The Wet Lab Domino Effect
In October 2023, Peggy McCarthey was driving home from Nashville to Atlanta with United Spay Alliance's virtual conference playing in the car. Four and a half hours later, she knew she wanted to bring USA's hands-on wet lab training to Georgia. In this episode, she sits down with USA Executive Director Brianna Lovell Myers to talk about what happened next. A question card she turned in at a DeKalb County event led to a phone call. That call led to county funding. Within a year, a long list of partners was working together: Commissioner Michelle Long Spears, LifeLine Animal Project, the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association, and expert surgeon instructors Dr. Mary Elizabeth Ellard and Dr. Emi Kooyman. Together they launched Georgia's first wet lab, followed by the nation's first canine wet lab. Seven trainings and 26 veterinarians later, the idea has spread well beyond DeKalb, with clinics across the state hosting their own labs and waitlists growing. Peggy describes how the Georgia Pet Coalition is taking on the veterinary shortage from three directions: training the vets already practicing, passing student loan relief for shelter and nonprofit vets, and easing licensing for out-of-state vets. She also explains what she's learned as a volunteer advocate. Lawmakers don't need you to be an expert. They need you to be a resource. The episode ends with a powerful example of upstream prevention paying off: DeKalb County is increasing its free spay/neuter vouchers sixfold. Press Play Now For: How listening to a virtual conference on a road trip turned into a statewide training program "Getting another inch out of an opportunity," and how one county meeting led to both an ordinance and wet lab funding The partners behind Georgia's first wet labs, and why the instructors are the linchpin The story behind the first-in-the-nation canine wet lab, including a 100-pound patient The domino effect: how other clinics around Georgia have adapted the model for in-service training, relief vet recruitment, and public sessions Georgia Pet Coalition's three-part approach to the veterinary shortage Why passing a law is only half the battle, and what implementation really takes How post-surgery debriefs teach vets about shelter overpopulation and the best age to spay and neuter A quick look at USA's Feline Fix by Five campaign Peggy's advocacy recipe: collaborate, educate lawmakers, make incremental progress, and let opportunities emerge Why coalitions win campaigns A full-circle mentorship story that shows how one vet's training multiplies How DeKalb County went from 1,000 to 6,000 free spay/neuter vouchers Peggy's one takeaway for listeners who want to start advocating locally Resources & Links: Georgia Pet Coalition United Spay Alliance HQHVSN Wet Labs Feline Fix by Five LifeLine Animal Project United Spay Alliance
