We love highlighting those whose unique perspectives and contributions help make Greater Madison the incredible place it is, which is why it’s always difficult to whittle down the number of topics for our Community + Culture issue.
I’ve wanted to feature Camille Carter for quite some time because of the impressive person she is and the extraordinary work she has done on behalf of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce. For several years, the Chamber only existed because of Camille’s talents, determination, and sacrifice. Now, with a new office space and tremendous staff, the Chamber is able to even better serve Madison’s Black-owned businesses in the capacity they need and deserve. We’ve also included an article specifically about the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce to share its history and goals.
As anyone in Greater Madison knows, we have an abundance of wonderful dining options. No matter what you’re craving, there’s a place that can accommodate deliciously. If you live or work in McFarland, you’ve likely frequented Palenque on Highway 51/ Stoughton Road. Owner Andres Castellano expresses gratitude for the community’s support of his restaurant’s Mexican cuisine. You certainly don’t have to be from McFarland to feel connected to the restaurant and staff, coming for the food and returning over and over because they feel like family.
cover photograph
Molcajete Fajita at Palenque taken by Eric Tadsen photographs on page 3 (top left to right):
Provided by Dane County Humane Society
Provided by Madison Music Foundry (bottom left to right): Landscape Dusk Porto Portugal, 2021 taken by Tara Rueping Camille Carter taken by Talia Nchang/ Expressions Photography
Whether it’s seeing local bands or nationally recognized performers, music is everywhere in Madison. Madison Music Foundry is “giving musicians of all ages, skill levels, and genres a place to grow as artists.” It’s an incredible opportunity for those who want somewhere to go to be supported while creating new music.
We also include many other great stories, including Dane County Humane Society’s mission to help animals, even those outside their own walls, by assisting other organizations with animal care services; Dr. Lori Scarlett’s, DVM, great news about FIP; the wide range of Tara Rueping’s artistic talents; and we pay tribute to the late Lauri Lee, who was an incredible force in our community.
In this and every issue, we hope the stories we share encourage you to support those individuals, organizations, and businesses who work on behalf of their communities and that you’re motivated to have a positive impact on your community as well.
Mexican Bar & Grill
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY
Throughout the dozens of Mexican restaurants in the Greater Madison area, one theme rings true: family. Ask a food truck vendor where their taco recipe comes from or a restaurant owner how they make it all work, the answer is almost always the same. It’s family. A father’s recipe, the kids helping clean tables, sisters and brothers working in the kitchen. And for many Latinos, family doesn’t stop at the front door. Everyone is welcome, and when it comes to Palenque Mexican Bar & Grill, success is measured by community.
Owner Andres Castellano couldn’t say enough about how grateful he is to have opened a restaurant in McFarland. “It’s a great community. They’ve supported the restaurant very well. I can say we chose the best town to open a restaurant
Molcajete Fajita
in, honestly.” He wasn’t expecting to be so successful so quick, even opening a second location in Beaver Dam. Through COVID and other hiccups, McFarland residents have always been there.
Meals to Andres are a reflection of his values. It’s family first, and the food is the reason to get together. “Each kitchen in Mexican houses, when you enjoy a meal, is a special moment for everyone,” says Andres. “Everyone sits together, and we’re all together at the same time. It’s not even sitting down to eat—it’s cooking, the whole thing. The whole meeting with brothers, sisters, moms, and dads, it’s a tradition. With my son, he prepares the whole carne asada. My son is only eight years old.”
I don’t know if Andres’ son is preparing the carne asada street tacos at the restaurant, but it’s a recipe as good as it is simple: grilled steak, cilantro, and onion on corn tortillas with a slice of lime. And if you’re looking for something a little more involved, consider the molcajete: chicken, steak, shrimp, and chorizo with green onions. “The key is the chipotle sauce and melted cheese on top,” says Andres. “Our molcajete is the number one customer favorite.”
Almost every recipe on the menu is Andres’—a few come from his mother— but he doesn’t have any formal training. Over the course of his life, he’s worked from the back of the house to the front. As he puts it, “I’m not a chef, but I’ve cooked most of my life.”
Having been a McFarland staple, it’s surprising to learn Palenque is only nine years old, opening on February 18, 2016. When it first opened, the dining area was only half the size it is now, but even ardent locals may not remember the restaurant’s humble beginnings because it was only “six months after opening, the lady next door left. The owner of the building asked if we wanted to expand. I was like, why not?”
With the help of his brother, father, and a few friends, Andres added on to the existing eight tables to make something that truly had room for everyone. Of course, if everyone is coming over for lunch and dinner, it’s important to be
accommodating, which explains the diverse menu.
Consider the small steak menu, featuring T-bones cooked to order and served in a range of ways, from Mexicano to Gringo (the former served with sauteed onions,
Quesadilla Mazatlan
tomatoes, and green peppers and the latter served with fries). And if you’re bringing some picky eaters or are just in the mood for some Americana, there’s even cheeseburgers.
But the vibe is distinctly Central American. From the flagstone bar, which displays a nice array of spirits, to the bright and colorful furniture, each depicting a one-of-a-kind image, it feels more authentic than the sepia-filtered scenes in Breaking Bad . “All the booths, chairs, and tables, they come from Guadalajara, Mexico,” says Andres. “They’re hand carved. Each table and chair is a piece of art to me.”
So yes, through marrying place and culture, there are margaritas, but there are also brandy Old Fashioneds. And yes, there are nine different tequilas, but there’s also Scotch. There’s Jarritos, but there’s also Sprite. It’s an ode to community, both Andres’ and McFarland’s.
Also on the menu are a variety of enchiladas. If you ask Andres which is the best, he’ll steer you toward the Enchiladas Poblanos. Four rolled corn tortillas, one with ground beef, another
Chimichanga Acapulco
with shredded chicken, a third with shredded cheese, and the last with refried beans, dipped in poblano sauce then topped with lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and tomato. But, as it has been since the beginning, it’s a big menu, filled with fajitas, chimichangas, taquitos, and more. “I don’t like to do many menu changes because, sooner or later, some customer will come back disappointed.”
There are even vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free items that are easy to find on the menu. Depending on lifestyle or dietary restrictions, a customer might enjoy a spinach quesadilla, spinach enchiladas, or a cheese quesadilla filled with grilled mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers.
It’s inspiring to see just how far Andres has gone to create a space everyone feels welcome in. I’m reminded of my college roommate, Rico. He invited me to everything, and his Mexican mother and Puerto Rican father were always happy to feed everyone who came through their door. Just as important as it is to be a good host, the residents of McFarland have been phenomenal guests for Andres and Palenque. As Andres says, “I couldn’t have chosen a better place to open a restaurant.”
Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks life is like a taco: when it’s almost finished, you wish you had one more.
Putting the Urgent Back into Urgent Care
Photographs by Eric Tadsen
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Madison
MUSIC Foundry
BY KYLE JACOBSON
Remember that one summer you were going to start a band? Sure, you didn’t know anything about playing an instrument and your fearless vocal talents were limited to the shower, but you could be a rock star. Maybe you even took the plunge...until Jimmy quit and Jody got married, so that was that. Or was it?
Madison Music Foundry is giving musicians of all ages, skill levels, and genres a place to grow as artists. There are rentable rooms for bands to practice in, used for individual lessons in the late afternoon, and programs designed to give students the tools and experiences needed to catapult their music careers and side gigs.
When owner Mike Olson first bought the space that would become Madison Music Foundry, his vision was much more focused on the rock band side of the equation. He grew up playing in garages with his punk band, so he just thought bands would need a place to practice. If larger cities can’t keep up with the demand for rehearsal space, how far behind was Madison?
Hearing the music down the hall— seeing the writing on the wall—in 2001, Mike started 24/7 Rehearsal Studios. During that time “People were calling saying, ‘I need a place for the weekend,’ ‘I need a place for an hour,’ ‘I need a place to teach saxophone.’” Five years later, he responded with Madison Music Foundry.
The whole place is mapped out to create as little sound transfer as possible between rooms. Even the HVAC is designed for proper sound transfer, and the walls are independent of each other, leaving only the hallway to link one room to the next.
Now you might imagine that the whole facility is just a place where people come in to practice for Solo & Ensemble, but that’s only blowing the dust off the vinyl. Mike aims to create the bands of today and tomorrow, and his Rock Workshop is the perfect roadie for the job. It started with Mike being a good listener, something he credits from his past as a packaging engineer. “A customer was like, ‘When I lived in California, they had this youth band program.’
“And I was like, ‘Tell me more. That sounds cool.’”
To date, over 180 bands have been assembled through the workshop. “Ninety-five percent of the time, what people do is sign up and say, ‘I play guitar. I’m intermediate. I like metal. I like indie. I like pop.’ And then we do a placement audition. The audition is just to see where they’re at, so we can pair them with other musicians.”
There’s one caveat. Musicians aren’t signing up to play in a cover band; they have to write originals. The journey to the stage means learning to work as a group, to rehearse as a group, to communicate and share ideas. But the payoff is an experience well worth the price of admission: recording their originals in Blast House Studios and playing a concert at High Noon Saloon.
“Then we have another program where we have performance bands that students of Madison Music Foundry can enroll in,” says Mike. “We have
a band called the Sandblasters and a band called Slag, and there’s a jazz group called Blue Dyes. We started that program for people to just meet once a week for a two-hour rehearsal, and they do covers. They don’t do the recording; they just practice a group of cover songs, and then we book them shows.” As of the beginning of July, the bands were booked through the summer at various events, including AtwoodFest, Willy Street Fair, and Concerts at McKee.
Throughout the year, the Foundry also puts on student jams, where students can sign up to play a part in a song that fits an overall theme. Say there are nine songs to be performed, and you’re a drummer.
You can sign up to play drums for one song, and then you practice that song with your instructor. Everything comes together in the end as a large concert at High Noon Saloon, filled with the families of the 70 or so participants. It might not be realistic for someone’s first concert to be in front of 400-plus people, but it could very well be the highlight of many musicians’ careers.
Of course, there are also lessons available from 27 different instructors, and the Madison Music Foundry staff works hard to shift the mentalities of students concerning what a lesson is. “Don’t think of a lesson as a unit. You’re not just paying for 30 minutes.
You’re paying for someone who spent their whole life learning how to play this instrument—learning how to teach this instrument.” It’s part of a tuition model that gives students a stronger grasp on how an instructor can be one of their greatest resources.
The successes of Madison Music Foundry are credited to many individuals involved. Mike says it was thanks to the strength of his team that his business overcame hurdles in the industry where others were failing. He’s also providing his instructors with fair compensation and believes that allowing those he works with to do something they love full-time has given the facility an atmosphere of professionalism and excitement. When a young student is sitting in the waiting room and a local band comes in to use one of the rehearsal rooms, Mike is reminded of when he was young and visited a punk rock show in Eau Claire watching musicians five years older than him rocking out. It made the dream feel attainable.
There’s no doubt that things will keep evolving at the Foundry. Mike remembers the beginning working alongside his dog, Sandy—founding member and loyal companion—and the joys that came with having an office pet. He’s taken on the responsibility of memorial scholarships honoring Alex Linden and Sean Scherer.
“My background isn’t the talent of music, it’s the community in music.” Whatever the future holds, Mike is ensuring it’s going to sound good.
Kyle Jacobson is a writer who has found folk music to be the power metal of his 40s.
Photographs provided by Madison Music Foundry.
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Drumlin Ridge, located just outside Madison, offers a private rental space for small gatherings. Guests can relax with a glass or a custom flight of locally produced wine while overlooking the hillside vineyard. Enjoy small plates or browse the gift shop.
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Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Kyle Jacobson
by Kyle Jacobson
Camille CARTER
From the farmers and array of bluecollar workers to having the most manufacturing jobs per capita, the Midwest has a reputation for being filled with hard workers. Maybe it’s just something people say to make us do the work nobody else wants to, but there’s no denying there are individuals in the area who just don’t stop putting in the hours. Madison resident Camille Carter is testament to that fact.
Camille’s family is full of people who think the term break means breaking out of a huddle so the real work can begin. Her family consists of business owners, auto factory workers, and landscapers, then there’s an added push that comes from being raised by a single mother in Detroit, Michigan—a mother who, two months after retirement from the Department of Corrections, started a catering business. Expectations were high, but the support was always there to work hard and press forward.
“My mom taught us that there are no limits,” says Camille. “Limitations are self-inflicted, and we have a choice. She was often the driver and the motivator... and the enforcer. Just really instilling the sense to go out and do something new— something different. Don’t be afraid. I think in her life, because of how she grew up with her parents, she was restricted in many, many ways. And she regretted it. Just bitter about it to a degree. But she didn’t want to carry that forward. She was insistent that that wasn’t how she would raise us.”
When it came time for Camille to go off to college, something she aspired to her whole academic career, she planned on majoring in psychiatry at Michigan State University. After just one course, she quickly recognized it wasn’t for her and shifted gears to focus on business and economics. A competitive soul seeking new challenges, that blue-collar work ethic she inherited warped into ambition
in the world of financial services. Over a short period of time, through various jobs and her work in corporate America, the spirit of an entrepreneur began to take shape.
The Peace Corps took Camille to work in Togo, West Africa, but it was an even stronger force, her three-yearold daughter, that brought Camille to Madison, Wisconsin. “I wanted a little more of a family-friendly environment, and Madison was the number one place to raise a family.” Though Camille commuted to Milwaukee and around the state for work, Madison would inevitably steer the course of her professional life.
For every opportunity that came up, Camille would ask, “Is this the opportunity for me? I’m pretty spiritual. My life has been driven and directed by callings.” It’s something of a talent of hers to recognize these callings, even when she’s not too keen on heeding
Photograph by Eric Tadsen
Photograph by
Camille at the Madison Black Business Awards in February 2024 at the Monona Terrace.
them. Which brings us to 16 years later, when the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce asked Camille to take on the role of president.
“I didn’t want to lead a chamber. This was not a part of my business plan. At that time, I was working on my third business. But I had been a successful entrepreneur and had time and flexibility, and my daughter was a little bit older. When I speak to divine awareness, I didn’t see it as that; I just saw it as something that I absolutely did not want to do. But it did not go away. Over time, I realized this was a calling that I just didn’t want to accept. I have always been motivated by money, and at this moment, the organization had none.”
Part of the issue with taking on the role of president of the Madison Black Chamber was that if she did, Camille would have to go all in, and the chamber was on life support. For two and a half years, Camille went without compensation so she could build up the Chamber’s resources. In true Camille fashion, she did what she set out to do and made the Chamber stronger than it had ever been.
The more I learned about Camille, the clearer it became that this role couldn’t be a better fit for her strengths, but it also taught her a form of patience she’d never had to consider. In the for-profit world of corporate America, things happen at the
Camille speaking at the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce office in the Black Business Hub in May 2024.
speed of green. In the nonprofit world, everything takes time. There’s no way to know what the payoff of your actions will be, so you have to be confident as you work toward something that might never come to fruition.
In a way, Camille’s work with the Madison Black Chamber has been like her work as a single parent. It’s those lessons that her mother taught her so long ago that she used when raising her now 26-year-old daughter. “When you watch a parent who makes sacrifices for you. When you have that relationship as a single parent, you have to be very honest with your children and learn how to accept those hard edges in life earlier on. ... Hopefully, you look back on those decisions, sacrifices. If you’re lucky, you surmise, ‘That was right.’”
One of the hardest things for young entrepreneurs to hear is that they have to show up and be present. It’s not enough to ask for money; it’s having a dream and finding ways to take action on that dream. Camille speaks highly of those who have supported her through her struggles, and she serves as that same mentor to others. The payoff of these efforts isn’t immediate, but the ball keeps rolling as it’s passed along.
Being president and CEO of the Madison Black Chamber has shifted Camille’s idea on what it means to live local. Working regularly with small businesses highlights the importance of shopping local and making those community investments. It’s part of her tenacious spirit that leaves her open to continually learning new things. She’s living in the present while looking to the future, always bringing more to the table than she takes away.
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Kyle Jacobson is a writer who thinks lying politicians should
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Kyle Jacobson
Photograph by Talia Nchang/Expressions Photography
Chamber of Commerce MADISON BLACK
by Kyle Jacobson
Wisconsin small businesses make up over 99 percent of all businesses in the state, employing roughly one million residents. Greater Madison communities have long been defined by their array
of small businesses, but the oft-unsung heroes are the chambers of commerce working to ensure these businesses find success and have the resources and connections they need to thrive.
Though the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce has existed in some form since 1869, other area chambers recognize the need to support their members in ways specific to their communities. Sun Prairie, Middleton, Fitchburg, and so on have their own chambers of commerce. Then there are chambers that seek to empower minority-owned businesses, which is why the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce came into existence.
“The Madison Black Chamber had been an organization under the acronym AABBA (African American Black Business Association),” says Camille Carter, president and CEO of the Madison Black Chamber. “So about 2004, when the organization began to take form, it was just a few Black businesses in the area wanting to come together and identify other Black-owned businesses because there wasn’t a lot of information that coalesced all of the Black businesses at that time.” In fact, AABBA
The ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Chamber office in the Black Business Hub on May 24, 2024.
The ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerice office in the Black Business Hub on May 24, 2024.
was initially only able to identify around a few dozen Black-owned businesses.
“Over the years, the organization continued to grow. More businesses were identified, and they created, not only the Black business directory, but also the first Black business expo in Madison. In 2012, the association chartered into the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce.”
deserved a strong chamber of commerce. Had I not stepped into that role, this organization would not be here today.”
Camille’s financial savvy enabled her to take on the role of president, which she wouldn’t be compensated for through two and a half years. Though the timeline wasn’t what she’d planned for, it’s what was needed to build up the chamber’s
“We want to raise the awareness of Black-owned businesses.”
But that transition from association to chamber proved more difficult than anticipated. The organization existed on an all-volunteer basis, and figuring out how to fund and finance a chamber with board members and an executive director wasn’t a natural shift. They needed someone to assume the work in a paid, full-time capacity.
“The previous administration was fatigued from building the organization,” says Camille. “They didn’t have the time to continue volunteering the work that a new chamber of commerce would require. The organization was transitioning and trying to find leadership to take the organization forward. ... I came into this role in 2018 because I was an entrepreneur, and I understood the importance of chambers as a resource for business development. I was in this role because I had the bigger vision that Madison and, in particular, Black Madison and Black entrepreneurs
resources. Whatever work was necessary to get the job done, Camille was going to put in, period. As she says, “This is our legacy.”
The history of the organization is something very important to the chamber. Camille fondly recalls the work of founding member Ms. Milele Chikasa Anana, who passed in 2020 at the age of 86. Ms. Milele might be better known for creating Umoja magazine, which to this day focuses on sharing positive news in Madison’s Black community. Her love for writing led to the creation of the Madison Black Business Directory, which in 2008 was only able to identify around 75 Black-owned businesses and hasn’t been updated since 2018, when 325 Black-owned businesses were listed. The Madison Black Chamber is excited to announce there’s a new printed edition coming out in 2025, which will share listings of over 800 Black-owned businesses.
Photograph by Hedi LaMarr Rudd/Hedi LaMarr Photography
Photograph by Eric Tadsen
“We
want to make them visible to the community at
large so you can support them and help sustain their longevity.”
The Madison Black Chamber also puts on events aimed at increasing the prominence of Black-owned businesses,
IMAGING?
like Madison Black Restaurant Week, when people are encouraged to visit a collection of 50 Black-owned restaurants from as far as Tomah and Fort Atkinson. The event ends with the Food Taste Jamboree festival, akin to the Taste of Madison. The idea is to allow people to find new favorite restaurants they can revisit and support throughout the year. There’s also Business Mix & Mingle networking and technical assistance support to strengthen entrepreneurs’ understandings of business practices while providing businesses opportunities to grow networks and elevate and expand the Black business ecosystem.
“We are here to support Black businesses and to help navigate them to resources and opportunities. Connecting that and closing the gaps.” Madison is fortunate to have so many fantastic resources that businesses can lean into if they know where to find them. For many small businesses, a chamber of commerce is the ultimate resource for bolstering; it’s an open line of communication that exists for the successes of its members.
And the Madison Black Chamber isn’t just an organization Black businesses can be a part of. It’s essential that other Greater Madison businesses that support the mission are members as well. The Madison Black Chamber believes embracing diversity and equal
Photograph by Talia Nchang/Expressions
Photography
opportunity for all results in a stronger community, and all chamber members have the benefits of those connections and networks.
Looking to the future, Camille says, “We’re very excited about our evolving programs. We’ve just launched our youth entrepreneurial program this summer, and we are expanding into our mobile chamber services this fall. We just continue to ideate and improve our program outcomes. I think we’re growing in the right direction for the right reasons. I’d love to see south central Wisconsin be one of the best places for businesses to start, run, and thrive.”
Compared to other area chambers, the Madison Black Chamber is in its infancy. It’s undergone growing pains, like finding an office space to call home. Only just this January, they established permanent headquarters at The HUB business center. In their new space, they have firmer footing with focused leadership and a clearer vision. Everyone who sees the value in promoting Greater Madison’s Black-owned businesses is encouraged to become a member and join the Madison Black Chamber. Suggestions, feedback, and volunteers are always welcome.
Look for the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce print directory in 2025.
Kyle Jacobson is a writer who believes whatever is necessary to get through the day.
In Remembrance
As we celebrated our 20th anniversary, we were sad to learn of the loss of one of our past contributing writers, Lauri Lee, who enthusiastically shared stories of a variety of community members on our pages.
Lauri took to heart and action her belief in the importance of giving back to one’s community. She served on the FEED Kitchens Planning Committee and Advisory Board, championed FEED Kitchens businesses, supported Madison Northside businesses by serving as secretary and president of the Northside Business Association and as chair of the Northside Economic Development Coalition. Lauri was also a force behind Northside News, and served as board chair of the Northside Planning Council and as a member of the Dane Buy Local Foundation Board. Additionally, Lauri mentored many small business owners through her own business, Communication Concepts.
Lauri will be remembered for her many contributions. Her impact was felt by many, and our thoughts are with her family, friends, and all those she helped.
Photograph by Barbara Wilson
Kyle Jacobson
It was early morning when Moxie, Sampson, and Cleo arrived at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) from Angel’s Wish in Verona. Unable to provide the physical exams and spay and neuter surgeries needed because they don’t have an onsite veterinarian and there’s an ongoing veterinary shortage, Angel’s Wish reached out to DCHS for help. Most shelters and rescues require dogs and cats to be spayed and neutered prior to adoption, so these kinds of hurdles lead to prolonged stays for furry residents.
After participating in a 2021 public vaccine fundraiser for a clinic that had experienced staff turnover and needed help with spay/neuter and other veterinary care, DCHS took the initiative to start a program the following year to assist other shelters and rescues with these services.
“In DCHS’ Animal Medical Services (AMS) department, we found that we had the surgical capacity to grow this program, and we were hearing from other organizations that this assistance was needed,” says Dr. Uri Donnett, DCHS chief shelter veterinarian. Seizing this opportunity wouldn’t just benefit DCHS, but would address the needs of other shelters and help animals get adopted sooner.
The shelter partner program was formalized and began in fall 2022. DCHS created a contract, yearly price list, and established a few new partners. “Our goal is to generate revenue for DCHS while providing access to care and vet services,” says Uri. “One of the main needs we fill is to give our partners timely access to spay and neuter services so they can keep their populations moving. We provide these services at a low cost to ensure they are accessible to other shelters.”
Helping Others and SAVING ANIMAL LIVES
by Lisa Bernard
MOXIE
SAMPSON
A particularly expensive service DCHS provides at a much lower price is dentistry. DCHS sent their own residents out for dental procedures until 2012, when they received enough generous donations to establish a dental suite. This is why DCHS worked hard to make dental services affordable, to lift some of the hurdles limiting which animals could receive the services.
DCHS is also able to handle more extensive medical cases that require follow-up visits with veterinarians, something facilities with limited access simply cannot provide. Some of these cases may have ended in euthanasia for the animals had it not been for DCHS’ services. “On a case-by-case basis, we have been able to transfer more extensive medical cases into our care, so we can get them what they need and adopt them out,” says Uri. “Thus removing the cost from our parent shelter and helping increase our lifesaving capacity.”
In 2023, the first full year of DCHS’ shelter partner program, DCHS was providing surgical and medical services to three organizations, including Angel’s Wish on a weekly basis and to four partners on an as-needed basis. AMS performed 780 surgeries for these groups, mostly spay and neuter and dental, and nearly 1,000 exams and certificates of veterinary inspections. In addition, DCHS transferred eight critical medical care cases from Wisconsin shelters to help these animals heal before finding them new families. Among these cases there were two cats with broken pelvises, a kitten with a dislocated jaw, and two kittens battling the potential fatal virus panleukopenia.
“DCHS is very lucky to have a close relationship with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and to have veterinary interns, students, and a clinical instructor,” says Uri. “This means there are a lot of vets present, but in order to grow these services and help more organizations, we needed another veterinarian that could see these partners at DCHS and travel to the other organizations when needed.”
Enter Dr. Sophia Chao. She had recently completed her shelter medicine
veterinary internship with DCHS when she was hired in July 2023 to fill the new position of shelter support and community veterinarian. While maintaining monthly schedules and regular communication with current shelter partners concerning surgery dates and medical cases, Sophia also travels to partner shelters to perform services. Part of her job involves developing new partnerships with other organizations.
While reaching out, Sophia often hears common obstacles faced by other shelters and rescues. “One big challenge is always budget and getting animals the veterinary services they need at a price that the shelters and rescues can afford,” says Sophia. “Another issue is access to veterinarians. We try to provide our partners with a timely alternative medical and surgical option so they can get the animals in their care the medical assistance they need.”
Sophia examined Moxie, Sampson, and Cleo. Moxie and Cleo then underwent spay surgery and Sampson neuter
surgery. Cleo also received the dental care she needed. After everything was finished, the trio was ready to return to Angel’s Wish, where the rescue would continue the search for their new families.
“We have had an increased number of shelter and rescue organizations reach out interested in assistance, but we need to balance what we are able to do with the program and the daily care and surgery of our own shelter population,” says Uri. “[That said], we want to make sure that we are able to support any additional partners. Our future goals are to be able to provide more services to our partners at their locations, opening up new spots for partners at DCHS, but also helping to limit the stress on the animals traveling back and forth.”
Not every shelter has the same resources as DCHS, but it speaks to the spirit of its work that DCHS is ensuring all shelters are able to access resources when needed. The work is for the well-being of all animals, which means reaching out and bringing in. Sophia says, “This program is important because we are providing low-cost veterinary services and increasing access to care for other shelters and rescues.” As DCHS sees it, until all shelters and rescues are thriving, there’s more work to be done.
Lisa Bernard is development and communications supervisor at DCHS.
provided by Dane County Humane Society
Organizations interested in becoming clients of the program should reach out to Uri at udonnett@giveshelter.org or Sophia at schao@giveshelter.org.
Photographs
Lisa Bernard
CLEO
Kimberly Burnett
Johnson
FIP No Longer Means RIP
by Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM
During my veterinary medicine career, there’s been one cat disease I’ve hated diagnosing: feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). There wasn’t a straightforward way to make sure the diagnosis was correct nor was there a treatment. It’s been 100 percent fatal, and I dreaded telling a cat owner their kitten wasn’t going to make it. But because FIP is caused by a coronavirus, something good came out of COVID-19, a treatment for FIP that actually works.
Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is found everywhere in the world. It became a recognized disease in 1963, and the prevalence is up to 100 percent in shelters and catteries. FCoV is an RNA virus, which makes a lot of mistakes when it replicates and doesn’t bother to proofread for mutations. FCoV is highly contagious and spread through feces, which is why it’s much more prevalent in multi-cat shelters, catteries, and homes.
When a cat is infected, the virus replicates in the small intestine and, in the majority of cases, causes no noticeable disease; this biotype is also called feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). In some cats, the virus can cause diarrhea and vomiting for about a week, but the cat recovers on its own. Because these viruses mutate so readily, sometimes the virus leaves the
small intestinal cells and enters white blood cells instead; this biotype of FCoV is called the FIP virus.
If the virus jumps from the small intestine into white blood cells, specifically macrophages, the virus starts replicating in the wall of blood vessels, leading to inflammation of the vessels and causing fluid to accumulate in body cavities, like the abdomen or chest. There can also be granulomas—clumps of tissue and white blood cells—that form on internal organs, such as the liver, spleen, brain, and eyes. FIP described as wet is when fluid is found somewhere in the body. When described as dry, there are just granulomas seen. It’s now thought that this is just a continuum of the disease and not separate diseases.
Though the vast majority of cats exposed to FCoV never show signs of illness, there are factors that increase a cat’s risk of getting FIP. Cats with immature or poor immune systems, such as kittens and elderly cats, are more susceptible to developing FIP. Purebred cats, such as Maine coons and British shorthairs, are also overrepresented, as are male cats in general. Cats that are stressed, such as those in multi-cat homes (homes with more than five cats), in overcrowded situations (such as in shelters), and those
who have received recent vaccinations or surgery, are also more likely to develop FIP. About 10 percent of cats with FIP had a sibling or housemate that was also diagnosed with FIP.
Typically, a cat with FIP will have a fever, poor appetite, and weight loss and may have diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal distention. But these are nonspecific signs, and you can see them with other diseases. Some cats will be jaundiced (yellow gums, skin, and whites of the eyes), some have cloudiness or white precipitates in their eyes, and some will walk like they’re drunk. Each clinical sign helps point more toward FIP.
There’s no specific diagnostic test for FIP. In addition to clinical signs, bloodwork will show a high globulin level and maybe an elevated bilirubin, which is what causes a cat to be jaundiced. If a cat has wet FIP, an ultrasound can show fluid in the abdomen or chest, and then a sample can be obtained and examined.
In the past, it was important that veterinarians had as many pieces to the FIP puzzle as possible because our recommendation for cats with FIP was humane euthanasia. We didn’t want to make a mistake in diagnosis. But now there is an effective treatment! While
veterinarians don’t want to diagnose FIP with just one puzzle piece that fits, we just need enough pieces to have a high suspicion of the disease. Treatment isn’t inexpensive, so we have to balance expensive diagnostic tests with starting expensive treatment without much delay.
Remdesivir is a medication used to treat COVID-19 in humans. Remdesivir is broken down in the body to another drug, currently called GS-441524 (GS), an oral medication still in investigative stages in the United States (it’s approved in Australia and the United Kingdom). But recently, the FDA stopped blocking its use in cats with FIP, and it’s now available through a licensed compounding pharmacy—a game changer for cats with FIP.
Survival rates with GS are around 83 percent, but if the cat survives 48 hours, that increases to 92 percent—definitely better than the prior 100 percent fatality rate. Given by IV once daily, Remdesivir might be used initially for very sick FIP cats who are unable to swallow. Once
a cat is able to take an oral medication, treatment for FIP is a tuna-flavored pill once or twice a day for 12 weeks. For a seven-pound cat, the cost is currently around $1,100.
I still don’t want to diagnose any cat with FIP, but with treatment now available, I don’t dread having the conversation about the cat’s prognosis anymore. If you have a sick kitty, please don’t wait to contact your vet. FIP or not, the sooner we can diagnose and treat your cat, the more likely they will live a long and healthy life.
Dr. Lori Scarlett, DVM, is the owner and veterinarian at Four Lakes Veterinary Clinic. fourlakesvet.com.
UP TO 35%
THROUGH OCTOBER 2
Dr. Lori Scarlett
TARARueping
by Chris Gargan
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time...like tears in rain.” -Roy Batty’s final monologue in Blade Runner
What are the urgencies that drive us to search for adventure and meaning in the world of fantasy? How do stories satisfy that atavistic need to locate ideas, morality, values, identity, and community within our daily lives that help create purpose and significance as we negotiate our path through life? As Joan Didion states in her collection of essays titled The White Album , “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”
Tara Rueping works and thrives in a world that strives to give answers to those questions. Growing up in what she describes as a hyper-creative family (her father transformed the basement of their house into a pirate ship), she was also introduced to the surreal world of the Wisconsin Dells, where her family owned and operated a motel. Tara was intrigued at an early age with the idea of designing theme parks, taken with the joy of using her imagination to follow a career that engaged in both fantasy and entertainment.
Lord of the Rings—Lothlórien 2008
Tara’s parents exposed her to a wide range of cultural opportunities: the Chicago and Milwaukee art institutes for
visual art, theater events, music venues, and lots of movies, all of which fed her imaginative ambitions. She became fascinated with the questions: How was this made? Who were the people responsible for the visionary worlds and events she was witnessing?
After graduating high school, Tara still had no clear career path to her goals. But on the occasion of her father’s final illness, she made a promise to him that she would become an artist and build a career in the arts. She enrolled at Madison Area Technical College (MATC, now Madison College) and took a drawing class while simultaneously doing a series of academic courses. She was made aware of a college program at Disney World and MGM Studios in Florida working in the Animation Gallery. While there, she met Andy Harkness, an art director and illustrator of children’s books with credits in animated features for kids. Andy encouraged her to pursue entertainment art and suggested she attend the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in Ohio, which had strong ties to the industry.
Tara returned to MATC and took art classes in the Graphic Design and Illustration program as well as taking courses from a visiting instructor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The faculty at these schools also recommended CCAD, where she promptly won a full transfer scholarship. In the summers, she returned to intern
Star Wars—Wellspring of Life Outer
at Raven Software (Activision) working with Les Dorscheid and Brian Pelletier on the computer game Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force
During the academic year, Tara returned to Columbus to finish her degree,
comedy-horror film Gremlins. The series, set in 1920s Shanghai, tells the story of two children taking a perilous journey to return Gizmo, a small creature called a Mogwai, to his family. In the course of their adventure, they face a plethora of perils, deception, and danger.
Tara was brought on board as art director, charged with bringing visual coherence and consistency to the overall look of the series. She was responsible for themes as broad as landscape and urban settings and as specific and detailed as studying and creating the phonemes that marry the shape of a character’s mouth to match specific, distinct units of speech, like the distinction between different vowel or consonant sounds.
As the production was a joint venture between Amblin’ Entertainment (Spielberg) and Warner Brothers, Tara had to lead and coordinate teams of artists located in India and France. She needed to ensure that the work of these studios, separated by both miles and culture, were stylistically complementary and consistent. She
subsequently coming back to Raven for two additional years of experience. While greatly benefiting from this work, she saw her future as a concept artist, so she excitedly accepted a position at Turbine Games in Boston, which had acquired the license to produce a game based on The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) books. Here, Tara had the opportunity to develop environments, characters, creatures, and costumes. When working on LOTR, she took inspiration from Tolkien’s own drawings in creating the look of Elven settlement Rivendell. She also accessed the art historical genius of J. M. W. Turner; American landscape painter Frederic Church; and Albert Bierstadt, the painter of the sublime western expanse, in order to add majesty to her environmental designs.
This experience brought Tara to Lucasfilm Animation studios as a full-time concept designer, where she concentrated on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, earning her first IMDB credits. Her time there was so successful that Lucas included a flying creature in the series called the rupings.
After a series of stops at various game companies and a partnership in a virtual reality game, Tara was called to her latest and most demanding opportunity. Steven Spielberg decided to create an animation series prequel based on his
Lord of the Rings— Uruk-hai 2007
Gremlins— A Poster Retro
Lord of the Rings— Balrog Gandlalf 2008
would deliver digital concept paintings to the showrunner (the person with overall creative authority) before they were presented to Spielberg for final approval. Tara created characters, fine-tuned expressions, manufactured storyboards, settled issues of scale and posture, determined the color keys that set the moods of the narrative, and even ended up doing the marketing images that graced the enormous promotional billboards on Hollywood Boulevard. As Tara puts it, “I had to be a Swiss Army knife, always ready to solve the next immediate problem.”
Most recently, Tara was asked to run an animation workshop in the Czech Republic for an international group of young animators and aspirants. Although this raised her global profile, for Tara, her proudest boast is still Secrets of the Mogwai . “We have a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.”
Chris Gargan is a landscape artist and freelance writer working from his farm southwest of Verona. You can find his work at Abel Contemporary Gallery in Stoughton. He’s seen here with his dog Tycho Brahe.
Photographs by Tara Rueping
Chris Gargan
Photograph by Larassa Kabel
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