SHEL103-0324: Introduction to Shelter MedicineCourse Open: March 18-April 4, 2024
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Monday, March 25, 2024; 8:00-10:00 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 2
RACE Category: 2 hours Medical
| Enrollment is closed. |
Tuition: Member $46 ($41 early bird special if enrolled by March 4, 2024) |
Course Information:
Why is my local animal shelter vaccinating puppies so many times? Why are they spaying these kittens so young? Why aren’t my usual treatments working for upper respiratory infections in adopted kittens? Perhaps you’re a private practitioner seeing pets recently adopted from the local shelter. Maybe you’re interested in helping at that shelter. Or perhaps you’ve taken a new position and are new to shelter medicine. Maybe it’s time for a change and you’re considering getting involved in animal welfare. If you’re interested in learning more about the basics of shelter medicine to better support your local shelter and your clients, this course is for you!
Learning Objectives: Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
- describe a comprehensive preventive medicine approach, including an intake protocol for dogs and cats entering animal shelters.
- describe how vaccination strategies in shelters differ from private practice.
- discuss the pros and cons of FeLV/FIV screening in shelters.
- discuss which disinfectant classes are recommended for use in animal shelters and how efficacy against various pathogens differs.
- describe the use of trained support staff to effectively and efficiently provide care for all pets entering the shelter.
- discuss the management of common shelter diseases including:
- Feline upper respiratory tract disease
- Canine infectious respiratory disease
- Canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia
- Canine distemper virus
- Dermatophytosis
- discuss strategies to reduce kennel stress and common behavior challenges in shelter-housed dogs, including pharmaceutical interventions, environmental management, and behavior modification.
- discuss balancing disease risk with the enrichment benefits of conspecific play (playgroups) in shelter-housed dogs.
Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists actively interested in shelter medicine.
Credit Approval: This course is approved for 2 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-1139748)
Course Agenda: Week 1 (Real Time Session March 25, 2024): Introduction to Shelter Medicine
In this session, participants will learn about how the shelter environment impacts the physical and behavioral health of the animals in our care, preventive care in the shelter setting, including how vaccination and preventive care strategies differ from what’s recommended for privately owned pets. Participants will learn how a proactive approach to population management can keep shelter dogs and cats healthier and promote lifesaving for the entire shelter. A brief overview of shelter data and metrics that are important for veterinarians will be provided. The management of common shelter diseases will be covered, including feline upper respiratory tract disease, canine infectious respiratory disease, dermatophytosis, canine distemper virus, and canine and feline parvovirus. Finally, participants will learn about behavioral management in the shelter, including strategies to improve behavioral welfare and how to take a comprehensive approach to managing kennel stress in shelter-housed dogs.
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate. Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.
| Enrollment is closed. |
Tuition: Member $46 ($41 early bird special if enrolled by March 4, 2024) |
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on March 24, 2024 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached. *For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.
Enrollment qualifications:
- VIN CE Courses:
- VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
- Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
- VSPN CE Courses:
- VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
- Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
- Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
- Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
- Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org
and @vin.com addresses.
- Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
- For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund. *For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog. Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357