Update on Animal Rescues by LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Hurricane Katrina Emergency Animal Shelter at
LSU AgCenter's John M. Parker Coliseum
Visiting Hours: 6:00 AM until 10:00 PM daily
This website is updated as often as necessary to keep information current.
Last update: Tuesday September 06, 2005 01:24 PM CDT
The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA), the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal Control Association (LACA), the LSU AgCenter, and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) are managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and displaced animals.
Our Mission
To provide loving care and shelter for pets until they can be reunited with their families who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina
NOTE: Rumors that we have run out of room are NOT TRUE. We have plenty of space and are still accepting animals. We will remain in operation as long as necessary to reunite as many people and pets as possible.
Evacuees Seeking Pets That Were Boarded in Veterinary Clinics
At this time, animals from the following veterinary clinics are being housed at the John M. Parker Coliseum on the LSU Campus:
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Belle Chasse Animal Hospital
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Causeway Animal Hospital (some pets)
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Metairie Small Animal Hospital
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St. Tammany Animal Shelter
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Southern Animal Foundation
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The Cat Practice (Metairie)
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VCA Airline Animal Hospital
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Companion animals owned by people who were in Red Cross-associated evacuations (Causeway and I-10 bus staging area)
This list will be updated as needed.
If you are a pet owner whose animal was boarded at one of these facilities,
please call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov for information about your pet(s).
The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales is currently housing the following:
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Stray companion animals (may include pets that escaped from homes or were otherwise lost)
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Some pets belonging to Superdome evacuees
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Horses
Clinics and Shelters That Need to Transfer Pets
Please call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov to arrange for drop-off.
Pets Traveling With Owners
The LVMA is currently accepting pets at the Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, LSU in Shreveport, the Monroe Civic Center for small animals and the Ike Hamilton Center for large animals in Monroe, the Farmer’s Market in Alexandria, and the LSU Agricultural Center/Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge. Animals will be accepted 24 hours a day. Veterinarians will be on hand to handle any medical needs.
Owners are encouraged to be responsible for the feeding and cleaning of their pets at the Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge, but the SVM, along with volunteers from the Baton Rouge Veterinary Medical Association, will provide veterinary care. If for some reason, an owner is unable to care for a pet sheltered in the Parker Coliseum (e.g., the owner is housed in a special-needs shelter), volunteers will provide primary care, such as feeding and cleaning. The East Baton Rouge Animal Control Center will be taking stray animals.
The Parker Coliseum will be staffed 24 hours a day by a supervising veterinarian, student volunteers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, and others. Pets in the Coliseum will be given physical exams and Bordetella (kennel cough) vaccinations. If a pet requires medical attention and veterinary monitoring, it will be sent to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
People With Pets Who Are Evacuating New Orleans
The LA/SPCA will transport animals from pick-up points in New Orleans to the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The pick-up points have not yet been determined and are being coordinated with the agency charged with transporting people from New Orleans to other areas.
The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 St. Landry Rd., Gonzales, La., will serve as the primary staging area. Once the shelter is full, animals will be moved to temporary shelters in other areas of Louisiana and Texas.
The LA/SPCA Dorothy Dorsett Mobile Veterinary Center will be at the Lamar-Dixon Center to treat incoming animals as needed.
Confined Pets in Need of Rescue from Disaster Areas
Residents who left pets in their homes may call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov to leave information about the number of animals that need rescuing, their species, and their confined location.
Residents are now being allowed back into certain parts of the Greater New Orleans areas. While we will do everything we can to rescue as many animals as possible, your pets will have a better chance if you can get in and rescue them yourselves. Please watch the news media for announcements of which areas residents may re-enter.
If you do rescue your pet yourself after requesting rescue through this shelter, please notify us so that we can remove your name from the waiting list.
If you need a place to leave your pets for housing and care after rescue, please bring them to us at the John M. Parker Coliseum on the LSU Campus. We will care for them until you can be permanently reunited.
Donations
Financial donations are being accepted through the Dr. Walter J. Ernst, Jr. Veterinary Memorial Foundation at the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association.
Please make checks payable to the LVMA Dr. Walter J. Ernst Veterinary Memorial Foundation (write "Katrina Fund" on the memo line) and send to the LVMA, 8550 United Plaza Blvd., Suite 1001, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. They will be able to use these funds quickly. You may designate that your donation be used to care for animals directly, or that it may be used in support of the displaced veterinarians who are now in Baton Rouge helping to provide care for stranded animals.
A regional donation center is being established. Our needs include:
For the animals:
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large carboys for water
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harnesses
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canned cat and dog food
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feeding utensils
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disposable litter pans and cat litter
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zip-lock bags, 1 gallon size
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paper towels
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sheets and towels
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locks
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industrial-sized fans (36" or larger)
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extra-long heavy-duty extension cords
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Polaroid 600 film (for documenting animals' identity)
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water hoses and spray nozzles
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latex gloves
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cotton balls
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pharmaceuticals
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medical supplies (e.g., syringes, IV bags, etc.)
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trash bags, 50 gallon size
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pooper scoopers
For the volunteers:
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bottled water
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soft drinks
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ice
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non-perishable snacks
Critical equipment needs:
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Laptop computers, 5 needed (Windows OS)
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High-speed heavy-use photocopy machine
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High-speed printer, preferably laser
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Fax machine
But
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The most urgent need is for monetary donations
For more information or to arrange donations of any materials listed above:
Please call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm
FAX (225) 237-5665
e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov
In Baton Rouge, donors of material goods may take them directly to the Coliseum. All others, please send material donations to this address:
Volunteers (minimum age: 16) are needed to work in the pet shelter at John M. Parker Coliseum. In Baton Rouge, please come directly to the Coliseum and ask for the Volunteer Coordinator to sign up. Or you may call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or e-mail Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov for more information.
If you live outside the Baton Rouge area and would like to volunteer your time to work in one of the Emergency Animal Shelters, please call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm, or send an e-mail to Katrina@ldaf.louisiana.gov with your name and contact information, level of experience (e.g., veterinarian, veterinary assistant/technician, animal control worker, lay volunteer, etc., and please indicate any specialized skills you may have), your level of self-sufficiency, when you can travel to Baton Rouge, and how long you can stay.
posted by Anonymous at 10:15 PM
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