MIDLAND, Texas — NewsWest 9 reported in July of 2023 about Midland and Odessa working together to hire a veterinarian that would spend time in both cities, and while their efforts have not been successful yet, Midland has taken a step in the right direction.
On Jan. 22, Midland Animal Services (MAS) announced the hiring of a part-time veterinarian.
The veterinarian is expected to provide a valuable resource for the shelter to help both animals and staff. While this veterinarian will be part-time -- working Thursdays, Saturdays and also Sunday if needed -- having a consistent and regular veterinarian will benefit MAS in more ways than one.
“It will provide us the opportunity to get animals spayed and neutered in-house, which is huge because then we are not contributing to the problem of the overall population of animals," MAS Manager Melissa Griffin-Hobson said.
Midland Animal Services already has the facilities in place.
“We have a clinic that’s fully stocked with medications, two surgical tables [and] recovery kennels for both large and small animals," Griffin-Hobson said.
A surgery suite important for what the shelter is faced with, says Griffin-Hobson.
“Once a week we usually get in something injured or sick, and in the past, we had to make that decision if it was cost effective or we had the resources to treat, and having a part-time veterinarian will really help with that because they can provide just a medical opinion," Griffin-Hobson said.
That medical opinion could help save more pets from being euthanized, a reality that helps staff members too.
“When we don’t have a veterinarian, it’s the supervisors that have to make those medical decisions, and it will be nice to have that opinion from a veterinarian because it is a huge burden mentally on the staff," Griffin-Hobson said.
Providing more medical care is a benefit for all the animals in the shelter.
“They can help us check the health of the animal," Griffin-Hobson said. "If there’s an obvious illness or injury they can treat them, but also providing just check-ups on all the animals to make sure that we are sending the animals out healthy.”
There is optimism from Midland Animal Services on what the future will look like.
“I think it’s going to be a great partnership, and we’re looking forward to it," Griffin-Hobson said.
Griffin-Hobson mentioned that there has been a huge focus on getting a veterinarian since she took over as manager on August 1, 2023. While this is progress for MAS, they are still actively recruiting for a full-time veterinarian.