Katrina at 20
20 heroic tales of people helping animals
as told to Sandra Sarr, LSU Vet Med strategic communications
Wendy Wolfson, DVM (LSU 1986), associate professor of shelter medicine
Dr. Wendy Wolfson performs a spay on a cat as part of the shelter medicine program. [Then] DVM student Jessica Enes (right) assisted Dr. Wolfson.
– Photo Credit: Ginger Guttner
“On this 20th year post-Hurricane Katrina moment, the memories are still there although a little faded. Twenty years ago, as the medical director for the LASPCA of New Orleans my world was turned upside down by the hurricane. Our shelter, which had been in the 9th ward had flooded, I lost my home, and most of my coworkers and friends had been displaced to the far reaches of the country.
Luckily, I still had a job as the SPCA set up a large rescue center in an old coffee warehouse on the West Bank of New Orleans. As the sole veterinarian caring for hundreds of animals it was stressful but rewarding. I met dozens of dedicated volunteers from across the country, learned how to work with the barest of essentials, and became a far better surgeon. Looking back, every bad moment could be matched by something wonderful.
In May of 2007, I was asked to start a shelter medicine program at the veterinary school. This was a great opportunity to help local shelters, teach students that shelters need veterinarians and show that shelter medicine was a “real and unique” aspect of veterinary medicine. Over the last 19 years LSU has built a strong shelter medicine program which has extended into all aspects of the veterinary school curriculum. Students learn surgical techniques, recognition of cruelty and neglect in pets, improve their exam skills, recognize common infectious diseases found in shelters and the importance of helping communities and pets in need.
From the ashes of the Phoenix rose a vibrant, long-lasting aspect of a progressive veterinary curriculum. From bad things, great things can happen.”