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Intake Planning, Evaluation and Data Entry
Table of Contents
Intake capacity planning
Intake Staff
Intake area design and layout
General intake room guidelines and procedures
Intake Procedue
Housing choice and pathway planning
Intake Area Supply List
Intake evaluations are a critical control point for animals entering the shelter system. Identifying problems at intake helps:
- Ensure each animal receives care promptlyProvide information to facilitate adoption, transfer or
- alternate placement where appropriate.
- Limit exposure of sick animals to the rest of the population
- Enhance safety for animals and staff
Recognition of highly adoptable animals will help speed their way to a positive outcome. Appropriate intake pathway planning will lead to shorter shelter stays and improved animal health and welfare..
Intake capacity planning
Estimating how many animals will arrive on any given day guides planning for adequate intake staffing. Comparison of daily or monthly intake to outcomes guides population management. Intake and flow-through plans must address any substantial disparity between intake and live release.
It is important to calculate the number of animals likely to be admitted each day on a monthly basis in order to account for seasonal variations. The expected average daily intake (Monthly Daily Average, or MDA) can be calculated by dividing the number of animals admitted during a given month by the number of days in the month. The number of animals anticipated on a monthly basis can be determined based either on policies or schedules that control intake or on numbers and trends from previous years. (For example, if a trend of a 33% increase in intake has been seen in each previous month compared to the year prior, intake planning should assume a 33% increase in the next month.) Because these estimates are based on average numbers, there may be more or less animals entering on any given day.
Staff the intake area to meet seasonal and daily variations in intake. Time how long it takes for a trained staff member to perform an intake evaluation with all steps, as described in your protocols. Multiply the number of minutes required for each intake procedure by the MDA intake to determine staffing needs. (for example: 15 minutes * 10 cats / day = 150 minutes or 2.5 hours) Whenever possible, plan for a team of two. Seasonal staff may be necessary in the summer to assist with the influx of cats during kitten season. When seasonal staff are utilized, pairing a highly trained intake team member with a seasonal assistant may reduce training requirements and save money.
Intake Staff
Intake staff should have training in medical and behavioral evaluation, infectious disease transmission and control, and population management. Intake procedures should be performed by a team, for the safety of both the animals and staff. Ideally, specialized staff, who have not been handling animals already in the shelter, focus exclusively on intake.
Intake staff should be provided with protective clothing that can be easily changed during the day, after handling potentially infectious animals. If intake staff must also handle other animals already in the shelter, precautions must be taken to minimize disease transmission, such as washing hands and donning a clean top before performing intake.
Intake area design and layout
The intake area should be an easy to clean, quiet area. A few housing units may be placed in the intake area but they should be designed such that an animal is only there for a few hours at most. Plan intake evaluations to minimize kennel moves and repeated handling. Materials should be readily available to complete an intake exam and disinfect the area for the next animal. Depending on the population, multiple intake areas may be appropriate, divided by species, health status, or arrival status.General intake room guidelines and procedures
- Intake area should be cleaned and disinfected between animals
- Carriers must be disinfected after each animal
- Assign separate intake areas for cats and dogs
- When possible, assign a separate intake area for sick animals
- House incoming healthy animals in clean, disinfected housing units away from sick animals
- Intake areas should ideally be used exclusively for intake; other areas should be designated for examination of sick animals and for euthanasia. If this is not possible, the area should never be used for both purposes simultaneously, and should be thoroughly disinfected before being used for intake
Intake procedure
Individual shelters must assess the needs of their population to determine exact intake steps. Some critical steps include the following:
- Assess the animal initially before removing the animal from its cage
- Scan for microchip and look for other identification
- Estimate the age and sex of the animal
- Record intake weight
- Complete a brief physical exam include a Wood’s lamp exam (Mike, can you link to ringworm page and Kate’s physical exam sheet here?)
- Vaccinate
- Complete a brief assessment of the animal’s behavior
- Record intake health and behavior status and exam findings in paper records or computer database
- De-worm/apply external parasite control
- Address sick and injured animals promptly
- Assign an initial pathway plan including initial housing location
Housing choice and pathway planning
- Puppies and kittens under 6 weeks of age
- Puppies and kittens between 6 weeks and 5 months of age
- Animals for immediate transfer
- Sick animals with infectious disease
- Isolate or remove from the population
- When possible, separate animals for infectious skin disease, GI disease, and respiratory disease
- Non-infectious injured or sick animals
- Dangerous animals or those requiring quarantine
- Feral animals
- Candidates for immediate adoption
- Stray animals requiring legal holding
- Other required holding
- Animals to be euthanized
Intake Area Supply List
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