive oi ieuuce impounu fees, contiibuting to the sheltei's ciowuing.
Alteinately, an option foi auoption seivices shoulu be offeieu to those owneis with intact pets.
An auoption fee woulu apply anu the positive enu iesult is that pet woulu be steiilizeu anu
vaccinateu befoie ielease.
7. L||m|nate ho|d t|mes for ||tters of pupp|es and k|ttens to support t|me|y transfer and
adopt|ons

Puppies anu kittens shoulu be ieclassifieu as "littei suiienuei" insteau of stiays iequiiing a S
oi S uay holu. It is highly unlikely that someone will ieclaim a kitten oi puppy oi litteis. Less
than 1% of puppies anu kittens aie ieclaimeu by an ownei at ECAS. Reclassification allows the
following options foi piomoting live ielease of puppies anu kittens fiom the sheltei anu
safeguaiuing the health of this susceptible population.

CD"B0 0#"84E >9>>&2B "(A 4&002(B 0) "A)>0&)( &;;2A&"023< "=02# &(0"42 >#)82BB&(?F
Puppies anu kittens shoulu be immeuiately available foi auoption to both the public
anu tiansfei paitneis. They can be cieatively featuieu in housing aieas to piomote
auoption.

G#"(B=2# >9>>&2B "(A 4&002(B 0) C=)B02# 0) "A)>0E 1);2B &;;2A&"023< "=02# &(0"42
>#)82BB&(?F This iequiies pie-planneu cieation of a fostei netwoik so that homes aie
available the uay of intake. Fostei homes pioviue a safei anu less stiessful enviionment
than the sheltei so the puppies anu kittens aie less likely to uevelop illness. In auuition,
the puppies anu kittens ieceive the necessaiy socialization ciitical to theii
uevelopment. Iueally, animals shoulu be auopteu uiiectly out of fostei homes iathei
than ietuining to the sheltei.

%3"82 4&002(B "(A >9>>&2B H&01 0#"(B=2# >"#0(2#B &;;2A&"023< "=02# &(0"42
>#)82BB&(?F Tiansfei paitneis can pioviue safei anu less stiessful enviionments anu
aie bettei equippeu to aggiessively piomote auoptions at this time.

8. Appo|nt a s|ng|e po|nt-of-contact person for coord|nat|ng transfers and prov|de the
numane Soc|ety w|th a da||y she|ter |nventory and ca|| for transfer ||st |dent|fy|ng an|ma|s


!!


10. Des|gn an adopt|on app||cat|on to be f|||ed out by a|| potent|a| adopters

that are cand|dates for transfer

The Pensacola Bumane Society iepoits that they woulu like to inciease the numbei of animals
tiansfeiieu to theii facility fiom ECAS.

Senuing a uaily sheltei inventoiy will allow iescues to pioactively select animals foi
tiansfei iathei than as a last iesoit at the time of euthanasia oi peifoiming timely
walkthioughs. Chameleon can be useu to automatically email iescue gioups.
Change the cultuie of the sheltei-tiansfei gioup inteiaction to be moie oiganizeu anu
pioactive insteau of a ieactive emeigency iesponse system.

Allow PBS to pull animals on Nonuay anu Tuesuay.
Capitalize on laige-scale hoaiuing anu ciuelty cases to uiaw auopteis to the sheltei
thiough meuia piomotions.
0tilize both in anu out-of-sheltei auoption piomotions such as "Black Fiiuay" specials
to auopt black-coloieu animals. Sheltei management can subsciibe to the Sheltei's
Euge blog foi examples of successful events.
Task volunteeis with making moie attiactive, coloieu kennel caius to be placeu on
iuns to bettei highlight each animal's positive qualities anu incluue a high quality
pictuie.
9. Inst|tute open se|ect|on


Allow potential auopteis anu tiansfei paitneis to view anu select all auoptable animals
incluuing those on stiay holu. The pie-selecteu stiay animals in holuing shoulu be maikeu anu
then tiansfeiieu to the new auoptei oi placement paitnei the uay the holu peiiou expiies if
they have not been ieclaimeu by an ownei. By allowing foi selection uuiing the stiay holu,
open selection can significantly ueciease an animal's length of stay anu fiee up space, staff time,
anu iesouices foi otheis. All cages shoulu have cage caius uisplayeu to facilitate animal
iuentification anu selection.
To institute open selection, iuentify aieas of the sheltei that will be accessible to the public.
Allow as much access as possible to animals in stiay holu while piotecting people fiom
exposuie to uangeious animals oi those involveu in legal custouy cases. Animals shoulu be
available on a fiist-come, fiist-seive basis. No uog oi cat shoulu be helu in the sheltei foi
specific auopteis oi tiansfei paitneis if theie is anothei option foi live ielease soonei. Bevelop
a system in Chameleon to iecoiu contact infoimation foi inteiesteu paities so they can be
notifieu if the animal is ieclaimeu oi foi any othei ieason uoes not become available foi
auoption as planneu.

12


Cuiiently, potential auopteis uo not fill out an application. Rathei, they sign a contiact
piomising to biing the animal back foi spayneutei. Cieating anu using an auoption
application will enable the sheltei to assist in the selection of a pet anu ueteimine if the
auoption is in the animal's best inteiest.
11. Create a pro-adopt|on cu|ture comm|tted to |ncreas|ng the number of an|ma|s re|eased
a||ve

Positions foi two auoption specialists shoulu be cieateu anu filleu by people with veiy outgoing
anu upbeat peisonalities. These specialists will showcase positive qualities of the available
animals while counseling potential auopteis to finu the iight pet foi them. They will ensuie
that each potential auoptei has a positive expeiience while at ECAS, iegaiuless of whethei oi
not they enu up auopting an animal.
Staff membeis at the ieception uesk weie uistiacteu by multiple activities while also
attempting to answei phone calls. This leu to a sense of uisoiganization anu chaotic customei
seivice expeiience. Fuitheimoie, staff membeis weie inconsistent iegaiuing communication
with the public ovei the phone iegaiuing low-cost spayneutei voucheis. In some instances, it
appeaieu as if staff lookeu foi ieasons to ueny people iathei than assist oi appiove them foi
both low-cost spayneutei seivices anu pet ieclamation. In one instance, the fiont uesk staff
membei uisappioveu an elueily woman on social secuiity looking to take auvantage of a low-
cost spayneutei vouchei because she only hau hei 2u1S social secuiity statement because the
2u14 one hau not yet been issueu to show 'pioof' of cuiient low-income.
Staff shoulu be committeu to helping customeis ieceive neeueu seivices anu helping animals
leave the builuing alive iathei then seivicing as a policing agency. The goal of the sheltei is to
pioviue a customei seivice function not unlike the ietail enviionment, anu is subject to similai
consiueiations of maiketing anu seivice.
Pie-auoption spayneutei foi highly auoptable sheltei pets is essential to ieach a 9u% Live
Release Rate. Ensuiing stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuies aie in place that incluue a plan of action
foi each pet by utilizing the Chameleon sheltei softwaie foi tiacking suigeiy status, foi
example, is ciucial.
12. 1ransfer an|ma|s to rescue groups free of charge


ECAS shoulu take stiong measuies to finu animal's live ielease oppoitunities thiough eithei
auoption oi tiansfei to iescue gioups. Tiansfei fees nevei covei the sheltei's costs of taking in
anu caiing foi an animal, anu those costs simply multiply with eveiy uay that passes. The
tiansfei of an animal to a iescue gioup shoulu be vieweu not only as a victoiy foi the animal,
but also foi the sheltei.




!"

@28)#A /22>&(? "(A I(A&:&A9"3 .(&;"3
IA2(0&=&8"0&)(
Cleai meuical iecoius aie ciitical to piopeily tiack uisease anu flow of animals thiough a sheltei.
Piopei uocumentation of physical exams, tieatments, anu uiagnostics will also aiu uoctois in
combating outbieaks anu uesigning piotocols.

Eveiy animal at ECAS shoulu have its own meuical iecoiu with all peitinent infoimation. Animals
shoulu have an accuiate weight, iecheck appointments if necessaiy, vaccination scheuules, anu
paiasite contiol scheuules saveu in Chameleon. Cuiiently, staff uo not feel auequately tiaineu in
Chameleon anu it is unueiutilizeu. Theie is extensive uuplication of effoit as the sheltei ielies
piimaiily on papei iecoius that aie haphazaiuly enteieu into Chameleon.

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Ut|||ze Chame|eon for med|ca| records and phase out use of card system


Chameleon is a poweiful tool anu shoulu be useu moie pioactively to ensuie tieatment consistency,
institute auequate iecoiukeeping, anu impiove staff efficiency.

Chameleon templates shoulu be useu consistently foi eveiy intake (vaccines, uewoiming, exam notes,
staff IB), meuical exam, iecheck exam, meuical concein iuentifieu by staff, anu meuical notes to follow
the animal when ieleaseu fiom the sheltei. Chameleon ieminuei functions shoulu be useu foi vaccine
boostei ieminueis, iecheck exams, anu meuications. Access to anu thoiough use of Chameleon is also
an essential component of piopei euthanasia piocessing.

Complete meuical iecoius aie vital foi monitoiing both inuiviuual anu population health anu welfaie
tienus ovei time anu must be available foi animals tiansfeiieu to auopteis anu iescue gioups.
The investment in staff tiaining foi Chameleon will be well-ietuineu in incieaseu efficiency anu
accuiacy. Tiaining options incluue fiee online tiaining sessions, the national Chameleon Softwaie
Confeience to be helu Apiil 14-17, 2u14, in New 0ileans, in-house tiaining with a iepiesentative fiom
Chameleon, confeience calls with Chameleon technical suppoit, anu in-seivice staff tiaining meetings
leu by expeiienceu staff. It woulu be piuuent to uesignate one oi two staff membeis with anticipateu
longevity in the oiganization to take the leau on seeking out ways to maximize Chameleon functions,
finuing tiaining oppoitunities, anu tiaining otheis on new skills.

The sheltei shoulu aim to phase out the caiu systems ovei a peiiou of the next 6 months.
14


"#$%&' 9) :%&&'+/ .+#;.3 &'-5&,2''<#+$ 1=1/';

2. |ace a kenne| card on the cage of every an|ma| |n the she|ter


Piint kennel caius foi eveiy animal uuiing intake anu place immeuiately on cage oi kennel. Keep
kennel caius cuiient thioughout the animal's stay anu ieplace if necessaiy. 0n 1914, no cages in the
feline stiay holuing ioom hau cage caius.



"#$%&'1 > ? @) A#11#+$ -.$' -.&,1 5+ 1/&.= B'3#+' .+, -.+#+' 053,#+$ -.$'1

3. Imp|ement a forma||zed system of |nventory reconc|||at|on

The animal inventoiy in Chameleon was not cuiient uuiing the consultant's visit anu the staff iepoits


!"

that it consistently uoes not coiielate with the actual physical inventoiy of animals in the sheltei. A
kennel technician shoulu piint the kennel inventoiy uaily anu physically assuie that each animal is
accounteu foi in the coiiect location.
4. Lnsure a|| staff members and vo|unteers have ready access to up-to-date protoco|s.

A stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuie manual shoulu be pioviueu to each staff membei upon hiiing anu
haiu copies shoulu be centially locateu in aieas convenient to both staff membeis anu volunteeis. It
may be helpful to post ceitain piotocols in uesignateu aieas (e.g. post the uish washing piotocol by the
uish sink).
3. rov|de forma| tra|n|ng for new staff and vo|unteers.

Tiaining shoulu catei to uiffeient leaining styles incluuing classioom-baseu lectuies, gioup
uiscussions, hanus-on uemonstiations, etc.
Requiie each staff membei anu volunteei to uemonstiate theii unueistanuing of each topic as
well as theii hanus-on ability to peifoim the pioceuuies that aie incluueu within the
iesponsibilities of theii position.
Reseive on-the-job tiaining anu spot coiiections foi use aftei the foimal tiaining piogiam has
been completeu. To achieve the maximum benefit fiom these techniques, they must be applieu
in a positive anu constiuctive mannei.

16

D23&(2 5)9B&(?* !"(&0"0&)(* "(A J23="#2
Appiopiiate housing anu eniichment helps ieuuce stiess anu the spieau of infectious uisease anu
impioves the oveiall welfaie of the cats in sheltei caie. Pooi cat housing is one of the gieatest
shoitcomings in shelteis anu has a substantial negative impact on health anu quality of life. Cats
stiesseu uue to inappiopiiate housing have lowei auoption iates anu incieaseu iates of uppei
iespiiatoiy infections. The ASv uuiuelines state that lack of iesouices shoulu not seive as an
excuse to pioviue substanuaiu animal caie.

At Escambia County Animal Seivices, cat housing is segiegateu into 'unvaccinateu', 'vaccinateu'
iooms, isolation, anu kitten housing. Cats weie pioviueu with blankets anu littei pans kept clean.
Sanitation pioceuuies that weie obseiveu, howevei, uiu not follow cuiient best piactices anu few
housing units pioviueu sufficient space foi noimal feline behavioi.

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Standard|ze and post wr|tten protoco|s to ref|ect best pract|ces for c|ean|ng, |nc|ud|ng us|ng
a 'spot c|ean|ng' approach for the da||y c|ean|ng of cat cages |n stray ho|d|ng
Cleaning anu uisinfection piotocols vaiieu uepenuing on the employee on uuty. While staff
membeis attempteu to follow many goou piactices, the lack of upuateu wiitten piotocols alloweu
foi inconsistencies in pioceuuies anu uiffeient pioceuuies foi cleaning anu uisinfection weie
obseiveu on uiffeient uays. The majoiity of staffinmates alloweu cats to iun aiounu on the flooi
uuiing cleaning, stiippeu the cage of all items, spiayeu the cage with Neutial-Q uisinfectant,
placeu clean newspapei anu watei in the cage, anu ie-captuieu the cat.
A step-by-step piotocol foi sanitation of cat housing aieas shoulu be piepaieu anu all staff shoulu
be tiaineu using this piotocol. Stanuaiuization of cleaning piotocols will ieuuce confusion,
impiove compliance anu ensuie effective piotocols aie in place.
Replace the uisinfectant Netuial-Q, a quateinaiy ammonium piouuct with one that is
effective against panleukopenia viius, anu caliciviius. Cuiiently useu quateinaiy
ammonium compounus have been shown by inuepenuent stuuies not be effective against
unenvelopeu viiuses (paivoviius, panleukopenia, anu feline caliciviius), uespite having
EPA-appioveu labeling by manufactuieis. Paivociual uisinfectants that shoulu be
consiueieu incluue Tiifectant, Wysiwash, Accel, anu bleach.
Change piotocol to 'spot cleaning' cages insteau of full cleaning of kennels to ueciease
time ueuicateu to cleaning anu ueciease animal stiess by allowing scent to iemain in cage.
Spot cleaning involves tiuying the fuinishings, changing the littei, anu iefieshing foou anu
watei bowels without iemoving the cat.
The sheltei shoulu uiscontinue iemoving cats fiom theii cage anu placing them on the
flooi foi cleaning puiposes.




!"

2. Cover a|| fera| cat traps |n |ntake


Cats aie instinctively moie stiesseu when uenieu the oppoitunity to hiue which compiomises
welfaie anu can leau to illness. Biuing is a natuial coping mechanism foi cats anu pioviuing
cats with a place to hiue is impoitant as they acclimate to a sheltei enviionment. Allowing cats
the ability to hiue gives them some contiol ovei theii enviionment, which ieuuces theii stiess
levels. It is the inuustiy stanuaiu in shelteiing to covei all feial cat tiaps anu elevate them off
of the flooi.


llqote 5. letol cot oocoveteJ lo o ttop oo tbe qtoooJ oext to o botkloq Joq lo lotoke
3. Improve f|oor space |n ex|st|ng cat cages by cutt|ng portho|es and assur|ng a|| cats have
e|evated beds



Cuiient cat housing is too small to meet the minimum behavioial neeus of cats, pioviue
humane caie oi maintain cat health. Cuiient cages can be conveiteu to impiove housing by
cutting ciiuculai "poitholes" into the walls of 2-S aujacent stainless steel cages to make the
cages multi-compaitmental. This is a less costly inteimeuiate solution compaieu to
puichasing new housing units.


18


llqotes 6 & 7. xomples of pottboles oJjololoq 2-J coqes

4. D|scont|nue the use of the fera| cat run |n |ntake ho|d|ng


Feial cats that entei the sheltei uuiing times in which the kennel supeivisoi, sheltei
managei, oi veteiinaiian aie not piesent aie ieleaseu into a iun, often aujacent to a iun
housing a uog, awaiting euthanasia. 0n 1814, 4 unielateu feial cats weie houseu
togethei in a iun awaiting euthanasia. This piactice enuangeis staff safety when they
attempt to clean the iun. Fuitheimoie, the cats must be iecaptuieu causing significant
stiess anu compiomiseu welfaie.

"#$%&' C) "'&.3 -./ 0#,#+$ %+,'& D%&.+,. E', .F.#/#+$ '%/0.+.1#.
3. Assure a|| cats are vacc|nated on |ntake that are housed |n the she|ter and remove
s|gnage |nd|cat|ng that one room |s for 'unvacc|nated' cats



If a cat is houseu at the sheltei, it shoulu be vaccinateu. The cuiient 'unvaccinateu' ioom
shoulu be ienameu 'stiay holuing' ioom, anu contain vaccinateu cats still in theii holuing
peiiou. ECAS shoulu consiuei allowing potential auopteis to pieselect cats foi auoption fiom
this ioom in auuition to the cuiient auoption ioom.


!"


"#$%&' G) H+/&.+-' /5 /0' 1/&.= -./ 053,#+$ &55;















20

K"(&(2 5)9B&(?* !"(&0"0&)( "(A J23="#2
The quality of canine housing has a majoi impact on animal health, stiess level, anu even
likelihoou of live ielease fiom the sheltei. ECAS is foitunate to have uouble-siueu, inuooi-outuooi
iuns foi the majoiity of theii canine housing. In auuition, the animal caie staff at ECAS iesponsible
foi caiing foi uogs is veiy conscientious anu haiu-woiking. Theie aie, howevei majoi ueficiencies
in canine cleaning piactices. With implementation of best piactice stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuies
anu piopei tiaining, vast impiovements can be maue to cleaning piactices that will have fai-
ieaching effects on canine health.


@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Deve|op a standard operat|ng procedure and post to ref|ect best pract|ces for c|ean|ng

Cleaning anu uisinfection piotocols vaiieu uepenuing on the employee on uuty. While staff
membeis attempteu to follow many goou piactices, the lack of upuateu wiitten piotocols
alloweu foi inconsistencies in pioceuuies. vaiiations in the use of the uegieasei anu
uisinfectant weie most pionounceu. 0n 1814, uegieasei was the sole agent useu foi
sanitation of canine housing. Some staff iepoit that the uegieasei is the only chemical evei
useu to clean uog kennels, otheis state that the uegieasei anu uisinfectant aie alteinateu
eveiy othei uay, anu some staff state that they sometimes mix uisinfectant oi bleach in with
the uegieasei.
Please see the appenuix foi a sample canine housing piotocol. Impoitant points to consiuei
incluue:
Fecal mateiial shoulu be scoopeu fiom kennels piioi to iinsing with a hose.
Spiaying kennels with a hose befoie scooping the fecal mateiial leaus to
aeiosolization of infectious oiganisms anu piomotes the spieau of uisease.

Ensuie that both a uegieaseiueteigent anu a uisinfectant aie being useu. While the
uegieasei is goou foi mechanical cleaning, it is not a uisinfectant anu will not kill
pathogenic bacteiiaviiuses. The uisinfectant shoulu also be applieu foi the
appiopiiate contact time. Foi Neutial-Q, a quateinaiy ammonium compounu, the
piopei contact time is 1u minutes. Please see the appenuix uocument fiom 0C Bavis
entitleu "Sanitation in Animal Shelteis" foi moie infoimation about uegieaseis,
uisinfectants, anu contact time.
2. 1ra|n staff]|nmates on c|ean|ng protoco|s and ensure accountab|||ty


The stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuie foi cleaninguisinfection of canine housing shoulu be useu
to tiain all inmates anu staff. Stanuaiuization of cleaning piotocols will ieuuce confusion,
impiove compliance, anu ensuie effective piotocols aie in place. It is impoitant to ensuie that
the supeivising officei foi the inmates has a copy of this piotocol anu tiains the inmates
appiopiiately. Staff anu inmates shoulu be helu accountable foi auheiing to this S0P.



!"

3. Cons|der use of a parvoc|da| d|s|nfectant


Neutial-Q is a quateinaiy ammonium compounu. This type of uisinfectant has been shown to
be ineffective against ceitain viiuses incluuing canine paivoviius, feline panleukopenia viius,
anu feline caliciviius. 0ne example of a paivociual uisinfectant is Accel, an acceleiateu
hyuiogen peioxiue. Accel completely inactivates un-envelopeu viiuses when useu
coiiectly. 0thei auvantages of Accel aie that it has goou ueteigent activity (goou cleaning
activity in auuition to uisinfecting), it woiks ielatively well in the face of oiganic mattei, anu
has a shoitei contact time. Accel is also veiy safe anu is in the EPA toxicity categoiy Iv which
makes it exempt fiom any piecautionaiy statements on the label. This is the safest of the 4
EPA categoiies. Accel was also founu to be noncoiiosive anu safe to apply to 12 uiffeient
types of plastic anu S types of metal. Please see the appenuix foi moie infoimation about
Accel.
While the switch to Accel is being consiueieu, it is impoitant to uevelop a stanuaiu opeiating
pioceuuie foi cleaninguisinfection of uog kennels that weie known to be exposeu oi
suspecteu to be exposeu to canine paivoviius. Since Neutial-Q will not auequately kill canine
paivoviius, bleach may be useu. While bleach will kill Paivoviius, theie aie seveial points to
consiuei when using bleach to uisinfect. Fiist, bleach is completely inactivateu by any oiganic
mattei such as feces, so kennels must be completely cleaneu piioi to application of bleach.
Also, bleach must also be useu in a 1:S2 uilution, is coiiosive to metal, anu may also be
inactivateu by light. Please see the appenuix foi moie infoimation about the auvantages anu
uisauvantages of the vaiious available uisinfectants, especially the 0C Bavis uisinfectant table
anu the 0C Bavis uocument entitleu "Sanitation in Animal Shelteis."
4. M|n|m|ze cross-contam|nat|on between dog kenne|s


Biscontinue use of the biistle bioom anu uust pan to scoop poop anu uebiis fiom the uog
kennels. These tools cannot be auequately uisinfecteu anu aie piomoting the spieau of
uisease. 0tilize a poopei scoopei that can be auequately uisinfecteu such as the examples
pictuieu below.

Continue to use peisonal piotective equipment when cleaning uog kennels incluuing gloves
anu iubbei boots. Consiuei using uiffeient boots foi uiffeient aieas of the sheltei, anu
consiuei changing clothes aftei cleaning anu befoie moving onto the next task








"#$%&' (I) *%$$'1/', <55<'& 1-55<'&

22

3. Inst|tute an organ|zed enr|chment program |nto da||y care


Incluuing positive expeiiences as well as eniichment anu social inteiactions into the uaily
ioutine can ieuuce stiess in the sheltei anu is a ciitical component of uaily caie to pieseive
mental wellbeing. An exceptional eniichment piogiam can be cieateu on a slim buuget.
volunteeis anuoi staff can fill Kong toys with foou anu uistiibute to the uogs on a uaily basis.
Feeuing eniichment has been shown to inciease activity anu ieuuce baiking. Fiequent petting
of both cats anu uogs pioviues eniichment anu comfoit. 0thei foims of eniichment incluue
'pupsicles' (fieezing bioth, peanut buttei, anuoi uog foou in ice cubes oi small papei cups),
putting kibble in caiuboaiu tubes oi boxes, anu uiilling holes in bottles oi PvC pipe to auu
tieats oi kibble.
Such eniichment will be moie ieauily implementeu with the ieestablishment of a iobust
volunteei piogiam.



"#$%&'1 (( ? (9) *.;<3' 2'++'3 '+&#-0;'+/ 1/&./'$#'1
Rewaiu uogs foi calm, quiet behavioi by putting foou buckets outsiue theii kennels anu tossing
them a few pieces of kibble when they aie quiet.
6. Imp|ement a behav|ora| hea|th mon|tor|ng system, part|cu|ar|y for dogs on |ega| ho|d


Accoiuing to the ASv uuiuelines, "Actions shoulu be taken to iesponu piomptly to behavioial
neeus. 0ngoing assessment of each animal's behavioi shoulu continue thioughout the animal's
stay in the sheltei." Shelteis aie stiessful enviionments foi uogs uue to uiastic changes in theii
lifestyle, incluuing foiceu confinement. Seveial uogs at ECAS on long-teim legal holus
uemonstiateu signs of significant behavioial ueteiioiation that was unauuiesseu.
Incoipoiate a behavioial health monitoiing system into iounus. Tiain staff to iecognize,
uocument, anu communicate signs of behavioial stiess anu suffeiing in sheltei animals (hiuing
in the back of iun, tiembling, coweiing, uecieaseu activity, spinning, jumping, pacing). Bevelop


!"





piotocols to auuiess behavioial issues with guiuance fiom the sheltei veteiinaiian. Such
piotocols may incluue inteiventions such as tiaining, social time, fostei caie, meuication, anu
housing mouification.

7. D|scont|nue use of the contro| po|e for hand||ng fr|end|y dogs


Buiing the consultant's visit, an ownei-ieclaimeu fiienuly uog was seen being uiaggeu thiough
the kennel on a contiol pole. Any uog that can be safely hanuleu shoulu be walkeu on a leash.
This causes unnecessaiy stiess anu can leau to injuiy.

8. Lstab||sh a vo|unteer program


The cuiient volunteei piogiam at ECAS has been suspenueu foi unknown ieasons. A highly
motivateu volunteei cooiuinatoi continues to volunteei hei time at ECAS anu is eagei to
establish a stiuctuieu volunteei piogiam. volunteeis play a ciucial iole in municipal shelteis
acioss the countiy assisting with customei seivice, animal caie, eniichment, funuiaising, off-
site auoptions, special events, anu fostei paienting.
24

,202#&("#< !2#:&82B
As the sheltei continues to stiive to save moie animals, an effective meuical piogiam will be
paiamount to long-teim success. 0ne of the ciitical aspects of a functioning sheltei meuical
piogiam is piopei veteiinaiy oveisight. veteiinaiians aie skilleu in the uiagnosis of uisease,
making tieatment choices, peifoiming meuical pioceuuies anu making ciitical uecisions.
The sheltei is foitunate to have the funuing to staff one full-time veteiinaiian.

Cuiient health caie piactices, howevei aie inconsistent anu not in accoiuance with inuustiy
stanuaius. The sheltei lacks a manual of stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuies oi any wiitten piotocols
foi vaccination piactices, ioutine tieatment of commonly obseiveu uisease, outbieak management,
anu iesponse to uiseaseillness. Consequently, theie is a lack of consistency in the level of caie that
is pioviueu.

The veteiinaiy seivices uepaitment at ECAS consisting of the veteiinaiian anu veteiinaiy
technician appeaieu uisconnecteu fiom kennel anu fiont-uesk staff. Kennel anu fiont-uesk staff
was not peimitteu to entei the meuicalsuigical aiea without peimission fiom the veteiinaiian anu
communication between the kennel supeivisoi anu veteiinaiy technician was stiongly
uiscouiageu. Peisonality conflicts significantly compiomiseu the oveiall cohesiveness of sheltei
staff anu affect the life-saving capacity of the sheltei.

The majoiity of meuical anu suigical pioceuuies aie not iecoiueu in animal's iecoius in
Chameleon. Complete meuical iecoius aie vital foi monitoiing both inuiviuual anu population level
health anu welfaie tienus ovei time. Basic meuical iecoius must be available foi animals
tiansfeiieu to auopteis anu iescue gioups.

The uaily suigeiy caseloau is cappeu at between 1u-12 suigeiies a uay, with only 1u of the slots
allocateu to auopteu animals. Bue to the uispaiity between uaily auoption numbeis anu numbei of
suigeiies peifoimeu, the sheltei is foiceu to auopt out unsteiilizeu animals anu scheuule them foi
suigeiy at a latei uate. Theie is a seveie backlog of suigeiies anu a wait-list of almost 4S uays foi
auopteu cats. Suigical efficiency anu numbeis coulu be gieatly impioveu thiough the hiiing of an
auuitional veteiinaiy technician, usage of volunteeis, anuoi hiiing of a veteiinaiian pioficient in
high-volume suigeiy. Suigical piactices aie also not in accoiuance with guiuelines set foith by ASv
veteiinaiy Neuical Caie uuiuelines foi Spay-Neutei Piogiams anu compiomise animal health anu
safety.

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Deve|op treatment and response protoco|s for common|y observed cond|t|ons


Theie aie no cuiient piotocols oi consistent tieatment plans foi sick animals at ECAS. The
veteiinaiian stateu that antibiotic choice is iiielevant foi canine sheltei acquiieu iespiiatoiy
uisease anu will typically iesolve with oi without tieatment. While theie is no single "uiug of
choice" foi tieatment of kennel cough, uogs in a moie challenging enviionment of a sheltei
commonly iequiie antibiotic theiapy. The cuiient antibiotic consistently useu foi kennel cough at
ECAS (tiimethopiimsulfa) has many potential siue effects anu shoulu not be useu as the fiist-line


!"

tieatment.
When woiking with common uiseases in populations, it is valuable to geneiate a stanuaiu
tieatment piotocol baseu on piesenting clinical signs. Piotocols auuiess what the sheltei's geneial
iesponse will be to an animal with the uisease in question. Bighest piioiity shoulu be given to
ueveloping piotocols foi uiseases that have the potential to be seiious oi fatal, highly tiansmissible
to othei animals in the facility, anuoi potentially zoonotic. Foi many shelteis, this incluues canine
paivoviius, panleukopenia viius, kennel coughcanine uppei iespiiatoiy infection, feline uppei
iespiiatoiy infection, iingwoim, canine uistempei, saicoptic manage, anu uiaiihea.

In each piotocol, sufficient uetail shoulu be incluueu allowing the meuical staff to pioviue
auequate caie. This might incluue inuications foi tieatment, uesciiption of how to monitoi the
animal, inuications foi changing tieatment, housing options, anu uiiections to give suppoitive
caie. Bowevei, befoie piotocols can be put into effect, staff must be able to iecognize the piesence
of clinical signs anu uisease fiist. Incluue antibiotics that aie pieuictably effective against
Boiuetella anu Chlamyuophila in cats with 0RI (e.g. uoxycycline), eithei as a fiist oi seconu choice.
When inuicateu, utilize long-acting antibiotics (such as Convenia) oi antibiotics that can be
auministeieu once uaily (such as uoxycycline) to inciease staff compliance with auministiation.
2. Staff a m|n|mum of two techn|c|ans |n surgery at a|| t|mes and a||ow access of the med|ca| area
to she|ter staff

ECAS cuiiently staffs one veteiinaiy technician in suigeiy uaily who is iesponsible foi all
aspects of suigeiy incluuing anesthesia, iecoveiy, enteiing suigical notes, anu instiument
geneial cleaning. In oiuei to inciease suigical efficiency anu keep up with sheltei uemanu, a
minimum of two technicians is neeueu. The sheltei shoulu utilize volunteeis to assist with
monitoiing the iecoveiy of animals anu cleaning instiuments.
The spacious suigicalmeuical aiea is an asset to the sheltei. Staff shoulu be encouiageu to
entei this aiea to uiscussiepoit meuical issues with veteiinaiy peisonnel. At the time of the
consultants visit, sheltei staff , with the exception of the veteiinaiy technician, weie foibiuuen
to entei the aiea uue to a set policy.

3. Lnsure comp||ance w|th state board regu|at|ons perta|n|ng to pa|n management and euthanas|a


It is the iesponsibility of the veteiinaiian to assuie that animals aie tieateu humanely anu meuical
piactices aie in accoiuance with veteiinaiy boaiu iegulations. The following meuical anu suigical
cuiient piactices iequiie immeuiate attention anu action:
Animals unueigoing spayneutei suigeiy uo not ioutinely ieceive pain meuications post-
opeiatively. This is an unacceptable piactice.
Canine anu feline anesthetic piotocols consist of IN Telazol coupleu with the auministiation
of isoflouiane gas intiaopeiative. Bogs aie not ioutinely intubateu. An anesthetic piotocol
shoulu be tailoieu to the specific neeus of each sheltei setting. Iueal piotocols have a wiue
maigin of safety, pioviues iapiu inuuction of unconsciousness, anu piouuce intiaopeiative
anu postopeiative analgesia. The cuiient piotocol uoes not pioviue sufficient pain
management anu piouuces piolongeu anu eiiatic iecoveiy.
26

Cats anu uogs cuiiently ieceive intiamusculai injections in the neck, which cannot ieliably
avoiu neivous anu venous stiuctuies. This is an unacceptable piactice anu must cease
immeuiately. In uogs anu cats, intiamusculai injections shoulu be peifoimeu in the back of
the thigh oi epaxial (back) muscles.
Staff iepoit that euthanasia is occasionally peifoimeu via caiuiac (heait) stick unuei only
light anesthesia. This is an unacceptable piactice anu must cease immeuiately. Animals
must be fully seuateu befoie a caiuiac stick is peifoimeu.

4. D|scont|nue the use of footbaths throughout the she|ter

Stuuies of footbaths show that even when these aie consistently useu, they uo an impeifect job
of pieventing uisease tiansmission. Iueally, shoes shoulu be sciubbeu as well as uippeu in a foot
bath, anu this is iaiely piactical in a sheltei. A contact time of 1u minutes oi so is iecommenueu
foi most uisinfectants - a quick uip of shoe tieaus into uisinfectant is not auequate. Cuiient
footbaths useu aie cumbeisome to use, commonly giossly contaminateu, anu may actually
piopagate the spieau of infectious uisease.



"#$%&' (>) :5+/.;#+./', B55/E./0 35-./', #+1#,' /0' 1%&$'&= .&'.

3. Lnsure m|n|mum requ|rements for h|gh-vo|ume spay-neuter pract|ces are fo||owed as
documented |n the ASV Veter|nary Med|ca| Care Gu|de||nes for Spay-Neuter rograms

Nonitoi all animals iecoveiing fiom suigeiy. Cuiient technician staffing uoes not allow foi
such monitoiing. Consiuei the use of volunteeis foi this task.



!"

0tilize an anesthetic monitoiing uevice such as a pulse oximetei uuiing suigeiy. Cuiiently,
theie is little to no monitoiing of patients unuei anesthesia. Reliance on any single vaiiable
can leau to an inauequate plane of anesthesia oi, conveisely, to an excessive uepth of
anesthesia, incieasing the iisk of complications, incluuing ueath.
Biscontinue the cuiient use of IN Telazol as the sole inuuction agent foi all uogs anu cats.
Consiuei the use of a safei, moie effective anesthetic cocktail such as TKX (telazol,
ketamine, xylazine) oi TTB (telazol, toibugesic, uexuomitoi). Immeuiately uiscontinue the
ioutine auministiation of injectable uiugs in the neck.
Pioviue all patients unueigoing suigical pioceuuies with pain meuication. Buiing the
consultant's visit, no suigical patients ieceiveu post-opeiative pain meuication.
Fiequent bieaks in steiility weie noteu thioughout the suigical pioceuuie. The suigeon
must assuie that the uiape, suigical gloves, anu instiuments stay steiile thioughout the
pioceuuie to minimize chances of post-opeiative infection anu complications.
Incisional lengths weie excessive, up to 6 inches in some uogs. Incisional length shoulu be
minimizeu to ueciease post-opeiative pain anu length of suigeiy.
Suigeons shoulu always weai caps anu masks, with the exception foi ioutine castiation of
cats anu peuiatiic puppies. The cuiient veteiinaiian woie neithei.
Consiuei intubating all uogs unueigoing a suigical pioceuuie. Intubation pioviues patients
with a usable, patent, aitificial aiiway.
Calculate uiug uosages baseu on accuiate weights. uiven the high-volume natuie of spay-
neutei piogiams, veteiinaiians may be tempteu to use pieueteimineu oi stanuaiuizeu uiug
uoses. These appioaches uo not take into account inuiviuual patient weight oi health status
anu consequently can iesult in inappiopiiate uosing, incluuing oveiuosing of smallei
patients anu inauequate uosing of laigei ones.

6. D|v|de after-hours emergency on-ca|| duty w|th appropr|ate staff

The kennel supeivisoi is cuiiently iesponsible foi the majoiity of oveinight on-call shifts. At a
minimum, shifts shoulu be uiviueu equally, ielieving some of the buiuen on the kennel supeivisoi.

7. Inst|tute da||y veter|nary rounds for a|| an|ma|s

Nonitoiing the welfaie of inuiviuual animals as well as the health of the population of animals
shoulu be an integial pait of the sheltei meuical piogiam. The staff veteiinaiian shoulu peifoim
uaily veteiinaiy iounus to ensuie that all animals aie ieceiving the necessaiy tieatment anu
consiueiations so that they can move thiough the system as efficiently as possible.

28

8. Increase spay]neuter capac|ty

Cuiient suigical capacity in the sheltei foi suigeiy is 1u suigeiies a uay foi auopteu animals. The
numbei of uaily auoptions typically exceeus this numbei. As a iesult, auopteu animals aie sent
home anu scheuuleu foi spayneutei suigeiy, which at the time of the consultant's visit, was ovei S
weeks foi cats. Fuitheimoie, a significant numbei of auopteis faileu to show up foi theii
appointment uespite fiont uesk staff's effoits to contact auopteis




"#$%&' (@) J5/'1 ,5-%;'+/#+$ ;%3/#<3' .//';</1 ;.,' E= 1/.BB /5 1-0',%3' .+ .+#;.3 B5& 1%&$'&=

Auuitional avenues foi spayneutei shoulu be investigateu, such as the hiiing of a contiact
spayneutei veteiinaiian, staffing of moie than 1 veteiinaiy technician to inciease cuiient suigical
capacity, oi usage of the Pensacola Bumane Society's spayneutei clinic when it opens.

The neeu to iemeuy the shoitage of spayneutei suigeiies is uigent as it cuiiently compiomises
the numbei of animals auopteu. The Becembei auoption special, which successfully incieaseu the
numbeis of auoptions, was suspenueu uue to the backlog of spayneutei appointments.

While the sheltei shoulu be commenueu foi offeiing low-cost suigeiies to the public, the sheltei
must piioiitize steiilizing sheltei animals to keep up with auoptioniescue uemanu.








!"

9. Create a protoco| for mon|tor|ng the genera| hea|th (|nc|ud|ng body cond|t|on score) of an|ma|s
he|d |ong term

When animals iemain in the sheltei foi longei than one month, assign tiaineu staff to peifoim anu
iecoiu a full physical exam incluuing weight anu bouy conuition scoie by tiaineu staff on a monthly
basis. Theie is cuiiently no monitoiing system in place to assuie the physical anu behavioial
health of animals helu long teim, incluuing legal custouy animals.
ueiiatiic oi health compiomiseu animals shoulu be evaluateu by a veteiinaiian as neeueu
foi appiopiiate case management.
Young animals may also iequiie moie fiequent assessment.
Consiuei hanging uaily cage monitoiing sheets on the cages of uogs on legal custouy to
monitoi appetite, stool, anu behavioial health.
10. rov|de adequate support and tra|n|ng for the veter|nar|an and med|ca| staff (veter|nary
techn|c|an, kenne| superv|sor) to ensure access to the most current |nformat|on regard|ng
she|ter an|ma| hea|th care.

Cuiient continuing euucation (CE) oppoitunities aie limiteu foi sheltei staff. Pioviue time anu
suppoit foi continuing euucation specifically ielateu to sheltei meuicine foi the veteiinaiian anu
meuical staff. This can incluue webinais as well as attenuance at veteiinaiy oi animal shelteiing
confeiences. Iueally, offei attenuance at least annually to a live confeience to facilitate netwoiking
as well as CE.

The veteiinaiian shoulu consiuei joining the Association of Sheltei veteiinaiians. This is especially
impoitant because the sheltei veteiinaiian is woiking as a solo uoctoi at the sheltei. Pioviuing
online access to a community of colleagues anu consultants in sheltei meuicine will benefit the
entiie meuical piogiam.




30

6901"("B&" %#"80&82B
Taiget Zeio Institute believes in finuing piactical solutions foi ieuucing euthanasia numbeis.
Becieasing sheltei intake by pioviuing alteinatives foi the public is the fiist step in subsequently
uecieasing the oveiall population anu thus the iisk foi euthanasia. Eveiy effoit shoulu be
exhausteu to pioviue a live ielease foi eveiy pet left in the sheltei with the goal of at least 9u%.

Euthanasia policies anu pioceuuies in the sheltei must pioviue the most humane anu caiing
expeiience foi the animal. Euthanasia by Injection of souium pentobaibital is the stanuaiu of
caiepiactice, howevei, euthanasia encompasses moie than the injection of the euthanasia uiug. It
begins with staff tiaining anu oveisight anu involves all stages of the animal's expeiience:
iuentification foi euthanasia, ioom enviionment, hanuling anu iestiaint, seuation, auministiation of
the uiug, anu confiimation of ueath.

The staff membeis at ECAS aie compassionate anu well-intentioneu, but it is essential that they aie
tiaineu in cuiient stanuaius of caie foi euthanasia. A stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuie foi euthanasia
must be uevelopeu to facilitate tiaining anu help ensuie unifoim anu humane piactices. The 2u1S
BS0S Euthanasia Refeience Nanual anu the Ameiican Bumane 0peiational uuiue foi Euthanasia by
Injection aie invaluable iesouices to help ensuie that best piactices aie being implementeu.
@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Create a humane and tranqu|| env|ronment to m|n|m|ze an|ma| stress dur|ng euthanas|a

Bogs anu cats shoulu only be euthanizeu in the ueuicateu euthanasia ioom. Euthanizing
animals in the noisy kennel enviionment is unacceptable unless they aie seuateu fiist. Excess
noise anu activity uuiing euthanasia leaus to unnecessaiy stiess. Theie aie many
consiueiations to cieating a humane anu peaceful euthanasia:

The most impoitant pait of the euthanasia piocess is to ensuie compassionate, low-
stiess animal hanuling. The minimum amount of iestiaint necessaiy shoulu be useu.
Leashes shoulu not be wiappeu aiounu the muzzle of eveiy uog uuiing euthanasia as
is the case at ECAS. This causes unuue stiess foi the animal uuiing hishei final
moments. All staff must be tiaineu on humane anu safe methous of animal iestiaint.

No animal shoulu witness the euthanasia of anothei animal oi ueau bouies. 0nly one
animal shoulu be in the euthanasia ioom at a time. Buiing the time of the consultant's
visit, uogs weie euthanizeu in fiont of othei animals being euthanizeu causing
significant anu unnecessaiy uistiess.


The cuiient exam table useu foi euthanasia neeus to be iepaiieu oi ieplaceu. The
wobbling table causes unnecessaiy stiess. A towel shoulu also be placeu on the table,
especially when it is colu. The table shoulu also be cleaneu in between animals.


Two people must be piesent uuiing all euthanasia of uogs. 0ne peison is neeueu foi
humane hanuling anu the othei to peifoim the euthanasia.



!"

2. 6(B9#2 01"0 "33 ;201)AB )= 2901"("B&" "#2 ">>#)>#&"02 =)# 012 "?2* B>28&2B*
"(A 02;>2#";2(0 )= 012 "(&;"3F
Eliminate IP injections foi auult uogs. While the piefeiieu methou of auministiation of
Fatal Plus is intiavenously, IP injections can be useu on kittens, auult cats, anu puppies.
Auult uogs shoulu nevei ieceive IP injections of Fatal Plus. In cases wheie Iv injection
cannot be peifoimeu safely, a pie-euthanasia uiug such as xylazineketamine shoulu be
auministeieu piioi to the Iv injection.

It is only appiopiiate to auministei intiacaiuiac (IC) injections to unconscious animals.
It is impoitant that all staff unueistanu how to confiim unconsciousness if they aie to
auministei an IC injection. The exact steps to be useu foi euthanasia anu the methou of
euthanasia inuicateu foi uiffeient agesspecies of animals shoulu be cleaily wiitten in
the stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuie. Please iefei to pages 7-Su of the BS0S Euthanasia
Refeience Nanual foi impoitant uetails to incluue foi each methou.

Neeules that have been useu foi an injection by any ioute shoulu not be ieintiouuceu
into the bottle of euthanasia solution. This is an unsanitaiy piactice that leaus to
contamination of the bottle. Staff was obseiveu inseiting a uiity neeule into the bottle
of Fatal Plus immeuiately aftei auministeiing an intiacaiuiac injection.



Place animals given IP (intiapeiitoneal) injections in a quiet, uaik aiea anuoi use
towels as a visual baiiiei. Buiing the consultant's visit, a laige-bieeu uog was
auministeieu an IP injection anu was placeu on the flooi wheie it stiuggleu foi seveial
minutes.

o All animals that have been given an IP injection shoulu be immeuiately placeu
in inuiviuual coveieu cages with soft beuuing wheie they can iemain quietly
until they aie unconscious. The exception is litteimates, who shoulu be placeu
in the cage togethei if they aie small enough to fit. Squeeze cages, if useu,
shoulu be immeuiately coveieu with a towel aftei the animal has been injecteu.
Each animal shoulu be checkeu on about once eveiy five minutes. Aftei the
animal is unconscious, it may take anothei S-1u minutes foi ueath to occui. It is
geneially consiueieu acceptable to set the animal out of view uuiing that time
anu go on to the next one. At ECAS, cats weie auministeieu an IP injection anu
within one minute taken out of the caiiiei anu placeu on the exam table while
still conscious.

Betails conceining the cieation of a humane anu tianquil euthanasia enviionment
shoulu be incluueu in uetail in a stanuaiu opeiating pioceuuie. Foi infoimation about
low stiess animal hanuling uuiing euthanasia, please iefei to Chaptei 8(pages S8- 66)
of the BS0S Euthanasia Refeience Nanual anu page 1u of the Ameiican Bumane
0peiational uuiue foi Euthanasia by Injection. Foi infoimation about cieating a
humane euthanasia enviionment, please iefei to Chaptei 6(pages 47-48) of the BS0S
Euthanasia Refeience Nanual anu pages 6-7 of the Ameiican Bumane 0peiational
uuiue foi Euthanasia by Injection.

32

S. .A;&(&B02# " >#2L2901"("B&" B)390&)( 0) =2"#=93 "(A =#"80&)9B "(&;"3B
To avoiu causing unuue stiess anu anxiety, the least amount of physical iestiaint
necessaiy to peifoim the pioceuuies safely must be useu. Pie-euthanasia uiugs allow
foi enhanceu patient comfoit anu staff safety. A ketaminexylazine solution
auministeieu intiamusculaily (IN) is piefeiieu foi pie-euthanasia seuation.
Yohimbine,an agent that will ieveise the anesthetic effect of xylazine, shoulu be
available in the euthanasia ioom to pioviue iapiu anu ieliable ietuin to consciousness if
necessaiy.
It is impoitant that staff unueistanu when a pie-euthanasia solution is inuicateu anu
when it is not. Animals that can be easily anu safely hanuleu shoulu not be given a pie-
euthanasia solution. The BS0S Euthanasia Refeience Nanual states that, "When
appiopiiate, it is often best piactice to holu anu comfoit an animal foi uiiect Iv oi IP
injection of souium pentobaibital iathei than injecting a pie-euthanasia anesthetic."
Buiing the consultant's visit, staff stiuggleu to finu a vein. Aftei seveial attempts, iathei
than seuate the animal, the euthanasia solution was auministeieu IP causing
vocalization anu significant uistiess.

4. 6(B9#2 "889#"02 "(A ">>#)>#&"02 A)B&(? )= B)A&9; >2(0)M"#M&0"3 "(A >#2L
2901"("B&" A#9?B
Euthanasia uiugs shoulu be uoseu baseu on bouy weight anu ioute of auministiation to
ensuie accuiate uosing of euthanasia solution. Foi example, the volume foi souium
pentobaibital given IP shoulu be twice the volume that woulu be given Iv. Estimateu
weights shoulu only be useu foi animals that cannot be hanuleu.
S. %#)>2#3< :2#&=< A2"01 "=02# 2901"("B&" "(A >#&)# 0) >3"8&(? "(&;"3B &(0)
M"?B
ECAS staff membei ioutinely useu manual palpation (placement of hanu ovei heait) of a
heaitbeat foi veiification of ueath. Nanually palpating the heaitbeat of an animal is not
an accuiate methou foi veiification of ueath foi eithei uogs oi cats. Acceptable methous
of veiification of ueath incluue a caiuiac stick oi auscultation with a stethoscope. If
using a stethoscope, the peison veiifying ueath must be piopeily tiaineu on how to use
a stethoscope. Following euthanasia, ueath must be veiifieu in all cases with no
exceptions. See Chaptei 4(pages 41-44) of the BS0S Euthanasia Refeience Nanual anu
page 1S of the Ameiican Bumane 0peiational uuiue foi Euthanasia by Injection foi
moie infoimation on veiification of ueath that can be useu when wiiting the stanuaiu
opeiating pioceuuie.
6. I(B0"33 " 8);>902# H&01 K1";232)( "882BB &( 012 2901"("B&" #));
A computei with Chameleon access is neeueu foi veiification that the coiiect animal is
being euthanizeu anu ensuie theie aie no last minute options foi live ielease.
Chameleon access will allow the peison peifoiming euthanasia to compaie the animal
to the iuentification numbei, pictuie, anu othei infoimation containeu in the electionic
iecoiu. 0sing the animal's papei caiu foi veiification of iuentity may leau to mistaken
euthanasia, as theie is no pictuie on the caiu.


!!

Chameleon access in the euthanasia ioom will also allow staff to outcome the animal in
Chameleon immeuiately aftei euthanasia anu inuicate the ieason foi euthanasia. This
woulu be much moie efficient anu ieliable than the cuiient piactice of biinging the
caius to fiont uesk staff foi entiy of animal outcome.
7. G#"&( "AA&0&)("3 B0"== 0) 19;"(23< >2#=)#; 2901"("B&"F
At ECAS, 2 staff membeis peifoim 9u% of the euthanasia. 0tilizing the same staff
membeis to peifoim euthanasia, especially those that also cieate lists of animals foi
euthanasia, leaus to compassion fatigue anu emotional buinout. Noie staff membeis
must be tiaineu to peifoim humane euthanasia to shaie this buiuen. Tiaining must
also incluue low-stiess hanuling anu iestiaint techniques. The veteiinaiian peifoiming
euthanasia tiaining must be knowleugeable about cuiient best piactices foi humane
euthanasia.
34

D"8&3&0< +2B&?(
Accoiuing to the ASv uuiuelines, "Shelteis must pioviue an enviionment that is conuucive to
maintaining animal health. Facilities must be appiopiiate foi the species, the numbei of animals
ieceiving caie anu the expecteu length of stay in oiuei to ensuie physical anu physiological
wellbeing of the animals." The majoiity of uog housing units weie a uouble-compaitment
pioviuing the uog with sepaiation of theii sleepingfeeuing aiea fiom theii elimination aiea. The
veteiinaiy seivices aiea was spacious, oiganizeu, anu clean. Cat housing faileu to pioviue cats with
auequate space to expiess noimal behaviois anu the cuiient intake aiea significantly compiomises
feline welfaie.

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Create a separate |ntake area for cats


Theie is cuiiently no segiegation of cats anu uogs uuiing intake piocessing. Cats weie sometimes
placeu on the flooi with people anu uogs on all siues. The sheltei shoulu stiive to ieuuce stiess foi
incoming cats. Stiess uiiectly causes uppei iespiiatoiy infection in cats, anu stiess begins the
moment a cat is tiappeu oi biought in to the sheltei. In auuition, stiess compiomises vaccine
efficacy anu incieases vulneiability to contagious uisease.


"#$%&' (K) :./ 05%1', +'L/ /5 . E.&2#+$ ,5$ #+ #+/.2' B5& MC 05%&1

Consiuei utilizing the aujacent stoiage aiea as a ueuicateu feline intake ioom if it can be climate
contiolleu. This ioom alieauy has shelving which woulu be useful to stack feial tiaps on. Equip this
ioom with an exam table, iefiigeiatoi, scale anu all neeueu supplies. Cats shoulu be coveieu anu
elevateu off the flooi while awaiting piocessing. If piocessing is uelayeu moie than Su minutes, cats
shoulu be pioviueu with foou, watei, anu littei.




!"



"#$%&' (N) :%&&'+/ 1/5&.$' &55; 5BB 5B /0' #+/.2' &55;


2. Ut|||ze attract|ve cage cards to showcase adoptab|e dogs and cats and ensure cage cards are
hang|ng on ALL cages |n |am|nated fo|ders

The majoiity of cages uo not contain any cage caiu oi animal infoimation. Chameleon cage caius aie
founu inteimittently on auoptable animal's cages. All animals shoulu have cage caius attacheu to
theii cagekennel that aie piinteu at intake anu follow them thioughout the sheltei. Noie attiactive,
coloieu kennel caius coulu be placeu on each iun, which bettei highlight each cat anu uog's positive
qualities. Laminateu folueis can be hung on cages to piotect papeiwoik fiom getting woin oi
uamageu.

3. Create cha|n-||nk pens |n the area beh|nd the she|ter for can|ne exerc|se and enr|chment


The sheltei owns a significant amount of lanu behinu the cuiient sheltei builuing. The constiuction
of chain-link pens woulu be a cost-effective way to impiove the health anu welfaie of shelteieu uogs.
volunteeis coulu take the uogs outsiue foi exeicise anu eniichment. Nany municipal shelteis aie
cieating laige playgioups of uogs as an exceptional way to builu canine social skills, pioviue
exeicise, anu inciease the auoptability of sheltei uogs.
36


llqote 17. cooloe ployqtoops ot koosos clty let ltoject

4. kesurface the veter|nary serv|ces f|oor w|th an epoxy
The cuiient flooi in the veteiinaiy seivices aiea is unsealeu conciete. Conciete is somewhat
poious (so can absoib moistuie anu haiboi pathogens anu ouois), anu it is also veiy pione to
ciacks, which can also haiboi pathogens, uebiis anu ouois. Conciete sealeis can be useu to
ueciease the poiosity of conciete. A tioweleu-on, S layei epoxy iesin coateu flooi is expensive,
but is non-poious, non-slippeiy anu extiemely uuiable.

3. Improve fe||ne hous|ng by |nsta|||ng portho|es between ex|st|ng cages
Pioviue cats with enough space to make postuial aujustments, e.g., to tuin fieely anu to easily stanu,
sit, stietch, anu move theii heau without touching the top of the enclosuie; lie in a comfoitable
position with limbs extenueu; move about anu assume a comfoitable postuie foi feeuing, uiinking,
uiinating, anu uefecating. Auuitionally, sepaiation between foou, iesting anu elimination aieas
shoulu be maximizeu (minimal tiiangulateu uistance of 2 feet). Bousing that geneially meets these
iecommenuations has flooi space of 11ft
2
oi gieatei.
Impioving cage size woulu pioviue ioom to enable cats to expiess natuial behaviois anu pioviue
sepaiate space foi toileting, feeuing, anu iesting. Cutting poitholes into the walls of aujacent
stainless steel cages will make the cages uouble-siueu. See the "Cat Cage Nouifications" aiticle in the
Auuitional Resouices foi cieating uouble-siueu enclosuies using poitholes.


!"


llqotes 18 & 19. xomples of pottboles cot to coooect coqes


6. Insta|| a d|g|ta| s|gn |n front of the she|ter


The sheltei is locateu on a high-tiaffic stieet but iemains invisible to the public without aggiessive
auveitising in the community anu signage. An electionic sign out fiont woulu help inciease
visibility anu coulu be useu to piomote auoptions.


llqote 20. xomple of o Jlqltol slqo ot o lotqe moolclpol oolmol sbeltet oJvettlsloq o Joq
costome cootest




38

7. urchase an add|t|ona| washer and dryer


At the time of the consultant's visit, a significant amount of staff time was uevoteu to keeping up
with launuiy. The puichase of an auuitional washei anu uiiei woulu allow foi moie effective usage
of staff time.



llqote 21. xcess loooJty owoltloq cleooloq



!"

I(0"42 %#)82A9#2B
Animal intake is possibly the most impoitant contact point foi animals in the sheltei system. At
intake, the animal shoulu be 1) iuentifieu thiough physical uesciiption, photogiaph, weight anu
miciochip scanning; 2) examineu to ueteimine the health status, incluuing tiiage foi tieatment of
meuical conuitions; anu, S) pioviueu pieventive healthcaie tieatments to ieuuce iisk foi infectious
uiseases. At ECAS, theie aie no piotocols oi veteiinaiy oveisight of intake piocessing. As a iesult,
intake piocesses aie incomplete, inconsistent anu compiomise animal welfaie.

@28);;2(A"0&)(B

1. Separate dogs from cats on |ntake (see Iac|||ty Des|gn sect|on)

Theie is cuiiently no segiegation of cats anu uogs uuiing intake piocessing. Cats weie sometimes
placeu on the flooi with people anu uogs on all siues.


"#$%&' 99) "'&.3 -./ #+ %+-56'&', /&.< +'L/ /5 E.&2#+$ ,5$

The sheltei shoulu stiive to ieuuce stiess foi incoming cats. Stiess uiiectly causes uppei
iespiiatoiy infection in cats, anu stiess begins the moment a cat is tiappeu oi biought in to the
sheltei. In auuition, stiess compiomises vaccine efficacy anu incieases vulneiability to contagious
uisease. At a minimum, all cat tiaps shoulu be elevateu off of the flooi anu coveieu with a sheet oi
towel.

2. rov|de |ntake d|vers|on mater|a|s (see opu|at|on Management sect|on)

The ieason foi ielinquishment shoulu be ueteimineu anu suppoit oi iefeiial offeieu foi pets that
coulu iemain in the home oi ietuineu to the community, such as pet foou, spayneutei seivices,
tempoiaiy boaiuing, etc.
40


3. Lncourage those re||nqu|sh|ng underaged strays to keep pupp|es and k|ttens unt|| they are at
|east 8 weeks of age

0ptions in the sheltei foi unueiageu neonates aie limiteu anu they aie highly susceptible to
infectious uiseases. If they aie ietuineu to the sheltei aftei 8 weeks of age they coulu be maue
immeuiately available foi auoption oi tiansfei. This is anothei oppoitunity foi a fostei-to-auopt
situation wheie fostei homes take the iesponsibility of auopting out the animal themselves.

4. Cons|der schedu||ng appo|ntments for owner re||nqu|shment
Scheuuling sheltei intake accoiuing to sheltei capacity has the potential to ieuuce euthanasia. Sheltei
capacity is ultimately contiolleu by the numbei of housing units, staffing capacity, anu the numbei of
auoption oi tiansfeis out. Scheuuling intake also allows staff to set asiue auequate time foi a quality
intake expeiience that benefits both the peison ielinquishing anu the ielinquisheu pet anu woulu
hopefully iesult in lowei euthanasia iates.

3. Cons|der stopp|ng |ntake of hea|thy adu|t stray cats (see Commun|ty Cat Management
Sect|on)

With a euthanasia iate exceeuing 7u% within a few weeks of intake at ECAS, healthy auult stiay cats
have a bettei chance of suivival in theii community homes than at the sheltei. Nuisance anu public
health complaints iegaiuing community cats can be laigely amelioiateu by uiveiting community
cats to TNR piogiams foi steiilization anu vaccination.

6. Deve|op a deta||ed wr|tten protoco| for |ntake exam|nat|ons |n consu|tat|on w|th a veter|nar|an


Examination of eveiy animal on intake foi injuiies, uisease, oi othei conuitions that may iequiie
immeuiate inteivention is one of the essential iesponsibilities of the intake team. Theie weie no
wiitten piotocols containing step-by-step instiuctions foi a health examination at intake. As a iesult,
staff membeis hau an inconsistent appioach to intake health assessment. Animals weie fiequently
not weigheu, theie was no consistent ueteimination of the animal's age at intake, bouy conuition
scoies weie not assesseu, anu theie was no consistent assessment of the animal's tempeiament at
intake.

A piotocol shoulu contain step-by-step instiuctions foi conuucting anu uocumenting an intake
examination, a cleai plan of action foi iepoiting meuical pioblems at intake, anu tiacking iesponses
in a computeiizeu meuical iecoiu. Post the piotocol in the intake aiea foi staff iefeience.

Cieate a piotocol foi weighing anu assessing bouy conuition scoie (BCS) foi all animals at
intake anu uocument in Chameleon. This pioviues a baseline foi compaiison uuiing an
animal's stay to assess theii well-being while unuei sheltei caie anu to piopeily uose
meuications. This must be iecoiueu in Chameleon in ieal time. Buiing the assessment, the
auministiation of meuications anu euthanasia solution was compiomiseu uue to the lack of


!"

animal's weights iecoiueu in Chameleon.
0se uentition along with othei physical finuings to ueteimine age of all animals at intake.
0bseive anu iecoiu obseivations about the animal's tempeiament anu behavioi at intake to
the sheltei. This seives as a baseline foi compaiison of the animal's behavioi while in the
sheltei, can help iuentify ueteiioiations in behavioial chaiacteiistics while in the sheltei,
anu can help match animals to auopteis.
Implement anu enfoice biosecuiity piecautions to ieuuce the iisk of fomite tiansmission of
infectious uiseases. Staff membeis shoulu weai uisposable exam gloves to hanule each
animal anu change gloves between animals. Staff membeis shoulu stiive to minimize animal
contact with clothing. Clean anu uisinfect common use aieas anu supplies in the impounu
aiea such as scales anu animal hanuling equipment.
Cieate a list of conuitions that aie emeigencies. Post this in the intake aiea anu ensuie that
all staff membeis aie familiai with these conuitions.

7. Assure appropr|ate vacc|nat|on pract|ces are fo||ow|ng |n accordance w|th nat|ona| gu|de||nes


vaccines aie one of the most impoitant anu potentially lifesaving tools shelteis have available.
Cuiient piactices at ECAS aie inconsistent anu not in accoiuance with national guiuelines. Theie
weie no cleai uiiectives foi the piopei site of vaccine auministiation, feaiful animals weie not
vaccinateu oi uelayeu foi uays, anu theie was no piotocol foi boosteiing vaccines. Fuitheimoie, the
Boiuetella vaccine was halveu foi uogs anu all vaccines weie uiawn up houis in auvance (>12
houis) anu iefiigeiateu, potentially compiomising vaccine efficacy.

Cuiient national guiuelines iecommenu that .NN uogs anu cats > 4 weeks of age be
vaccinateu immeuiately at intake, iegaiuless of souice (stiay vs. suiienueieu),
tempeiament, physical status, legal status, oi final outcome. This incluues fiactious animals,
feial cats, piegnant animals, anu injuieu oi ill animals.
Accoiuing to the Ameiican Animal Bospital Association (AABA) anu Ameiican Association of
Feline Piactioneis (AAFP) guiuelines foi sheltei animals, vaccination against BBPP anu
FvRCP shoulu occui in uogs anu cats iespectively eveiy 2 weeks until the age of 18-2u
weeks.
The mouifieu-live Boiuetella multivalent vaccine auministeieu intianasally shoulu be
iepeateu in 2 weeks foi puppies <4 months olu.
Biscontinue piactice of halving the intianasal O5&,'/'33. vaccine. This significantly
compiomises the effectiveness of the vaccine. Cuiient staff believe that auministiation of
the full vaccine causes kennel cough symptoms 1u-uays post-auministiation.
Biaw vaccines up no moie than one houi of auministiation. Nany vaccines weie uiawn up
the night befoie anu weie left in the iefiigeiatoi oveinight to be auministeieu the next uay.
42


"#$%&' 9>) P.3B ,51'1 5B O5&,'/'33. 6.--#+'1 3'B/ 56'& B&5; /0' ,.= E'B5&'

Consiuei uiscontinuing the Chlamyuophila component of the feline vaccine. It is not a coie
antigen anu may inciease vaccine costs anu ieactions.
Entei ieview uates in Chameleon foi piopei follow-up vaccination. Paiticulaily in cases
when animals aie not vaccinateu on intake, uevelop a system to assuie vaccination occuis.

8. Adm|n|ster an appropr|ate endo and ectoparas|t|c|de on |ntake


Biscontinue the use of tiee anu shiub insecticiue on all animals on intake that is toxic to uomestic
animals. This piactice must cease immeuiately. The sheltei shoulu investigate the use of Fiontline
spiay oi equivalent piouuct that is pioven safe foi use on uomestic animals.


"#$%&'1 9@ ? 9K) :%&&'+/ B3'. ? /#-2 <&'6'+/./#6' .+, 3.E'3 1/./#+$ QP.R.&,1 /5 P%;.+1 .+, S5;'1/#-
T+#;.31U



!"

0nly a single uose of pyiantel pamoate was auministeieu at intake. Effective tieatment foi
hookwoims anu iounuwoims, iequiies a minimum of 2 tieatments 2 weeks apait foi auults anu
moie foi juveniles. Bewoiming scheuule along with all othei pieventive caie must be iecoiueu in
Chameleon anu shaieu with the auoptei, fostei family oi tiansfei paitnei.





44

K);;9(&0< K"0 -"("?2;2(0
Incieasing social awaieness about unowneu fiee-ioaming cats has iesulteu in the
aiticulation of a new concept: the "community" oi village cat. This teiminology
uesciibes how cats aie iegaiueu in much of the woilu outsiue of the 0niteu States. In
auuition to cats that cleaily have an iuentifieu ownei anu iesiuence, most communities
aie also populateu by cats occupying a wiue spectium of socialization level anu
inteiactions with human society. The National Animal Contiol Association iecognizes
these community cats as an integial component of the oveiall cat population anu
piomotes the uevelopment of compiehensive management piactices that encompass
both owneu anu community cats.
K)(82#(B IA2(0&=&2A &( 6B8";M&" K)9(0<* D3)#&A"
! A community's owneu pet cat population can be estimateu by uiviuing the human
population by 4.1. Suiveys of cat feeuing suggest that the feu community cat population can
be estimateu by uiviuing the human population by 6. The numbei of cats that aie not feu is
uncounteu, anu the total community cat population may be even highei. Appioximately
4u% of owneu pet cats aie alloweu outuoois, which means that neaily half of cats seen
outuoois aie community cats anu half aie owneu pet cats.
o In Escambia County:
Buman population (0S census): Su2,71S
Buman population - 4.1 = 7S,8S2 owneu pet cats (29,SS2 go outsiue)
Buman population - 6 = Su,4SS unowneu community cats
o Feeuing of community cats is a common activity piacticeu by both pet owneis anu
those without pets of theii own. 0ne in eveiy 4-8 householus acknowleuges feeuing
cats they uiu not own.
! A national telephone suivey queiieu people about options foi community cats living on the
stieet. uiven only two options fiom which to choose, 81% thought it was moie humane to
leave the cat wheie it was compaieu to 14% who opteu to have the cat caught anu killeu at
a sheltei. uiven a seconu scenaiio asking how they woulu feel if they thought the cat woulu
uie in two yeais aftei being hit by a cai, 72% of iesponuents still chose to let the cat iemain
in its community iathei than have it killeu immeuiately.
! 0nsocializeu feial cats have been living outuoois foi thousanus of yeais, but biinging them
to shelteis is often a ueauly choice. Since they aie not suitable canuiuates foi auoption, cats
that may have thiiveu foi yeais in the community aie often uestioyeu within houis oi uays
of aiiiving in shelteis. The continuous untaigeteu iemoval of a small piopoition of the
community cat population is neithei an effective stiategy foi managing the population at
laige noi the best use of limiteu animal sheltei buugets.


!"

! Iionically, the likelihoou of being ieuniteu with theii owneis is gieatei foi lost cats if they
iemain wheie they aie iathei than being aumitteu to an animal sheltei. In one stuuy, cats
weie 1S times moie likely to be ietuineu home by non-sheltei means (such as ietuining
home on theii own) than by a call oi visit to a sheltei. This is in contiast to uogs, which weie
ovei 4 times moie likely to be ietuineu to theii ownei by a call oi visit to sheltei than by
ietuining home on theii own.
! Community cat Tiap-Neutei-Retuin piogiams iesult in a uiiect ieuuction of nuisance
behaviois associateu with intact cats, the impiovement of welfaie foi the cats, anu the
giauual ieuuction of populations in some situations. Tiauitional TNR piogiams bypass the
sheltei entiiely, iemoving anu ietuining fiee-ioaming cats uiiectly in the community.
Sheltei-Neutei-Retuin (Feial Fieeuom) piogiams taiget community cats that have aiiiveu
at the sheltei, often focusing on feial anu feaifulshy cats. SNR piogiams uo not necessaiily
ieuuce community cat populations (because they woulu have been euthanizeu in the sheltei
if not ieleaseu), but they have an immeuiate anu uiamatic impact on ieuucing sheltei
euthanasia of cats.
! Like tiauitional shelteiing piogiams, TNR piogiams may not be of sufficient scale to impact
the oveiall population. Bowevei, they aie likely to focus on the most visible oi conceining of
community cats (since these woulu most ieauily come to the attention of those managing
the tiapping piocess), thus piefeientially impacting the cats that woulu otheiwise most
likely be biought to a sheltei out of concein oi annoyance. This may explain the ieuuction
in complaints about cats iepoiteu by some shelteis concuiient with implementation of
community TNR piogiams.
! Cuiient calls to iemove community cats fiom the enviionment ignoie the fact that
shelteiing piogiams aie not laige enough to effectively impact oveiall cat populations, noi
sufficiently taigeteu to mitigate cats' impact in paiticulaily sensitive enviionments oi
specific public health conceins. Similaily, most Tiap-Neutei-Retuin piogiams aie too small
to impact the size of the community-wiue cat population, but by taigeting cats most at iisk
foi impounument, they can uiamatically ieuuce the ueaths of cats in shelteis. Similaily,
Tiap-Neutei Retuin piogiams can taiget cat colonies that pose significant iisks to
vulneiable wilulife populations anu mitigate the iisk via iepiouuction contiol oi ielocation
of cats.
! TNR piogiams may not change eveiy community's cat population, but they can uiamatically
ieuuce sheltei killing of cats. The giowing acceptance of community anu sheltei TNR
piogiams suggests an incieasingly common belief that cats aie not bettei off ueau than
living in communities.


46

6B8";M&"* K)9(0< K);;9(&0< O !12302# K"0 +<(";&8B



1be estlmoteJ ootJoot cot popolotloo lo scomblo coooty, ll lo 201J ls sbowo. less tboo 2X of
tbe estlmoteJ ootJoot cots lo tbe coooty wete lmpoooJeJ by scomblo, coooty oolmol coottol.
Mote tboo 70X of oll lmpoooJeJ cots wete eotboolzeJ ooJ ooly two oot of teo wete oJopteJ,
tetotoeJ to owoets, ot ttoosfetteJ to tescoe qtoops. commoolty-wlJe, tbe lotqest popolotloos
wete ootJoot commoolty cots (mostly ooo-oeoteteJ) ooJ ootJoot pet cots (mostly oeoteteJ).

Cats |mpounded
and re|eased
a||ve, 123S
Cats |mpounded
and euthan|zed,
4301
Cutdoor pet
cats, 29,S32
Cutdoor
commun|ty cats,
S0,4S3


!"

. D3)#&A" -)A23P .3"819" K)9(0< .(&;"3 !2#:&82B


lmplemeototloo of oqqtesslve oJoptloo, spoy/oeotet of pet cots, 1top-Neotet-ketoto of sttoy
cots, ooJ ttoosfet ptoqtoms tesolteJ lo o qtoJool teJoctloo lo cot lotoke ooJ eotboooslo lo
Alocboo coooty ovet tbe post 2 JecoJes. otboooslo plommeteJ lo 2012 followloq tbe
lmplemeototloo o 5beltet-Neotet-ketoto ptoqtom fot lmpoooJeJ sttoy cots. lo 2012, ooly 1JX
of lmpoooJeJ cots wete eotboolzeJ.


@28);;2(A"0&)(B
QF +&B8)(0&(92 &(0"42 )= 12"301<* 01#&:&(?* 9(&A2(0&=&2A B0#"< 8"0B "(A =2#"3 8"0B &(
2782BB )= 012 (9;M2# 01"0 8"( M2 #232"B2A "3&:2
Bealthy uniuentifieu stiay cats have a highei chance of suivival if left in theii "homes" in the
community.
All tiappeu oi captuieu uniuentifieu stiay cats (218S in 2u1S, half of feline intake) shoulu be
uiveiteu to a TNRSNR piogiam. These cats have little chance of suivival at the sheltei,
theiefoie, it woulu cieate a significant ueciease in sheltei euthanasia anu uiveision to TNR
48

woulu lowei the feline euthanasia iate by ovei Su%.
Fielu pick-ups foi healthy cats (owneu oi stiay), whethei feial oi fiienuly, shoulu be
uiscontinueu. Continue to pick up aggiessive, injuieu, sick, oi unweaneu oiphaneu cats.


RF I;>32;2(0 " !12302#LS2902#L@209#( T!S@U 0<>2 )= >#)?#"; =)# &;>)9(A2A
8);;9(&0< 8"0B 0) &;>#):2 012&# 81"(82B =)# " 3&:2 #232"B2
Laige metiopolitan aieas such as }acksonville, Floiiua anu San }ose, Califoinia have
expeiienceu uiamatic anu immeuiate incieases in live ielease iates foi cats thiough SNR- anu
TNR-type management of healthy auult community cats, both tame anu feial. Alachua County,
FL has incieaseu its live ielease iate foi impounueu cats to 87% by implementing both fielu
TNR anu SNR piogiams.
The Pensacola Bumane Society is scheuuleu to open a high-volume spayneutei clinic on Nay
1
st
, 2u14 They have expiesseu inteiest in paitneiing with ECAS to spayneutei stiay cats as
pait of a SNR piogiam.

VF !812A932 &(0"42 )= )H(2#LB9##2(A2# 8"0B )( " B>"82L":"&3"M32 M"B&B
An appointment system shoulu be establisheu to aumit cats in a contiolleu mannei, so that no
healthy cats aie euthanizeu simply because space is not available foi them. 0wneis who wish
to suiienuei theii cats shoulu be pioviueu with iesouices to suppoit ietention in the home.
Examples of such iesouices incluue low-cost veteiinaiy seivices, local pet behavioiists, pet
foou bank piogiams, anu othei community piogiams foi pets. Alteinatives foi iehoming pets
such as contact infoimation foi local iescue gioups anu a list of ways to iehome pets without
sheltei suiienuei shoulu be offeieu to owneis looking to suiienuei theii cats.

WF K)(0&(92 0) 0"42 &( 012 =)33)H&(? 0<>2B )= 8"0BP

Cats with iuentification
Sick, injuieu, oi uebilitateu cats
Cats confiscateu as pait of legal investigations
Bite quaiantine cats
0iphaneu kittens
0wnei iequesteu euthanasia
Bealthy fiienuly stiay anu ownei suiienueieu cats in piopoition to the numbei
iehomeu oi tiansfeiieu to iescue

:9-3%&.9-
The following website, white papei, anu webinai shoulu be iequiieu ieauing foi eveiyone who wants to
make animal shelteis moie effective foi lifesaving anu welfaie
http:www.catshelteiingiepoit.oig
We'u like to highlight a iecommenuation on page 29:
O'1/ <&.-/#-') J5 0'.3/0= -./7 &'$.&,3'11 5B /';<'&.;'+/7 105%3, E' .,;#//', E= .+ .+#;.3 10'3/'& #B /0'
.,;#11#5+ 5B /0./ -./ F5%3, -.%1' /0' ,'./0 5B /0./ -./ 5& .+5/0'& -./ #+ /0' 10'3/'&V


!"

New Paiauigms foi Shelteis anu Community Cats
http:www.shelteimeuicine.comcommunity%2ucat%2unew%2upaiauigms

Living with Community anu Feial Cats
http:www.shelteimeuicine.comuocumentsliving-with-feial-anu-community-cats

Nanaging the Cat Ciisis, foui pait seiies:
http:www.founuanimals.oigiesouicespet-iesouices

J2M&("#BP
Naking the case foi a paiauigm shift in community cat management, pait one:
http:www.mauuiesfunu.oigNauuies_InstituteWebcastsNaking_the_Case_foi_Commu
nity_Cats_Pait_0ne.html

Naking the case foi a paiauigm shift in community cats management, pait two:
http:www.mauuiesfunu.oigNauuies_InstituteWebcastsNaking_the_Case_foi_Commu
nity_Cats_Pait_Two.html



S0

!0"==&(?

LCAS ls slgnlflcanLly undersLaffed for Lhe compleLlon of even Lhe mosL baslc anlmal
husbandry needs. 1hls resulLs ln noL enough Llme Lo meeL all Lhe needs of Lhe ouLcome,
asslsLlng poLenLlal adopLers, reLurnlng anlmals Lo owners, and provldlng excellenL cusLomer
servlce. ulLlmaLely, undersLafflng leads Lo sLressed and dlseased anlmals wlLh losL
adopLablllLy, sLressed sLaff wlLh compasslon faLlgue, and loss of Lhe shelLer's llfe savlng
capaclLy. ln Lhe absence of a subsLanLlal lncrease ln fundlng, LCAS managers musL ldenLlfy
operaLlonal efflclencles and prlorlLlze resources Lo besL meeL Lhe communlLy's goals.
1he Assoc|at|on of She|ter Veter|nar|ans Gu|de||nes have |dent|f|ed staff|ng
capac|ty as a key measure of a she|ter's ab|||ty to prov|de humane care. It |s
very d|ff|cu|t to est|mate staff|ng needs for a she|ter as there are so many
tasks that must be done on a da||y bas|s and pr|or|t|es are constant|y
sh|ft|ng. 1he fo||ow|ng ca|cu|at|ons are |ntended to serve on|y as a gu|de||ne
based on m|n|mum standards recommended throughout the f|e|d. 8oth the
numane Soc|ety of the Un|ted States and the Nat|ona| An|ma| Contro|
Assoc|at|on have recommended that a m|n|mum of 1S m|nutes be a||otted
for feed|ng and c|ean|ng of each an|ma| ma|nta|ned |n an an|ma| she|ter.
S|m||ar|y, t|me must be a||otted for the prov|s|on of med|ca| and behav|ora|
eva|uat|on and treatment, adopt|on, spay]neuter, euthanas|a, and any
other task that occurs w|th regu|ar|ty.
Lscamb|a County An|ma| She|ter


T6'&.$' +%;E'& 5B .+#;.31 L (K ;#+%/'1 <'& .+#;.3 W NI ;#+%/'1X05%&
Y P5%&1 <'& ,.= Z<'& /.12[


0n 1814, the inventoiy in the sheltei was 247 animals. Staffing capacity foi cleaning anu feeuing
only can be estimateu as follows:

247 animals X 1S minuay = S7uS minutes
S7uS min6u min = 61.7S houis
61.7S houis 8 houis = XFX =933L0&;2 "(&;"3 B0"== ;2;M2#B

These calculations suggest that, on aveiage, 8 full-time animal caie staff membeis shoulu be
uevoteu to cleaning anu feeuing animals in the sheltei assuming they have an entiie 8-houi uay in
which to complete these tasks. Bowevei, to ensuie that animals uo not iemain in uiity kennels anu
cages foi a piolongeu peiiou of time anu aie not subjecteu to the stiess of heaiing, seeing anu
smelling the uaily feeuing piocess without being feu themselves, we iecommenu that feeuing anu
cleaning be completeu in no moie than S houis (fiom 8am-11am). Achieving this goal woulu neaily


!"

uouble the staffing iequiiements suggesteu above. The sheltei is foitunate to be able to uiaw upon
local piison laboi to assist with cleaning anu feeuing activities.

ECAS cuiiently staffs two fiont uesk staff membeis to assist potential auopteis, answei phones,
assist with ownei ieclamations, scheuuling of spayneutei suigeiy anu facilitate tiansfeis. A total
of two staff membeis up fiont is not sufficient to continue pioviuing high-quality customei seivice
anu incieasing the numbei of animals ieleaseu alive. At least two auuitional staff membeis aie
iequiieu to answei phone calls, check phone messages, peifoim uata entiy into Chameleon anu
communicate with tiansfei paitneis, owneis, anu inteiesteu paities.

The sheltei employs one veteiinaiian technician whose expeitise anu time is almost solely
ueuicateu to suigical opeiations. Bue to unueistaffing in veteiinaiy seivices, the technician was
iaiely seen assisting with the health anu welfaie of animals in the kennels because hei time was
ueuicateu solely to suigical activities. It is impeiative that the sheltei hiie anothei veteiinaiy
technician to pioviue caie to all animals in the sheltei.



S2

opu|at|on Stat|st|cs

1ab|e 1. Numbers of dogs adm|tted to LCAS from 2011 to 2013. 1hese numbers are derlved
from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. 1he number of dogs ln Lhe low cosL spay/neuLer
program was subLracLed from Lhe LoLal lnLake. Small caLegorles (<1) such as uCA, oLher, and
Lransfer are noL llsLed ln Lhe Lable below buL are lncluded ln Lhe LoLal lnLake number.

DCG 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 3213 3037 4633
Stray 2943 2324 2480
Stray as of |ntake 36 30 33
Cwner Surrender 1718 1971 1490
Cwner Surrender as of |ntake 33 39 32
Conf|scat|on 391 332 333
Conf|scat|on as of |ntake 7 7 11
keturn 109 130 116
keturn as of |ntake 2 3 2
























!"

1ab|e 2. Numbers of cats adm|tted to LCAS from 2011 to 2013. 1hese numbers are derlved
from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. 1he number of caLs ln Lhe low cosL spay/neuLer
program was subLracLed from Lhe LoLal lnLake. Small caLegorles (<1) such as uCA, oLher, and
Lransfer are noL llsLed ln Lhe Lable below buL are lncluded ln Lhe LoLal lnLake number.

CA1 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 3216 3731 3638
Stray 3401 3142 3443
Stray as of |ntake 63 33 61
Cwner Surrender 1661 2440 2070
Cwner Surrender as of |ntake 32 43 37
Conf|scat|on 132 103 113
Conf|scat|on as of |ntake 3 2 2
keturn 14 38 29
keturn as of |ntake <1 <1 <1

























S4

1ab|e 3. Numbers of dogs and cats adm|tted to LCAS from 2011 to 2013. 1hese numbers are
derlved from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. 1he number of anlmals ln Lhe low cosL
spay/neuLer program was subLracLed from Lhe LoLal lnLake. Small caLegorles (<1) such as
uCA, oLher, and Lransfer are noL llsLed ln Lhe Lable below buL are lncluded ln Lhe LoLal lnLake
number.

1C1AL DCGS AND CA1S 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 10431 10788 10311
Stray 6344 3666 3923
Stray as of |ntake 61 33 37
Cwner Surrender 3379 4411 3360
Cwner Surrender as of |ntake 32 41 33
Conf|scat|on 323 433 630
Conf|scat|on as of |ntake 3 4 6
keturn 123 188 143
keturn as of |ntake 1 2 1


























!!

1ab|e 4. Numbers of dogs by outcome type from 2007 to 2012. 1hese numbers are derlved
from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. Lscaped, mlsslng, and oLher" dogs were noL
lncluded ln Lhls Lable due Lo Lhe very small percenLage of LoLal ouLcomes. Llve release lncludes
Lhe LoLal number of dogs reLurned Lo owner, adopLed, and Lransferred. Cwner-requesLed
euLhanasla was lncluded ln Lhe LoLal number of dogs euLhanlzed. Cwner-requesLed euLhanasla
should be a separaLe lnLake caLegory so LhaL Lhese dogs can be separaLed ouL from Lhe LoLal
lnLake and Lherefore separaLed from Lhe LoLal euLhanasla.

DCG 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 3213 3037 4633
keturn to Cwner (k1C) 620 604 613
k1C as of |ntake 12 12 13
Adopt|on 1420 1630 1631
Adopt|on as of |ntake 27 32 33
1ransfers 364 623 326
1ransfers as of |ntake 7 12 11
L|ve ke|ease 2404 2837 2772
L|ve ke|ease as of
|ntake
46 36 60
Luthanas|a 2673 1990 1803
Luthanas|a as of
|ntake
31 39 39
D|ed 39 43 29
D|ed as of |ntake <1 <1 <1
















S6

1ab|e S. Numbers of cats by outcome type from 2007 to 2012. 1hese numbers are derlved
from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. Lscaped, mlsslng, and oLher" caLs were noL
lncluded ln Lhls Lable due Lo Lhe very small percenLage of LoLal ouLcomes. Llve release lncludes
Lhe LoLal number of caLs reLurned Lo owner, adopLed, and Lransferred. Cwner-requesLed
euLhanasla was lncluded ln Lhe LoLal number of caLs euLhanlzed. Cwner-requesLed euLhanasla
should be a separaLe lnLake caLegory so LhaL Lhese caLs can be separaLed ouL from Lhe LoLal
lnLake and Lherefore separaLed from Lhe LoLal euLhanasla.

CA1 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 3216 3731 3638
keturn to Cwner (k1C) 31 34 47
k1C as of |ntake 1 <1 <1
Adopt|on 633 1011 1041
Adopt|on as of |ntake 12 18 18
1ransfers 21 21 90
1ransfers as of |ntake <1 <1 2
L|ve ke|ease 707 1066 1178
L|ve ke|ease as of
|ntake
14 19 21
Luthanas|a 4376 4416 4333
Luthanas|a as of
|ntake
84 77 77
D|ed 24 23 34
D|ed as of |ntake <1 <1 <1


















!"

1ab|e 6. Numbers of dogs and cats by outcome type from 2007 to 2012. 1hese numbers are
derlved from Lhe Chameleon kennel SLaLlsLlcs reporLs. Lscaped, mlsslng, and oLher" anlmals
were noL lncluded ln Lhls Lable due Lo Lhe very small percenLage of LoLal ouLcomes. Llve
release lncludes Lhe LoLal number of anlmals reLurned Lo owner, adopLed, and Lransferred.
Cwner-requesLed euLhanasla was lncluded ln Lhe LoLal number of anlmals euLhanlzed. Cwner-
requesLed euLhanasla should be a separaLe lnLake caLegory so LhaL Lhese anlmals can be
separaLed ouL from Lhe LoLal lnLake and Lherefore separaLed from Lhe LoLal euLhanasla.

1C1AL DCGS AND CA1S 2011 2012 2013
A|| |ntake 10431 10788 10311
keturn to Cwner (k1C) 671 638 662
k1C as of |ntake 6 6 6
Adopt|on 2033 2641 2672
Adopt|on as of |ntake 20 24 26
1ransfers 383 644 616
1ransfers as of |ntake 4 6 6
L|ve ke|ease 3111 3923 3930
L|ve ke|ease as of
|ntake
30 36 38
Luthanas|a 7031 6406 6138
Luthanas|a as of
|ntake
68 39 60
D|ed 63 68 63
D|ed as of |ntake <1 <1 <1

I|gure S. 1ota| number of dogs adm|tted to Lscamb|a County An|ma| Serv|ces from 2011 to
2013 vs. tota| number euthan|zed. 1he numbers are derlved from Lhe Chameleon kennel
SLaLlsLlcs reporLs.











0
1000
2000
3000
4000
3000
6000
2011 2012 2013
uog lnLake uog LuLhanasla
S8

I|gure 6. 1ota| number of cats adm|tted to Lscamb|a County An|ma| Serv|ces from 2011 to
2013 vs. tota| number euthan|zed. 1he numbers are derlved from Lhe Chameleon kennel
SLaLlsLlcs reporLs.









3000
3300
4000
4300
3000
3300
6000
6300
7000
2011 2012 2013
CaL lnLake CaL LuLhanasla