Webcasts

Ergonomics for Shelter Veterinarians

Sara White, DVM, MSc, Founder, ErgovetDecember 11, 2019

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we're rescheduling this webcast for Wednesday, December 11 at 12pm PST / 3pm EST. We apologize for this inconvenience and invite you to register for the new date.

Working with animals can be intensely physical work. Many veterinarians experience musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD) related to their work, and good physical ergonomics can improve this situation. Ergonomics includes much more than the gadgets that many associate with the term or keeping a "good posture" while you work.

Return to Field you say? Tell that to my community/commissioners!

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVM Co-founder, Million Cat Challenge and Director, Koret Shelter Medicine Program @UC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineNovember 13, 2019

Does your county worry about the optics of having ACOs putting cats back where they came from? In this webinar, we invite you to partake in a little old-fashioned role reversal where YOU get to be on the other side of the counter.

Lifesaving Protocol for At Risk Dogs: Part 2

Kristen Hassen-Auerbach, Director of Animal Services Pima Animal Care Center, Tucson, Arizona & Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB, Director of Research, Maddie's FundOctober 24, 2019

Part 2: The Challenges of Saving Medium and Large Dogs in Shelters. This webcast is the second in a two-part series but can be viewed on its own and will be useful to shelter leadership at all levels, volunteers, advocates and anyone else who struggles to save big dogs' lives.

Lifesaving Protocol for At Risk Dogs: Part 1

Kristen Hassen-Auerbach, Director of Animal Services Pima Animal Care Center, Tucson, ArizonaOctober 23, 2019

Part 1: What is the Lifesaving Protocol for At Risk Dogs? This webcast is the first in a two-part series but can be viewed on its own and will be useful to shelter leadership at all levels, volunteers, advocates and anyone else who struggles to save big dogs' lives.

Change Management Principles to Make Hard Changes Simpler

Cristie Kamiya, DVM, MBA, Chief of Shelter Medicine, Humane Society Silicon ValleyOctober 9, 2019

In this free 1-hour webcast Dr. Cristie Kamiya, chief of shelter medicine at the Humane Society Silicon Valley, will share an 8-Step Change Management Process to help simplify change.

Caring for Exotic Pets in the Shelter

Lena DeTar, DVM, DACVPM, DABVP Assistant Clinical Professor, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine October 3, 2019

In this free webcast, Assistant Clinical Professor at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Lena DeTar will give practitioners of shelter medicine the tools they'll need to address the welfare of small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that may come into the shelter.

The Million Cat Challenge: Interventions and observations associated with survival of orphaned shelter kittens undergoing treatment for diarrhea

Jody Gookin, DVM and Sandra Strong, DVMOctober 2, 2019

In this free 30-minute webcast, Drs. Jody Gookin and Sandra Strong provide information for veterinarians and medical support staff on survival statistics and novel treatments for orphan kitten diarrhea.

A Playbook Approach to Saving Lives in Animal Shelters

Dr. Sara PizanoWednesday, May 15, 2019

In this webcast. Dr. Sara Pizano will walk you through the steps each shelter, whether public or private and regardless of resources, can take to help and save more cats and dogs.

The Surprising Science of Meetings: Key Learnings and Implications for Shelter Success and You as Someone Who May Lead Meetings

Steven G. Rogelberg, PhD, Chancellor's Professor, University of North Carolina at CharlotteThursday, March 28, 2019

This webcast delves into the research leading to an evidence-based path that will help you conduct a more productive meeting.

Million Cat Challenge: Fighting Fungus with Facts

Laura Mullen, Shelter Medicine Outreach Manager, SFSPCA San Francisco, CaliforniaWednesday, March 27, 2019

This webinar outlines research-based protocols that are in use at the San Francisco SPCA and examine how those same concepts apply to a variety of different shelters and rescues.

Million Cat Challenge: Foster Care On-Deck: Strategies to get kittens into foster homes quickly

Erin Doyle, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice) Senior Director, Shelter Medicine - ASPCAWednesday, March 20, 2019

Learn how to get kittens and nursing queens out of the shelter and into foster homes as quickly as possible.

Million Cat Challenge: Outsourcing Neonatal Kitten Rearing for Life-Saving Success

Katie Ingram, Animal Services Manager, Placer County Animal Services, Auburn, CaliforniaWednesday, March 6, 2019

Learn how shelters are increasingly able to care for and save neonatal kittens.

Access to Veterinary Care: A National Family Crisis

Dr. Michael Blackwell and Dr. Susan KrebsbachThursday, February 21, 2019

The lack of access to care is the most significant animal welfare crisis affecting owned pets in the United States. Learn more about this important issue in this webcast.

Million Cat Challenge: Cats, Birds, and Animal Shelters: Seeking Common Ground

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVM January 23, 2019

In this presentation, Dr. Kate Hurley, Director of the U.C. Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, will explore the real-life implications of various policies proposed to balance the needs of cats and birds.

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Let Them Go Home - Increasing Adoptions

Monica FrendenThursday. December 13, 2018

How many more lives could you save if instead of keeping animals in the shelter until they are 100% ready, they went home with adopters now - to grow up, heal from injury, or recover from illness?

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Accelerate your Lifesaving: How to go from 50 to 90 (Percent Live Release Rate) Really Fast

Dr. Kim SandersThursday, December 6, 2018

Learn how to implement lifesaving programs that will take your facility from a save rate of 50% to over 90% in a very short period of time.

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Intake Mitigation and Managed Intake

Sarah Boyd and Joe HellebrandThursday, November 15, 2018

In this webcast, Brevard County Sheriff's Office Animal Shelter personnel Dr. Sarah Boyd and Joe Hellebrand let you in on the secret that Animal Control shelters can operate as no-kill.

Maddie's Pet Assistant App Revolutionizing Support for Pet Foster and Adoptive Homes

Amber FreiwaldTuesday, November 6, 2018

Introducing Maddie's^® Pet Assistant, a FREE app developed by Maddie's Fund^® to follow up with adopters and foster caregivers once a pet is placed in their new permanent or temporary home.

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Saving Lives Through Transport Programs

Colleen HarringtonThursday, November 1, 2018

Hear an overview of the key elements of a good transport program, transport best practices and how to get started on a lifesaving transport program that benefits not only the animals but the sending and receiving partners as well.

Million Cat Challenge: 'Care To' Programs at the Winnipeg Humane Society

Val PoultonThursday, November 1, 2018

Learn how the Care to Adopt (for strays) and Care to Rehome (for owned cats) Programs help get cats into new homes without a shelter stay, and include low cost spay/neuter and vaccinations to those adopters.

Million Cat Challenge: Albuquerque Case Studies Going Big With Community Cat Programs

Desiree Triste-AragonThursday, October 25, 2018

Learn how the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department partnered with Petsmart Charities and Best Friends Animal Society to drastically reduce euthanasia and intake of cats and kittens coming into the shelter. Learn more about how the program works and how you can replicate it in your community.

Million Cat Challenge: Helping vs Enabling: Knowing the Difference Made All the Difference!

Shelly SimmonsThursday, October 18, 2018

Learn how the largest open-admission shelter in South Carolina decreased cat intake in their shelter by nearly 60% and increased the feline save rate from 30% to over 80% in less than three years!

Million Cat Challenge: Believe in Saving Lives

Karen SheppardThursday, October 11, 2018

How changing communication approaches, implementing strong programs, and the power of belief all came together to save cats' lives in Huntsville's municipal shelter.

Million Cat Challenge: Keeping Cats out of Shelters

Monica FrendenThursday, October 4, 2018

Learn about how the PASS (Positive Alternatives to Shelter Surrender) diversion program keeps cats from ever entering shelters

Lifesaving Webcast Series: Where are you with Lifesaving in your Shelter? Your Data is the Lifeline

Dr. Mike GreenbergThursday, October 4, 2018

Your data is a powerful tool for decision making. We partner with Shelter Animals Count and Humane Dash to bring you charts and graphs of your data, fast!

Million Cat Challenge: Managed Intake and Restructuring the Budget

Mandy EvansThursday, September 27, 2018

In this Webcast, Mandy Evans will cover two topics: A panleukopenia outbreak, and how managed intake, housing changes and partnering with the community made all the difference.

So, You Want Some Money? How to Apply for Maddie's Fund^® Innovation Grants

Kelly Clardy and Amber EbyThursday, September 20, 2018

Do you have questions about Maddie's Fund^® Innovation Grants?

During this informative webcast, you will hear a brief overview of the Innovation Grants, Maddie's Fund Grant Portal, and the application process.

Million Cat Challenge: Yes, and....

Seth Montgomery and Natalie CorwinThursday, September 20, 2018

Do you have 15 minutes to save more cats' lives?

In this webcast, you'll discover how an open-admission municipal shelter and a nonprofit veterinary clinic worked together to lower cat intake at the shelter.

Saving Cats: What Comes After a Million?

Dr. Kate Hurley and Dr. Julie LevyThursday, September 13, 2018

The intrepid co-founders of the Million Cat Challenge (MCC) dared to imagine reaching a tipping point for how cats are cared for in our shelters and communities, and reached their goal of saving 1 million cats a full year early.

The Million Cat Challenge isn't done yet!

Join the #GetEmHomeChallenge!

Kelly DuerAugust 16, 2018

Is there a better feeling in the world than one of your shelter's long-stay animals finding a home? How about the feeling of receiving a grant? What if you could do both? You can, and in this free Maddie's Fund^® webcast, you'll find out how!

The Shelter's Role in Disaster Response

Dr. Elise GingrichJune 21, 2018

Last year saw communities across the country devastated by hurricanes, wildfires, and mudslides. That leaves a simple question for every animal organization: Do you have a disaster plan?

If the answer is no, or if you do but you're not sure it's up to date, please join us and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) for The Shelter's Role in Disaster Response with Dr. Elise Gingrich, Supervising Veterinarian at Larimer Humane Society in Fort Collins, CO.

Adult Cat and Kitten Fostering

Jodi Osborne and Christina EllwoodMarch 2018

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter, or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund^® has a webcast series for you!

On Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern, Charleston Animal Society Foster and Rescue Coordinators Jodi Osborne and Christina Ellwood will present a free Maddie's Fund webcast, Adult Cat and Kitten Fostering.

Adult Dog Fostering

Kristen AuerbachMarch 2018

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter, or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund has a webcast series for you!

On Thursday, March 15, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern, Kristen Auerbach, Director of Animal Services at Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson, Arizona, will present a free Maddie's Fund webcast, Adult Dog Fostering.

Foster Sleepovers: How Temporary Fostering Can Improve the Lives of Shelter Dogs

Lisa Gunter and Kelly DuerMarch 2018

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter, or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund^® has a webcast series for you!

This free webcast on Thursday, March 8, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern will show you how temporary fostering can improve the lives of shelter dogs.

Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted

Kelly DuerFebruary 2018

Whether you're looking to start a foster program at your shelter, or give a boost to an already-existing foster program, Maddie's Fund^® has a webcast series for you!

In a free webcast on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at 9 PM Eastern, Foster Field Trips: A Gateway to Community Engagement in Getting Pets Adopted, you will learn how getting pets out of the shelter for even a few hours can create benefits for the pet, the community, and the adoption organization.

The Optimal Time for Spay/Neuter: An Analysis of Critical Spay/Neuter Literature

Philip Bushby, DVM, MS, DACVSFebruary 22, 2018

How can veterinarians and animal shelters understand the pros and cons of spay/neuter and determine the most appropriate age to perform these surgeries in male and female dogs and cats?

Working Cat Programs

Monica FrendenDecember 14, 2017

Why start a Working Cat Program? Because these cats have no other live outcome, and socialization of adult ferals is extremely difficult and resource intensive. The good news is working cat programs are inexpensive and easy to start, so you can begin saving more lives immediately!

Behavioral Pharmacology in Shelter Settings

Dr. Sara L. BennettNovember 14, 2017

Learn about common behavioral concerns and diagnoses in sheltered pets and what medications might be most appropriate for their conditions. Learn More

URI in Shelter Cats: It's Snot Inevitable!

Dr. Ann Enright and Dr. Cynthia KarstenOctober 2017

Recent research shows that upper respiratory infections in cats need not be as frequent as we once thought. Learn More

A Foster Home for Every Pet

Kristen AuerbachSeptember 14, 2017

Learn how to send adult pets to foster care and reduce costs of care, increase capacity for housing and get pets adopted faster and with better matches between the pet and the adopter. Learn More

Updates on Heartworm Disease Management for Animal Shelters

Brian DiGangi, DVM, MS, DABVPAugust 24, 2017

In this presentation, Dr. Brian DiGangi will help attendees understand current practices and challenges to standard heartworm management guidelines in the shelter setting. Learn More

Return-to-Field from an Animal Control Officer's Perspective

Tim ReederAugust 2017

Learn More

Managing a Feline Panleukopenia Outbreak in a Shelter

Dr. Amanda DykstraAugust 10, 2017

Is your shelter's veterinary team ready to manage a feline panleukopenia outbreak? Learn how it's done in this presentation! Learn More

How Animal Shelters Can Save Lives and Lower Costs with Low and No-Fee Cat Adoptions

Maria Benham and Aimee HeinrichJuly 2017

Want to save more cats, and money? Hear how Iowa's Dubuque Regional Humane Society decreased cat euthanasia by 82% and increased the cat adoption rate by 40%. By shortening length of stay, cat care costs were cut by over $100,000! Learn More

House Fewer Cats, Save More Lives, Make Everyone Happy!

May 2017

How to save more cats! Learn More

Feline Influenza Outbreak in New York City

Dr. Sandra NewburyMarch 2017

When Avian Influenza H7N2 infected cats in a New York City animal shelter, it was the first outbreak of its kind, and the first documented case of cat-to-cat transmission. Learn about the response and the outcome for the cats that were infected.

Small Changes, Big Results for Cats

Mike Keiley and Bryn Conklin RogersMarch 2017

Learn how making a few small, easy-to-implement changes can spiral into more programs, lower intake and decrease euthanasia at an open admission adoption center. Learn More

Best Practice Strategies for Redefining Animal Sheltering

Dr. Sara PizanoFebruary 2017

Hear a fresh perspective with regards to the way animals may enter the shelter and key practices that help the most leave alive, all by working smarter, not harder. Learn More

How Your Animal Shelter Can Save Cats by Helping People

Rachel D. K. FinneyJanuary 2017

innovative programs that allowed each cat in need of help to receive the exact services that individual cat -- and that cat's human caretakers! Learn More

Time to Stop Playing the Breed ID Game

Kristen Auerbach and Caitlin QuinnJanuary 2017

Ending the guessing game of assigning breed labels to shelter dogs will increase adoptions and make better matches between pets and people. Find out what the research says in this webcast! Learn More

Helping Shelter Pets find Health, Happiness and Homes with Fear Free

Dr. Marty BeckerNovember 2016

Learn why fear is the worst thing a social species can experience, and how it causes permanent damage to the brain.

Two Webcasts: Creating Public Policy on Community Cats & Putting Theory into Action

Dr. Sara Pizano and Cameron MooreNovember 2016

Are you an elected official of a community struggling with too many cats in your animal control system? This webcast, designed for elected officials, will help you learn how other municipalities have managed these issues successfully on the public policy and public relations levels. Learn More

Integrating Volunteers into Your Animal Shelter Programs and Culture

Paula FasseasOctober 2016

Could your animal shelter use 5,000 volunteers? Learn More

Innovative Fostering: Saving More Dogs with Behavioral Challenges

Kristen AuerbachAugust 2016

Has your shelter struggled to achieve live outcomes for dogs who display common behavioral challenges like kennel stress, barrier reactivity and fear-based aggression? Learn how you could turn that around and save more dogs lives. Learn More

One Shelter's Journey to Save More Feline Lives

Dr. Cristie KamiyaAugust 2016

What real-world difference can the initiatives of the Million Cat Challenge make in an animal shelter? Hear an overview of how implementing those initiatives has impacted their life-saving capacity for cats. Learn More

Taking the Teeth Out of Canine Distemper Virus

Dr. Sandra NewburyJuly 2016

Learn how to prevent distemper outbreaks in an animal shelter, how to recognize the disease in its earliest stages, and what to do in response to an outbreak.

Stress Reduction: Happy and Healthy Shelter Dogs

Dr. Sara L. BennettJune 2016

Everyone wants to make sheltered life better for dogs while they wait to get adopted. Learn what works and what doesn't in this webcast.
Learn More

Stress Reduction: Happy and Healthy Shelter Cats on a Fast Track to Adoption

Dr. Brenda GriffinMay 2016

Stress can trigger physical, emotional and behavioral problems for cats in animal shelters. What can be done to help overcome stress and its negative outcomes?
Learn More

Turning Your 'Surrender-ers' into Foster Homes

Sharon Harvy and Ayse DunlapApril 2016

The purpose Foster to Surrender is to enlist community support and keep high-risk animals out of the shelter. See how you can do this in your community! Learn More

Outpatient Parvo Treatment for Dogs

Dr. Jeffrey StupineMarch 2016

Learn about the feasibility of treating symptomatic parvovirus dogs in a twice-daily outpatient setting while minimizing the risk of infection to other dogs in a shelter environment.

The Milk Man and Wait Until 8 Programs: Saving Cats and Kittens by Thinking Outside the Box

Dr. Maria Serrano and Kathleen LabradaFebruary 2016

An animal shelter isn't a good place for kittens too young to be adopted, whether they're orphaned or not. Learn how to get your community to help save these little lives in this free webcast. Learn More

How Stress is Sabotaging Your Cat Adoption Efforts

Dr. Sheila D'ArpinoFebruary 2016

It's well known that cat health is quickly and negatively impacted by stress. But is it also making it harder for them to get adopted? Learn strategies to identify those effects not only in individual cats, but in the entire population of cats in a facility. Learn More

Starting and Running a Shelter Intervention Program

Lori Weise and Amanda CaserezFebruary 2016

Each year, Downtown Dog Rescue keeps more than 2,000 pets out of the Los Angeles Animal Services South LA Shelter through a groundbreaking in-shelter intervention program. Find out what they do, how they do it, and how your shelter can, too! Learn More

How Stress is Sabotaging Your Dog Adoption Efforts

Dr. Sheila D'ArpinoJanuary 2016

Are dogs in shelters developing health and behavior problems because of stress? And does that make adoption more difficult and less likely for those pets? Learn to recognize the harmful effects of stress on sheltered dogs, and strategies to alleviate that stress in this free webcast. Learn More

How a Telephone Can Keep Cats in their Homes and Out of Your Shelter

Cynthia Kopec and Lisa BassiJanuary 2016

The San Francisco SPCA's award-winning call center has helped keep hundreds of pets out of the shelter. Learn how you can do this at your shelter. Learn More

Getting the Most Out of Shelter Medicine

Dr. Cristie Kamiya and Carol NovelloDecember 2015

Shelter veterinarians are a powerful source of experience, knowledge, training and insight that can guide animal shelters to improvements in every area of animal care. This webcast will take a comprehensive look at the benefits of giving a veterinarian a policy-making role in shelter operations.
Learn More

Getting It Done: How to Bust Myths about Community Cats with Science

Peter WolfOctober 2015

How can cat advocates cut through the misleading press releases and propaganda to combat proposed laws that seek to end lifesaving neuter-return programs and other cat-friendly efforts? With science, data and facts! Learn More

What to Do About Ear Problems in Shelter and Foster Home Dogs

Karen Moriello, DVM, DACVDJune 2015

Itching, pain and infection in the ears can be a major hindrance to finding a home for a shelter or fostered dog. That's because the suffering these symptoms cause can affect a dog's personality, as well as raise concern in potential adopters about the difficulty of treating ear problems. Resolving the condition, however, can be difficult for shelters and rescue groups, too. What can they do to help these dogs? Learn More

Stopping the Scales, Greasiness and Odor of Seborrhea in Shelter and Foster Home Dogs

Karen Moriello, DVM, DACVDMay 2015

Seborrhea in dogs can be caused by underlying skin disease or by a primary skin defect. While not life-threatening, the odor and appearance can make it very difficult to find a home for even the friendliest, most appealing dog. What can shelters and foster homes do to resolve this condition in dogs they're caring for? Learn More

What Animal Shelters Need to Know About the Canine Influenza Outbreak

Sandra Newbury, DVMMay 2015

No one in animal welfare or veterinary medicine can have missed the news about the outbreak of a new strain of canine influenza that hit Chicago and nearby communities in the last month. This is the first time this strain of the disease has been identified in the United States. Learn More

Removing Barriers to Adoption: How Evidence, Innovation and Compassion Grow Pet Adoptions

Cynthia D. Delany and Kelly LeeMay 2015

Because people in animal welfare often see terrible things befall pets, and because of genuine concern for the animals, we've sometimes gone overboard in terms of regulating, requiring, constraining, screening and even getting in the way of successful adoptions. Learn More

Capacity for Care: When Less Adds Up to a Whole Lot More for Shelter Cats

Ollie Davidson and Kathleen OlsonApril 2015

How can your shelter save more cats? Take in fewer of them at a time, give each cat more room and care for them better. Learn More

Return to Field: Animal Shelters and a New Approach to Healthy Unowned Cats

Scott TrebatoskiApril 2015

What can animal shelters do about healthy unowned cats in their community? One new concept increasingly gaining ground is that, as long as the cats are thriving, the most compassionate, lifesaving approach is to sterilize them, vaccinate them, ear-tip them and return them where they were found. Learn More

Managed Admission: Giving Shelter Cats Their Best Chance at a Great Outcome

Barbara Carr and Kathie JohnsonApril 2015

Not every cat who is presented to a shelter for relinquishment is in need of immediate admission. In many cases, simply knowing that help is available and the shelter can take the cat in the near future is enough to allow the community member to opt for an appointment down the road, when his or her cat can be better cared-for by the shelter. In some cases, supportive management may buy the owner enough breathing room that the cat ends up being able to remain in the current home after all. Learn More

Alternatives to Intake: When the Shelter Isn't the Answer

Wiley Stem, IIIApril 2015

What if your city wanted to stop euthanizing community cats in the shelter, and decided to try something bold? And what if all the animal control officers, rescue groups and community members came together to make it work? Learn More

Assessing Your Community to Save More Animals' Lives

Bonney BrownMarch 2015

Do you know what's needed to save the lives of more animals in your community? The answer to that question begins with understanding what already exists in terms of resources, as well as the major issues facing homeless pets in your area and the people who work to help them. Learn More

How to Stop Itching in Shelters and Foster Homes Cats

Karen Moriello, DVM, DACVDFebruary 2015

Itching is a major reason cats get taken to the veterinarian. While there's no one underlying cause of itching in cats, getting to the bottom of the condition is particularly important due to the overlap in symptoms between contagious and non-contagious infections that may cause itching. How can shelters and rescue groups, with their limited resources, diagnose, treat and prevent this skin disease? Learn More

How to Stop Itching in Shelter and Foster Home Dogs

Karen Moriello, DVM, DACVDFebruary 2015

Itching is one of the number one reasons dogs visit veterinarians, and it plagues dogs in animal shelters and foster homes just as much. What can be done to give an affected dog some relief and get to the bottom of the underlying cause? Learn More

Introducing the Million Cat Challenge - Webcast

Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM and Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVMJanuary 2015

Every cat counts. That's the premise of the Million Cat Challenge, a joint campaign of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and the Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida. Learn More

Secrets to Pet Foster Program Success

Sherri Franklin, Laurie Routhier, Marie Macaspac November 2014

What if your shelter or rescue group had a long list of people wanting to foster pets for you? What if you had a great system in place to recruit, train, reward and manage those foster homes? What if you had a whole army of people to help get those pets ready for adoption? Learn More

Behavior Modification for Cats in Shelters and Foster Homes

Sara L. Bennett, DVM, MS, DACVBOctober 2014

Getting a leopard to change his spots sometimes seems easier than getting a domestic cat to change her behavior. Fortunately, the science of feline behavior modification has come a long way in recent years, leaving animal shelters, rescue groups, fosters and adopters with plenty of new tools to help cats become happier and well-adjusted companions. Learn More

The Best Medicine: Playing With Shelter Dogs

Brenda Griffin, DVM, MS, DACVIMOctober 2014

Dogs and games go together - never more than when they're shelter dogs! Play, particularly play with humans, can reduce stress and improve behavioral and physical wellness for dogs in animal shelters.  Learn More

How Animal Shelters Can Treat and Prevent Heartworm in Dogs

Brian DiGangi, DVM, MS, DAVBPAugust 2014

Heartworm disease is 100% preventable, yet experts estimate one million dogs in the U.S. are infected with the parasite. The challenge of prevention and treatment is particularly acute in animal shelters, which usually receive the dogs when they are already heartworm-positive and face challenges finding resources to treat them. Learn More

Everybody Wins: Learn How to Change the Way Animal Groups and Veterinarians Work Together

Christie KeithAugust 2014

Have the words "veterinarians are only in it for the money" crossed your mind or lips? If you volunteer or work for an animal rescue group, have you ever passed up pulling a treatable pet from a shelter because you weren't sure you could find affordable treatment? If you run a shelter, have you ever wondered why local veterinarians don't want to participate in your programs? Learn More

Fears, Facts and Forever Homes: What We Know About Free Pet Adoptions

Susan B. Krebsbach, DVMJuly 2014

Would you love to give your pet adoption program a boost, but fear that free adoptions send the wrong message, attract the wrong people and result in bad outcomes for pets? Learn More

Evolving Strategies for Treating and Preventing Parvo in Shelter Dogs

Sandra Newbury, DVMJuly 2014

Few diseases strike as much fear in the heart of animal shelter personnel as canine parvovirus (CPV). Outbreaks can cause widespread death and suffering, and erode community goodwill the shelter depends on when seeking volunteers, adopters and donors. Learn More

Social Media: 6 New Things Animal Organizations Need to Know

Christie Keith May 2014

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for getting pets adopted, as well as for growing an adoption organization's pool of donors, volunteers and foster homes. But as social media has grown in power, it's also become more complex and specialized, with changes and new platforms emerging almost daily. Learn More

Critical Care of the Sick Neonatal Kitten

Elizabeth J. Thomovsky, MS, DVM, DACVECC March 2014

Neonatal kittens' lives are fragile under the best of circumstances, and that fragility increases when they are orphaned or sick. How can shelter veterinarians, and those working with kitten nursery programs or rescue groups, provide the best care for this population? Learn More

Everything Shelters Need to Know About Canine Distemper

Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhDJanuary 2014

Canine distemper outbreaks are a fact of life in animal shelters across the country, and a frequent cause of loss of life for infected and exposed dogs. Learn More

Helping Cats Who Hiss and Hide: Assessments, Behavior Modification and Re-Homing Strategies for Shy and Fearful Cats

Sheila Segurson D'Arpino, DVM, DACVBNovember 2013

Can cats who are shy and fearful in the shelter still get adopted? Yes, says board certified veterinary behavior specialist Dr. Sheila D'Arpino. Feline behavior while in a shelter is not always a good representation of that same cat's behavior in less stressful surroundings. Proper housing, handling, and, if needed, behavior modification can turn that hissing and hiding cat into a beloved family pet.

The Dollars and Sense of Sheltering: A Tool for Financially Evaluating Your Shelter's Programs

Nicole Olynk Widmar, PhDAugust 2013

Sheltering isn't just about good intentions. It's about planning and developing programs that have a good chance of keeping animals healthy and happy, as well as maximizing adoptions and lifesaving. Learn More

Making the Case for a Paradigm Shift in Community Cat Management, Part Two

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVM; Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIM; Richard Avanzino; Jon Cicirelli; Holly SizemoreJuly 2013

In Part Two of Making the Case for a Paradigm Shift in Community Cat Management, Maddie's Fund^® will present some of the nation's leading experts on animal sheltering and community cats in a comprehensive Q&A panel discussion on the information in Dr. Hurley's webcast. Learn More

Making the Case for a Paradigm Shift in Community Cat Management, Part One

Kate Hurley, DVM, MPVMJune 2013

Are common cat sheltering and animal control policies helping cats? Are they humane? Effective? Not according to Dr. Kate Hurley, Director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program.  Learn More

Update on FIV: What Every Shelter Needs to Know

Annette Litster, BVSc, PhD, MMedSciApril 2013

There is new information about FIV that can help shelters diagnose, treat and care for cats who test positive for the virus. Dr. Annette Litster, Director of Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses her 5-year study which follows 89 pairs of age and sex-matched cats; each pair is composed of one FIV-positive cat and one FIV-negative cat. Learn More

Orphaned Kittens

Ellen Jefferson, DVM and Heidi Beyer, CVTMarch 2013

In this two-part webcast, Dr. Jefferson discusses her organization's kitten nursery and foster-based care program while Heidi Beyer, CVT, gives foster caregivers a leg up with practical tips for orphaned kitten care. Learn More

Cracking the Infection Control Code: Using and Interpreting Diagnostic Tests to Control Infectious Diseases in Shelters

Ronald D. Schultz, MS, Ph.D., Diplomate, ACVMFebruary 2013

Many diagnostic tests can be of tremendous value in helping shelters prevent future outbreaks of infectious disease. Diagnostic testing can also save money and - most importantly - can save animal lives. Learn More

Shelter Dog Mod Squad: Identifying and Modifying Canine Behavior Problems in Shelters

Shelia (Segurson) D'Arpino, DVM, DACVBDecember 2012

How can you get jumpy, mouthy or fearful shelter dogs adopted? By joining the "Shelter Dog Mod Squad" and learning how to identify and modify those behavior problems! Learn More

Fixing the Feline Housing Crisis: How Shelter Housing Can Make Cats Sick - And What You Can Do About It

Sandra Newbury, DVMOctober 2012

Cats are extremely sensitive to noise, crowding, and stress - three things that are in abundant supply in many animal shelters. These adverse conditions often lead to illness in sheltered cats, particularly the most common of all feline shelter diseases, upper respiratory infection (URI). Learn More

Knocking the Snot Out of Feline URI: Saving Shelter Cats' Lives with Treatment and Prevention

Kate F. Hurley, DVM, MPVMSeptember 2012

Feline upper respiratory infections are killers. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians list it as the number one health issue in shelters, where stress and close quarters provide the perfect conditions for both exposure and illness. Can shelters really beat URI? Can outbreaks be prevented, or once started, stopped? Learn More

How Animal Shelters Are Beating Ringworm (And Yours Can, Too!)

Karen Moriello, DVM, DACVDJuly 2012

Ringworm. An outbreak - even one suspected case - can cause a corresponding outbreak of despair in shelter staff. How will they handle it? Can they disinfect the shelter? Can the cats or kittens be treated, or is it too risky? What about the impact on adoptions and the foster care program? Learn More

Your Secret Feline Decoder Ring: Feline Behavior Assessments

Susan B. Krebsbach, DVMMay 2012

What if every cat who entered your shelter had a little decoder ring that would let you know what her personality is like, what stresses her out the most, what doesn't bother her, and what type of future living situation will be just right for her? Learn More

In One Door and Out the Other: Practical Flow-Through Planning for Animal Shelters

Elizabeth Berliner, DVM, MAMarch 2012

Ever wish you had a road map to saving more lives in your shelter? Gathering and understanding data will provide you with exactly that. Please join Maddie's Fund^®al-align: super;">SM and Drs. Jan Scarlett and Elizabeth Berliner for a special two-part webcast series on using data to save lives. Learn More

Magical Metrics and Dazzling Data: How Medical Fact-Finding Guides Shelters to Improved Animal Health

Janet M. Scarlett, DVM, MPH, PhDMarch 2012

Ever wish you had a road map to saving more lives in your shelter? Gathering and understanding data will provide you with exactly that. In part-one, Dr. Jan Scarlett, Director of Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, discusses the collection and use of medical data in animal shelters, and how this can significantly improve the health of individual animals and the shelter population. Learn More

Shelter Crowd Control: Keeping Community Cats Out of Shelters Webcast

Julie Levy, DVM, PhD, DACVIMJanuary 2012

Do you want to stop the tragic deaths of shelter cats, and cut your shelter's cat intake dramatically and almost overnight? Want to practice high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter and disease management on cats? How about learning how to get your community - including municipal government - on board with trap-neuter-return programs? Want evidence that such programs can actually work to reduce the population of community cats, prevent the spread of disease, and save resources and money for local shelters? Learn More

Do-It-Yourself Shelter Assessments: Learning to Use Maddie's Animal Shelter Infection Control Tool

Claudia J. Baldwin, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Kiley Maddux, LVTNovember 2011

Imagine a team of skilled shelter veterinarians from all over the country evaluating your shelter from top to bottom - for free. Picture them giving you a list of hands-on, practical steps customized for your facility - steps you can take to prevent disease outbreaks and behavior problems, conserve resources, streamline workload, and, most importantly, save animal lives. Learn More

The First 60 Minutes: Animal Sheltering's Critical Hour Webcast

Brian A. DiGangi, DVM, MS, DABVPOctober 2011

From the minute a dog or cat sets paw inside an animal control vehicle or shelter, the clock is ticking on decisions, procedures and practices that can spell health or illness - even life or death - for that animal. Find out how decisions made in that first critical hour impact the stress response and susceptibility to disease of sheltered dogs and cats. Learn More

Saving Lives with Antibody Titer Tests

Ronald Schultz, MS, PhD, DACVMSeptember 2011

Leading vaccine researcher Dr. Ronald Schultz doesn't want to see any more shelter pets die just because they've been exposed to a deadly infectious disease. That's why he offered a shelter a chance to make a different choice during their next outbreak, allowing them to save the lives of 17 dogs. How did they do it? With the use of a simple in-house antibody titer test that revealed which pets had an immunity to the disease. Learn More