Priority 4 Paws Information

Priority 4 Paws is a service learning program featuring a mobile surgery unit that travels to partnering animal shelters within a day’s drive of Purdue University’s West Lafayette, Ind. campus to spay and neuter shelter dogs and cats so that they can be adopted more quickly. The program expands educational opportunities for 4th year veterinary students at Purdue. The students take part in a 3 week elective rotation in shelter medicine and surgery, during which they travel with the mobile unit for 2 weeks and volunteer at a partnered animal shelter during the 3rd week. During this rotation, students have the opportunity to perform as many as 70 spay and neuter procedures. The mobile unit typically stays within a 115 mile radius of West Lafayette, Indiana and serves facilities that qualify as partner shelters. Mission -Provide excellent and compassionate care to all animals entrusted to us -Contribute to the discovery of new knowledge in anesthesia and surgery -Promote engagement through the free exchange of information and the sharing of knowledge within the College of Veterinary Medicine and our constituents (shelter personnel, referring veterinarians, other institutions and collaborators), the general public and the biomedical community. Goals -Provide practical surgical hands-on experience for Purdue veterinary students. -Provide free spay and neuter surgeries for Indiana animal shelters so that animals that are adopted don’t contribute to unwanted litters and the problem of pet overpopulation. -Instill a philanthropic spirit in students so they continue to support animal shelters wherever they decide to work after graduation.