Behind The Scenes: A Day In The Life of Shelter Medicine

Shelter medicine is one of the hardest fields in the animal industry. It’s fast-paced and demanding, both physically and mentally. The work is grueling, the hours are long, and the cases are never-ending.

The Humane Educational Society’s medical team is a small but mighty force of good that maximizes efforts for spay/neuter, not just for our shelter animals, but as a low-cost community resource for the public. Balancing the high-volume of surgeries, PLUS the work-load of caring for over 650 animals in shelter-care during the peak of Kitten Season is a struggle like no other - but the results are nothing short of miracles! 

Step into the world of shelter veterinary medicine and discover a day-in-the-life of the HES medical team:

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THE MORNING

6:30am

The morning begins early, as usual. Vet assistant Bailey arrives at the shelter as the sun begins to rise and gets to work right away - after all, there’s so much to be done. She rechecks the surgery schedule for the day, adds a few more shelter cats to the list, and begins to grab vials of vaccinations from the storage fridge to start prep work. 

7:00am 

The other vet techs and the student vet arrive at the shelter to start their day as Bailey heads out to the adoption hallways to bring the surgery patients down to the clinic.

A scared chihuahua is brought in to be vaccinated and checked to see if she needs to be spayed. She’s so scared that it takes 20 minutes to calm her down enough to poke her with the needle. Thankfully, a spay tattoo is visible on her tummy, so no surgery needed for this petrified pup - just some prescription TLC and lots of treats. 

7:30am

Vet tech Olivia begins prepping the OR for surgery. Bailey heads up to the front-of-house to pick up the public drop-off dogs and cats for their low-cost spay/neuter appointments, one of which is a nervous Dalmatian with wounds on his ears that did NOT look like he wanted to be here today. Some baby talk and lots of coaxing gets him to walk on his own down to the clinic with Bailey, who also stops to sign off on the delivery of O2 tanks at the back door. Always multitasking.

8:00am 

All animals are weighed and prepped for surgery. There are 25 surgeries on the books today, and they all need to be done before lunchtime - but this is a feat accomplished every day by this efficient team of 4, and today, they have the help of Student Doctor Rachel, so things are looking pretty good! 

That is, until vet assistant Laura comes back to let everyone know that one of the TNR cats escaped their trap and is hiding somewhere in the building. 

Bailey and Laura grab bite gloves and a carrier and head down to the community cat room, where TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) cats wait in their trap for their surgery time. The pair enter cautiously, prepared for anything. After all, feral cats are NO joke! Luckily the kitty is hunkered down behind some blankets, terrified but alright. Laura throws a towel over the big tomcat, and Bailey carefully scoops him up and places him in the cage. Crisis averted. Back to business as usual. 

During the commotion with the TNR cat, Dr. Callahan has arrived at the shelter to prepare for her day in surgery. She examines the nervous Dalmatian and is concerned for the damage to his ears, which she thinks may be infected, possibly even contagious. She deems him unsafe to operate on without knowing the origins and extent of the wounds, and asks Laura to call his owners to pick him back up. She knows they won’t be happy, but doesn’t want to risk spreading anything to the other animals, or to the staff, and we offer to reschedule the appointment once the dog has healed. We have to do what’s best for all the animals in our care. 

8:25am 

Dr. Callahan scrubs in for surgery while the first 2 patients - two male TNR cats, are sedated, shaved and sterilized. 

8:30am

Surgery begins. The first cat is finished and placed in recovery practically faster than you can blink. It takes less than 2 minutes to neuter, and Doc is ready for the next one. She works with clean efficiency and precision that only comes with the time and practice of a seasoned vet. 

Next, a cat spay, which she completes in under 8 minutes. Most cat spays take about 45 minutes at a private practice vet. 

But this is shelter med. And it’s a whole different beast. 

There’s no time to admire her lightening-fast handiwork - the next cat awaits. 

The vet student at the table next to Doc takes her time. Her methodical movements and fine detail are practiced but not polished, and that’s ok, it’s why she’s here - to learn and gain surgical experience. She’s in her final year of school, and this is a momentous opportunity. She asks the occasional question to Dr. C, who answers with gentle authority and wisdom.

9:07am 

It’s been 40 minutes and 10 cats have completed surgery and have been moved to recovery. The team works like a well-oiled machine - vet techs prep the animals, administer the anesthesia, shave and sterilize the surgical site. As soon as a table is free, one moves the patient to the open doctor and monitors their oxygen levels and heart rates. 

9:11am 

As surgery progresses, a new patient is brought to Dr. Callahan’s table: a double-cryptorchid kitten: though old enough, his testicles never descended, and remain tucked up in his abdomen. This was not expected, and fairly rare. It means a longer, more invasive surgery, but Doc rolls with the punches and begins her work. 

She uses this as a teaching opportunity for the student doctor, and also allows Bailey to glove up and assist. It’s a complex maneuver and takes 10x longer to complete than a standard kitten neuter, but the kitty is sutured and placed in recovery within 20 minutes, now with two fine scars along his sides, and no risk of reproducing any longer. 

9:30am

Foster Coordinator Emilee enters the clinic, carrying a 14-day-old kitten in a makeshift incubator. She states this neonatal foster baby hasn’t defecated in 24 hours, has an eye infection, and presented with maggots in his ears. 

Doc has Emilee present the case as she closes up her latest patient.

Kittens this young need to go to the bathroom every day - it can be deadly if they don’t. The eye and ear infections are concerning - the kitten’s ears haven’t even opened all the way yet in order to administer ear drop medication. But if left untreated, the infection could spread to the brain, and be lethal. 

After a brief examination, Doc orders Bailey to perform an enema and attempt an ear swab for testing. The kitten is returned to its foster with instructions to bring them back if neurological symptoms present, as euthanasia may need to be pursued for compassionate care. Everyone lifts a little prayer and words of encouragement that this tiny fighter pulls through. 

10:15am 

15 cats have completed surgery. 

As the morning progresses, the work is ceaseless. No one stops moving, no one takes a break. But there is also room for silliness and laughter. Inside jokes and dark humor flow freely as music plays from a speaker in the corner of the OR. 

The mood is serious, but light. Camaraderie is seen and felt. 

An old boxer dog is up next. When he’s pulled from his kennel after his pre-sedation drugs are given, Bailey sees his gums and tongue are pale. The lighthearted mood is immediately halted and everyone springs into emergency action. 

The boxer is urgently intubated and given a steady flow of oxygen. His stats instantly climb and his gums pink up quickly. He’s going to be ok, and everyone shakes off the worry while they finish his prep. 

11:00am

The clinic is all quiet serenity as the morning trudges on. Everyone is focused as surgeries are coming to a close, but there is no rest until all animals are done. 

The job is dirty. Worms, parasites, matted fur and feces. A Blue Heeler puppy is terrified. He has a history of reactivity and he snaps as strange hands approach. He was picked up by Animal Control about a week ago, where he lived out on the streets with hardly any human interaction. His ears were crusty, his fur patchy. Seeing an animal in this condition, both mentally and physically, takes its toll. A puppy should be happy, trusting, playful, not full of fear. 

With sadness in her eyes, Olivia restrains and sedates the pup to prep for his neuter. We hope his life soon turns a corner and he gets the happily-ever-after he’s always deserved. 

11:30am

Surgery is complete. 24 animals have been spayed/neutered within 3 hours. 

As the team begins to clean up, Doc heads out to check on reports of sick shelter animals and fill prescriptions. 

11:45am

The team breaks for lunch. A must-needed rest and a chance to get off their feet. While she eats, Olivia inputs surgery notes into the database and monitors the old boxer who hasn’t decided to wake up just yet. 

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THE AFTERNOON

12:30pm

Back to the grind, the techs and the vet assistant begin sterilizing the instruments and prepping surgical packs for the next morning. 

On her way back from her lunch break, Bailey pops into cat triage to see a kitten laying laterally in their kennel, while their littermates seem normal. She quickly pulls him out and gets his story:

He was found with his siblings abandoned in a shopping cart in a Walmart parking lot. (It’s kitten season, after all.) His skin elasticity suggests he is dehydrated, and the fleas crawling all over his body point to anemia. 

Bailey gives him an injection of iron and B12, along with some Karo syrup to raise his blood sugar. He’s passed off to the foster team to find him critical care placement for the night. 

1:20pm

For the next few hours, the medical team splits off to take foster medical appointments, check in on sick shelter animals, and complete paper work. 

A pit mix named Goofy’s allergies are flaring up, she needs more meds filled. 

Kittens Eenie, Meenie, Miney and Moe have diarrhea from parasites. They’ll need more drugs to flush them out of their systems. 

Curry isn’t eating his kitten food and the foster is worried about his bowel movements. 

A new kitten is presented with upper respiratory infection and needs antibiotics. 

Fecal tests are run, questions and concerns are answered for shelter staff. 

Decision paralysis can set in with so much to do, but everyone puts one foot in front of the other and soldiers on.  

2:30pm

The old boxer finally decides to wake up and is extubated, much to the relief of the team. He can go back to his kennel to sleep off the drugs now, and his adopter is waiting to take him home soon.

Little Bug, a 2-month-old kitten that had been sick for weeks, came in for a check-up. He had been so sick with respiratory infection that he hadn’t been able to open his crusty little eyes and wasn’t gaining weight. Today, he looks incredible. We celebrate his recovery and thank his foster parent for their hard work and diligence. The foster thanks the medical team for not giving up on this little guy. 

3:00pm

Surgery patients are loaded back up in their pet carriers or taken back to their kennels on the adoption floor, and the team prepares for the public surgery pick-ups to begin. 

“Yes, your dog did great for their surgery!”

“No, Fluffy cannot have a bath tonight, they have dissolvable stitches.”

“Your cat was the BEST patient - thank you so much for choosing to get him fixed!” 

4:30pm

Public surgery pick-ups are completed. The last of the surgical paperwork is finished up, and final rounds are made as the shelter prepares to close for the day. 

5:00pm

The shelter is closed and the team finally turns the key. There are still more messages to address, questions to answer, diagnosis tests to run, but shelter staff are headed out for the day, and the most pressing issues have been addressed. The rest will have to wait until morning, when it all starts over again. 

The hours are long, the work is never done, and the team never stops until it’s time to punch out. (And even then, paperwork often comes home with them!) 

This is shelter medicine at its finest. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s intense and fast-paced - but the animals saved and the lives improved are what makes it all worth it.