Shelter Medicine Conference

October 23-24^th, 2009

Paramount Plaza

Gainesville, FL

Welcome

Dear Colleagues:

The College of Veterinary Medicine is committed to enhancement of animal health and welfare. The mission of our new Maddie’s^® Shelter Medicine Program is to enhance the health and welfare of homeless animals through education, innovation, and advancement of the life-saving goals of sheltering programs.

We are pleased to invite veterinarians and technicians to a full day of continuing education covering two very important challenges in shelter medicine: reducing shelter admissions by developing efficient neutering programs targeted to the most important sources of unwanted animals and improving outcomes of impounded animals by controlling infectious diseases in the shelter.

With an eye on practical applications, we’ll focus on techniques to enhance safety and efficiency of neutering procedures with practice tips that can be adapted to any setting. Controversial topics such as the ideal age for neutering, management of surgical complications, and neutering of feral cats will be addressed.

We recognize that the emergence of new infectious diseases and reemergence of well-known diseases pose continual problems for the shelter environment as well as for veterinary practices, boarding kennels, and other facilities where dogs and cats are housed in close proximity. Making the most of vaccine programs, disinfectants, management of animal movement, disease surveillance, and stress reduction can shift a shelter from a high-risk environment to a safe haven for homeless pets.

Please join us on October 23-24th for a full 14 hours of continuing education hours or 1.4 CEU's for veterinarians and technicians.

Sincerely,