We provide the best possible care for all our dogs, for both routine matters and serious problems. In order to monitor every dog’s health and also to keep our costs manageable, it is vital that fosters tell us about health issues (including post-surgery complications). If you have questions or think your dog needs an appointment, your first contact is Blanca Carbia, who will assess the situation and make an appointment as needed. Fosters may not make vet appointments or alter care on their own.
Please help us serve our dogs, maintain good relations with our partner vets, and not break the bank by following these guidelines!
Veterinary Community Outreach Program (VCOP)
All heartworm treatments and most spay/neuter surgeries are at UF’s Veterinary Community Outreach program located between the Small Animal Hospital and the Large Animal Hospital.
Click here for specific directions on how to get to VCOP.
Timing
Dogs should be at the vet school at 9:00 A.M. for heartworm treatments. They can be dropped off and left for the rest of the day if needed, or you can wait and take them back home after the shot (about 15 minutes). If your foster dog will be staying, we need to know in advance so we can request a kennel. For spay/neuter appointments, the dog should be at shelter medicine between 8:00-8:30 A.M. Please DO NOT be late — it messes up the schedule for everyone!
Rescue Representative
VCOP staff require that a rescue rep – usually Blanca – be present every time a foster drops off or picks up a dog, in order to reduce confusion. Please call or text Blanca when you arrive and wait for her in the parking lot. The veterinarians deal with dozens of animals every week and we need to keep things as clear as possible so they can continue to help as many animals as possible.
Surgery Preparation
Dogs who are having spay/neuter or other surgeries (any procedure requiring general anesthesia) should have no food after 10:00 P.M. the night before the procedure. The exception is young puppies, who should have a small meal in the morning. All dogs can have water without restriction. For dogs receiving heartworm treatments, no special preparation is needed prior to the shot, although you will receive guidelines for after care.
Heartworm Treatment
Please click HERE for detailed information regarding heartworm treatment. Please follow these instructions very carefully, and also heed any additional instructions provided by the vets and/or rescue reps. Heartworm treatment can be a matter of life and death if you do not follow guidelines, especially about exercise restrictions.
Directions to VCOP
- From the corner of SW 13th Street and SW 16th Avenue, head west on SW 16th Avenue.
- Follow SW 16th Avenue past UF Health Shands to Shealy Drive (there is a stoplight there and you will see ShandsCair on your right and the UF Small Animal Hospital on your left).
- Turn left on Shealy Drive.
- Follow Shealy Drive for about a block. You will pass the UF Small Animal Hospital on your left and UF Large Animal Sciences on your right.
- Turn left into the small parking lot that is across from Large Animal Sciences, on the southwest side of the small animal hospital.
- There are a few metered spaces outside and a sign at the door that says “Veterinary Community Outreach”.
If you are meeting a rescue rep there, please wait in the parking lot with your dog. If you are going for a 2nd or 3rd heartworm shot and do not need a rep, you can go in, but please follow any instructions they give you — e.g., if they ask you to wait outside while they finish with another dog.
For more information, please read these guidelines from the vet school: Clinic-Information-Sheet
Other Veterinary Care
For any procedures that VCOP does not provide, including vaccinations, infections, wounds, etc., we work with several local Gainesville vets. Our main veterinary partners are Gainesville Animal Hospital (West, located off Tower Rd. near Newberry Rd., and East, located on NW 6th St). If your foster dog has a health issue, contact Blanca directly. We can usually get an appointment within a day or two for non-emergency issues. Gainesville Animal Hospital East does not require appointments, but you do need prior authorization from Blanca or another board member.
Emergencies
If your foster dog has a veterinary emergency during regular business hours (8:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. weekdays, 8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. on weekends) and you cannot reach Blanca, please contact another board member to authorize the visit. If the situation is life-threatening and it is not normal business hours, the dog will need to go to Affiliated Pet Emergency Services (APES) on West University Avenue off Tower Road. Again, please contact Blanca first, and then other board members, in order to authorize the visit. If it is life threatening and you cannot reach any of us (e.g., it is the middle of the night), take the dog to APES and tell them it is a POPB foster dog. At least one board member is almost always available, even late at night, so please call!