A shelter medicine crash course for Canadian veterinary students By: Jolene Giacinti (OVC 2016) and Randy Do (OVC 2015)

The clinicians with the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine program at Cornell University were kind enough to invite a group of about twenty Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) students for a weekend visit back at the beginning of January. After making the drive down, we were immersed in a fast paced crash course of everything shelter medicine related and what a fantastic and inspirational experience it turned out to be.

 

The dedication of the shelter medicine team was clear throughout, from the weekend commitment to the passion with which they each lectured. The spectrum of topics ranged from the epidemiology that happens behind the scenes in shelters to behavioral evaluations and modifications as well as the history of shelter medicine and the evolving public perception of shelter animals. A highlight from the weekend was learning about the ASV guidelines, which discuss in great detail the current best practices for animal shelters. This was an interactive presentation that challenged us to problem solve and highlighted the complexity of decision making in the shelter medicine field. Another important concept that was emphasized was that shelter medicine encompasses not only the treatment of individual animals but also requires consideration of the entire population in a herd health framework.  

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Overall this was a fabulous learning experience and we were very fortunate to have had this opportunity to learn from some of the best in the field. We would like to thank everyone who helped to make this weekend possible from the Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University to the SPCA of Tompkins County, Lollypop Farm, Schuyler Humane Society and our fellow OVC colleague, Dr. Danielle Boes, who invited us down for this amazing collaborative event.

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