HANDS-ON ANIMAL CARE - QUALIFIES VET TRACK STUDENTS  

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Volunteers are accepted into Community Animal Network’s "Veterinary Medical Program" based on a serious interest in learning about cats and/or advancing into veterinary medicine. The program is also open for those that may have missed their calling to work with animals and are adults reflecting on their choices.

Community Animal Network is a veterinary medical rescue and the veterinary medical internship program works in sync with the organizations, "Pets For Seniors" program that provides senior people with mature cats and provides the veterinary services and treatments for the lifetime of the cats.

**The program satisfies "Hands-On" animal care experience for "Pre-Vet" students that need to get a job in a vet office prior to applying to veterinary school. DiAnna Pfaff-Martin, the director of the program, helps those that leave in good standing with resume writing, mock interviews and guides students to identify learned skills to discuss with potential employers.

Students in the program learn cat care and work with senior and geriatric cats that have treatable diseases and conditions that are managed with medications. Board certified feline specialist, Dr. Elaine Wexler-Mitchell prescribes the treatment plans for the organizations cat’s and students follow the vet orders. (There are only 150 vets are certified feline specialists in the U.S.).

This non-paid internship teaches students to administer pills and medications associated with chronic conditions, drawing blood to check glucose levels and inject insulin. In additions, interns learn to groom cats; brush, shave, scruff to trim nails and learn to cut pills, manage pharmacy inventory, help with restocking supplies as well as perform kennel duties, (scooping, sifting and cleaning litter boxes and extracting marking areas as to keep the sanctuary maintained at a healthy standard).

Volunteer at night or during the day. We try to work around serious "vet track students" class schedule changes, too. Volunteers commit to at a least a four month term, (16 weeks). Most of our interns commit to at least one day a week for 9 months or longer before they move into paid positions with vets.

Veterinary transports are on the weekdays only and interns witness physical exams can be included in observation of treatments. During the summer there are planned excursions; observations of veterinary procedures, surgeries, visiting vet hospitals and the crematorium. However, not all interns can join us based on the days of the week scheduled.

The internship program may also include getting familiar with vaccine set ups and preparing subcutaneous IV fluid bags and the IV lines. End of life stages require critical-care management: force feeding, IV line subcutaneous fluid therapy is all part of assisting an animal as they age or an animal that is sick.

Some interns help with summarizing veterinary treatment plans for the pets’ health records, drive cats to their vet appointments and some observe the feline patients treatments.