Population kept under control
Ramona Jewett, of Polson, holds her six-month old dog Scruffy Saturday as the anesthesia wears on him and makes him sleepy. Scruffy was one of about 250 dogs and cats that underwent a nueter or spay operation.
PABLO - As the anesthetic wore on six-month old Scruffy, his owner Ramona Jewett held him tightly during his last waking moments before he would completely go under for a neuter operation.
After receiving his anesthesia, he was taken to the oxygen station where a mask was placed on his snout and he immediately fell asleep.
Following the oxygen station, Scruffy was laid on his back on the operating table and a veterinarian from Spay Montana performed the surgery. Minutes after the surgery, Scruffy awoke in a recovery area where he was placed in blankets and petted until he gained his bearings.
More than 250 dogs and cats were brought into the Two Eagle River High School gymnasium to go through the same process this past weekend as part of a M.A.S.H.-style surgery organized by the Lake County Spay and Neuter Task Force Clinic, the Mission Valley Animal Shelter, the Life Savers Animal Rescue and many concerned members of the public.
"This is the healthy thing to do for these animals," said Pam Gibson, of the Mission Valley Animal Shelter. "There are not enough homes for all these animals, and the economy has effected whether or not families can spay or neuter their animals."
The donation-based mass spay and neuter service is in its third year of operation. Five veterinarians from Spay Montana were responsible for the operations. On average, a neuter operation would take five to seven minutes, while a spay would take 12-15 minutes.
"Speed is not a priority," veterinarian Greg Lovgren said. "Safety is the key to this whole process. We want all the animals to undergo a safe and successful operation."
Gibson said clinics coincide with the animal's breeding cycle so that puppies and kittens can be prevented for that breeding period.
"We have seen a decrease of puppies and kittens," Gibson said. "If we could find a home for every animal in this county, we'd be golden. This helps."
Program manager of Spay Montana, Sandy Newman, said 54 clinics occurred all over the state last year. She added that all the clinics had over 150 animals participate at each clinic.
"The average litter size for a dog is five pups," Newman said. "The potential births this spring of just these dogs here is 1,000 puppies. That's 1,000 pups that don't have to be killed because we can't find a home for them. That would be a human tragedy, as well as an animal tragedy. This clinic is good for everyone."
The total cost of the clinic was $7,800. The Salish and Kootenai Tribes, County Commissioners and the cities of Polson, Ronan and St. Ignatius sponsored the clinic.
Because of the down economy, this was the first year that the clinic accepted donations.