December 2018 by Lena DeTar, MS, DVM, DACVPM, DABVP, SMP Clinical Assistant Professor, Shelter Medicine, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Audience: Executive Leadership, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers, Veterinary Team

Video Length: 50:19

There are many ways to protect shelter pets from diseases and behavior problems, and not all of them are medical. This lecture explores how shelter management, housing, enrichment, intake protocols and population flow can boost the health of shelter populations, decrease length of stay and improve adoptions.

The presentation was recorded at the 2018 ASPCA-Maddie's® Cornell Shelter Medicine Conference.

About Dr. Lena DeTar

Dr. Lena DeTar earned her DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine - University of Minnesota in 2009. She recently completed board certification in Shelter Medicine through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. Before coming to Cornell to teach, she completed a residency in shelter medicine at Oregon State University/Oregon Humane Society and qualified as a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Her interests include infectious disease management and prevention, population management and metrics, elective and non-elective surgery, humane husbandry and shelter design, and shelter medicine instruction. She can be seen advising shelter leadership and staff during program consultations, teaching clinical-year students and interns medicine and surgery at Tompkins County SPCA, and lecturing in the veterinary school classroom.

Dr. DeTar has worked in and volunteered for humane organizations across the U.S. and internationally, and appreciates the philosophical, financial and physical challenges faced by shelters everywhere as they try to promote animal welfare, protect public health and support the human animal connection.