UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program

Note from the director:

I've been working at animal shelters for over 20 years now. When I first started as an adoption counselor in 1989, it was taken as inevitable that some animals that came to us healthy and friendly would end up being euthanized. We now know that doesn't have to be true. Systematically developing programs to reduce intake and increase opportunities for live release can bring communities into balance so that no animal loses its life simply because it loses its home. Shelter Medicine is an integral part of creating this future. When I was a veterinary student, I imagined this scenario even though I'd never heard the words "shelter medicine" spoken out loud nor worked at a shelter with a veterinarian on staff: When animals are healthy and comfortable, the shelter becomes a better place to work and volunteer.  A shelter full of committed workers and healthy, contented animals is a better place to adopt and attracts more community support. With less money and time spent on sick animals and more community support, resources are freed up for preventive programs such as spay/neuter and behavior counseling to keep pets in their homes. With fewer animals coming in, it is easier to keep animals healthy and comfortable and adopt them out, creating the opposite of a vicious cycle.

When I first pictured this, I hardly dared to believe it could actually work. Now I know it can. In the long run, keeping animals healthy and safe if they come into shelters, quickly placing them into homes, and investing our energies into prevention is actually cheaper than almost any alternative, and much, much more fun.

Kate