Clarification of Orange County Animal Care (OCAC) Euthansia Rate
OCAC finally responds to Dr. Gardner's euth rate calculation issue Below is the note from Dr. Gardner about the letter he received. The letter and Dr. Gardner's note are now on our account at Slideshare. --------------------------- From: James Gardner <drjgardner@gmail.com> Date: January 28, 2016 at 1:46:21 PM PST Subject: Changes to OCAC calculations Good afternoon, I just received a long-awaited response from OCAC concerning my claims that their calculations on euthanasia rate and license compliance rate were incorrect. I've attached a copy of that response. The bottom line is that they are changing both of these calculations as I recommended. That will probably mean an increase in the euthanasia rate and a decrease in the compliance rate. We still disagree about their handling of "Owner Requested Euthanasia". Unlike most every other shelters, and contrary to the recommendations of the American Veterinarian Medical Association and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, OCAC does not have an "Owner Requested Euthanasia" form. They have an "owner surrender" form which is a general form and contains no place to indicate that the owner is requesting euthanasia. The decision to euthanize an animal is made by staff, subsequent to surrender, when the animal is subjected to the conditions at OCAC which may, in fact, contribute to a decision to euthanize. Therefore, no animal can realistically be considered. I will continue to press them on this point and request a "Owner Requested Euthanasia" form which is used just about everywhere else. Jim
