Shelter Medicine What is it and how can I get my vet involved? Dr Maggie Roberts BVM&S MRCVS Director of Veterinary Services Cats Protection UK
What is Shelter Medicine? No idea???
What is Shelter Medicine? Shelter Medicine is a field of veterinary medicine dedicated to the care of homeless animals in shelters or other facilities dedicated to finding them new homes. Defined by the Association of Shelter Veterinarians
Why is this different to normal vet work? Individual pet Owned Good general health Adequate resource Adequate attention Many animals living together No owner Varying health problems Limited resource Limited time per animal
Herd Health Looking after the welfare of the herd while still considering the needs of the individual. Have to consider the greatest good of the greatest number
Challenges in a shelter Large number of animals in a confined space Constantly changing population Coming from different locations Varying health status Many different infectious agents present Stressful environment
Aspects of shelter medicine Veterinary care Housing Husbandry (every day care) Rehabilitation (physical and behavioural) Disease prevention policies Population control Early veterinary involvement is ideal!
Pragmatic decision-making Pragmatic means: dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Pragmatic decision-making Resources are limited – time, people and money Aim to help as many animals as possible Trying to resolve health issues quickly Trying to get animals into new homes quickly
Diagnosis Can be very expensive! Don’t do every test straight away Follow a logical pattern Only do tests that will affect the outcome
Treatment Choose the cheapest appropriate course of treatment Some treatments may not not appropriate in the shelter Delay homing Cause suffering Expensive Limited chance of success
Prevention is better than cure! Health check on entry Vaccination Parasite control Neutering Screening for disease Microchipping
What makes a good shelter vet? Empathy with your cause Puts animal welfare first Makes pragmatic decisions Involves shelter staff in decision making Plays a part in the every day running of the shelter Helps you to help as many animals as practical
Remember……. ……the vet who offers cheap prices for neutering and vaccines may not be the cheapest (or best) overall!
How to get your vet involved Shelter medicine is a specialty in the US Association of Shelter Veterinarians Shelter medicine programmes Further professional qualifications Resources
In Europe We’re a bit behind the US! Association of Charity Vets advice and support for vets working for or with shelters or low cost clinics Animal Shelter Veterinary Platform run by Eurogroup for Animals
Resources - books
Resources - books Advert alert Coming in 2017! The BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Shelter Medicine
Websites Association of Shelter Veterinarians www.sheltervet.org/ Association of Charity Vets www.bsavaportal.com/taocv/ Cats Protection – information for vets www.cats.org.uk/cat-care/vets-info
Working with universities Some run shelter medicine programmes Research Work experience for students
Vet students Get them young!
Thank you