How prepared are animal shelters for fighting infectious disease and protecting the health of the pets in their care?

In a 2011 study published in Preventive Veterinary Medicine, researchers surveyed shelters in six states in the western U.S. and found:

• 88 percent of shelters have written protocols for preventive medicine
• 75 percent of shelters have cleaning and disinfection protocols
• Only 36 percent have protocols for outbreaks of specific diseases
• Veterinarians are in charge of infection control in only 6 percent of shelters
• Only 30 percent of staff and 35 percent of volunteers are trained in infection control
• 45 percent of the animals coming into the facilities have infectious diseases

Almost all the shelters indicated they’d like more training in infectious disease control, with feline URI, canine parvovirus, and ringworm topping the list of diseases of concern. The study authors suggest these findings be used to develop training programs and materials for shelters, as well as written infection control protocols and guidelines.

Steneroden KK, Hill AE, Salman MD. A needs-assessment and demographic survey of infection-control and disease awareness in western US animal shelters. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 2011; 98(1):52-57.