Shelter Medicine

Question 1

What are the important components of shelter design?

Answer 1

• stress reduction (#1)
• limiting disease transmission
• environment (lighting, ventilation, provide normal setting)
• animal housing (drainage, comfort, enrichment, safety)
• daily work flow (floor plan, limit of transmission, etc.)
• public access (aesthetics, presents animal in optimal setting - essential for increasing adoptions)

Question 1

Trend of intakes and euthansias

Answer 1

Intakes and euthanasias are decreasing

Question 2

Longer shelter stays = greater need for

Answer 2

good sanitation

Question 3

Treatment of isolation animals should

Answer 3

occur in isolation areas, have separate drainage and ventilaiton for isolaiton

Question 4

Disease management goals

Answer 4

• maintain healthy population
• minimize time in shelter
• maximize successful adoptions and returns to owners with good education program
• minimize disease outbreaks and euthansasias

Question 5

Intervention and preventative medicine programs in shelters should address:

Answer 5

• parasite control
• disease testing
• infectious/zoonotic diseases
• vaccinations
• systemic illness

Question 6

What two things greatly increase an animal’s susceptibility to all infectious diseases?

Answer 6

overcrowding and high turnover rates