Even before they’ve graduated, the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2017 is improving the quality of life for countless animals with a class gift to the Ingham County Animal Control and the Community Spay Neuter Initiative Partnership (C-SNIP).

During their four years of veterinary school, the class raised money via club and organization membership dues and fundraising. These funds go toward caps and gowns, class parties, and other events. At the end of those four years, any leftover money is designated as a class gift. In years past, classes have furnished student-only areas within the College, scholarships for students, textbooks for clinics, and even artwork for the College. This year, the Class of 2017 decided to give back to the non-profit organizations that helped them during their education.

“We wanted to do something different,” said Michelle Clancy, president of the Class of 2017. “We wanted to give back and thank those who helped us develop skills we will need every day as veterinarians. Since we were the first class to benefit from the partnership with these organizations, giving back to them just makes sense.”

This year, the College’s Small Animal Primary Care rotation partnered with Ingham County Animal Control. For two days each week, students visited the animal shelter to perform spay and neuter surgeries on soon-to-be-adopted animals. Other procedures performed during the rotation included hernia repairs and dental cleanings.

“Ingham County Animal Control is currently building a new shelter, and the money donated by the Class of 2017 will outfit the new surgical suite with anesthesia and surgery equipment,” said Clancy.

C-SNIP is a high-volume, high-quality spay and neuter nonprofit organization in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their services are available for publicly owned animals at a subsidized cost. The elective clerkship with C-SNIP allows students to perform nearly 100 surgeries during their three-week rotation, as well as learning pre-surgical exams and anesthesia techniques. The Class of 2017’s donation will provide $10 spay and neuter surgeries to 31 cats on May 4, which is the day before they graduate.

“All of us at C-SNIP are so appreciative of this generous donation from the Class of 2017,” said Sharon Caldwell-Newton, the executive director of C-SNIP. “This gift was timely because our appointments booked for cats have been lower than average in the past few weeks. Using this donation as an extra incentive to convince pet owners to spay and neuter their cats has allowed us to spay 31 additional cats in just one day.”