Veterinary expenses can strain the already tight budgets of animal rescues.
Washington State University is helping to address that strain through a spay program that helps regional rescues reduce costs while providing required surgical training for veterinary students.
The effort is part of VM 554, a core course required for all students in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Through the course, veterinary students in the third year of the four-year program perform supervised spay surgeries on rescue dogs at no cost to participating shelters. Many students get their first live surgical experience while helping shelters control costs, improve adoptability, and prevent overpopulation.
“For us, this program is huge,” said Jenna Redheart, founder and director of the nonprofit Idaho Animal Rescue Network based in Nez Perce County, Idaho. “Literally, if we didn’t have the spay program, we probably wouldn’t be able to help in as many cases because it’s saving us that much.”
Each academic year, students in the course spay roughly 160 dogs, in addition to also performing health exams, vaccinations, microchipping, and addressing minor medical issues, such as removing small masses, that could impact a dog’s adoptability.
WSU currently works with eight shelters and rescues across eastern Washington and north-central Idaho, including organizations in Lewiston, Quincy, Moses Lake, and Adams County.
Redheart’s organization focuses on animal cruelty and neglect cases and operates entirely through donations and grants. Through the partnership with WSU, her rescue sends dogs to campus once or twice a month, where they spend a week with veterinary students before returning spayed, vaccinated, and examined.
Last year alone, her organization participated in about 50 spay surgeries through the program.
“All the rescues have to do is provide the dogs and get them to us,” said Dr. Cassidy Cordon, an assistant professor and community practice veterinarian who oversees the surgeries alongside faculty members Drs. Lexi Botting and Tasha Bradley. “We take care of them for the week, and then we return them hopefully more adoptable and ready to go.”
WSU currently works with eight shelters and rescues across eastern Washington and north-central Idaho.
Because the Idaho Animal Rescue Network is based in Idaho, dogs must receive health certificates before being transported into Washington. WSU faculty assist with those exams, often volunteering their time to help complete the required paperwork and health checks.
“That time is really valuable for us,” Redheart said. “Our dogs are all in foster homes, so being able to get hands-on with them, see their temperament and personality really helps when it’s time for adoption.”
Redheart said she has seen noticeable changes in dogs after their week with WSU students.
“We’ve had dogs come back totally different — more social, less fearful, and happier to be touched,” she said. “The socialization aspect has been an unintended perk, and it’s really cool to see those transformations.”
The experience is also great for the students, most of whom are getting their first live surgical experiences.
“This is the first live animal surgery that appears in their curriculum,” Cordon said. “Prior to live surgery, students go through extensive simulations and have to demonstrate competency in a wide variety of surgical skills, which they have been learning since their first year. Students are then ready to progress to live surgery, where they use their skills to spay dogs under the guidance of experienced veterinarians.”
Following the surgeries, the students are also responsible for caring for the dogs during the first days of their recovery. Cordon said students occasionally form such strong bonds with the dogs they care for that they end up adopting them.
Beyond providing spays, veterinary faculty and students regularly support low-cost or free vaccine clinics coordinated by shelters and assisted by the WSU Shelter Medicine Club. This year alone, the college has participated in four such clinics, including one for dogs owned by houseless individuals at the Clarkston, Washington, port.
“They showed up, helped organize everything and just made it happen,” Redheart said. “Whether it’s houseless people, a dog that’s been abused, or a rescue that’s struggling — they’re there.”
The Idaho Animal Rescue Network also recently received assistance from the university’s equine team at a significantly reduced cost in a recent cruelty case involving 34 horses.
“I really respect that they’re putting in the effort and reaching out to rescues and communities,” she said. “Programs like this are essential. They directly improve animal welfare, help prevent overpopulation and ultimately help us save more lives.”
