Health, Animal

March 1, 2012

Behavior Department: A Gentle Kind of Cat Care

Researcher Nadine Gourkow developed a unique scale to assess emotional states in shelter cats and confirmed that mental stimulation and gentling techniques both improve cats’ emotional well-being and reduce the incidence of URI.

January 1, 2012

Shelter Medicine: The Importance of Isolation

A tragic case in North Dakota—where a rabies outbreak forced a shelter to euthanize its entire dog population—offers a valuable lesson for all shelters.

September 1, 2011

The ASV Guidelines in Real Life: Taking Them In

What happens—or doesn’t happen—when an animal enters a shelter can affect an individual pet’s ultimate outcome, as well as impact the health of an entire shelter population.

September 1, 2011

Shelter Medicine: Meow ... Cat Chow!

What goes into the food bowl profoundly impacts animal health; it's essential for management of body weight and condition, and good nutrition also supports immune function. Here's a guide to help you keep your cats well-fed, trim, and healthy.

March 1, 2011

The "101" Department: Conducting a Basic Intake Exam

The HSUS Shelter Services team offers expert tips on how to conduct a ten-minute intake exam on every animal that comes into your shelter -- and the importance of doing so.

May 16, 2012

HSUS Parvovirus Basics

Fact: The canine parvovirus is difficult to kill, can live in the environment for months or even years, and is transmitted only through direct contact with bodily fluids. To get all the facts on parvo, download our factsheet to keep the basics at your fingertips.

May 16, 2012

HSUS Canine Distemper Basics

Fact: Canine distemper is highly contagious, can be carried and transmitted by wild mammals -- and is easy to kill with proper sanitation. To get all the facts on distemper, download our factsheet to keep the basics at your fingertips.

Tufts Animal Care and Condition Scales

The Tufts Animal Care and Condition (TACC) Scales were developed in 1997 by Dr. Gary Patronek, with assistance from Lori Donley, MS '97, the Fort Wayne Dept. of Animal Care and Control, and the Law Enforcement Division of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to help cruelty investigators and veterinarians assess cases of animal abuse or neglect that are primarily related to husbandry, as opposed to deliberate acts of cruelty.

May 7, 2012

American Humane Assocation Operational Guide - Sanitation and Disease Control

This guide outlines an animal healthcare program for shelters, including design considerations, cleaning materials, animal handling, preventive medicine and planning. It also includes a glossary of terms.

March 2, 2007

UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program

The shelter medicine program at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine has a wealth of information on disease control in the shelter.