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“When you start talking about the public health benefits of TNVR programs, you engage a whole different group of stakeholders.”
Listen to Episode #383 Now
This episode is sponsored in part by Fosterspace, powered by Doobert. Visit them online to learn more.
In this information-packed episode, Stacy sits down with Dr. Bob Weedon, a retired veterinarian who is still going strong as a volunteer at the TLC PetSnip low-cost clinic in Lakeland, FL, a board member of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D), and in other volunteer posts. Bob worked in private practice and also spent many years teaching in the shelter medicine program at the University of Illinois, including teaching high-quality high-volume spay/neuter techniques to veterinary students. He also holds a Master’s degree in public health. Along the way, he also became involved in TNR. “I just recognized there was such a need,” he says, “and that I had the tools that… could address that need.”
Stacy and Bob discuss why the “V” in trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) is so crucial, both for the cats and for proving the value of TNVR programs to community leaders and officials. He discusses the concept of herd immunity in relation to rabies, and also goes into great detail about cats and toxoplasmosis—including how to talk with public health officials about it.
Bob also discusses his work with ACC&D and with the National Feline Research Council (NFRC–an “unbiased central repository of evidence-based information”). He tells Stacy how gratifying it is to be able to provide vet care to folks who can’t afford it, and how his own views have changed over the years from feeling like low-income pet owners shouldn’t have pets at all to realize how important pets can be to those folks’ mental health and well-being.
To learn more about the organizations Dr. Weedon volunteers for, visit the ACC&D website, the NFRC website, and the TLC PetSnip website. You can also check out Dr. Weedon’s presentation entitled “Better Together—TNVR and Public Health,” or email him directly with questions or help with resources.
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