2009 ANNUAL REPORT - Washington Animal Rescue League

The League’s Medical Center sees pets of low-income clients who cannot
afford to pay regular veterinary fees. The center also provides
weekly low-cost vaccination clinics and routinely offers free spaying
and neutering. Each month, the center sets aside separate days to spay
and neuter feral cats and pit bulls, the two types of animals who suffer
most from overpopulation.
To Alleviate Suffering,
Area Specialists Go the Extra Mile
e Washington Animal Rescue League is the
only shelter in the Washington area that provides
medical care to animals from other shelters
and those whose caregivers are unable to
afford the cost. Oen, these surgeries require
the services of a specialist. Fortunately, one of
the best veterinary orthopedic surgeons in the
area—if not the country—contributes his time
and expertise. However, his skills are in great
demand, and he has almost no free time.
Lately, the only openings on his calendar have
been between midnight and 8:00 a.m. So that’s
when the surgeries take place.
e first overnight session occurred on
January 14, 2009, when the volunteer surgeon
(who prefers to remain anonymous), a League
veterinarian, and five veterinary technicians
completed five complicated bone surgeries
and six in-depth, X-ray examinations. Four
out of five of the animals who underwent
surgery belonged to members of the lowincome
community whom the League serves
at a discount of one-eighth the going rate for
such surgeries elsewhere. e other case was
a shelter dog with an injured knee.
“We always try to ensure that as many animals
as possible can get surgery here,” says Dr.
Janet Rosen, DVM, the shelter’s medical director.
Shelter animals get first priority, followed
by animals belonging to low-income residents
of the District. “Without surgery,” says Rosen,
“most of these animals would have to be euthanized
or live in chronic pain.”
At another session, held on February 4, the
team treated seven dogs and two cats for a
variety of bone problems, some of which were
causing lameness in the animals. e most
complicated surgery of the night was a
femoral head ostectomy, where the tip of the
femur was removed to create a “false joint”
that relieves arthritis pain.
Accident Victim Learns to Walk Again
When Diego, an 18-month-old mixed terrier
from Waldorf, Maryland, got hit by a car, his
family rushed him to an emergency hospital.
One of the dog’s legs was broken, several of
the toes were badly dislocated, and all of the
skin on the dog’s leg had been torn off. When
the family was shown an estimate for how
much it would cost to fix the leg, they reluctantly
concluded that they could not afford it
and surrendered their dog to the local shelter.
Most shelters cannot afford expensive surgery
either, so in July 2009 Diego was transferred
to the League’s Medical Center for extensive
wound care, followed by physical
therapy. “Our typical costs run from $400 to
$1,000 for surgery,” says Medical Director Dr.
Jan Rosen. “If we did not receive generous donations
of services from surgeons, it would be
up to $4,000, and we wouldn’t be able to provide
as much.”
According to Rosen, Diego’s initial treatment
involved daily bandage changes and
wound treatment under anesthesia, as well as
antibiotics and pain medications. He also got
numerous “honey wraps”; regular honey, it
turns out, is effective for helping skin grow
back. Despite these measures, he lost two of
his toes.
Aer losing the toes and living with his leg
in a cast for weeks, Diego decided he was not
going to use the leg anymore. But a volunteer
orthopedist assured the League staff that the