Animal organizations have done a pretty good job of destigmatizing FIV-positive cats, and adopters have begun welcoming them into their families in larger numbers than could have been imagined 20 years ago. But cats who test positive for feline leukemia (FeLV) don’t fare as well in the hands of adoption groups. Is it time to… Learn More

Cats who receive positive attention from human caretakers while in animal shelters exhibit fewer signs of stress and a lower incidence of upper respiratory disease than cats who don’t. These results, reported in the October 2015 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine, are consistent with the authors’ earlier study on petting shelter cats,… Learn More

What would you do if you were a veterinarian, and a former client who had fallen on hard times emails you to beg for help for his dog? If you’re Dr. Kathryn Primm, you find a way to help the man, help the dog and help your local animal shelter, too. “This old client, who… Learn More

Pets in shelters, rescue groups, foster homes or permanent homes all have this in common: It can be difficult to know for sure if they’re in pain. Because untreated pain causes suffering, can alter a pet’s personality, makes adoption difficult and puts space and resource crunches on an organization, it’s essential that shelters and rescue… Learn More

Did you know you should never use tape on top of a fentanyl pain patch on a dog? It can lift the patch slightly out of contact with the skin, and fail to provide pain relief. This is just one of the simple tips for using fentanyl patches shared by DVM360 from a presentation by… Learn More

There’s no question that spaying and neutering are critical components of pet population control. But some of the science on its risks and benefits isn’t as supportive, and more and more pet owners are asking questions about routine spay/neuter that those of us in animal welfare may not be able to answer. Recently, the American… Learn More

If the animals in our communities, whether currently in a home, at a shelter or in the care of a rescue group, are going to be healthy and happy, we need the services of veterinarians. But bad relations between animal organizations and private practice veterinarians can put that outcome at risk. In a survey published… Learn More

Want to reduce stress and illness in sheltered cats? Take a spotty approach to cleaning and sanitation! However counter-intuitive it might seem, some of the steps we take to prevent disease in animal shelters might have the opposite effect. One such practice is the thorough cleaning of cat cages, including removing the cat, bedding, bowls,… Learn More

If your animal organization is serious about saving lives, preventing suffering, and treating animals with their physical and emotional well-being in mind, here are five resources you can’t do without: 1. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines to Standards of Care in Animal Shelters Available as a free download, this is the bible of… Learn More

It never fails. You’re bottle-feeding one in a litter of hungry kittens, and put the bottle down to help the one you just fed relieve himself. And then the bottle spills — probably all over your bed, given the round-the-clock nature of bottle-feeding. That was an all too common occurrence for Niki Gottesman, foster care coordinator… Learn More