In Cedar Rapids a large shelter had been wiped out by the flood.  Animals from the shelter, along with hundreds of owned pets were being housed at Kirkwood Community College Animal Health Campus, a veterinary technician program.  The Iowa Veterinary Medical Association sent requests to the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Organization for assistance.  The board of the Veterinary Hospital Association offered a grant of $5K in medical supplies, and other veterinarians throughout Minnesota donated supplies to the office of the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association.  Thursday, June 19, we loaded my motor home with the supplies, including of course, my dog, Ansel, and headed for Cedar Rapids. 

I could see how green and lush the foliage was and how high the water level was on the rivers and lakes, as I headed south on I-35.  As I turned east, I saw more and more corn fields with stunted growth and large brown pools of stagnant water.  At Waterloo, IA the Cedar River was visibly swollen and evidence of flooding could be seen in the muddy ditches and riverside parks.  In Cedar Rapids, I saw a tank truck washed up under a bridge, and piles of refuse outside of every house and business.

I arrived at the college in the evening.  Set high on a hill on the south side of town, it showed no evidence of the flood.  I checked in at the main building of the tech school.  People in red t-shirts from EARS (Emergency Animal Rescue Society) were sitting outside, resting after a busy day.  Inside tables were piled high with donated pet food, beds, and kennels, as well as tables for registering volunteers.  I met Ann Duffy and Dr. Randy Ackman, who teach at the college, and coordinated the medical care of over 800 cats, dogs, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs, and lizards.  With the help of a bucket brigade, we unloaded the supplies.  I parked the motor home at one of the campsites at the equestrian center, complete with electrical hook-up.  Ansel and I took a walk through the surrounding fields and then turned in.

Friday the morning started at 8 am.  Volunteers were everywhere: from EARS, American Humane Society, Humane Society of the U.S., and people from the community including veterinarians, technicians and students from the college; everyone had a job.  Once checked in, I was given a tour of the facility.  It was a perfect base for operations with skilled personnel, multiple wards, meeting rooms, a kitchen and laundry room, a treatment room, kennels and a fenced yard.  It had been days since the first flooding, but animals were still coming in for housing after being rescued.  Every pet received a physical examination from a veterinarian, vaccination for Rabies and DHPP for dogs, PRC for cats.  Each pet was micro-chipped, thanks to a donation of Home Again chips from Schering.  A topical parasite preventative was applied and an identification photo was taken.

My first job was to help walk dogs kenneled at the base building.  I said I was good with big and difficult dogs, so I was lead to a kennel in the middle of the outdoor runs.  With ears flat against her head and a baleful look in her eyes was Lady, an obese Golden Retriever.  When I moved toward the door, she put it in reverse and backed up to the wall with surprising speed and grace, a textbook expression of fear.  With treats, coaxing, a non-threatening stance, and no eye contact, I was able to get a slip lead on her and take her into the yard.  Walking these highly stressed dogs, with likely little socialization, gave me an opportunity to use all I've learned over the years about dog behavior.  Each dog I walked had a story I could only guess, but my heart went out to them all.  The two rowdy adolescent White German Shepherds who decorated my shirt with paw prints.  The overweight Rottweiller with severe skin infections.  And especially Tonka, designated as an especially dangerous dog, she looked like a Rottweiller/Mastiff mix who let me walk her, pet her, and ever so slightly wagged her bobbed tail after our walk.

My next job was more medical.  Mike, a vet from the area and I were to walk through the Equine center, where most of the animals were housed, to administer medical treatments and look for any new problems.  Dogs were kept free in the new wooden stalls with clean wood shavings for bedding.  Dogs from the same household were housed in the same stall.  Each stall door was labeled with all the information on the animal: name, owner information, medical condition and treatments.  Those who were rescued were designated as "Unknown."  Cats were housed in large kennels stacked in stalls in a separate area from the dogs.  Several cats had litters of kittens.  The walkways were crowded with volunteers feeding and walking the animals, cleaning stalls, aisles and litter boxes, and people trying to find animals they lost during the flood.

Every kind of dog was represented, from Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds, to terrier mixes, puggles, and Japanese Chin.  Most of the dogs were relaxed and happy to meet a new person.  I offered each a bite of bland canned food to check their appetites, and gave medications that had been previously prescribed.  A couple of dogs were too shy to approach me but I made sure they were responsive to my presence, able to stand, and that the stalls were clean.  I especially enjoyed interacting with my friends, the pit bulls, and played a bit of fetch with a trio of little terriers. The cats also looked good.  A few were shy and preferred not to interact, but many came right up to the front of the cage to say "hi."  The only sign of illness I saw was diarrhea in one cat's litter box.  I was able to prescribe medication and get the cat started on treatment right away.

Back at the intake area, animals were still coming in: a pair of Siamese cats, a frightened Rottweiller, and a ferret found in a trash container behind a theater.  I was impressed with the patience and care with which each animal was handled.  Muzzles were used sparingly.  Considerations for individual's physical and emotional needs were also accounted for.  I will take many lessons from Iowa on how we might manage a disaster here at home.

I added the cat with diarrhea to the central treatment board, helped package some of the supplies we had delivered for distribution among the three buildings that housed animals, and walked Ansel once more before the drive home.  I had lunch at Al & Irene's Barbecue which was highly recommended by the locals, when a cloudburst flooded the streets.  If only for 15 minutes, it gave me a taste of what this community has been living with.  It was a rewarding experience ; bringing to the people and animal in Iowa some of our time, veterinary expertise, and medical supplies from the people of Minnesota.