MISSISSIPPI STATE – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has awarded the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine a grant to support the college’s Mobile Veterinary Clinic.

The $65,000 grant will cover some of the expenses incurred as the Mobile Veterinary Clinic travels to 15 North Mississippi animal shelters, where students spay and neuter homeless animals. The program is funded solely by grants and donations.

“We’ve received generous donations allowing us to purchase two mobile units, but that is only part of the fundraising equation,” said Keith Gaskin, CVM’s senior director of development. “This ASPCA grant helps cover the operational expenses it takes to keep the units on the road.”

Gaskin said a key reason organizations and donors support the program is because it gives students unparalleled surgical experience and helps make shelter animals more adoptable.

Dr. Phil Bushby, the CVM’s Marcia Lane Endowed Chair in Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare, oversees the clinic and inspires students to help raise money to keep the program moving forward.

“Many of the animal shelters we work with have as high as a 70 percent euthanasia rate, but more than an 80 percent adoption rate for animals that are spayed or neutered,” Bushby said. “The grant from the ASPCA is helping students, sheltered animals and the community.”

Gaskin said the program reaches beyond the shelter and into the community.

“The goal is to get the animals adopted and educate pet owners about the importance of taking those animals to their community veterinarians to ensure good health for as long as possible,” he said.

Writer: Karen Templeton, (662) 325-1100