Lots of dogs come into shelters and rescue groups with dirty, itchy ears. Do you know how to clean them safely and effectively? Dr. Karen Moriello, Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, recently gave a Maddie’s Institute® webcast on canine ear problems, and had this to say:… Learn More

Don’t you just hate it when your shelter or rescue group’s Facebook posts about animals in need get a string of comments that don’t actually offer any form of help? If so, you might want to take comfort from a simple peculiarity of Facebook that makes those “useless” comments useful after all. It should be… Learn More

When you hear the term “shelter medicine,” what comes to mind? When TV veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker recently shared a story about the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida with his half-million Facebook fans, it quickly became clear that many of his followers, pet owners and veterinarians alike, thought it referred to… Learn More

Do you ever wish you had an incredible team of lifesaving superstars working or volunteering for your animal shelter, rescue group or coalition? Guess what? You can. Best Friends’ Marc Peralta, who heads up the organization’s Los Angeles location, shared his strategies for putting together the right team to get pets adopted and save more… Learn More

Have you ever gone to share a link on your shelter or rescue group’s Facebook page, and had it come up without an image? Yes, there really is something you can do about that! First, some background. Facebook posts that share a link with a nice, in-focus, full-column-wide image do better than posts that show… Learn More

Desperate for cat adoption facilities but not enough funds to get a building?  Build out “habitats” in your local pet store or vet clinic!  If you’re not sure how to go about doing that, don’t worry: Bruce Walker and Bob Breeze of Austin Pets Alive! have now built several in the Austin area. Their habitats… Learn More

Is doing what we’ve always done the way we’ve always done it necessarily the best way to help animals? Very few people would defend that position, but it can still be hard to change old, entrenched ways of thinking, especially when we believe they’re in the animals’ best interests. But what if animal shelters hadn’t… Learn More

Is it ever a good idea to tell a sad story about a pet looking for a home? “Far less often than we think,” said Christie Keith, social media manager for The Shelter Pet Project. “But that doesn’t mean shelters and rescue groups shouldn’t ever tell heartbreaking stories.” For those who are still firmly entrenched… Learn More

How did Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, an open admission shelter in Texas, start on their path to no-kill? And how have they continued to achieve a high save rate every month since? Cheryl Schneider, Director of Animal Services for the shelter, shared their story and lessons that can help other organizations get the same… Learn More

If you just can’t get enough of diseases spread between animals and humans — well, reading about them, anyway! — you need to follow the Worms and Germs blog from Drs. Scott Weese and Maureen Anderson of the Ontario Veterinary College’s Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses. In recent posts, the authors debunked the really… Learn More