Providing these services to thousands of animals at no cost to their owners or the shelters will help both the people of Puerto Rico and their pets recover. “Whatever challenge we faced, we found a way to solve it because we knew how much it meant to everyone.” Most pet owners waited in hot temperatures for hours, often overnight, to ensure their dog or cat would be seen, said Ericksen. “It was inspiring to see what could be accomplished with limited people and resources, including basics like electricity,” said Sarah Ericksen, a fourth-year veterinary student. Many of the unincorporated territory’s 3.3 million residents found they could not care for their pet after the storm, and animal shelters were quickly overwhelmed. Hurricane Maria was the costliest natural disaster in the island’s history, incurring $95 billion in damages across the storm’s path and an estimated over 4,000 human casualties. Berliner will lead two additional trips this winter during the third and fourth rounds of Spayathon visits. All told, the second round saw over 8,000 animals treated, bringing the current Spayathon count to 15,572. “We treated exactly 600 animals in seven days, exceeding our initial goal of 500,” said Berliner. Last week, Berliner led a team of experts from Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program to the city of San Germán as part of the Spayathon’s second round of outreach trips.

“The Spayathon is about reaching animals in crisis as well as providing a sustainable and replicable model for the future,” said Elizabeth Berliner, D.V.M. They treated approximately 5,600 animals this summer during the first round.Ī patient waits for his turn to be neutered in business casual attire. During four visits over the course of a year, eight separate clinics will operate simultaneously across the island to meet the Humane Society’s goal of reaching at least 30,000 animals by May 2019. Organized by the Humane Society of the United States, the Spayathon for Puerto Rico initiative is bringing volunteers from a coalition of organizations together to perform high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter and vaccination services. Now, veterinarians from the College of Veterinary Medicine are leading service trips as part of a national initiative to alleviate these difficult conditions. After the Category 5 hurricane hit, family pets became separated from their owners, regular spay/neuter operations for strays ceased and few animal shelters could function because of the island’s fractured infrastructure. IMPACT: Over 300 animals in the Pontiac community benefit from the outreach program annually.Even before Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in September 2017, an estimated 300,000 stray dogs and 1 million stray cats roamed the island. We have relationships with many groups and work together to achieve this common goal. In addition, MARL promotes and assists animal welfare efforts throughout our community by actively supporting local outreach and rescue programs working to combat animal cruelty.

Some examples include providing options for low-cost spay and neuter, educating dog owners about heartworm disease, and explaining the importance of annual vet care. The staff at MARL is also committed to acting as a source of pet care information and education for our community. We provide cat and dog food as well as supplies to low-income households, and in specific cases, low-cost medical care.

Our clients are local pet owners who want to provide their pets with proper care but are struggling in some way. MARL’s Outreach Program is the ultimate effort to keep animals with their families in the homes they know and love. – Greg, Outreach client and Best Friend to Seven I can’t even think about where Seven and I would be without MARL.” MARL helped me with food, advice, and even helped Seven when she was sick. Losing my dog would have been the worst thing that could happen to me. “MARL has kept me and my best friend together.

Animal outreach