This document discusses shelter medicine and strategies for improving animal welfare in shelters. It addresses issues like emerging diseases, overpopulation, euthanasia rates, and improving animal health and adoption rates. It emphasizes the importance of prevention through strategies like vaccination, sanitation, stress reduction, and population management. Shelter medicine aims to balance animal needs with population health to help animals before, during, and after shelter stays.

1. Kate F. Hurley, DVM, MPVM
Koret Shelter Medicine Program Director
Center for Companion Animal Health
University of California, Davis
www.sheltermedicine.com
www.facebook.com/sheltermedicine

3.  Emerging, re-emerging
and zoonotic diseases
Pets and ferals 
 New pets
Public and private $$$

 Euthanasia

5. • Help animals
before they
become homeless
• Help animals
become re-homed
• Help animals while
they’re homeless:
practice shelter
medicine

6. • Individual treatment
• Inspires public support
• Improves staff and
volunteer commitment
• Facilitates compliance
• Feels great

7. …must balance individual animal needs with population health

8. • Infectious disease
management
• Increases number of
animals that survive to
adoption
• Decreases suffering in
the shelter
• May improve public
perception

9. • We had a litter of 7 puppies who seemed to have kennel cough…Two of the
seven pups got pretty sick and depressed so our clinic sent out blood
samples to the lab and it came back barely positive (1:50) for
distemper. The pups were 9 weeks old at the test and had been given their
first shots at 6 weeks of age, three weeks earlier. I took the other five
puppies to my home 8 days ago. The test came back last Friday and we
euthanized the two that were in the clinic, however, they were much better
that day. Well, the 5 pups I have at home are now almost completely well
from the "kennel cough" , are happy playful, eating well puppies. Is this just
a phase of distemper? Should I just euthanize these 5 pups now and be
done with it or wait it out since they seem to be healthy (about 90% better)?
We also have three adult dogs in the main kennels being treated for kennel
cough. Their test also came back as a low positive for distemper… Could
these tests all be false positives or should we be better safe than sorry and
euthanize all?

10. • “We just wanted to thank you so
much for helping to save our
lives. Because you cared so much
to help the shelter we have been
happy and healthy and are
awaiting our forever homes. The
horrible distemper never got
US…but we and the staff are
forever grateful for all your time
and effort in helping us get a
second chance at a happy life.”

11. …more than half the battle is already lost.

12. • Prevention
• Vaccination
• Sanitation
• Parasite control
• Stress reduction
• Nutrition
• Air quality
• Facility design
• Population density

13. • “Hey Doc, Before attending EXPO in Atlanta and attending your
workshop many cats died. We were sick all the time. Sometimes
dropping like flies. Since your workshop less than 10
cats/kittens a year. We no longer move the cat out of the cage
everyday to clean. We give them play things that can be
disinfected well. We have a much better air exchange. Our
hand disinfectant is at least 67% alcohol. We don’t overcrowd.
We are much better about cross contamination. We are aware
of the effects of stress and handling. Etc. etc. etc. All things I
learned at your seminar. I will always be indebted to you.”

14. … a perfectly healthy population is still not the end goal.

15. • OUR PRODUCTS:
• Improved shelter conditions
• Facility design
• Animal comfort
• Staff and public health
• Increased shelter adoptions
• Improve animal health and public
image
• Decreased shelter intake
• Research and correct reasons for
homeless and unwanted animals
• Humane communities
• Conserve resources to support
preventive programs

16. Education Behavior
Disease mgt. Foster care
Decreased intake
Husbandry Healthy animals
Committed employees Facility design
Increased adoptions
Happy public
Shelter support
Spay/neuter Population
management
Legal issues

19. Healthy versus URI care days
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
Care days
2000 URI
Healthy
1500
1000
500
0
May August November February
Month
23-33% of care days per month
10,169 cat care days/year = $$$?

22. Average decrease in monthly sick care days: 29%
1,132 fewer sick days summer after versus before

23. • Sent: Thursday, February
25, 2010 7:50 AM
To: Kate Hurley
• Subject: Feline Sickbay @
SacSPCA
• Never in my wildest
dreams would I have
believed I'd see the day
with ONE cat in feline
sickbay!!! Today is that
day!
And still a year later (3/8/2011)

30. • Board member/advisor
• As-needed service
• Outpatient
• Shelter visit
• Surgery
• Part time/full time staff
• Multiple shelter contract
• Leadership

31. • Consultation
• Outbreak control
• Shelter health
• Facility design
• Data analysis
• National outreach
organizations
• Academic
• Internship
• Residency
• Masters/PhD
• Clinical instruction
• Academic/research

32. Shelter based
research can
provide
knowledge to
help both shelter
and pet animals

35. www.humanealliance.org www.aspcapro.org
www.acc-d.org/ www.animalsheltering.org

36. • Association of Shelter
Veterinarians
• www.sheltervet.org
• $5 for students!
• Continuing education at major
conferences, VIN
• Shelter medicine programs:
residency, research, student
teaching, shelter service
• > half of U.S. vet schools
• Standardized recommendations
• 2 published textbooks
• Board specialty proposed
Wiley-Blackwell

37. • ASV: Veterinary Medical
Guidelines for Spay-Neuter
Programs
• JAVMA July 1, 2008,
Volume 233; No. 1, page
74
Google: veterinary medical
guidelines for spay-neuter

38. • American Animal
Hospital Association:
shelter dog vaccine
guidelines
• 2006 (update coming
soon)
• Pages 19-26
Google: aaha canine vaccine guidelines

39. • American Association
of Feline Practitioners
• JAVMA Nov 1, 2006
Volume 229; No. 9;
page 1430
• Update coming soon
Google: aafp feline vaccine guidelines

40. • Published by the ASV
• Recommended minimum
and ideal standards of
care
• For shelters, rescues,
foster parents,
sanctuaries
www.sheltervet.org