The annual meeting of the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society will be held on Tuesday, February 17, 2015, 6 pm at 680 Professional Drive, Northfield, MN 55057.   All paid members are welcome.

Agenda:

  click here to download the Vendor reservation form 2015

Here is an opportunity for you to sell your products and help Prairie’s Edge Humane Society at the same time! Please join us on Saturday, February 21st  for Shop for a Cause – Save Some Paws”.   This is an event to raise funds for the animals cared for at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society. We are currently in the process of booking vendors.  You purchase space at a table during the event, you keep all of your sales, we benefit from the purchase of your table space.  This is our second year holding this event, last year was a huge success for the PEHS shelter and the vendors who participated.

If you would like to purchase a table at the event to sell products (crafts, household products, cleaning products, food prep products, beauty products, the possibilities are endless) please download the  Vendor reservation form 2015 and return to Prairie’s Edge Humane Society, 680 Professional Drive, Northfield, MN 55057 by February 5th. 

Space is limited so get your reservation in ASAP.  If we already have a vendor selling the same product we will not duplicate so whoever registers/pays first will receive the spot!  Sorry!  

One table – $50 plus an item valued at least $25 for our April silent auction fundraiser from your business.

2nd table for same business – $25 additional fee (total amount for two tables for one business $75)

***Combined table cost is for same business ONLY if you wish a 2nd table for an addition business the regular fee of $50 applies***

***This year we are also requesting vendors participating in “Shop for a Cause – Save Some Paws” to provide an auction item (at least $25 value) for our upcoming “Auction for the Animals” which will be held in early April***

 PLEASE RETURN REGISTRATION FORM BY FEBRUARY 5TH!

 When you visit the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society shelter you will see at least 30 cats on our adoption floor and you will see probably another dozen kittens or more in our lobby area who are available for adoption as well.  Ever wonder what goes on down the hallway and in the remaining rooms at the shelter?  Well that is where our surgery, ISO and exam rooms are located and where any animals being treated for various medical conditions or those waiting for surgeries, recuperating from surgeries are kept.  It is also were those who are waiting for a stray hold to be up, or are just hanging out for a few days to get used to the shelter while we assess them and make them available for adoption are kept.

Normal surgery days at the shelter are Monday and Thursday.  On these days our shelter veterinarian performs any surgeries or medical procedures that are needed by the animals being cared for at our facility.  Our veterinarian is also only a simple phone call or email away for any emergencies or consultations needed on the other days of the week should the need arise in the day to day caring of these animals.

What is a typical day like in the medical end of our facility?  Well, let’s look at this past Monday for a good example.

They began their day by performing 3 kitten neuters and 4 kitten spay surgeries as well as a partial tail amputation on another kitten that had frostbite.

Ten cats were Feline leukemia/FIV and heartworm tested.  Twelve cats that were new arrivals were vaccinated and received complete health assessments and wellness exams as well as received a deworming and ear mite treatment.

Fecal analysis was done on two cats that were experiencing diarrhea and were then treated with medications and put on a change of diet. Exams were performed on 2 cats that were vomiting and their treatment was prescribed.  Blood work was done on an underweight cat and sent to a lab for analysis to determine the cause.

There was a follow up exam done on a cat who was very sick with an eye infection as well as an upper respiratory viral infection and a secondary bacterial infection.  He eventually had to have one of his eyes removed in order to prevent the infection from risking his life.  The surgery to remove the eye was performed two weeks ago by our shelter veterinarian at our facility.  He has now healed up from his surgery, is over his infections and was cleared to go on the adoption floor.

Follow up exams were done on 6 cats that were previously sick, 2 with ringworm and the others with upper respiratory issues.  They had been receiving various treatments and are now better so were cleared to be made available for adoption.  Six other cats from the adoption floor received nail trims.

Two ferrets were given wellness exams, had their nails trimmed and were vaccinated for rabies and distemper.  Since it is common for ferrets to have reactions to being vaccinated, they were both given Benadryl prior to their vaccinations and were kept a close watch over.

Two Guinea Pigs were given exams and hair loss on one of them was assessed and a treatment plan put in place.

A urinalysis was performed on a dog that was then diagnosed with a UTI and meds were prescribed.  The same dog also had her eyes stained and assessed for tear production due to some eye drainage she was having.  This dog has also had a coughing issue so she received a full exam to determine what was causing the cough. This dog also has arthritis issues and a new treatment plan was prescribed by our veterinarian.

The dog was then transported to an area veterinary clinic to receive a chest x-ray to help diagnose the cough, a bladder x-ray to rule out bladder stones, and a cystocentesis (poking the bladder to receive a sterile urine sample, this is done by using ultrasound to view the bladder and pull a urine sample directly from the bladder to avoid any contaminates) and have the sample cultured to make sure we are using the correct antibiotics for this particular type of infection.   The x-rays were put on a CD for our veterinarian to view and proceed with a diagnosis.

A weigh in and health assessment was done for a cat who came to us at 26 pounds and has been on a strict diet and exercise program for the past 3 ½ months in hopes that he can get down to a healthy weight which will allow him to be neutered and then live a long, healthy, quality life and eventually be made available for adoption.  He is now 21 pounds and walking much better and even running some and able to climb some steps.

And finally a walk through of the shelter to check on the healthy animals who are already on the adoption floor and assess and discuss a plan of action for five cats that are under socialized and what we can do to help them become more adoptable.  Then there was as usual the paperwork from the day to complete, fill out health records and vaccination certificates for adoption files as well as enter health and treatment information into the shelter animal database.

And of course through all of the exams, surgeries and other treatments done during the day there were many hugs, kisses and cuddles given to all of these very special animals during their procedures, who simply want to be loved and to share their love, but may be scared, hurt or sick and don’t understand why they are here.

And that folks was just one very typical day.  As you can see there is a lot that goes on down that hallway in caring for these homeless animals. What you see in the lobby and on the adoption floor is only a small part of the big picture.

Of course we need to touch on the fact that not all that happens down the hallway is happy and has a good outcome.  There are days that you cannot save them all, some are just too sick, are suffering or are just too dangerous to handle.  We will not let an animal suffer and we will not adopt out a dangerous animal.  These are the times we have to make the difficult decision to humanely euthanize them.  It is a difficult decision, we hate it, it hurts our hearts anytime we have to do this and yes tears are shed.  Fortunately it is a rare occasion that we have to make this decision and we pride ourselves in the fact that our euthanasia rate is now less than 1%.

At any given time we have 30 adult cats and at least 12 or more kittens on the adoption floor, but we are also housing at least another 25-30 cats in our exam and ISO areas, occasionally other small furry companion animals and typically around a dozen kittens in foster homes who are too small to be at the shelter and of course the dogs who are now all in foster homes.   As of today, Prairie’s Edge Humane Society is caring for 72 cats, 2 ferrets, 2 guinea pigs and 10 dogs.  Some of these animals are at the shelter facility and some are in foster homes, but all are given wonderful medical care and shown much love while in our care.

EVERY animal who comes through our facility is given a complete health examination, fully vaccinated, spayed or neutered, dewormed, receives a routine ear mite treatment, both dogs and cats are heartworm tested, cats are Feline Leukemia/FIV tested and every animal is microchipped.

Because we have our own surgery room and veterinarian at our facility we are able to perform various surgical procedures at a much lower cost which allows us to actually care for some animals that would be too costly to care for elsewhere.

Medical care for these animals can be very expensive and many organizations simply do not have the financial resources needed to cover some of the medical issues that we see on a regular basis.  Although it is costly to facilitate the surgery and medical area at the shelter, it is still less expensive than if we were to rely on a veterinary clinic to examine and treat every animal we care for at the shelter.

Our financial resources go much further by housing our own veterinarian, technician and surgery equipment.  There are occasions that we do need to call on the area veterinary clinics for help such as with dental surgeries, x-rays or other specialized testing that we may not have the specific equipment or experience needed to perform the procedure.  We are very lucky to have Cannon Valley Veterinary Clinic and Countryside Animal Hospital in close proximity to us and who are great friends to the animals at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.  They are always more than helpful and caring when we are in need and we are grateful for their support.

Besides our veterinarian and technician our shelter team also consists of our kennel manager, a kennel staff person and office personnel who are very skilled at caring for the animals on a daily basis and knowing when to contact our veterinarian or reach out to one of the wonderful local veterinary clinics for help.

Healthy animals are made available for adoption in a much faster turn-around time because we have our own medical facility and personnel on site.  Sick animals are cared for immediately and kept isolated from the healthy animals so there is no cross contamination.  Our move to a new facility this summer allowed us to design the space to fit the needs of caring for these animals.  It also took us from a facility which needed numerous expensive repairs, had mold issues and was economically inefficient to an updated, efficient, healthy facility for the animals.

So now you know what happens down the hallway.  It’s a busy, professional, inspiring, affectionate, devoted, loving, healing space and we couldn’t be more proud of it!

In observance of New Year’s Day the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society will be closed, Thursday, January 1st.  Have a safe and Happy New Year everyone!