Vet med low-cost spay/neuter program a gift to students and pet owners

A program that helps financially challenged pet owners in Calgary, is also helping Teryn Girard hone her basic veterinary skills.

The University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) offers low-cost spays and neuters to cats and dogs whose owners may have difficulty paying for these important surgeries.

Girard, in her third year at UCVM, says the program has countless learning benefits for her. She performed her first dog neuter surgery last month. And in the New Year, she will spay a dog and perform spay and neuter surgery on cats. 

“It tied together all of the two and a half years of education we have gotten at UCVM — our clinical skills, anatomy, physiology, wound management. We were able to apply knowledge in a way that hadn’t been possible until the surgery days and it was an incredible feeling to see how far we have come,” she explains. “For many of us, performing this type of surgery is what we have been dreaming about doing since we were young.”

Through the Community UCVM Spay/Neuter Program (CUSP), students learn how to perform spay and neuter surgeries on cats and dogs, as part of their basic veterinary education. The program is another example of the benefits of UCVM working with the community, says Dr. Terri Schiller, associate dean of clinical programs.

“We work with veterinarians in the community who identify pet owners in their practice who may find it financially difficult to pay for the spay or neuter of their pet,” says Schiller. “The client pays their regular veterinarian an optional small fee to cover the cost of helping arrange the procedure and providing followup care. Then, the pet owner makes an appointment with us.” UCVM does not receive payment.

“Performing the surgery in front of the faculty clinicians was awesome because we got to show them how much we have learned from them,” Girard says. “Preparing for the surgery can be a bit nerve-wracking because you want it to go well and you want to show your professors and mentors you have learned well from them. But during the surgery, I was very comfortable working in front of my professors and was proud to show off my skills.”

Pets are brought to UCVM the day before specified clinic days in January, February and March. Under faculty supervision, third-year students conduct routine pre-operative workups. The students, who have already learned basic surgery skills, perform the procedures and the day after surgery, they examine the animals again before returning them to their owners. For any followup care, owners visit their regular veterinarian.

“A lot of us aspire to be like Drs. Atilla, Archer, Schiller and Read and while that can be intimidating, they are also really supportive and trusting of our learning,” says Girard. “When I got nervous or questioned myself, having Dr. Archer tell me to trust my skills and my knowledge gave me the confidence I needed.”

Girard is looking forward to finishing her veterinary degree and working in a rural community, where she will use the surgery skills she’s honing through the CUSP clinics. And although she’s interested in treating all types of animals — from cats and dogs to horses, pigs and cattle — she has a particular passion for poultry.

“My ideal first position would be a mixed rural practice with endless chickens!”

For more information about the Community UCVM Spay/Neuter Program, contact lgcolang@ucalgary.ca