Ragdoll Rehoming Journey runs one of the most successful high-volume veterinary care operations for shelter pets in the nation, serving thousands of lost and homeless animals that come to us in need every year.
Our veterinary medical team not only runs a public Low-Cost Vet Clinic but also provides specialized and compassionate medical care to all the shelter pets that come to us. In the last year, the team performed over 8,000 spay and neuter surgeries for pets at the shelter and treated thousands of sick and injured animals.
Highly-Specialized Veterinary Skills and Care
The veterinary care field in animal shelters poses unique challenges that are either less common or non-existent in private veterinary clinics. Shelter veterinarians treat patients who often have no known health or behavioral history, and these pets are generally sicker than owned pets, suffering from malnutrition, severe injuries, parasites, infectious diseases, and more. In addition to the needs of individual patients, shelter veterinarians must also be experts in managing the health and care of large pet populations, with hundreds of individual pets under their care each day. The shelter team must be well-versed in animal behavior, disease control, preventative medicine, organizational policy, and other related areas.
Highly-Focused, Individualized Pet Care
Caring for hundreds of animals daily demands meticulous oversight and coordination, orchestrated by a team of highly skilled and trained professionals. Each day, our veterinary teams, comprising four units, focus on delivering medical attention to shelter animals, including those under foster care. Additionally, one team is dedicated to performing spay and neuter surgeries for shelter pets.
Our diligent medical teams assess the health of every animal daily, treating numerous sick and injured pets while ensuring all shelter residents remain current on preventative healthcare measures. With expertise and precision, our skilled surgeons perform 45-50 spay and neuter surgeries daily.
Collaboration between our veterinary and behavior/enrichment teams is integral to safeguarding the mental well-being of our shelter pets. Daily synergy between these units enables us to address the needs of animals with complex medical and behavioral conditions effectively.
Through continuous collaboration and comprehensive care, our teams provide multiple layers of support and attention to each homeless animal under our care, ensuring their well-being is prioritized at every touchpoint.
Evolving Needs, Expanding Pet Services
As an open-admission animal shelter, we embrace every lost, stray, and homeless creature in need, regardless of their condition or species. From dogs and cats to reptiles, birds, small mammals, and farm animals, we provide refuge and care for all.
With unwavering support from our community, we strive to save every healthy and treatable animal that crosses our threshold. Through preventive programs like spay and neuter services and Community Cats initiatives, we work diligently to reduce shelter intake and move closer to achieving our goal.
However, as we progress towards this objective, we find ourselves caring for animals with increasingly complex health and behavioral issues, leading to longer stays before adoption. To address this challenge, our new facilities will boast expanded capacity for vital procedures and state-of-the-art equipment for trauma care, alongside additional staff members.
Moreover, as we enhance our shelter services, we are committed to expanding our public clinic offerings to fulfill the community’s need for affordable, high-quality pet healthcare. With a focus on accessibility and excellence, we aim to ensure that all pets receive the care they deserve.
