Summertime, and the shelter is crowded. That means it’s the season to prevent disease by helping keep pets from entering the shelter at all! Right now, there’s a confirmed outbreak of the highly contagious H3N2 strain of canine influenza virus (CIV) in Florida, Georgia and six other states, which is combining with kitten season to… Learn More
Add to the list of reasons to give to your family and friends on why they shouldn’t buy a pet store puppy: They can be particularly likely to develop severe or even fatal pneumonia if they contract kennel cough. Kennel cough is not a specific disease, but rather a complex of respiratory diseases affecting dogs,… Learn More
Nina Stively wanted to increase welfare and lifesaving for shelter animals. She also believed it was crucial to the goal that the level of professionalism in the sheltering field rise. When she heard about the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program online Masters in shelter medicine, she knew that was how she’d make both goals a reality… Learn More
When you think of a veterinarian working in an animal shelter, what do you imagine they do there? For many shelter managers who participated in a recent study, that answer is “perform spay/neuter surgery.” However, shelter veterinarians and shelter medicine can play a much larger role in an animal shelter, providing expertise on disease prevention… Learn More
If you’ve ever raised an orphaned kitten, you know that they often get as much food on them as in them. What’s more, without their mother’s raspy and ever-ready tongue, they can get covered with stool very quickly. It’s best to spot clean kittens whenever possible, although there will be times that a full bath… Learn More
When hundreds of cats in the New York City Animal Care and Control shelters tested positive for avian influenza last year, everyone involved set their only goal — saving the cats’ lives. That was a goal they reached, thanks to shelter medicine and the power of collaboration. “The NYACC did not want to euthanize a… Learn More
If you’ve adopted a pet from an animal shelter or rescue group, you know how powerful the bond is that exists between the pet and their human family. You’re also probably aware of the efforts made by shelter and rescue staff and volunteers to make sure you and your pet found each other. What you… Learn More
Animal shelters dread it: the death of a single kitten in a litter from feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). How much risk are the littermates at of becoming ill? Should they be kept in isolation from other cats, and if so, for how long? Should they be adopted out? If so, when? And what do you… Learn More
One of the greatest obstacles to developing animal welfare leaders is the very thing that brings people into the field in the first place: compassion. Unfortunately, unless people who work with animals learn how to keep themselves emotionally healthy and balanced while doing this important work, they’ll be at high risk of leaving their job,… Learn More
Feline herpesvirus is probably one of the most common causes of feline respiratory disease. How can animal shelters and rescue groups best treat it? In a recent study published in the August 2016 issue of American Journal of Veterinary Research, authors looked at the anti-viral drug famciclovir. Because of unique characteristics of the drug itself,… Learn More