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Cedar Falls, Iowa, Veterinarian Helps Pets Abandoned By Hurricane Victims

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 October 2005, 00:01 CDT

By Jon Ericson, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Oct. 3--CEDAR FALLS -- Hurricane Katrina left hundreds of thousands people homeless.

On top of that, thousands of pets were abandoned, their owners forced to leave them behind as the shelters set up around the South did not allow animals.

Now a Cedar Falls veterinarian and a veterinary technician will drive south to care for the evacuee pets.

"They've got over 1,000 dogs. They're trying to place them at other shelters and in other homes," said Dr. Kent Melick. "They can't house these dogs indefinitely."

Melick and the technician, Chris Carlo, will travel to Baton Rouge, La., Oct. 10. They plan to spend a week there at Louisiana State University, where the pets are housed.

Melick first called the Humane Society to offer his help. They didn't have anything set up for him, so he thought about just driving down to see where he could contribute. In the meantime, his wife had been searching on the Internet and found a registry for veterinarians to help. He signed up, then received a call two weeks ago.

"It worked out much better to be part of an organized effort," Melick said.

Still, Melick doesn't know what to expect when he reaches Baton Rouge.

"I don't know how many veterinarians they have at one time," he said.

A number of veterinarians have been rotating through the temporary shelter. Melick had been put on the list shortly after the hurricane and waited for the call.

Melick searched for a hotel room in Baton Rouge to no avail. He will be put up on a cot, but said he was told they will have showers available.

He already made a contribution to the hurricane relief. He traveled to Cedar Rapids last week, where he examined a couple dozen dogs that had been relocated from the Gulf Coast. He vaccinated the dogs and drew blood for heartworms.

He was surprised at the results --- 11 of 24 dogs tested positive for heartworm.

"It's a year-round heartworm area, so it's a lot more common," Melick said.

LSU's School of Veterinary Medicine took the lead in housing and caring for pets following Hurricane Katrina. The pets are housed at the John M.

Parker Coliseum, a facility in the LSU agriculture center.

Melick will be part of the last wave of help for the remaining animals at the shelter. LSU's veterinary program plans to end its operations at the shelter at the conclusion of Melick's week there.

Melick has practiced veterinary medicine in Cedar Falls since 1980. He runs the Companion Animal Clinic on Waterloo Road.

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To see more of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.wcfcourier.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Waterloo Courier

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