Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida

UF Shelter Medicine Online offers the only graduate degrees and certificates in Shelter Medicine.

The program offers many electives, weekly online live Shelter Medicine rounds, and is perfect for those wanting to move up into shelter/rescue/clinic management.

Veterinarians - are you seeking to make career move into Shelter Medicine practice or looking for ways to check off some of the requirements for ABVP credentials for board certification? This program can help!

Learn more at https://onlinesheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/

Need help deciding if you should pursue an online Shelter Medicine program? Let us help you out!✨

💻 Got a busy schedule? No worries! You can complete this degree from anywhere in the world since it’s fully online, making it super convenient to fit into your life.

🐾 Worried about staying current? This program offers in-depth training on managing infectious diseases, behavior issues, and shelter practices, so you’ll always be up-to-date with the latest in shelter medicine.

⬆️ Looking to advance your career? This degree gives you specialized skills and knowledge, especially if you're a vet, vet tech, or work in animal welfare, making you stand out in your field.

Are you convinced? Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4dls5eg

Ensuring the quality of high-volume spay-neuter

Dr. Becky Morrow breaks down how "a veterinarian at a typical high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter (HQHVSN) clinic may do as many as 60 surgeries in a day," all while assuring patient safety and quality of care in this new article in the Journal of the American Veterinary medical Association.

Dr. Morrow is an adjunct faculty member in the UF Shelter Medicine Online Graduate Program, which offers courses, certificates, and Masters degrees for working professionals.

Read about outcomes in a HQHVSN clinic and how they compare to surgery in private practices in our paper "Perioperative mortality in cats and dogs undergoing spay or castration at a high-volume clinic" at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023317301107

https://www.avma.org/news/ensuring-quality-high-volume-spay-neuter?

Ensuring the quality of high-volume spay-neuter Concerns that high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter (HQHVSN) compromises patient health and welfare for the sake of numbers are unfounded considering a growing body of scientific research and support from veterinary experts, according to HQHVSN advocate Dr. Becky Morrow.

So proud of our former graduate student and staff member Jenny Applebaum. Her research is shedding light on social inequities impacting people and their pets, sometimes to the point of breaking up these families and causing trauma to pets and people alike.

Dr. Jennifer Applebaum: Bridging Human and Animal Health with Sociology

Guided by her unwavering empathy, Dr. Jennifer Applebaum‘s journey in animal welfare and sociology is marked by a profound commitment to both human and animal well-being.

As she approaches her second year as an assistant professor with the University of Florida Department of Environmental and Global Health, Applebaum reflects on the foundations that drew her toward her work at the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions.

While Applebaum has always had a soft spot for her four-legged friends, her beginnings in rescue volunteering began over a decade ago while she was living in Chicago. Read more at

Dr. Jennifer Applebaum: Bridging Human and Animal Health with Sociology » Department of Environmental & Global Health » College of Public Health and Health Professions » University of Florida by: Jenny Rogers Guided by her unwavering empathy, Dr. Jennifer Applebaum‘s journey in animal welfare and sociology is marked by a profound commitment to both human and animal well-being. As she approaches her second year as an assistant professor with the University of Florida Department of Envir...

Today we were honored with a visit by 3 veterinarians from Spay Vets Japan. They are learning about different models for HQHVSN to bring back and train teams in Japan.

They also spent time with Cameron Moore visiting Citrus County Animal Services and Marion County Animal Services. They visited Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League and Operation Catnip. Altogether, they saw how veterinary care and spay/neuter can be delivered ranging from a specialty veterinary teaching hospital, to well-resourced shelters, to rural shelters that have outgrown their aging facilities, to specialized HQHVSN programs.

They'll take all this information back to Japan to enhance their own spay/neuter training and promotion activities. They are hosting the Conference on Humane Population Control for Companion Animal on December 1, 2024 in Japan where Dr. Patty Dingman (in person) and I (remotely) will be speaking on TNR programs. Register at: https://spayvetsjapan.org/conference2024.html

Learn more about Spay Vets Japan: https://youtu.be/FKFdAdfgazg

Veterinary students and shelter medicine interns in UF's Community Cat Management course studied about the lives of free-roaming cats, implementing the Cat Superhighway concept to choose the right outcome for every cat, operational aspects of running an HQHVSN clinic, and surgical techniques. 🐱🩺✂️💗

They also spayed and neutered a total of 3️⃣2️⃣9️⃣ cats during the course with a one-on-one expert coach. This prevented the birth of more than a thousand kittens in the first year alone. These are tomorrow's compassionate, skilled, and motivated humane veterinarians of tomorrow. 🏆👩‍⚕️

Brought to you by Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida in collaboration with Operation Catnip and made possible by a gift from the Paul and Lea Levine Foundation. 🎉

Learn more about the UF Shelter Medicine Curriculum at https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/education/courses/

THIS Saturday is our BIGGEST adoption event of the year! Join us between 10am and 8pm at Alachua County Animal Resources for an entire day of WAIVED adoption fees while we work to EMPTY THE SHELTER! Please come out and visit us and help us spread the word about this event! 🐶🐱
Summer Lovin' Adoptathon

#

Today’s animal welfare and veterinary medical professionals are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for animals, people, and the organizations that heal, connect, and protect them. If that’s you, it’s easy to feel like nothing you do is ever good enough. The work feels never-ending. Taking care of your own needs might seem impossible.

Transforming empathic distress (aka compassion fatigue) is absolutely possible for you and your staff. That’s why the Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida is once again offering its Compassion Fatigue Strategies online course with certified compassion fatigue educator Jessica Dolce.

What people are saying:
“I’m so glad I found this course. I have recommend it to everyone in my organization, knowing that all shelter workers, from kennel staff to adoption counselors, are at risk for compassion fatigue. It’s a course that should be required of all veterinarians, veterinary nurses, and shelter administrators.”

“I really appreciated this course and learned a lot of new ways in which to help myself navigate some of the more difficult aspects of my job . . . I feel like I am back in control of my work life and it’s easier now to remember why I do what I do and focus on the good parts . . . I feel so much more well-equipped to handle the emotional roller coaster now that I’ve taken your course.”

Register your staff or yourself for this 8-week online course by 9/21/24 to save $50 off the regular fee of $349. Bring the whole team for an additional 10% discount on groups of 10 or more.
The course starts 10/21/24.

Learn more at https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/education/continuing-education/compassion-fatigue-strategies/

Help us spread the word! We are partnering with the UF Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians for our biggest adoption event of the year, the annual Summer Lovin' Adopt-a-thon at Alachua County Animal Resources!

We’ll have more than 200 dogs and cats available for fee-waived adoptions August 10, 10am - 8pm in an effort to CLEAR THE SHELTER.

In addition to getting a new member of the family, all pet adoptions come with $300-$600 worth of amenities including:

Spay or Neuter
Heartworm Test
Vaccines
Deworming
Flea Treatment
Microchip
Collar
Gift Bags

Alachua County Animal Resources is located at 3400 NE 53rd Ave in Gainesville. We’ll be there with our students; please join us, and if you can’t join us, please share this post and head over to Summer Lovin' Adoptathon and like and share our posts there!

Thank you from all of us at the UF Shelter Medicine Program!

Is your shelter or rescue impacted by feline panleukopenia virus this kitten season? You are not alone, but help is on the way!

If you've encountered FPV this year, please share in the comments what happened and what you would like to learn in our upcoming webinar.

 Title: Protecting Kittens from Feline Panleukopenia: Essential Strategies for Animal Shelters and Rescues
 Presenters: Dr. Becky Stuntebeck, Dr Uri Donnett
 Moderator: Dr. Julie Levy
 Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024
 Register: https://maddiesfund-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zkfLlQroQ1S8IGbqekfgAA #/registration

Animal shelter and rescue agencies across the country often struggle to protect cats and in particular kittens from the infectious diseases that tend to rise as 'kitten season' surges each year.

This webinar focuses on safeguarding cats of all ages from feline panleukopenia (sometimes also called feline distemper or FPV), a highly contagious and potentially fatal viral disease. Veterinary experts will discuss disease recognition in individuals and within a shelter population, effective prevention methods, and best practices for managing outbreaks in shelter environments and foster homes.

Join Dr. Becky Stuntebeck, Facility Design and Outreach Veterinarian at the Koret Shelter Medicine Program and Dr Uri Donnett, Lead Veterinarian at Dane County Humane Society and come away knowing how to implement effective prevention strategies within the shelter or foster homes, including proper vaccination protocols and sanitation measures - and much more.

This webcast will be moderated by Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DAVBP, Fran Marino Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida.

Can't attend live? Register anyway and you will get a link to the recording.

This webinar has been approved for 1.25 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits by The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement and by the National Animal Care & Control Association. It has also been submitted for approval for 1.25 hours of continuing education credit in jurisdictions which recognize the Registry of Approved Continuing Education (RACE).

Breaking: Treatment of cats for wet FIP with GS-441524 for only 42 days was as effective as the traditional 84 days of medication, making life-saving treatment accessible to even more cats!

🔥Hot from the press! 🔥ABCD's Katrin Hartmann's team (including Regina Hofmann-Lehmann and this year's Young Scientist Awardee Katharina Zwicklbauer) just published proof that a 6-week treatment of FIP cats with oral GS-441524 is equally effective as the 12-week protocol. Great news for cats and cat owners alike!
😻😻😻
Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071144
For our free tool to help diagnose FIP, factsheet and comprehensive guideline on FIP, check out the ABCD website www.abcdcatsvets.org

We teamed up with the Austin Pets Alive! shelter to research treating cats for FIP when the medication was not available in the U.S. through regulated sources. Now that it is, this information will be even more important to shelters, rescues, and veterinarians. Here’s what our research found.

Saving Shelter Cats with FIP: Innovative Treatment Strategies » Shelter Medicine Program » College of Veterinary Medicine » University of Florida A team of cat-loving volunteers is saving cats who would otherwise have no chance of survival. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which most commonly affects cats under 2 years old and has increased risk in purebreds and shelters, has long been feared as one of the most deadly and untreatable dise...

A just-published study looks into pet owner and veterinarian perceptions about access to veterinary care and potential solutions to access to care and veterinary workforce challenges in Colorado.

Read the full paper:
Veterinary and pet owner perspectives on addressing access to veterinary care and workforce challenges
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1419295/full

Conclusions:
"Our findings suggest significant access to care challenges, reported from both the perspectives of veterinary professionals and pet owners in the state of Colorado. However, our findings also demonstrate support for a range of potential solutions to address these challenges, including expanded use of telemedicine, enhancing career pathways for and clarifying the role of veterinary technicians, grant and voucher programs for enhancing access to care, and expanding loan repayment programs to incorporate technicians and work in shelters or non-profit clinics. Additionally, our findings illustrate a strong need for more low-cost emergency clinics to expand access to care. To achieve these solutions, pet owners and veterinary professionals can conduct outreach and education to policymakers, professional associations, universities, and other stakeholders on these issues. Our results can be used in such outreach to demonstrate that both veterinary professionals and bonded families are in strong support of an array of programs and policies to enhance access to care and improve workforce challenges."

We'll be presenting our research at the upcoming conference of the International Society of Companion Animal Infectious Diseases! Join us in beautiful Vancouver BC where we'll be sharing the results of our lifetime FeLV study and a new study on treatment of FIP in cats co-infected with FeLV.

Highlights of the program include updates on the ISCAID canine pyoderma and UTI guidelines, developments in the treatment of FIP, new data on antimicrobial use and resistance in companion animals as well as a ‘How I’ series including feline aspergillosis, feline leukemia and canine acute diarrhea. See the tentative schedule here.

Registration is open: https://www.iscaid.org/2024-symposium
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Dates: October 13-16,2024

How to best manage free-roaming cats and dogs is a global hot topic, especially in this era of overcrowded shelters and veterinary workforce shortage.

Check out this interesting new paper: Public perceptions of free-roaming dogs and cats in India versus the United States.

"Free-roaming dogs and cats were largely perceived as community animals among Indian respondents, with significantly more respondents indicating they should be allowed to roam freely compared with American respondents. . . . American respondents were also more likely to support adoption for sociable animals and euthanasia for unsociable animals, whereas Indian respondents were more likely to support spay/neuter, vaccinate and release strategies for both dogs and cats."

Read the full paper for free: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888705.2024.2374078

(desert dogs photo by Kristen Hassen)

Did you miss our webinar on Advancements in Neonatal Kitten Care last week? Along with your opportunity to earn RACE, NACA, or CAWA CE credit?

Don't despair - the recording is now available on Maddie's University with links to all the resources: https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/advancements-in-neonatal-kitten-care-on-demand and click on ENROLL.

If you haven't done so before, you'll also need to create a free account on Maddie's Pet Forum to view the recording https://forum.maddiesfund.org/register

Then click on the QUIZ to gain your certificate of completion for CE credit.

Looking for a veterinarian for your shelter, HQHVSN, or access-to-care program (and who isn't?!)? Post your open positions here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2888094527991996

We're speaking at the 2024 Online Feline Leukemia Conference!

Date: July 13, 2024,10:00AM-5:00PM EDT

Topic: 2024’s Research Breakthroughs for FeLV+ Cats. Hear the latest on our lifetime study of 130 FeLV+ shelter cats and our study on response to FIP treatment in cats co-infected with FeLV.

Speaker: Dr, Julie Levy

Register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/2422232247348496214

The Community Cats Podcast is thrilled to announce that we will once again be holding our Online Feline Leukemia Day this year. Speakers from a wide range of fields from veterinarians to shelter specialists will bring you the latest information on Feline Leukemia studies, improvements in care, and suggestions to help you start and maintain policies and programs that will help you find homes for these special kitties.

Feeling overwhelmed by the number of dogs needing help in your region? And it's not just big dogs and bully breeds?

Here's an insightful look into "Ethical Concerns about Fashionable Dog Breeding." Grab a drink or a snack and settle in for a captivating read.

Read the full paper: https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc10930939

Abstract:
The historical relationship between humans and dogs has involved selective breeding for various purposes, such as hunting, guarding, and service roles. However, over time, there has been a shift in preferences from functionality to aesthetics, which has influenced the diverse sizes, shapes, and coats of dog breeds.

This review looks at fashionable dog breeding and questions the ethics of prioritising looks over health and behaviour. It aims to alert potential owners, breeders, and regulators to the importance of considering a dog's overall well-being, not just its appearance, which has resulted in fad breeding, leading to genetic disorders, health issues, and a loss of biodiversity.

Ethical concerns arise from breeding brachycephalic breeds with respiratory conditions, inbreeding causing inherited disorders, and overbreeding popular breeds while shelter dogs remain unadopted. Additionally, the impact of cosmetic surgeries on popular dog breeds, as well as the neglect of behavioural traits in favour of physical characteristics and strict breeding practices are also considered.

The current breeding model can have a negative impact on the emotional and cognitive well-being of dogs, resulting in issues such as aggression, anxiety, and other behavioural problems that can significantly reduce their overall quality of life. Unregulated breeding practices and the demand for rare breeds can lead to illegal breeding, compromising animal welfare. Prospective owners, veterinarians, kennel clubs, and legislators all need to play a responsible role in protecting animals.

🐈 💕🍼🐈‍⬛More than 2,000 fellow kitten lovers have signed up for our webinar on Wednesday June 26! Got FOMO yet?

Webcast: Advancements in Neonatal Kitten Care
Presenters: Dr. Julie Levy, Marnie Russ
Date: Wednesday, June 26 at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern
CE: RACE, NACA, CAWA
Register: http://maddies.fund/WebcastRegistrationNeonatalKittens

Neonatal kitten care has seen significant advancements over the last decade. At the same time, social media had created thousands of influencers sharing information on the best ways to save these little ones. This information is often conflicting. In 2023, several major shelter medicine programs and animal advocacy groups updated their guidelines for caring for neonatal kittens which added even more confusion and debate about the best ways to care underage kittens.

Join Dr. Julie Levy and Marnie Russ for a review of these changes and clarification about feeding schedules, weaning age, temperature regulation, euthanasia rates, medical interventions, combining litters, socialization, and adoption. Come away knowing how you and your shelter can provide neonatal kittens with the best possible care.

Dr. Kate Hurley weighs in on the current crisis in animal shelters and how animal advocates can help save lives and improve conditions for pets in overcrowded shelters.

https://outcomesforpets.com/blog/dr-kate-hurleys-animal-shelter-crisis/

Dr. Kate Hurley's Take on the Animal Shelter Crisis and Advice for Animal Advocates - Outcomes Consulting Read ahead for Dr. Hurley's thoughts on the current crisis in animal shelters and her advice to animal advocates who want to improve shelter conditions and save lives.

The animal sheltering crisis is not limited to North America. Shelters across the globe are overcrowded, with euthanasia for space increasing for the first time in decades.

The RSPCA, one of the oldest and largest animal sheltering systems in the world, announced it is "at the breaking point." The organization has thousands of animals in care and is spending more than $500,000 a month in private boarding facilities because its shelters are full. The RSPCA attributes the number of animals languishing in its shelters to the rising cost of living that is forcing families to give up their pets and to avoid adopting new animal companions.

This crisis in animal sheltering is world-wide. In the US, shelter overcrowding and euthanasia for space is increasing for the first time in decades. It is urgent to scale up pet-inclusive housing, pet adoptions, spay/neuter, and access to affordable vet care.

https://www.rspca.org.uk/-/news-rehoming-centres-at-breaking-point-as-animals-arrive-faster-than-they-leave

Free international Cat Management Conference Day
Date: June 20, 2024 7-9 am ET and recorded for later viewing the same day
Free registration: https://www.icam-coalition.org/conferences/international-conference-dog-cat-population-management-2024

1. Tamara Kartal, Chonnikarn Phochanakij & Ivet Balchiklieva, FOUR PAWS
Building strategic free-roaming cat management programmes– Examples from Sofia, Bulgaria and Bangkok, Thailand

2. Vicky Halls, ICatCare
Completing the jigsaw puzzle of sustainable and effective cat population management

3. Jenni McDonald, Cats Protection
From Counting to Modelling: Bespoke methodology and insights into unowned cats in the UK

4. Jenifer Reed & Heather Kalman, Human Animal Support Services, Austin Pets Alive!
Harnessing People Power to Get Pets Back Home

5. Vinicius Soares Santos, Federal University of Parana
Population Management of dogs and cats and the Social Veterinary Medicine: Zero Fome Project for dogs and cats in vulnerability situation

6. Irina Frasin, Gheorghe Zane Institute for Social and Economic Research, Romanian Academy Iasi Branch
Living with Cats: Community cats, companion cats and special needs cats

7. Rae Foreman-Worsley, Cats Protection
The Long-Term Effects of Prepubertal Neutering: Filling the evidence gap for veterinary stakeholders

#

Topic: The Trouble with Transport and How to Fix It
Date: Friday, June 21, 2024, 2pm ET/11am PT
Register: https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/dogs-data

Transport, the practice of moving dogs from one place to another to give them a better chance to get adopted, has been on the decline since 2021. Today, fewer dogs are being transported, which has heavily impacted some of the most overburdened shelters in the nation. In this session, we’ll share how transport has changed over the past six years and talk to organizations who have pivoted and are still successfully transporting both dogs and cats to safety.

Humane Dog & Cat Population Management - 5th International Conference

Free and Online -- June 17-21, 2024

Our favorite conference of the year is online every morning next week! The International Companion Animal Management Coalition. presents a 5-day conference completely comprised of short abstracts of data-driven research on humane cat and dog population management programs, rabies eradication campaigns, and global One Health initiatives.

This conference takes place online 7am-9 am ET every morning next week. That makes it feasible to attend, even during a very busy summer. If you are interested in companion animal management, global veterinary medicine, and public health, sign up and give it a try, we promise it will be time well-spent.

Free Registration: https://www.icam-coalition.org/conferences/international-conference-dog-cat-population-management-2024/

Download abstract book: https://www.icam-coalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-ICAM-Conference-Abstracts-Updated12June.pdf

It's always a surprise and delight to see how much work is being done to understand community dynamics and what's effective and sustainable for animal welfare programs across the globe. Many programs are far more sophisticated and effective than any you can find in the US.

• Day 1: 17 June 2024 - Evolving population management.
• Day 2: 18 June 2024 - One Health.
• Day 3: 19 June 2024 - Urban Development and Government Leadership.
• Day 4: 20 June 2024 - Rehoming and Cat population management.
• Day 5: 21 June 2024 - Human Behaviour measurement and change.

Free Vet CE FIP Presentation: "Navigating Unlicensed Medication for Treating Feline Infectious Peritonitis"
Date: Saturday June 15, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Julie Levy
Location: In person at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
Free same day registration: https://hospitals.vetmed.ufl.edu/rdvm-continuing-education-day-2/

Join me tomorrow at UF Vet CE Day where I'll be discussing treatment protocols for cats with FIP. Life-saving medication became available to veterinarians in the US last week, so there's no better time to catch upon how to save cats from this once fatal disease.

IN PERSON: We have almost a full day of free CE planned to show our appreciation for our referring veterinarians! Join us June 15 from 7:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the UF Veterinary Small Animal Hospital, 2089 SW 16th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32608.
Breakfast and Registration: 7:00-8:00 a.m.
CE begins: 8:00 a.m.
Lunch: 12:40-1:30 p.m.
CE ends: 2:30 p.m.

FOR ALL VETERINARIANS: The popular three-hour Florida Rules and Laws and Pharmacy Dispensing Rules course will be offered virtually only! Our veterinary pharmacist Dr. Megan Eide and UF attorney Brian Boelens will present updates; we will email all registrants a link and you can view the content for thirty days. Please Note: We are not offering this course onsite this year.

New Research: Pairing up Shelter Dogs with a Roomie Could Lead to More Adoptions 🐕🐕 vs. 🐕

2-Minute Read: https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/animals/pairing-up-shelter-dogs-with-a-roomie-could-lead-to-more-adoptions/

"We investigated the impact of pair-housing compatible dogs on their behavior, C:C values, length of stay (LOS), and scores on a dog-dog test. We found benefits of pair-housing for dogs in several of our experimental measures, including reduced mean number of intervals in which dogs exhibited three stress-related behaviors, a significant interaction for changes in C:C levels, with pair-housed dogs generally showing a greater reduction in C:C levels compared to baseline than single-housed dogs, and a reduction of length of stay for pair-housed dogs. All of these point to the welfare benefits of pair-housing for shelter dogs."

Read the Full Research Paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0301137

Pairing shelter dog with roomie improves stress and adoption A new US study has found shelter dogs housed with a well-matched companion are less stressed and adopted more quickly than dogs housed alone.

Webcast: Advancements in Neonatal Kitten Care

Presenters: Dr. Julie Levy, Marnie Russ

Date: Wednesday, June 26 at noon Pacific / 3pm Eastern

CE: RACE, NACA, CAWA

Register: http://maddies.fund/WebcastRegistrationNeonatalKittens

Neonatal kitten care has seen significant advancements over the last decade. At the same time, social media had created thousands of influencers sharing information on the best ways to save these little ones. This information is often conflicting. In 2023, several major shelter medicine programs and animal advocacy groups updated their guidelines for caring for neonatal kittens which added even more confusion and debate about the best ways to care underage kittens.

Join Dr. Julie Levy and Marnie Russ for a review of these changes and clarification about feeding schedules, weaning age, temperature regulation, euthanasia rates, medical interventions, combining litters, socialization, and adoption. Come away knowing how you and your shelter can provide neonatal kittens with the best possible care.