Veterinary Medicine - October 2007 - (Page 659)

(www.maddies.org), a multimilliondollar charitable foundation, has contributed substantially to the development of university and community programs designed to end the euthanasia of adoptable companion animals. tice of veterinary medicine, an exemption was created in the veterinary practice act that allows shelter personnel to implant microchips in shelter animals awaiting adoption.4 Colony housing Asilomar Accords The Asilomar Accords (available at www.asilomaraccords.org) were drawn up in 2004 by a group of leading animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA, HSUS, American Humane, North Shore Animal League America, Best Friends Animal Society, Dumb Friends League, and Society of Animal Welfare Administrators. The groups agreed to work with each other in the spirit of collegiality and to end the use of inflammatory terms that are self-defeating to the common cause of ending the euthanasia of healthy animals. The accords also strived to encourage animal welfare organizations to share information and use common terminology, definitions, and statistics to create consistency in reported data. For example, according to the accords, “healthy means and includes all dogs and cats eight weeks of age or older that, at or subsequent to the time the animal is taken into possession, have manifested no signs of a behavioral or temperamental characteristic that could pose a health or safety risk or otherwise make the animal unsuitable for placement as a pet, and have manifested no sign of disease, injury, a congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the health of the animal or that is likely to adversely affect the animal’s health in the future.” Other definitions provided by the accords include treatable, rehabilitatable, and manageable. The way animals are housed in shelters has undergone many changes. Shelters that once housed animals in groups in the 1970s and ‘80s and then switched to individual cages to reduce disease are now switching back to group and colony housing in an attempt to reduce stress and thereby possibly decrease susceptibility to disease. Some people believe that appropriately designed colony housing has also resulted in decreased loneliness in shelter animals and an increased adoption rate because animals appear more natural, relaxed, and attractive to potential owners. Fewer puppies and kittens The typical animal relinquished to shelters is now thought to be an adolescent or older pet, rather than a puppy or kitten. Some animal shelters in the Northeast and elsewhere have experienced shortages of adoptable puppies, which some have attributed to their aggressive neutering efforts. So transport programs have been developed to transfer adoptable puppies from areas in the South where there is an oversupply to areas of high demand and low supply. Behavior evaluations Shelters are increasing their efforts to evaluate the behavior and temperament of their animals in order to make better matches when placing them in new and, it is hoped, permanent homes. When animals present with mild behavior problems, many shelters undertake behavior modification and enrichment programs to render them adoptable or seek experienced adopters who can manage the problem. Microchipping Although microchipping is only now achieving widespread attention in veterinary practices, shelters have been scanning and implanting microchips for years. In New York State, although microchipping is defined to be a prac- Trap-neuter-return programs One of the most controversial programs used by shelters is trap-neuter- VETERINARY MEDICINE October 2007 659 http://www.maddies.org http://www.asilomaraccords.org http://virbacvet.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - October 2007

Veterinary Medicine - October 2007 Contents Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald Toxicology Brief Idea Exchange Animal Sheltering in the United States: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow The Euthanasia Problem Offer Basic Behavior Counseling for Every Pet at Every Visit Promote and Perform Early Spaying and Neutering Assist Owners in Selecting the Best Pets for their Lifestyles Champion Animal Welfare in Your Community CE Form Product Review Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller

Veterinary Medicine - October 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.