Kate F. Hurley, DVM, MPVM

Koret Shelter Medicine Program Director

Center for Companion Animal Health

University of California, Davis

www.sheltermedicine.com

www.facebook.com/sheltermedicine

Pets and ferals

Public and private $$$

New pets

Emerging, re-emerging

and zoonotic diseases

Euthanasia

• Help animals

before they

become homeless

• Help animals

become re-homed

• Help animals while

they’re homeless:

practice shelter

medicine

• Individual treatment

• Inspires public support

• Improves staff and

volunteer commitment

• Facilitates compliance

• Feels great

…must balance individual animal needs with population health

• Infectious disease

management

• Increases number of

animals that survive to

adoption

• Decreases suffering in

the shelter

• May improve public

perception

• We had a litter of 7 puppies who seemed to have kennel cough…Two of the seven pups got pretty sick and depressed so our clinic sent out blood samples to the lab and it came back barely positive (1:50) for distemper. The pups were 9 weeks old at the test and had been given their first shots at 6 weeks of age, three weeks earlier. I took the other five puppies to my home 8 days ago. The test came back last Friday and we euthanized the two that were in the clinic, however, they were much better that day. Well, the 5 pups I have at home are now almost completely well from the "kennel cough" , are happy playful, eating well puppies. Is this just a phase of distemper? Should I just euthanize these 5 pups now and be done with it or wait it out since they seem to be healthy (about 90% better)? We also have three adult dogs in the main kennels being treated for kennel cough. Their test also came back as a low positive for distemper… Could these tests all be false positives or should we be better safe than sorry and euthanize all?

• “We just wanted to thank you so much for helping to save our lives. Because you cared so much to help the shelter we have been happy and healthy and are awaiting our forever homes. The horrible distemper never got US…but we and the staff are forever grateful for all your time and effort in helping us get a second chance at a happy life.”

…more than half the battle is already lost.

• Prevention

• Vaccination

• Sanitation

• Parasite control

• Stress reduction

• Nutrition

• Air quality

• Facility design

• Population density

• “Hey Doc, Before attending EXPO in Atlanta and attending your workshop many cats died. We were sick all the time. Sometimes dropping like flies. Since your workshop less than 10 cats/kittens a year. We no longer move the cat out of the cage everyday to clean. We give them play things that can be disinfected well. We have a much better air exchange. Our hand disinfectant is at least 67% alcohol. We don’t overcrowd. We are much better about cross contamination. We are aware of the effects of stress and handling. Etc. etc. etc. All things I learned at your seminar. I will always be indebted to you.”

… a perfectly healthy population is still not the end goal.

• OUR PRODUCTS:

• Improved shelter conditions

• Facility design

• Animal comfort

• Staff and public health

• Increased shelter adoptions

• Improve animal health and public image

• Decreased shelter intake

• Research and correct reasons for homeless and unwanted animals

• Humane communities

• Conserve resources to support preventive programs

Decreased intake

Healthy animals

Committed employees

Increased adoptions

Happy public

Shelter support

Disease mgt.

Husbandry Facility design

Population

management

Legal issues

Spay/neuter

Education Behavior

Foster care

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

Care days

May August November February

Month

Healthy versus URI care days

URI

Healthy

23-33% of care days per month

10,169 cat care days/year = $$$?

Average decrease in monthly sick care days: 29% 1,132 fewer sick days summer after versus before

• Sent: Thursday, February 25, 2010 7:50 AM To: Kate Hurley

• Subject: Feline Sickbay @ SacSPCA

• Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed I'd see the day with ONE cat in feline sickbay!!! Today is that day!

And still a year later (3/8/2011)

• Board member/advisor

• As-needed service

• Outpatient

• Shelter visit

• Surgery

• Part time/full time staff

• Multiple shelter contract

• Leadership

• Consultation • Outbreak control • Shelter health • Facility design • Data analysis

• National outreach organizations

• Academic • Internship • Residency • Masters/PhD • Clinical instruction • Academic/research

Shelter based

research can

provide

knowledge to

help both shelter

and pet animals

www.aspcapro.org

www.animalsheltering.org www.acc-d.org/

www.humanealliance.org

• Association of Shelter Veterinarians • www.sheltervet.org

• $5 for students!

• Continuing education at major conferences, VIN

• Shelter medicine programs: residency, research, student teaching, shelter service • > half of U.S. vet schools

• Standardized recommendations

• 2 published textbooks

• Board specialty proposed

Wiley-Blackwell

• ASV: Veterinary Medical

Guidelines for Spay-Neuter

Programs

• JAVMA July 1, 2008,

Volume 233; No. 1, page

74

Google: veterinary medical

guidelines for spay-neuter

Google: aaha canine vaccine guidelines

• American Animal

Hospital Association:

shelter dog vaccine

guidelines

• 2006 (update coming

soon)

• Pages 19-26

Google: aafp feline vaccine guidelines

• American Association

of Feline Practitioners

• JAVMA Nov 1, 2006

Volume 229; No. 9;

page 1430

• Update coming soon

• Published by the ASV

• Recommended minimum

and ideal standards of

care

• For shelters, rescues,

foster parents,

sanctuaries

www.sheltervet.org