A flurry of media articles broke out last year, associating cat ownership and exposure to human mental health problems including schizophrenia, and attributed it to cats as carriers of toxoplasma gondii, a parasitic protozoan. Was the hype justified? No, writes Best Friends Animal Society’s Peter Wolf on Vox Felina, citing an article about a paper… Learn More

How well do you think shelter staffers and veterinarians do at identifying dogs who are — or aren’t — the type of dog known as a pit bull? If you said “not too well,” a recent study funded by Maddie’s Fund® and conducted by researchers from the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of… Learn More

Most private veterinary practices rely on surgery when it comes to certain kinds of broken bones. But when surgery isn’t in the cards – or the budget – for your animal shelter, managing those fractures can often be done humanely and effectively without it. That was the message from board-certified veterinary surgeon Dr. Matthew D.… Learn More

Everyone wants to look at kittens frolicking and dogs doing doga, all of which you can find on the MaddieCam Network. But if your interests run to the veterinary side, there’s a MaddieCam feed for you, too! We’ve set up our webcam in a surgical suite at the Oregon Humane Society’s Holman Medical Center in… Learn More

A growing number of animal shelters are adopting innovative programs like kitten foster networks and in-shelter kitten nurseries, allowing them to save lives they once had little hope for. If you think caring for these tiny, vulnerable lives is hard work, you’re right. But it may also be one of the most inspiring, rewarding tough… Learn More

The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine’s Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Course invites all shelter veterinarians, shelter professionals, vet students, and community members to join them for their series of free webinars this semester: This lecture series not only discusses concepts key to sheltering but also helps veterinary students, shelter professionals and volunteers, and members… Learn More

Loose lips may sink ships, but loose bowels make life miserable for shelter pets and the people who care for them. How can you get a handle on this runny problem? At the 2015 Maddie’s Cornell Shelter Medicine Program, Dr. Holly Putnam took attendees over everything related to shelter animal diarrhea, from nutritional to viral… Learn More

Want to learn more about testing for infectious diseases in animal shelters, and apply for a shelter vaccine grant at the same time? Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), through its BIVI Shelter Team, will be presenting a free webinar on “Infectious Disease Testing in 2016: What the Shelter Veterinarian Needs to Know.” Given by Richard E. Goldstein,… Learn More

Few areas of veterinary medicine have seen greater change than research and recommendations around immunity to disease and vaccination. New guidelines from the Vaccination Guidelines Group (VGG) of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) provide important context and recommendations for both veterinarians and animal shelters in how to put that new understanding to work… Learn More

Are dogs and cats in shelters developing health and behavior problems because of stress? And does that make adoption more difficult and less likely for those pets? Yes, says board certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Sheila D’Arpino. On January 14 and February 4, 2016, she’ll be presenting free webcasts on how stress is sabotaging your pet… Learn More