RACS is a company that was essentially born out of the idea of animal wellness, and building humane and efficient protocols and products for treating animals in a clinical environment.
This article is about the published AVMA guidelines regarding animal care for veterinary professionals. It is partly an overview of the guidelines and partly, it showcases the carryover of the basic principles to our product mix. We produce animal-centric products that assist veterinary professionals in treating animals in both clinical and other pet well-being facilities (like kennels, doggy day cares, and rehabilitation facilities, among others).
Best Practices in Animal care for clinics and other associated veterinary organizations
Veterinary professionals are generally very well trained and educated on best practices in animal welfare during their service cycle related to those animals. This is not an article that seeks to teach anything new conceptually, rather, we seek to add our thoughts on the ongoing importance of having animal safety and health at the forefront of day-to-day operations.
Furthermore, we believe we offer products that can help you as a veterinary professional, business owner or service provider in providing world class service while adhering to the best practices established by industry recognized think tanks, including the highlighted organization in this article – the AVMA.
Why Animal Care best practices exist – and how veterinary related organizations can use them to maximum effect
Pets matter. Animals matter. For those committed to careers in the animal industries, we know how important it is to you that providers of tooling, infrastructure and veterinary care solutions align with generally agreed upon guidelines.
We are proud to put animals first, while still significantly aiding veterinarians and staff in working more efficiently and with more streamlined, easy to implement workflows. Our flooring is an incredible option for many facilities. We invite you to review the benefits of RACS animal flooring solutions.
What are the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) Companion Care Guidelines
You can find an excellent list of animal care guidelines HERE by the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association).
It involves a multi-faceted approach to general animal welfare while in the care of professionals.
In order to keep this article somewhat brief, you may also consider viewing more in-depth analysis on the specified guidelines at the link immediately above on the AVMA website. We intend to provide only a high level overview of the topic here.
Husbandry
Husbandry is a well established industry segment, and is crucial to ensure safe, comfortable existence for the animals we all love. In the AVMA guidelines the following are included under the topic of Husbandry:
- Housing or caging
- Feeding
- Watering
- Bedding
Environment
Environmental best practices include the following:
- Temperature and Humidity
- Ventilation
- Lighting
- Noise
- Social
Sanitation
Sanitation is unbelievably important in establishing and maintaining long, healthy lives for animals under care; the guidelines cover more in depth, the following:
- Cleaning
- Waste Disposal
- Vermin
Other guidelines in the AVMA policies
Some of the other aspects of the guidelines are not as applicable to a deeper dive here in this forum. They are nevertheless incredibly important.
Identification and Records
While the scope of this article doesn’t approach this topic directly, having a grasp on the origins and ownership or placement of animals is an important factor for veterinary facilities and the professionals that treat them, as well as the homes the pets reside in.
Weekend and Holiday Care
Animals should be planned for, even while caretakers are away. The best practices surrounding care between treatment and outside of “normal hours” is equally important
Disaster Plan
Unfortunately, many people don’t have disaster plans for themselves, let alone pets.
Fortunately, of late, there has been a push in the veterinary field to ensure there are overarching policies in place for disaster planning for animals under care. Furthermore, many governmental organizations at the local level will have planning in place that can assist broad based emergencies, or unexpected occurrences which might affect animals en masse. This is an important practice that should continue to be properly championed.
Veterinary Care and Euthanasia
Treatment for illness and disease, and end of life planning is directly related to veterinary programs. This is something that has been around since the beginnings of the industry.
We believe it would be inappropriate to try to cover this topic that has been covered better elsewhere in much more depth. Needless to say, we are proud to work with veterinary professionals that prioritize humane treatments and specialized programs to prioritize the best interests of the animals they treat while adhering to long-established best practices in this matter.
Overview of important points within the AVMA guidelines related to our product mix
Our flooring is an industry standout, we invite you to take a closer look at the products we offer in that market segment.
Below we highlight some great overlaps between our innovative designs and the best practices laid out earlier (and elsewhere by the AVMA).
RACS Products and how they address best practices in Housing and Caging
- RACS products include raised cage flooring in various sizes and styles for different procedures and varying patients, as well as kennel flooring and dog runs where a larger space is needed
- Safety is enhanced because our products are completely plastisol coated with no exposed steel edges, a smooth surface that is easy on paws and offers good traction
- Biological needs – our products retain ambient temperature, urine and feces fall through to the surface below where it can be easily flushed away.
- Cleanliness – animals stay clean and dry because of airflow and quick removal of waste
- The product itself dries quickly and won’t retain moisture – this means pets stay dry and comfortable, too
- Products are made of durable steel with 100% plastisol coating
- Cage floors lift easily for cleaning/disinfection and larger flooring for kennels/runs are made in easy to lift sections – Cleaning is Quick & Easy
- Each floor is one piece prior to the coating process – no ‘parts’ to break off. No sharp edges.
How RACS Products can improve the Bedding best practices
- Bedding is optional and not required. The plastisol (polyvinyl) surface is warm and dry
Temperature and Humidity considerations that can be solved with RACS Flooring
- Flooring remains at the facility’s ambient temperature.
Cleaning is easy to keep up with, when using RACS products
- All “common to the industry” cleaning and disinfecting products can be used
- All RACS cage, kennel, and run floors are autoclave safe
Waste Disposal is important for healthy animals, and RACS has designed an innovative product mix that prioritizes health and cleanliness
- Waste falls through to the surface below. Simply lift the floor to flush out. No need to remove the animal
RACS Flooring offers significant benefits to animals and veterinary professionals, by aligning directly with several AVMA Animal Care guidelines. In addition to these animal friendly inclusions, we think there are other strong points for our products. Click to view some additional insights about our flooring.
If you’re ready to talk about how RACS flooring solutions can help you in your veterinary or animal related practice or business, let’s have a conversation. We can answer any questions you may have.
You can also find out about our products more in-depth by looking throughout our website.
