Michaia Hernandez / Roundup
Pierce College is offering inexpensive spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats throughout the semester by way of the Registered Veterinary Technology (RVT) program.
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Sherry Grisham oversees the surgical procedures, with Pierce College veterinary technology students involving themselves in the overall process through clinical procedures classes.
According to 21-year-old veterinary science major Melissa Castrillo, the students are assigned different tasks for each surgery, but Grisham does the actual procedure.
Grisham, who has been an adjunct professor at Pierce College for 10 years, applauds the RVT program.
“This is a great opportunity for the students to get hands-on experience,” she said.
The group plans on performing three surgeries per week this semester.
“Sometimes we work on Pierce College-owned program animals,” said 25-year-old Junie Tseng. “But we do accept clients who wish to get their pets either spayed or neutered.”
According to Grisham, the surgeries are available only during spring semesters. For the fall semesters, her students work only with models of the animals.
“Of course, the students first have to familiarize themselves with working with dummies before they’re ready to work on real animals,” said Grisham.
The latest surgery performed by the Veterinary Technology students was on Lucas, a one-year-old German Shepherd-Doberman mixed program animal.
According to Angela Killips, instructional assistant for the RVT program, the surgery went fairly well.
“We did have a minor setback with the IV catheter, but it was completely circumstantial,” she said. “The students did an amazing job handling it.”
Castrillo said that after program animals recover, they become available for adoption.
Aside from her adjunct teaching job at Pierce, Grisham also works for Mercy Crusade’s Spay, Neuter & Wellness Clinic, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending pet overpopulation.
“This is basically what I do everyday,” said Grisham.
The RVT program charges $60 for spays on dogs, $40 for spays on cats, $40 for neuters on dogs and $35 for neuters on cats.
“We also offer vaccinations, microchip implantation, heartworm and viral testing; all for minimal cost,” said Killips.