Fall Animal Instructors Program
All spots for the Fall 2024 Neuter Program have been filled.
The physical exam program slots have been filled for Fall 2024.
Applications for the 2025 programs will open in June of 2025.
Fall Neuter Program
Neuter Program Requirements
Healthy intact (unaltered) male (boy) dog (no aggressive or feral animals).
This is a two day/1 night experience.
Dogs:
- Up to date on Distemper/Parvo (DHPP) vaccination. Must be administered by a veterinary professional (record required). Note: Two doses are required (3-4 weeks apart) if no previous vaccination history. If prior vaccination history is available then only one dose is required.
- Rabies vaccination is also required but can be done the day of surgery.
- The animal instructor program hosts vaccine clinics ahead of the semesters if your pet is otherwise qualified but needs the required vaccinations. Please see the FAQs for more information.
- Weight: 7 to 80 pounds
- Age: 4 months (16 weeks) or older
- Intact male dogs
- No cryptorchid (retained testicle)
Cats:
- No male or female cats will be enrolled at this time for Fall. Intact female cats can apply for the Spring Spay Program.
We reserve the right to decline an animal if deemed unhealthy or doesn’t meet the criteria.
Two weeks prior to your scheduled drop-off day you will receive an email with a survey that will need to be completed. A second survey will be sent one week prior to your drop-off day. The day prior to your appointment you will receive a confirmation phone call to the phone number listed during registration.
- The drop-off location will be on the back side of the College of Veterinary Medicine near Dock D. See the maps below to help guide you to the correct location.
- Please look for the “Animal Instructors Program” signs to assure you get to the drop-off location.
- We will stagger drop-off times to help reduce wait times, please arrive at the drop-off location at your assigned time to help prevent delays. Drop off times will be 1-3 p.m. and clients will receive a call when pets are out of surgery on Wednesday afternoon.
- Once you arrive, if you do not see someone outside to greet you, please call 540-232-2100 so that we know you have arrived. We will get you and your pet checked in and ensure we have the signed consent form for participation in the program. One of the staff members will come get your pet to take them inside, do a preliminary weight and health check, and get them settled. We do ask that you plan to wait 5-10 minutes during this period while we weigh your pet to confirm that they are within the range limits, and still qualify for the program.
You can expect to receive an update phone call from the student surgeon once your pet is out of surgery on Thursday after 1 p.m. They will be contacting you at the phone number provided at registration.
What to bring:
- You shouldn’t need to bring anything with you except for your pet. Dogs: Once we are able to switch out to one of our leashes, we will ask that you take your collar(s) and/or leash back home with you. We also ask that you do not bring any soft toys, blankets, etc. that could be chewed up, shredded, ingested, etc. This will help reduce the misplacement of belongings as well as help to ensure the safety of your pet during their stay.
- If you have a special diet you would prefer your pet to be fed please bring that with you. We will get the instructions at drop-off.
- If you decide you do not want to use the e-collar we provide, you can bring the one that you prefer to use and we can fit your pet.
- You will pick up at the same location that you dropped of (near Dock D at the College of Veterinary Medicine) See the maps below to help guide you to the correct location.
- Please look for the “Animal Instructors Program” signs to assure you get to the pickup location.
- Pick-up will occur between 4-5 p.m.
- Once you arrive, if you do not see someone outside to greet you, please call 540-232-2100 so that we know you have arrived. One of the staff will bring your pet out to you. You will receive discharge instructions, a rabies certificate (if applicable), and pain medication for your pet.
- Discharge instructions will be gone over with you and you will be able to ask any questions that you might have.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your pet post operatively please call 540-232-2100 or email cvmaip@vt.edu. If you are unable to reach someone, please leave a message and we will return your call within 12-24 hours.
- Participation in this program is 100% free of charge. It covers everything from the time of drop off through discharge, including pain medication to go home.
There is a possibility that your pet may be disqualified from having surgery for any of the following reasons:
- Once weighing your pet, if they are outside of the eligible range we will not be able to allow them to participate in the program. Dogs must be at least 7 pounds but not over 80 pounds.
- If your pet is not able to be handled by the staff and/or students
- If any of the pre-surgical tests fall within ranges that would deem it unsafe for your pet to undergo anesthesia at that time.
- Any medical issues noted during the physical exam that may cause complications for the procedure to be performed in this setting. Some issues might be more minor, requiring a course of antibiotics and then re-enrollment possible (ex: skin infection where the incision would be). Others may not allow for re-enrollment (ex: higher grade heart murmur)
- Any major medical issues discovered during the physical exam of your pet will not be worked up. We will provide you with paperwork documenting what we found that can be given to your primary care veterinarian.
- Yes, as long as your dog doesn’t get car sick, you can feed them. If you prefer to wait, we can offer your dog breakfast once it gets settled.
- The program will cover any complications that are related to the procedure as long as the owner has followed the post-op care instructions.
- Free neuter procedure for your pet
- All medications needed for the procedure including pain medication
- 4DX combination test for dogs (to check for tick borne illness and heartworms)
- Basic pre-anesthetic labwork (spot check kidney function and red blood cell volume)
- Vaccinations, if needed
- One dose of flea/tick preventative and heartworm preventative
- Nail trim and ear cleaning, if needed
- E-collar for your pet
- Optional free microchip with free lifelong registration, if your pet is not already microchipped.
- Thank you bag
- Contact us immediately at 540-232-2100 to inform us to allow time for us to give your spot to another animal instructor. We will do our best to get you rescheduled for a later date (once your pet is better and if open spaces are available).
- Your pet will need to have strict care after surgery for 10-14 days. Every patient will go home with a sheet explaining instructions to follow along with any other pertinent information specific to them.
- Activity restrictions include: no rough play, no running (leash walk only) or jumping, and no bathing or swimming.
- Your pet will need to wear an e-collar for 10-14 days to prevent chewing and/or licking at their incision site (which can lead to infection and/or the incision site coming open). We provide a standard plastic e-collar (see example image below). If you prefer to use a different style, please ensure the fit is appropriate.
- Incision site will need to be checked daily until sutures are removed.
- Your pet will go home with pain medication. You will need to give this to your pet once a day until it has been finished.
- Yes. Your pet will have to stay with us from drop-off day (the day prior to surgery) through to the afternoon after surgery. Your pet will have its pre-surgical workup completed prior to surgery. The surgeries start early in the morning, so we need all patients to be at the school.
- Dogs will be walked at least 3 times per 24 hours.
- Animals will be individually housed in stainless steel cages or a run, with bedding, based on their size. If your pet chews bedding we will have to remove it to reduce the chance of a foreign body.
- Room diffusers to aid with calming are used. Adaptil for dogs.
- We will provide food and water to your pets. Food is offered twice a day. If your pet has a special diet, please feel free to bring food for us to feed during its stay.
- We provide dogs with Purina EN (a prescription gastrointestinal (GI) diet) to help reduce any potential GI upset. Generally, we use dry, but we do have a canned option too.
- Food will be removed at 9 p.m. the evening prior to surgery, but your pet will always have access to water. Food will be offered on the day of surgery once the pet has recovered from anesthesia.
- Positive reinforcement and low-stress handling.
- All surgical procedures have an inherent risk associated with both the procedure and the anesthesia. However, we have a group of experienced veterinarians and veterinary technicians here to minimize those risks. Each student group is overseen continuously by an experienced faculty veterinarian from start to finish. A veterinary anesthesiologist oversees all anesthesia and we have a staff of licensed veterinary technicians assisting.
- No. You will be assigned to a surgery date on a first come first serve basis. We only do surgeries on Wednesdays therefore all drop-offs will be on a Tuesday.
If you have questions about the program please email us at cvmaip@vt.edu.
For more urgent matters or if your pet is a current patient in the hospital you can call us at 540-232-2100. Texting this phone line is also an option but you may leave a voicemail and we will return your call within 12-24 hours.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Fall Physical Exam Program
Physical Exam Program Requirements
This is a one day experience that will be repeated 3-4 times throughout the semester. You must attend at least one pre-enrollment clinic during the summer for behavior assessment and vaccines.
Dogs:
- Will receive 1 year heartworm/flea/tick prevention at completion (You must attend all assigned experiences to qualify)
- Male and female dogs are welcome, no age or weight restrictions
- Must be up to date on Distemper/Parvo (DHPP) and Rabies vaccination. Must be administered by a veterinary professional (record required). (These can be completed during summer clinics.)
- The animal instructor program hosts vaccine clinics ahead of the semesters if your pet is otherwise qualified but needs the required vaccinations. Please see the FAQs for more information.
Cats:
- No male or female cats will be enrolled for this program.
We reserve the right to decline an animal if deemed unhealthy or doesn’t meet the criteria.
Two weeks prior to your scheduled drop-off day you will receive an email with a survey that will need to be completed. A second survey will be sent one week prior to your drop-off day. The day prior to your appointment you will receive a confirmation phone call to the phone number listed during registration.
- The drop-off location will be on the back side of the College of Veterinary Medicine near Dock D. See the maps below to help guide you to the correct location.
- Please look for the “Animal Instructors Program” signs to assure you get to the drop-off location.
- We will stagger drop-off times to help reduce wait times, please arrive at the drop-off location at your assigned time to help prevent delays. Drop-off will occur between 8:30-9:30 a.m.
- Once you arrive, if you do not see someone outside to greet you, please call 540-232-2100 so that we know you have arrived. We will get you and your pet checked in and ensure we have the signed consent form for participation in the program.
What to bring:
- You shouldn’t need to bring anything with you except for your pet. Dogs: Once we are able to switch out to one of our leashes, we will ask that you take your collar(s) and/or leash back home with you. We also ask that you do not bring any soft toys, blankets, etc. that could be chewed up, shredded, ingested, etc. This will help reduce the misplacement of belongings as well as help to ensure the safety of your pet during their stay.
- If you have a special diet you would prefer your pet to be fed please bring that with you. We will get the instructions at drop-off.
- Participation in this program is 100% free of charge. It covers everything from the time of drop off through discharge.
If you attend all assigned experiences you will receive:
- Will receive 1 year heartworm/flea/tick prevention at completion
- Nail trim and ear cleaning, if needed
- Vaccinations, if needed
- Thank you bag
- Contact us immediately at 540-232-2100 so that we can try to find a replacement and we can discuss scheduling of the next physical exam experience if/when the pet is feeling better.
- No. You will be assigned to participation dates on a first come first serve basis.
- Following the teaching labs, your pet has had a big day of socializing with students and being handled. It’s normal for them to be tired from all the fun, however please reach out to us if there are any concerns. You can expect a discharge time between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. All pets must be picked up before 5 p.m. or face disqualification from the program.
- We have a group of experienced veterinarians and veterinary technicians here to minimize those risks. Each student group is overseen continuously by an experienced faculty veterinarian from start to finish.
If you have questions about the program please email us at cvmaip@vt.edu.
For more urgent matters or if your pet is a current patient in the hospital you can call us at 540-232-2100. Texting this phone line is also an option but you may leave a voicemail and we will return your call within 12-24 hours.
Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.