ANNOUNCING THE APPOINTMENT OF DR. BRAD CRAUER IN-HOUSE SHELTER VETERINARIAN

Dawn Davies, executive director of the Wenatchee Valley Humane Society (WVHS), announces the appointment of Dr. Brad Crauer to the recently-created position of in-house shelter veterinarian. Dr. Crauer will be responsible for overseeing a shelter medicine program at WVHS, with a strong emphasis on spay/neuter surgery.

“This appointment helps us realize a dream we have been working on for some time,” notes Davies. “We want every homeless animal that comes through our doors to have a thorough in-house vet check-up, and to receive spay/neuter surgery as quickly as possible to ensure they are ready for adoption with little delay.”

Davies points out that the volume of spay/neuter surgeries the shelter requires can often overwhelm the important partnerships WVHS has with the veterinarian community in our area. “With an in-house veterinarian, these will be handled more efficiently, and routine health checks will avoid delays in treatment,” Davies says. “We will still need to rely on our veterinarian partners for more complex surgeries and treatments on specific cases, and greatly appreciate all they do for us, often without advance warning, and during evening and weekend hours.”

Dr. Crauer has served as Assistant Professor at Kansas State University, where he developed a shelter medicine program. Prior to joining the faculty at Kansas State University, he served as Seattle Humane Society’s Chief Medical Officer and as an Adjunct Professor at Washington State University. He is a 1991 Iowa State University graduate with over 20 years of experience as a veterinarian and administrator in private practice, emergency and shelter facilities.

“When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Dr. Crauer acted as an advisor to FEMA and was the lead veterinarian in charge of rescue, triage, treatment and long-term management of an evacuation shelter,” Davies says. “We believe his background equips him very well for the position at WVHS.”
Dr. Crauer’s family includes his wife, two college age children, two dogs and two Katrina rescue cats. He will begin his position at WVHS in July of this year.