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The Foundation for The Gator Nation An Equal Opportunity Institution

Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program 2015 SW 16th Avenue College of Veterinary Medicine PO Box 100126 Gainesville, FL 32610 352-273-8660 352-392-6125 Fax

University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Maddie’s Certificate in Shelter Medicine

I. Certificate Goal Students who complete the requirements of this certificate during their pursuit of a DVM degree will be prepared to practice shelter medicine upon graduation. II. General Information Certificate Program Director: Dr. Julie K. Levy Office location: VS-12 Email: levyjk@ufl.edu Office phone: 352-273-8722 Certificate Program Coordinator: Ms. Lara Lookabaugh Office location: VS-18C Email: Lookabau@ufl.edu Office phone: 352-294-4891 III. Certificate Description Certificate Learning Outcomes: Students who complete the requirements for the Maddie’s Certificate in Shelter Medicine will:

1. Examine the critical role played by veterinarians in protecting the health and welfare of sheltered dogs and cats.

2. Recognize and respond to compromised behavioral health of sheltered animals.

3. Recognize and respond to compromised physical health of sheltered animals.

4. Develop skills in high-quality, high-volume surgical sterilization techniques.

5. Use the Association of Shelter Veterinarians 2010 Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters as a guide to best practices for Shelter Medicine.

Last updated 9.26.2012 Page 2

IV. Certificate Requirements Students must complete 15 required credit hours by successfully completing the following courses with a passing grade during their 3rd and 4th years at UF-CVM. Complete details can be found in the student handbook on pages XXX-XXX by visiting this link: http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/files/2012/09/2012-2013-Student-Handbook20120905.pdf

Course #

Course

Credit Usually offered

VEM 5322 Renamed to Integrating Vet Med with Shelter Systems (Web/Blended), former title Intro to Shelter Medicine

3 Required Every Semester

VEM 5891 or VEM 5890

Shelter Animal Medicine Clerkship, or Consultations in Shelter Animal Medicine Clerkship (limited space)

2

Required

Block Year-Round for 5891; or two blocks each year limited space for 5890

VEM 5892 Shelter Medicine Externship 2 Required Variable

VEM 5892 Spay/Neuter Externship 2 Required Variable

VEM 5320 Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare (Web/Blended)

3 Required Spring Semester Only

VEM 5XXX Shelter Animal Physical Health (Web/Blended) NEW COURSE

3 Required Fall Semester Only

TOTAL = 15 credits

Last updated 9.26.2012 Page 3

V. Assessments Admission and retention in the certificate program requires good academic standing as defined by the College of Veterinary Medicine Academic Advancement Committee. Courses employ a variety of assessments to evaluate academic progress. Requirements include achieving a passing score on high-stakes final exams, subjective evaluations of medical and surgical proficiency in a clinical setting, attending lectures and laboratories, completing assigned papers and projects, as well as participating in teaching rounds and discussions of assigned readings. VI. Electives in Shelter Medicine Topics

Course # Course Credit Usually Offered

VEM 5324 Veterinary Forensic Medicine

1 Elective Block Spring

**VEM 5061 Introduction to Veterinary Disaster Response ( Web based)

1 Elective Every Semester

VEM 5890 or VEM 5891

Either Clerkship 2 Elective Every block for 5891, limited enrollment in 5890 two blocks

VEM 5342 Community Cat Management

1 Elective Block Summer

VEM 5912 Special Projects 2 Elective Variable VEM 5991 Supervised

Research Shelter Topics

2 Elective Variable

**REQUIRED to participate in field activities with UF VETS, Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program, and other regional and national disaster response groups.

VII. Extracurricular Activities Available to 1st and 2nd Years Beginning with 1st year, students interested in pursuing the Certificate in Shelter Medicine are expected join and participate in the UF Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians; subscribe to the ASPCA’s Shelter’s Edge Blog; and the Maddie’s® Institute Blog,; obtain a copy of the 2010 Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters from the Association of Shelter Veterinarians website; and participate in the Association of Shelter Veterinarians Listserv. Such experiences provide early exposure to the field of Shelter Medicine through wet labs, foster care opportunities, faculty mentoring, discussions of shelter medicine topics, field trips to shelters, and opportunities to meet with other students, residents, interns, and faculty who share an interest in Shelter Medicine. All students are also encouraged to attend UF Shelter Medicine Conferences that are offered twice each year so they can learn from international leaders in Shelter Medicine. **Certificate students can participate in responses to veterinary-related disasters, emergency sheltering events, and other functions with Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program and with UF VETS, only AFTER

Last updated 9.26.2012 Page 4

completion of VEM 5061 Introduction to Veterinary Disaster Response. This class will allow you to complete the required Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) classes needed to respond with Maddie’s ® Shelter Medicine Program to local, regional, and national events. The elective VEM 5061 course is available every semester beginning the summer between 1st and 2nd year.

Proposed on Campus Certificate 15 Hours, Blended/Web Hybrid Offered Semesters

Current Campus Certificate 15 Hours, F2F Offered Blocks

Required

(1) VEM 5322: Intro to SM Offered Once Annually (1) VEM 5061: Intro to Dis. Resp. Offered Twice Annually (2) VEM 5891: Sh.AM Clerkship Offered Each Term (2) VEM 5892: SM Externship (2) VEM 5892: S/N Externship 9 Hours Required Plus

Electives

(2) VEM 5890 Consult Clerkship (limited space) (1) VEM 5324: Vet Forensic Med. (1) VEM 5320: SA Behav & Welfare Offered Once Annually (1) VEM 5342: CCMC (2) VEM 5912: Special Projects (2) VEM 5991: Research Shelter topics 6 Hours Electives

Required (3) VEM 5322: Integrating Veterinary Medicine with Shelter Systems (Blended/Web with VME 6810: Int Vet Med Shelt Sys Web). Offered Fall/Spring/Summer C (3) VEM 5320: SA Beh & Welfare(Blended/Web with VME 6812: SA Behav and Welf). Offered Spring Only (3) VEM 5XXX: (Blended/Web with VME 6811:SA Ph. Hlth) Offered Fall Only (2) VEM 5891 Sh. AM Clerkship (or VEM 5890 Consult Clerkship) (2) VEM 5892: SM Externship (2) VEM 5852: S/N Externship 15 Hours Required

Electives (1) VEM 5061: Intro Vet Disaster Resp. (Web-based, every semester) (2) VEM 5890 Consult Clerkship (or VEM 5891 Sh. AM Clerkship) (1) VEM 5324: Vet Forensic Med. (1) VEM 5342: CCMC (2) VEM 5912: Special Projects (2) VEM 5991: Research Shelter Topics Optional Electives/Taught as Staff Space Available

VEM 5891 SHELTER MEDICINE Merial Shelter Medicine Clerkship

Faculty: Dr. Natalie Isaza, Service Chief Office: VC-57 Phone: 352-273-8724 isazan@ufl.edu Dr. Brian DiGangi Office: VAB, V2-107 Phone: 352-213-9847 digangib@ufl.edu

Technicians: Alison Bradley Andrea Brower Erika Equizi Melissa Glikes Website: http://sacs.vetmed.ufl.edu/programs/shelter-animal-medicine-service/

Welcome to shelter medicine! This elective clinical rotation is designed to introduce students to the challenges of veterinary practice in both community and shelter environments, and to give experience in spay and neuter techniques of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. Gone is the day where veterinarians are only utilized for their surgical abilities in a shelter; more and more shelters across the country are realizing the value of a highly skilled veterinarian in keeping the shelter population healthy. We will emphasize the importance of disease control in the shelter situation, review vaccination strategies for shelters, and discuss preventive medicine programs. Other topics to be discussed include the pet overpopulation crisis facing our community, treatment of heartworm disease, recognizing animal abuse and neglect, and the importance of community involvement in reducing the number of unwanted animals in our local shelters. Project Presentation: As part of the clerkship, you are required to complete a project on a topic of your choice related to animal sheltering. This should be a 10-15 minute presentation for the faculty and students on the clerkship, and can cover any subject, as long as it relates to and would be important for shelters. Examples include but are not limited to infectious diseases important in a shelter facility, animal cruelty, shelter design, and surgical sterilization. Please make sure you have discussed your topic choice with your classmates and faculty member before you prepare your presentation, so that your presentations are not duplicated. You can present your topic in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, a handout, or both.

Schedule: Students should report to VH-89 at 8:00am on each day of the rotation, unless otherwise instructed. (VH-89 is located between the west parking lot of the Small Animal Hospital and the main entrance to the Large Animal Hospital - you must enter from outside the building!) We will be doing shelter visits on each Monday of the rotation, so be sure to bring clean scrubs, your lab coat, extra shoes, and name badge. We also work with a number of animal rescue groups and may have the opportunity to visit their facilities during the course of the rotation. Finally, we also participate in the weekly St. Francis House Pet Care Clinic, a pet care clinic for the pets of low income and homeless people in our community. A typical rotation schedule is provided below; however, it is subject to change pending opportunities to visit other animal rescue organizations during the course of the rotation. There is generally no weekend duty for shelter medicine. However, if we have patients that spend the night, students are expected to be available to provide after-hours care as necessary. In general, we are an “all in, all out” type of operation, where animals received in the morning for surgery will go home the same afternoon. It is expected that the students’ (NOT faculty and staff) will stay to discharge their surgical patients each day. It is also the students’ responsibility to clean and disinfect the cages after the animals have been picked up. Week 1 Monday Orientation, knot tying dry lab, shelter visit (1/2 day) Tuesday Rounds, St. Francis House Pet Care Clinic (10am-12pm), +/-Surgery or Rounds Wednesday Surgery Day Thursday Surgery Day Friday Surgery Day Week 2 Monday Shelter visit Tuesday Project presentations, St. Francis House Pet Care Clinic (10am-12pm), +/-Surgery Wednesday Surgery Day Thursday Surgery Day Friday Surgery Day Supplies: • On each day of the rotation please bring the following: • Clean surgical scrubs

o DO NOT wear from home, change when you arrive – locker rooms are available • Stethoscope • Thermometer • Penlight • Pen • Comfortable COVERED shoes (i.e. no sandals)

EXPECTATIONS OF THE ROTATION It is VERY important that you review your class notes from your sophomore soft tissue surgery class before you begin this rotation. Pay particular attention to the following topics:

• Spay/neuter techniques • Suture materials (appropriate type depending on surgical procedure and size of animal) • Suture patterns, including hand ties • Appropriate blade sizes • Anesthesia and pain management You MUST watch the surgical videos created for the shelter medicine rotation PRIOR to the start of the rotation (that means before Monday!). These are available on the Sakai e-Learning website (https://elearning2.courses.ufl.edu) under Shelter Medicine Clerkship. (Please contact Dr. Isaza if you are unable to access this material. There are also a few copies of these DVDs on reserve in Education Center.) These videos show the way we perform surgical procedures in shelter medicine, and may be different than what you have been previously taught. Remember to keep an open mind! The feline pedicle tie shown in the video is OPTIONAL and should only be performed by more advanced 4th year students under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Most of you will use suture material to ligate the ovarian pedicles in cats. As a warning, if the instructor feels you are not well prepared for your surgery, you will be asked to leave the surgery suite and will not be allowed to perform surgical procedures until the instructor feels you are prepared. Since we routinely perform surgeries on very young, small patients, ONE hour is the maximum amount of time you will be given to complete the surgery. If after one hour you are still working, an instructor will finish the procedure for you. This is for the benefit and well-being of our smaller patients who tend to hypoventilate and become hypothermic under anesthesia. All animals scheduled for surgery will be transported to the surgery clinic by their respective rescue agencies. You will be responsible for receiving those patients, performing a physical exam, weighing the animal and placing them in a clean cage with fresh water. If for any reason you believe that your patient is not a good surgical candidate, please bring it to the attention of a faculty member. Write the cage number where you placed the animal on the shelter exam sheet for that animal. DO NOT remove the animal from that cage without telling an instructor or the technician. The technician will draw up all premeds, induction agents and pain medications using that cage number to identify each animal’s drug syringes. After the exams have been completed, the first group of animals will be given their pre-medicant drugs IM. Generally, spays are done first with neuters to follow. The goal is to complete all of our surgeries by 3pm. Once the surgeries are completed, we will begin clean-up of the surgery suite, induction area, cleaning and wrapping of packs and laundry. If there are still surgeries to be completed, please DO NOT begin cleaning instruments or the surgery and prep areas; we will do the cleaning TOGETHER once ALL surgeries are finished.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW FOR SURGERY 1. All of our surgery packs are labeled small, medium, or large depending on the size of the

patient. Be sure you take the appropriate sized pack for the procedure you are performing. The size of the pack is based on the number/size of clamps found in the pack.

For example: Small Pack (mosquitoes): puppies, cats, and kittens

Medium (Kelly’s): smaller dogs, older puppies, cats in heat, or dog neuters Large (Kelly’s and Carmalts): adult dog spay, pregnant or in heat dogs

2. Prior to scrubbing for surgery, the surgeon is responsible for setting up the anesthetic

machine with the proper breathing circuit in the OR. Get your gown, gloves, pack and blade ready as well. DO NOT open suture prior to the surgery, wait until you see the size of the pedicle (dogs) you are dealing with and then ask for the suture size you think is appropriate.

3. Remember to towel in from xyphoid to pubis. You want to be able to extend your incision should you drop an ovarian pedicle.

4. The window you cut in the paper drape for the surgery should be small (slightly larger than your initial incision will be). This prevents contamination from the surrounding skin.

5. Review which side of the patient you should be on for your surgery. DO NOT walk back and forth around your patient; this is improper surgical technique and may result in contamination.

6. Familiarize yourself with the pop-off valves of the different breathing circuits and how they function. We will be using a modified Jackson-Reese circuit for patients under 10 kg and a circle system for those greater than 10 kg. Under no circumstances should the pop-off be left closed when an animal is under anesthesia!!

7. When animals are placed in cages or runs to recover after surgery, please remove all water bowls and litter boxes. If the cage is dirty, clean it prior to placing the animal inside!!!

8. An instructor MUST observe your initial skin incision on all surgeries throughout the ENTIRE rotation. NO EXCEPTIONS!

9. An instructor MUST check your linea closure prior to subcutaneous and skin closures throughout the ENTIRE rotation. NO EXCEPTIONS!

10. Check to make sure the ovaries from all spayed animals have been removed in their entirety before continuing the surgical procedure (i.e. open the ovarian bursa in dogs).

11. Please limit food and drink to the Conference Room. This is very important, as we are governed by IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee), and infractions can result in loss of room privileges or worse, loss of the rotation.

12. No surgery animal on our schedule can be inside the small animal hospital at any time, except under the direction of a shelter medicine faculty member. DO NOT take your patients to visit friends on other rotations within the teaching hospital.

13. You must change out of your surgical scrubs at the end of the day BEFORE you enter the small animal hospital. Many of our patients may be incubating infectious diseases, and we don’t want to act as fomites for the rest of the hospital’s patients. You also don’t want to take anything home to your own pets. Please remember to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly after handling patients, and especially between patients.

14. ALL animals deserve the right to be cared for humanely. This includes, but is not limited to, pre- and post-operative pain medication, clean cages/blankets, fresh water, gentle hands, and kind words. Treat them as if they were yours, because in a sense they are. This may seem like common sense but it is the most important rule of all.

Shelter medicine is a very self-sufficient, hands-on rotation. We are all responsible for all the cleaning, laundry, wrapping packs and autoclaving, as well as patient care. We must all work as a team to get everything accomplished by the end of the day. Be prepared to work hard, learn a lot and have fun!

ANESTHESIA & SURGERY RECORD

On the Shelter Medicine Clerkship, we will use our own anesthesia and surgical records. Students are responsible for ensuring completion of the records for patients they examine and perform surgery on. Your ability to maintain accurate, complete and thorough medical records will be considered when assigning rotation grades.

The following page shows an example Shelter Medicine Clerkship Anesthesia & Surgery Record. Students are responsible for completing the following sections:

Section 1:

• Cage #: Each animal will be assigned a unique Cage # upon its arrival. Cats will be housed in the Cat Room (C1-C15). Dogs will be housed in the dog kennels or cages (D1-D14). If multiple littermates are housed together, they should be distinguished by adding an additional letter to the Cage # (i.e., C1A, C1B or D1A, D1B, etc.). This number is also written with a Sharpie inside the animal’s ear.

• Name, Sex, Body Weight, Age, Species: Record the appropriate information. Body weight is recorded in kilograms. Age must be described in terms of weeks, months, or years. You must double check this information even if it is already filled out for you!

Section 2:

• Record the examination date, breed and color pattern of the animal. Record abnormal physical examination findings and put your initials in the indicated area. You must record a body condition score (out of 9) and indicate whether or not both testicles are descended in males. Record the heart rate and respiratory rate for each patient. Record the body temperature for dogs only.

Section 3:

• Each patient will be scanned for a microchip during physical examination and given a tattoo when surgery is completed. Any other treatments that may be needed will be indicated by highlighting in the appropriate section. Do not check the treatment boxes until the treatment is completed.

Section 4:

• Anesthetic Record: You may be asked to monitor anesthesia on some patients. Record the appropriate parameters every 15 minutes.

Section 5:

• Surgical Report: This section must be filled out completely. Note that there is something to circle on each line of the procedure section of the report.

1

2

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4

5

Sample Shelter Medicine Surgery Schedule

This is an example of what our daily surgery schedule looks like. Students MAY NOT write anything on the daily schedule with 2 exceptions: (1) the time an animal is pre-medicated (recorded in the top of the “K9/Fel” box); and

(2) a check mark in the “S/N” box with a Sharpie when an animal is brought into the prep area for surgery.

SHELTER VISITS

During your shelter medicine rotation, we will have the opportunity to visit one or more local animal shelters and rescue groups. On these days we will travel as a group using university vehicles. Bring a packed lunch! Shelter visits usually include the following organizations: Alachua County Animal Services 3400 NE 53rd Avenue Gainesville, FL (Open admission, animal control, annual intake ~4,500 dogs, ~4,500 cats) Flagler Humane Society 1 Shelter Drive Palm Coast, FL (Open admission, animal control) Gilchrist County Animal Services 1799 NW 10th Street Bell, FL (Open admission, animal control, annual intake ~600 dogs, ~700 cats) The Humane Society of Northeast Florida 112 Norma Street Hollister, FL (Limited admission) During these shelter visits, it is of utmost importance that we portray professionalism and respect in everything we say and do. If you see or hear something that is concerning to you, please discuss it with the faculty member accompanying you on the visit. All observations and information obtained including those relating to shelter management or operations, medical and behavioral care of animals, and any photographs taken are considered confidential veterinary-client-patient information. This information is not to be discussed or distributed outside of this rotation in any manner. Students found to be in violation of this policy will receive a failing grade for the rotation.

WHAT IS SHELTER MEDICINE?

By Brenda Griffin, DVM, MS, DACVIM The formal discipline of shelter medicine is an emerging area of specialization in veterinary medicine. Both a challenging and rewarding field, shelter medicine encompasses the following:

• Small animal population medicine and epidemiology • Infectious disease diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention • Problem behavior diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention • Surgery (particularly high volume, low cost sterilization) • Animal cruelty investigation, forensics • Shelter management • Individual patient care (all systems)

Shelter medicine is truly a unique blend of both population and individual animal medicine. Complete veterinary care of shelter animals requires focused expertise combining elements of epidemiology, infectious disease control, behavioral care, surgery, and shelter management. More specifically the shelter medicine specialist must have an expanded understanding in areas including, but not limited, to: shelter facility design and operation; husbandry (including housing, nutrition, sanitation and disinfection); vaccination; common shelter infectious disease and behavior problem prevention, diagnosis and treatment; resource management and risk analysis; strategies for control of companion animal overpopulation; personnel management; companion animal welfare, public health protection and disaster response. Shelter medicine specialists must also be well versed in legal, regulatory, ethical and emotional aspects of shelter animal care. This is in addition to a solid foundation in traditional medical and surgical veterinary disciplines. Both infectious diseases and problem behaviors are common in shelter pets. Dogs and cats awaiting adoption in shelters experience many stressors (for example: confinement, social isolation, exposure to infectious disease agents), which can adversely affect their physical and behavioral health and lessen their adoptability. Pets with compromised physical or behavioral health are more likely to be euthanized and less likely to be adopted. Designing and implementing wellness programs for the animals and their environment is critically important to their welfare. Animal Sheltering - Past and Present In the United States, animal sheltering dates back more than 200 hundred years to the 1800’s when agencies developed to address the need for animal control (primarily dogs), related public safety issues and prevention of cruelty to animals. Most facilities were originally designed to admit large numbers of dogs for brief periods of time. Since that time, animal sheltering has evolved considerably. Today, approximately 6 million animals enter United States animal shelters annually with cats significantly outnumbering dogs. Today’s sheltering services are diverse and range the spectrum from those provided by large, well-funded “brick and mortar” facilities, to those of small, loosely organized grass-roots groups or individuals. For some animals, shelter stays continue to be short, whereas others may receive extended, even lifetime, care. Sheltering has changed dramatically over the past 3 decades and intake and euthanasia have both declined substantially in many communities. Still, approximately 70% of cats and 50% of dogs entering U.S. shelters are currently euthanized.

What is the “No-Kill” Movement? As much as anything, “no-kill” is a slogan that defines a movement: a movement that seeks to end euthanasia as a means of population control for companion animals. Over the past decade, new approaches to animal control have been implemented in some communities across the U.S. based on this "no-kill" philosophy. These approaches involve implementing community collaborations to address the surplus of pets in order to reduce and ultimately eliminate euthanasia as an animal control procedure. Animal welfare agencies and practicing veterinarians form networks to work together to sterilize pets in communities and to increase adoptions of pets from shelters. Collaborations of humane shelters, animal welfare groups, veterinarians, government agencies, and private individuals form safety nets in communities in order to meet the goal of no-kill: to save the lives of all healthy and treatable pets. In order to accomplish this, the demand for shelter pets must be increased through aggressive marketing and the supply of pets must be decreased through aggressive spay/neuter campaigns. This will also require development of “best medical practices” for shelters based not only on clinical experience, but controlled research. As euthanasia decreases as an animal control procedure, shelters will be able to provide pets longer-term stays, making well-designed medical programs more important than ever. In a growing number of communities with progressive animal control policies and strong community collaborations, the live-release rate for cats and dogs exceeds 80%. In some areas, a shortage of shelter dogs exists and puppies are being transferred from regions where high euthanasia persists such as in the Southeast. It must be noted that although no-kill practices have resulted in the development of many innovative, life-saving programs, there have also been instances where severe animal suffering and unnecessary death have occurred as a result of overcrowding in a misguided attempt to save more animals. Above all, shelters have an obligation to provide humane care for animals. It is simply not humane to house animals in conditions that induce illness or poor welfare. With this in mind, it is crucial to understand that maintaining animals in densely populated conditions where the capacity for proper care is compromised should never be allowed to occur. When situations arise in which animal welfare cannot be managed whether due to physical or behavioral disease or environmental conditions such as overcrowding and poor sanitation, euthanasia must be employed if no other remedies exist to relieve animal suffering. Euthanasia however should not be used as a substitute for providing animals with proper care while in the shelter and implementing earnest programs designed to decrease euthanasia. Simply stated, the overarching goal of any animal shelter, no matter what resources, philosophy, or mission it possesses, must be for animals to be as “healthy and happy” as possible during their stays. Community Animal Shelters Community animal shelters take many forms and have many different goals. Funding may be public or private, admission may be limited or unrestricted, and animals may be housed in “brick and mortar” facilities as well as in home- and internet-based rescue and foster care networks. Animal control agencies are government-funded (municipal) agencies that are responsible for impounding animals in accordance with local ordinances. Some of these facilities have adoption, education, or other associated programs. In general, animal control facilities accept all

animals brought to their facility regardless of shelter capacity. Euthanasia is usually the most commonly employed method of population and disease control by many of these agencies. In some situations, animal control contracts are awarded to non-profit humane societies,which blurs the distinction between enforcement and humane agencies. Humane societies or other animal welfare organizations are privately funded and have an established board of directors and an executive director who manages operation of the shelter. Humane society shelters may have a traditional open-admission policy to accept all animals regardless of capacity or a limited-admission policy to take in animals as space allows or to take in certain kinds of animals such as highly adoptable ones. Humane societies commonly offer a wide variety of programs to improve animal welfare, including adoption programs, humane education and cruelty investigation. Euthanasia is a commonly employed method of control of surplus pets in open-admission shelters but not in limited-admission shelters. Adoption-guarantee shelters are organizations that save all the adoptable ("healthy") and treatable animals under their care, with euthanasia reserved only for untreatable/nonrehabilitatable animals. Although these are usually private limited-admission shelters, a few are also operated as open-admission shelters in communities that have successfully reduced local overpopulation. These shelters are usually limited-admission facilities that serve as adoption and spay-neuter centers. Sometimes, these shelters are referred to as “No-Kill” shelters. They may range from high-volume adoption agencies to care-for-life sanctuaries and hospices. Community Collaboration One humane organization cannot alone solve the problem of homeless pets: It takes a community working together in proactive ways to enact real change regarding the disposition of homeless pets. Non-lethal strategies for pet population control must include aggressive spay/neuter (of shelter pets, feral cats, pets of low-income owners, and pets that are overrepresented at shelters such as pit bulls), programs designed to keep pets in their homes (eg. behavioral wellness, proactive pet identification), creative marketing of shelter animals, and shelter medical programs that ensure shelter pets are healthy and sterilized. Shelters, rescue organizations, foster families and transport programs comprise life-saving networks in communities and regions across the country. Categorizations/Definitions of Shelter Animals In order to facilitate the data collection process and assure consistent reporting across agencies, the following definitions have been developed and are used by a growing number of sheltering agencies. These definitions were developed in 2004 by a group of animal welfare leaders in Asilomar, California. The “Asilomar Accords” detail the use of these definitions, which are to be applied as a standard for categorizing dogs and cats in each organization. The definitions, however, are not meant to define the outcome for each animal. For more information, visit http://www.asilomaraccords.org. Healthy: The term “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 sign 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, or 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.

Treatable: The term “treatable” means and includes all dogs and cats who are “rehabilitatable” and all dogs and cats who are “manageable.”

Rehabilitatable: The term “rehabilitatable” means and includes all dogs and cats who are not “healthy,” but who are likely to become “healthy,” if given medical, foster, behavioral, or other care equivalent to the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community.

Manageable: The term “manageable” means and includes all dogs and cats who are not “healthy” and who are not likely to become “healthy,” regardless of the care provided; but who would likely maintain a satisfactory quality of life, if given medical, foster, behavioral, or other care, including long-term care, equivalent to the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community; provided, however, that the term “manageable” does not include any dog or cat who is determined to pose a significant risk to human health or safety or to the health or safety of other animals.

Unhealthy & Untreatable: The term “Unhealthy and Untreatable” means and includes dogs and cats who, at or subsequent to the time they are taken into possession,

(1) have a behavioral or temperamental characteristic that poses a health or safety risk or otherwise makes the animal unsuitable for placement as a pet, and are not likely to become “healthy” or “treatable” even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community; or (2) are suffering from a disease, injury, or congenital or hereditary condition that adversely affects the animal’s health or is likely to adversely affect the animal’s health in the future, and are not likely to become “healthy” or “treatable” even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community; or (3) are under the age of eight weeks and are not likely to become “healthy” or “treatable,” even if provided the care typically provided to pets by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community.

There is no national standard for what conditions are put into each category. Each community must make its own standard that is consistent with the values of pet owners in that community.

Course Syllabus

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I. Course information: Consultations in Shelter Animal Medicine Clerkship

Course Number: VEM 5890

Course Title: Consultations in Shelter Animal Medicine Clerkship

Phase/Block:

Term offered: FALL - October 8 to October 21, 2012

Course credit: 2 Elective Credits

Course meeting time and location:

Week #1: VS-18D, Rounds Room, Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program, 8:00am – 6:00 pm (with lunch break); Monday, October 8 to Friday, October 12, 2012.

Week #2: Travel required to and from a selected animal shelter. Leave on Sunday, October 14 and return by Sunday, October 21, 2012. Costs for transportation, meals, and lodging provided by Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program.

Course Website:

II. General information

Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program Website: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/

Course Coordinator: Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM; Maddie’s®

Professor of Shelter Medicine; Director Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program

Office location & office hours: VS-12; office hours by appointment

Office phone number: 352-273-8722

Email: LevyJK@ufl.edu Course Instructor(s): Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD; Maddie’s® Clinical Assistant Professor

Office location & office hours: SAH 348; office hours by appointment

Office phone number: 352-273-8723

Email: CrawfordC@ufl.edu

Course Syllabus

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III. Course description

This is a two-week elective clinical rotation that allows junior and senior veterinary students to participate in an actual consultation visit to an animal shelter. Students will gather and analyze data about animal shelter systems and operations. Students will practice the role of a shelter veterinarian in making assessments of shelter systems; devising solutions for identified health and welfare concerns; and making recommendations that improve the life-saving capacity of the shelter by encouraging it to implement best practices for animal physical and behavioral health and welfare.

Course Delivery: Week #1 consists of didactic teaching, readings, discussions, webinars, and analysis of data gathered from the animal shelter to be visited. Week #2 requires travel to a selected animal shelter for a complete a shelter health consultation. Course enrollment is limited to six students.

Course goal: Develop an understanding and appreciation for the challenges faced by animal shelters in achieving lifesaving and welfare goals for homeless animals. Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will: 1. Know how to plan and prepare for an assessment of an animal shelter’s

operations and systems for population management. 2. Apply professional legal and ethical standards of client confidentiality to

the veterinary-client relationship between shelter veterinarians and an animal shelter.

3. Collect, analyze, and report on data collected about animal populations from a shelter management software program.

4. Calculate epidemiological statistics and trends related to annual and seasonal intake, length-of-stay, capacity, and outcomes for an animal shelter’s population.

5. Use the Association of Shelter Veterinarian’s (ASV) Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters as a guide for making recommendations designed to improve medical care and animal husbandry practices in an animal shelter; including recommendations for sanitation, biosecurity practices, environmental controls, nutrition, patient care, medical and surgical protocols, animal handling and transport, facility design, housing, preventative health care protocols, and infectious disease control.

6. Make systematic observations of an animal shelter’s operations; communicate the findings; and make recommendations about how the operations might be improved or modified to promote efficient population management, and improve physical and behavioral health for the sheltered animals.

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7. Understand the role of a shelter veterinarian as the medical director for

animal shelters who is responsible for both the health of the sheltered population as well as the physical and surgical care of individual animals.

8. Present preliminary findings and recommendations for optimizing the health, welfare, and live release of sheltered animals in an Exit Report to the shelter’s management team before leaving the animal shelter and contribute to the production of the Final Consultation Report to the animal shelter as assigned.

IV. Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course. However, priority for enrollment will be given to those students who have applied to complete the Maddie’s® Certificate in Shelter Medicine. Enrollment is limited to 6 students.

V. Course Outline & Schedule:

Week 1 Topics:

o Pre-Consult Planning

o ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters

o Client Communication

o Pre-Assessment Research

o Review of Client’s Policies and Protocols for Animal Care

o Population Data Analysis

o Approach to Onsite Animal Shelter Assessment and Data Collection

o Reporting

o Follow-up

Week 2 Topics:

o Onsite Shelter Assessment and Reporting

o Physical and Electronic Animal Inventory Comparisons

o Animal Housing and Facility Assessments

o Evaluation of Medical, Surgical, and Behavioral Care

o Collection of Diagnostic Samples for Disease Surveillance and Interpretation

and Assessment of Disease Prevention

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IV. Course Materials

Required texts: No texts are required for this course. All readings and resources will be provided. Students will have access to the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Library housed in VS-18C.

Required Technology: A laptop computer is recommended.

VI. Evaluation/ Grading/ Testing

For more information about grading policies, see the Undergraduate Catalog at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx

Point System for Grading Assessment Points Possible

Percentage of Grade

Participation in Seminars 35%

Daily attendance 5

Review/analysis of pre-consultation documents 10

Review/critique of an SOP or protocol from shelter 10

Daily project/research presentations 10

Participation in Shelter Consultation 30%

Team case report 5

Assessment of assigned areas of shelter 10

Complete shelter inventory 15

Open-Note Exam 35%

Written essay 17.5

Revise SOP/protocol 17.5

TOTAL POSSIBLE 100 100%

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Exam Percentage

93%-100%

90%-92%

87%-89%

83%-86%

80%-82%

77%-79%

73%-76%

70%-72%

67%-69%

63%-66%

60%-62%

Below 60%

Letter Grade A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F

VI. Administrative Policies: For more information about professional veterinary student expectations, policies, and requirements, see the Veterinary Student Handbook at: http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/student-services/student-handbook-pdf/

Academic Honesty Policy Plagiarism includes any attempt to take credit for another person’s work, even in a discussion. Cheating, lying, misrepresentation, or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and inexcusable behavior. All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” To review the student honor code please visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcodes/honorcode.php Student Evaluation of Instruction Evaluations are performed electronically at the end of the course. To evaluate the instructor, visit the UF Evaluation site at: https://evaluations.ufl.edu/evals/ Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center. For more information, visit the Disability Resource Center website at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/. Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate.

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UF Counseling and Wellness Center Many resources are available for students who need help with stress-related problems or emergencies. Assistance is available both by appointment and after hours by calling 352-392-1575 or visiting the website at: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/. Crisis intervention is always available 24/7 from Alachua County Crisis Center: (352) 264-6789. BUT – Do not wait until you reach a crisis to come in and talk with us. We have helped many students through stressful situations impacting their academic performance. You are not alone so do not be afraid to ask for assistance. Grade Changes Grades will be changed only when a grading error has been made. Attendance Attendance is mandatory and any unexcused absence may result in a failing grade for this course. Class Participation and Professionalism Students are expected to participate constructively and professionally in all discussions and activities. Every interaction between classmates and/or faculty must be polite and professional. While traveling, your appearance and actions reflect on the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. You are expected to dress professionally in appropriate attire as directed by your instructors and to represent the University of Florida in a favorable manner through your dress, actions, and language. Performance Expectations Students are expected to produce quality work of a standard comparable to any graduate-level didactic course. All assignment submissions and discussions must be legible, constructive and appropriate. Students are required to think for themselves and will be expected to complete assignments that require the application of logic and reasoning skills when the answer may not be found in a book or the course notes. Factual information should be documented and referenced during discussions and within assignments.

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I. Course information:

Course Number: VEM 5892

Course Title: Special Projects (Externships for Shelter Medicine Certificate Credit)

Term offered: Year-Round

Course credit: 2-4 Elective Credits (per 2-4 week externship)

Course meeting times and locations:

Externships are completed at offsite locations such as animal shelters, spay/neuter clinics, veterinary clinics, and academic institutions.

II. General information

Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program externship website: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/education/externships/ Course Coordinator: Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM; Maddie’s® Professor of Shelter Medicine; Director, Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program

• Office location & office hours: VS-12; office hours by appointment • Office phone number: 352-273-8722 • Email: LevyJK@ufl.edu

III. Course description

1. Course goal: Students will develop skills in diagnosis and treatment of both individual

animals and populations under shelter conditions. They will understand the critical role played by veterinarians in protecting the health and welfare of sheltered dogs and cats while using the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters as a guide to best practices for Shelter Medicine. Students will also develop skills in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter in both adult and pediatric animals. Course objectives of the Shelter Medicine Externship for Certificate Credit:

• Understand the issues of animal homelessness, risk factors for relinquishment, and pet reunification

• Understand and apply the concepts of population management in shelters • Apply concepts of quality of life and environmental enrichment in shelters • Understand the principles of infection control, including surveillance,

isolation, vaccination, cleaning and disinfection • Develop skills in animal handling and examination

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• Participate in shelter preventive health care protocols • Perform medical and behavioral assessments • Participate in cruelty and abuse evaluations as appropriate

Course objectives of the Spay/Neuter Externship for Certificate Credit:

• Increase efficiency and skill in performing spay/neuter surgery. • Understand safe and effective anesthetic and analgesic protocols. • Implement techniques to improve efficiency in a high quality, high volume

setting (i.e. smaller incisions, pedicle ties, Miller’s knots, flank spays, etc.). • Learn safe and efficient techniques for pediatric sterilization. • Learn safe and effective techniques for feral cat sterilization, if available. • Enhance technical skills such as intravenous catheter placement, tracheal

intubation, and surgical preparation.

IV. Prerequisites

Successful completion of the freshman and sophomore veterinary curriculum.

V. Course Outline

1. Information about Shelter Medicine and Spay/Neuter Externships for certificate credit

Externships generally last two weeks, and may be longer depending on the agency. During a Shelter Medicine externship, most of a student’s externship time will be spent working with a veterinarian in the shelter, but some time may be spent with technicians, kennel staff, animal control officers, and front office staff to gain a full appreciation of the wide range of shelter activities. The student will participate in daily rounds with a veterinarian on most days. During a Spay/Neuter externship, students will spend the majority of their time developing their surgical proficiency while also exploring the facets of successful high-quality-high-volume Spay/Neuter programs. Note that not all externships approved by the CVM qualify for certificate credit. Detailed descriptions of the externships approved for Certificate credit can be found at http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/education/externships/

2. General information about externships at the CVM:

Externship opportunities are considered valuable in our curriculum. Students are eligible to perform approved externships once they have begun their junior clerkships. With the exception of externships related to the certificate in

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International Veterinary Medicine, externships are not granted prior to this time. During the spring semester of the senior year, students may only complete an externship during a period when they have been granted vacation. The maximum number of credits a student may accumulate towards graduation is eight. Students are permitted to complete three externships, one of which can be for a month in duration and will be eligible for four credits; the remaining two externships will only be eligible for two credits per two-week experience. Students may also pursue externship experience outside the United States through the Office of International Programs. Students enrolled in the Certificate of International Veterinary Medicine may pursue externships at any point in their DVM career to fulfill certificate requirements.

Important Facts and Regulations for Students about Completing Externships • Externships are optional and are not required to graduate. • Externships are pass/fail. • Mandated by the college, students must remain on campus during the last term

of the senior year. Thus, all externships must be completed by the end of the fall term of the senior year.

• Juniors and seniors are the only students eligible to register for externships. Earning Externship Credit • Students may complete up to three externships for credit. • Students have the option to earn 2, 4, 6, or 8 credits. • If the maximum number of credits allowed (8) have been completed, any other

externship a student chooses to complete after that will simply be for experience and will not be eligible for credit.

• All externships a student plans to complete must be at different locations. • You must stay a minimum of two weeks at one location or a maximum of four

weeks in order to receive credit. • In the event the location you have chosen requires an odd length of time for you

to be there, for instance three or six weeks, you would simply earn 2 credits if you are there three weeks or 4 credits if you are there six weeks.

• All externships a student plans to complete must be noted on their schedule in advance. Any externship completed that is otherwise not on the student’s schedule will not be eligible for credit. Credit is not disbursed retroactively.

Examples of Potential Externship Planning Externship Work Credits 2 weeks at 1 location 2 4 weeks at 1 location 4 3 weeks at 3 different locations 6 2 weeks at 2 different locations + 4 weeks at different location 8

• Complete details about externships at the CVM can be found at

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http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/student-services/externships/

IV. Course Materials Required texts: No texts are required for this course.

Required Attire: Students will comply with the CVM dress code and the requirements of the host facility. A stethoscope and digital camera are required.

V. Evaluation/ Grading/ Testing

• Grading is Pass/Fail • Students who miss more than an average of 1 day per week will receive an

incomplete until the externship is completed to the satisfaction of the supervising veterinarian.

• Students will keep a daily log of their externship cases and activities. • Students will write a report describing the importance of the experience with photo

illustrations. Templates for the report will be provided. • Students will submit an ‘Evaluation of Externship by Student’ sheet to the Office of

Students and Instruction • Students will provide their externship supervising veterinarian with the ‘Evaluation

of Student by Supervising Veterinarian’ sheet to complete and submit to the Office of Students and Instruction. Clinical knowledge and performance in several areas will be evaluated on a 5-point scale from “poor” (1 point) to “excellent” (5 points).

• A passing externship grade requires a minimum of 80% attendance, complete daily case/activity logs, and acceptable externship report, and an average score of 3.0 or higher on the evaluation by the supervising veterinarian.

VI. Administrative Policies

For more information about professional veterinary student expectations, policies, and requirements, see the Veterinary Student Handbook at: http://education.vetmed.ufl.edu/student-services/student-handbook-pdf/ Academic Honesty Policy: Plagiarism includes any attempt to take credit for another person’s work, even in a discussion. Cheating, lying, misrepresentation, or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and inexcusable behavior.

All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all

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work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” To review the student honor code please visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcodes/honorcode.php Student Evaluation of Instruction Evaluations are performed electronically at the end of the course. To evaluate the instructor, visit the UF Evaluation site at: https://evaluations.ufl.edu/evals/

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center. For more information, visit the Disability Resource Center website at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/

Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. UF Counseling and Wellness Center Many resources are available for students who need help with stress-related problems or emergencies. Assistance is available both by appointment and after hours by calling 352-392-1575 or visiting the website at: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/

Crisis intervention is always available 24/7 from Alachua County Crisis Center: (352) 264-6789. BUT – Do not wait until you reach a crisis to come in and talk with us. We have helped many students through stressful situations impacting their academic performance. You are not alone so do not be afraid to ask for assistance.

Grade Changes Grades will be changed only when a grading error has been made. Attendance Attendance is mandatory and any unexcused absence may result in a failing grade for this course. Class Participation and Professionalism Students are expected to participate constructively and professionally in all discussions and activities. Every interaction between classmates and/or faculty must be polite and professional. While traveling, your appearance and actions

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reflect on the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. You are expected to dress professionally in appropriate attire as directed by your instructors and to represent the University of Florida in a favorable manner through your dress, actions, and language.

Performance Expectations Students are expected to produce quality work of a standard comparable to any graduate-level didactic course. All assignment submissions and discussions must be legible, constructive and appropriate. Students are required to think for themselves and will be expected to complete assignments that require the application of logic and reasoning skills when the answer may not be found in a book or the course notes. Factual information should be documented and referenced during discussions and within assignments.

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Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare

I. Course information

Course Number: VEM 5320

Section Number: TBD

Course Title: Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare

Course Abbreviation: Shelter Ani Behav/Welf

Term offered: Spring

Year: 2013

Course credit: 3 Graduate Credit Hours

II. General information

Online Course Coordinator: Terry Spencer, DVM MEd Office location & office hours:

• Online by email and VS4 • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the course coordinator.

Office phone number: 352-294-4510 Email: sheltermedicine.online@vetmed.ufl.edu

Online Course Instructor: Sheila D’Arpino, DVM, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.

• Contact instructor by email within the SAKAI course. • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the instructor.

Website: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/online/

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III. Course description

Course goals/Educational goals of the course: Concepts related to shelter behavior programs; evaluation of quality of shelter’s behavior program; and implementation of changes to promote shelter animal behavior and welfare.

Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Compare differences in intake/outcome policies among various sheltering models. 2. Classify the advantages and disadvantages of using various behavioral resources

available to shelters. 3. Lead daily behavioral rounds and make population decisions to maximize both

behavioral health and life saving efforts. 4. Assess welfare of individual animals as well as the general population within the

shelter. 5. Evaluate housing conditions of sheltered animals. 6. Design protocols that maximize behavioral health and minimize risk to physical

health. 7. Compare the reliability, validity, and standardization of available behavioral

assessments and understand the advantages and limitations of such assessments. 8. Know how to use available behavioral information to make appropriate placement

decisions within various sheltering models. 9. Compare several behavioral modification techniques and determine whether the

technique(s) are humane and whether the techniques are likely to be effective. 10. Use basic principles of psychopharmacology to design a medication protocol for a

sheltered animal and monitor its effectiveness. 11. Diagnose common behavior problems, create an appropriate treatment plan, and

prescribe/monitor appropriate medications for problems such as: jumpy or mouthy dogs, separation anxiety, fearfulness, interspecies aggression, aggression toward people or other species, inappropriate elimination, urine marking, kennel stress and furniture scratching.

Course Delivery: This course will be taught within the UF academic calendar for the spring semester. Most of the course will be delivered using the UF centrally supported learning management system, SAKAI. Discussions and some activities will be presented live. Students must have a Gator Link ID to access this e-learning site at the following link:

• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/

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Students must have high-speed internet access and should download at least one additional browser other than Internet Explorer (such as Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.).

Students should also have basic proficiency in Microsoft Office PowerPoint.

IV. Prerequisites

Students should be currently enrolled in the professional veterinary medicine program leading to a DVM degree and should be 3rd or 4th year professional students.

Tentative Course Outline & Schedule:

Content will be delivered within modules that are conceptually grouped. Some modules, due to the complexity of the content, will be longer than other modules. Assignments will be given during each module and due by the completion of the module on a designated date. The course will be completed within a semester time frame. Modules will include a combination of readings, recordings, webinars, group discussions, and/or student research projects. Experts in Shelter Medicine will be available as resources to students by use of asynchronous and/or live chats.

Module 1: Introduction to Shelter Animal Behavior and Welfare (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will learn about various animal behavior credentials and sheltering models. Students will also practice using SAKAI, introduce themselves to their classmates, and complete a pre-course survey. Discussion: Compare qualifications of professionals who work in the field of animal behavior (such as those credentialed as CAAB or DACVB) and how policies vary between different sheltering models. Assessment: 2 points possible,

• 1 point awarded for contributing to the discussion • 1 point for responding to a classmate’s post

Module 2: Daily Rounds and Welfare Assessments (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will learn how to implement a daily behavior rounds and use the information to improve the welfare of both individual animals and the shelter population.

• Week 1: Lectures/readings/recordings

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• Week 2: Complete assignments • Week 3: Discussion of assignments and chat with instructor

Assignment 1: Virtual Rounds. (Grading rubric provided.) Students will be provided with individual animal histories, videos, and interactive images of sheltered dogs and cats. Students will use the material provided to assess welfare and recommend appropriate environmental enrichment for individual animals. Assignment 2: Population Rounds. (Grading rubric provided.) Assess facility conditions and housing in a local or a virtual shelter. Propose policy and facility modifications to improve behavioral health of the population. Assessment of Module 2: 16 points possible

• 6 points for completion of Assignment 1 • 6 points for completion of Assignment 2 • 2 points submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

Module 3: Behavior Evaluations (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will learn why reliability, validity, and standardization are important concepts to consider when using behavior evaluations to make placement decisions for sheltered animals. Students will learn how to use behavior assessment information to make outcome decisions.

• Week 1: Lectures/readings/recordings/assignments • Week 2: Project work • Week 3: Discussion of assignments and chat with instructor

Assignment 3: Research Paper. (Grading rubric provided.) Review three popular behavior assessment tools used in shelters and compare standardization, reliability, and validity of the assessment tools. Assignment 4: Case Review: (Grading rubric provided.) Students each assigned a behavior case to assess, classify by Asilomar Accord categories, and recommend appropriate shelter pathway for that animal based on the given shelter’s resources.

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Assessment of Module 3: 16 points possible

• 6 points for completion of Assignment 3 • 6 points for completion of Assignment 4 • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

Module 4: Principles of Behavior Modification (Estimated length of module, 2 weeks)

Students will learn about behavioral modification techniques such as; positive and negative punishment, positive and negative reinforcement, classical and operant conditioning, and desensitization. Students will explore the advantages, disadvantages, and welfare considerations for such techniques.

• Week 1: Lectures/ readings/recordings/assignment • Week 2: Discussion of assignments and chat with instructor

Assignment 5: Analyze Techniques from Popular Media: (Grading rubric provided.) View a nationally broadcast television show, analyze the behavior modification techniques displayed in that broadcast and debate effectiveness of popularized techniques. Assessment of Module 4: 13 points possible

• 10 points for completion of Assignment 5 • 3 points for participation in group discussion

Module 5: Psychopharmacology for Behavior Problems (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will learn the indications and contraindications for various psychopharmaceuticals, select appropriate medical protocols for specific behavioral problems, and describe how to monitor the effectiveness of such prescriptions.

• Week 1: Lectures/readings/recordings/self-quiz Assignment 6: Self-quiz. Students will achieve a passing score of 80% or higher before moving to next module. Assessment of Module 5: 5 points possible for passing quiz

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Module 6: Diagnosis and Treatment of Behavior Problems (Estimated length of module, 4 weeks)

Students will use the knowledge and skills they have learned in this course to diagnose behavior problems common to sheltered animals and make an appropriate treatment plan to improve the chances for live-release of the animal from the shelter. Students will learn about specific behavior problems and currently recommended therapies to modify such behaviors and improve outcomes.

• Week 1: Lectures/readings/recordings/discussion/assign group project • Week 2: Lectures/readings/recordings/discussions • Week 3: Lectures/readings/recordings/discussions • Week 4: Lectures/readings/recordings/discussions

Assignment 7: GROUP PROJECT: (Grading rubric provided.) Students will be assigned a case to evaluate and develop an appropriate plan for enrichment, treating and modifying behavior, within the resources of the shelter. Projects will be presented to the class during the final week of the course. Assessment of Module 6: 43 points possible

• 35 points for completion of assignment 6 • 2 points for participation in week 1 discussion • 2 points for participation in week 2 discussion • 2 points for participating in week 3 discussion • 2 points for participating in week 4 discussion

Module 7: Group Project Presentations (Estimated length of module, 1 week

Students will view presentations by all groups and participate in a virtual discussion of the presentations. Students will also complete a post-course survey. Assessment of Module 7: 5 points possible for attendance and participation in group discussions about the presentations

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IV. Course Materials Required Resources:

1. ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters

Download a copy from the following website: http://www.sheltervet.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=29

2. Various readings available on UF’s Electronic Reserves, accessible via: https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu

3. Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff, Second Edition, Lila Miller and Stephen Zawistowski (editors), Blackwell Publishing, 2013.

4. Students might be expected to rent a recorded television broadcast from an internet provider such as Amazon.com.

Recommended Additional Resources: (Optional) 1. The Welfare of Cats, Irene Rochlitz (editor), Springer, 2007. 2. Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, Gary Landsberg, Wayne

Hunthausen, and Lowell Ackerman, Elsevier Sciences, 2003. 3. BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine, Second Edition, Debra

Horwitz and Daniel S. Mills (editors), Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. 4. The Veterinary Clinics of North America, Small Animal Practice: Update on Clinical

Veterinary Behavior, Katherine A. Houpt and Vint Virga (guest editors), W.B. Saunders, 2003.

5. Veterinary Psychopharmacology, Sharon L. Crowell-Davis and Thomas Murray, Blackwell Publishing, 2006.

V. Additional Resources/ Equipment

Recorded Lectures If you have trouble accessing recorded lectures you might need to install a free copy of Silverlight. You can download Silverlight at: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/. Word Processing Use a Microsoft Office compatible file extensions to save projects that will be submitted to the instructor. (Example: save documents as .doc or .docx; save PowerPoint presentations as .ppt or .pptx files before uploading.)

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VI. Evaluation/ Grading/Testing

VII. Administrative Policies:

For more information on UF Graduate School policies related to grades, attendance, student conduct, and academic honesty please visit: http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=762 Honesty Policy All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” To review the student honor code please visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcodes/honorcode.php Plagiarism includes any attempt to take credit for another person’s work. This includes quoting directly from a paper, book, or website, without crediting the source. Sources should be noted, a link to the website added, or quotation marks placed around the

GRADES Assignment Points

Discussion Points

Module 1: Discussion 0 2

Module 2: Assignment 1 and 2 12 4

Module 3: Assignment 3 and 4 12 4

Module 4: Assignment 5 10 3

Module 5: Assignment 6 5 0

Module 6: Assignment 7 Group Project

35 8

Module 7: Project Presentations 0 5

Total 74 26

Total Possible Points 100

A 94 -100

A- 93-90

B+ 89-87

B 86-83

B- 82-80

C+ 79-77

C 76-73

C- 72-70

D+ 69-67

D 66-63

D- 62-60

E 59 -0

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material and attributed , even during online discussions. However, the instructor expects more than simply cutting and pasting in this graduate-level course. Students are expected to review, evaluate and comment on material they research, rather than simply copying relevant material. Work will be graded accordingly. Student Evaluation of Instruction Evaluations are performed electronically at the end of the course. To evaluate the instructor, visit the UF Evaluation site at: https://evaluations.ufl.edu/evals/ Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center at 352-392-8565. Students may also apply on-line for accommodations. For more information, see the Disability Resource Center website at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/ The Disability Resource Center will provide a letter to the student who must then meet with the course instructor to discuss the required accommodations. Once notification is complete, the instructor can work with the Disability Resource Center to provide the requested accommodations. To ensure that necessary accommodations are provided in a timely manner, it would expedite this process if any student who might need an accommodation would notify the course coordinator during registration. Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. UF Counseling and Wellness Center Many resources are available for students who need help with stress-related problems or emergencies. Assistance is available both by appointment and after hours by calling 352-392-1575 or visiting the website at http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/. Grade Changes Grades will be changed only when a grading error has been made.

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Communication with Instructors The preferred method for communication between students and the course instructor is by email within the SAKAI online learning management system. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Do NOT use the discussion board to communicate with about hardware problems, grades, or other personal matters. Attendance Lessons within this course can include a combination of asynchronous self-paced activities and synchronous activities that require attendance at specific times. Students are expected to visit the course website daily to check for important updates and announcements about due dates and scheduled times for synchronous activities. Instructors monitor participation in discussion boards and other activities within the SAKAI learning management system. Class Participation Students are expected to constructively and professionally participate in online discussions and while completing both individual and group projects. Students are also expected to contribute interesting and relevant information during the discussions, chats, and group projects. All interactions between classmates and/or faculty must be polite and professionally conducted. Shouting (using all capital letters), use of profanity or insulting language, or plagiarism will not be permitted. However, avoid clogging the discussion boards with short responses such as, “Good Job” or “Thanks” or “Me Too” as such postings contribute little to the discussion. Performance Expectations Students are expected to produce quality work of a standard comparable to any graduate-level didactic course. Postings, assignment submissions, and discussions must be legible, constructive and appropriate. Students are required to think for themselves and will be expected to complete assignments that require the application of logic and reasoning skills when the answer may not be found in a book or the course notes. Factual information should be documented and referenced during discussions and within assignments. Make-Up Work, Late Assignments, and Due Dates Students are expected to complete assignments according to the due dates given within the course and posted on the course calendar within SAKAI. In most cases, students will be given the flexibility to progress through the lessons at their own pace. However, once a due date is passed, there will be no opportunity for make-up or late submissions. It is imperative that students plan for completion of the course within the term calendar

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and sign into the course daily to check for announcements and updates. Students might have other work and personal commitments. However, because online courses offer so much flexibility, students are expected to make every effort to meet course deadlines. Instructors monitor the discussion boards and track student participation. Because students have email access to both their classmates and instructors within SAKAI, there is ample opportunity to clarify instructions and prevent misunderstandings about expectations and due dates. If a student experiences a situation that is beyond their control and there is a possibility they will not meet a due date, the student should immediately notify the instructor and course coordinator to explain the situation. This includes any technical issues that must be addressed by the UF Help Desk. If such an issue prevents a student from submitting an assignment by the due date, the student will be expected to produce a UF Help Desk Ticket to document efforts were made to correct the problem in a timely manner prior to the due date. Important Dates/Deadlines to Withdraw Consult the UF Graduate School Academic Calendar at http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=845 for details on dropping or withdrawing from this course and any tuition penalties that apply. Consult the course calendar within SAKAI for important dates and deadlines that pertain to this course.

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Introduction to Shelter Medicine

I. Course information

Course Number: VEM 5322

Section Number: TBD

Course Title: Integrating Veterinary Medicine with Shelter Systems (formerly titled Introduction to Shelter Medicine)

Course Abbreviation:

Term offered: Spring

Year: 2013

Course credit: 3 Graduate Credit Hours

II. General information

Online Course Coordinators: Julia Alber and Kim Wolf Office location & office hours:

• Online by email. • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the course coordinator.

Office phone number: 352-294-4757 Email: sheltermedicine.online@vetmed.ufl.edu

Online Course Instructors: Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD; Brian DiGangi, DVM, MS, DABVP; Natalie Isaza, DVM; Julie K. Levy, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM; and Terry Spencer, DVM, MEd

• Contact instructor by email within the SAKAI course. • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the instructor.

Website: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/online/

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III. Course description Course goals/Educational goals of the course: Understanding and appreciation of the critical role played by veterinarians in protecting the health and welfare of sheltered dogs and cats. Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Use the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines for Standards of

Care in Animal Shelters as a guide for the practice of veterinary medicine in a shelter environment.

2. Locate reliable medical information to support best practices within an animal shelter.

3. Recognize common infectious diseases, behavioral problems, and examples of animal cruelty or neglect presented to animal shelters and describe the shelter veterinarian’s role in responding to such issues.

4. Understand the scope of issues related to animal homelessness and identify recent trends surrounding those issues.

5. Compare and contrast sheltering methods and assess each method for how well it addresses the “Five Freedoms” of animal welfare.

6. Identify employment opportunities that exist for veterinarians in shelters and discuss the training and experience needed for success in such positions.

7. Understand key concepts involved with the practice of Shelter Medicine such as: sanitation, preventive health care, disease outbreak management, behavioral assessments, stress control, population management, cruelty investigations, and high-quality/high-volume sterilization.

Course Delivery: This course will be taught within the UF academic calendar for the spring semester. The majority of the course will be delivered using the UF centrally supported learning management system, SAKAI. Discussions and some activities will be live. Students must have a Gator Link ID to access this e-learning site at the following link:

• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/

Students must have high-speed internet access and should download at least one additional browser other than Internet Explorer (such as Firefox, Google Chrome, etc.). Students should also have basic proficiency in Microsoft Office PowerPoint.

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IV. Prerequisites

Students should be currently enrolled in a professional veterinary medicine program leading to a DVM degree and should be 3rd or 4th year professional students.

V. Course Outline & Schedule Each week’s content will be delivered by use of readings, recordings, webinars, group discussions, and/or student research projects. Instructors will be available as resources to students by use of asynchronous and/or live chats. Three projects to present will be assigned during the early weeks of the course, with projects due on scheduled dates later in the course.

Module 1: Introduction (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will introduce themselves to their classmates, practice using instructional tools in SAKAI, review the expectations of the course, and complete a pre-course survey.

Required Readings for Module 1:

None

Assessment for Module 1 Discussion (1 point possible for participation)

Module 2: Shelter Sleuth: Case of Sick Puppies (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will complete a problem-based learning scenario that focuses on infectious diseases common to animal shelters. Students will use the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care to prepare a plan of action for use in a shelter to prevent spread of infectious diseases. Students will also begin their first of three projects to present later in the course.

Required Readings for Module 2:

1. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook read: • Chapter 6, pg. 67-78 “Sanitation in the Animal Shelter” • Chapter 15, pg. 211-234 “Implementing a Population Health Plan in an Animal

Shelter” • Chapter 18, pg. 307-314 “Disease Recognition and Diagnostic Testing”

2. From the Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters textbook read:

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• Chapter 3, pg. 39-48 "Outbreak Management" • Chapter 4, pg. 49-60 "Sanitation and Disinfection"

3. From ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters review: • Pg. 20-23 "Sanitation" • Pg. 29-31 "Population Well-being" and "Response to Disease or Illness"

4. OPTIONAL: Maddie's Infection Control Manual for Animal Shelters Infectious Disease Project Assigned during Module 2: Prepare an original 10 minute or less presentation and one or two-page handout about one infectious disease common to shelters. The report will cover transmission, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of the disease in the shelter setting. Presentations will be due by Week 8 of the course. (20 points possible for project; 10 for presentation and 10 for handout.)

Assessment for Module 2

Write a 500 word or less letter that outlines a plan of action for preventing infectious disease outbreaks based on the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care. 7 points possible;

• 4 for letter • 2 for sharing and discussing letters with classmates

Module 3: Shelter Sleuth: Case of Embedded Collar (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will explore a problem-based learning scenario that focuses on recognizing and responding to suspected cases of animal cruelty or neglect. Students will learn about the role of the veterinarian when examining animals presented as potential victims of a crime and what is expected if they are called to testify as an expert witness during a trial. Students will also begin their second of three projects to present later in the course.

Required Readings for Module 3:

1. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook: • Chapters 4, 26, 27, 28, and 30

Animal Cruelty/Neglect Project Assigned during Module 3: Prepare an original 10-minute or less presentation and a fictionalized Case Report Summary about an example of animal cruelty/neglect that might be presented to a shelter. Describe how the shelter veterinarian might best examine and document such a case. Presentation and case report summary due during Week 9 of the course. (20 points possible for project; 10 for presentation and 10 for Case Summary Report)

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Assessment for Module 3

Write and post responses to discussion questions posed during the Case Presentation. Discuss differences of opinion with classmates. (6 points possible; 4 for posting answers and 2 for participation in Discussion)

Module 4: Shelter Sleuth: Case of Misbehaving Dog (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will explore a problem-based learning scenario that focuses on common behavior and welfare issues presented to shelters. Students will practice using Asilomar Categories to classify such problems for record keeping and pathway planning. They will explore how shelters might prevent or modify problem behaviors; and what limitations shelters might have for treating such problems. Students will also begin their third of three projects to present later in the course.

Required Readings for Module 4:

1. From ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters • Pg. 32-36 "Behavioral Health and Mental Well-being"

2. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook: • Chapters 19 and 20, pg. 317- 339 "Animal Shelter Behavior Programs" and

"Behavioral Pharmacotherapy in the Animal Shelter"

Animal Behavior Project Assigned during Module 4: Prepare an original 10 minute or less presentation and a one or two-page handout about a common behavior problem presented to animal shelters. Describe how the veterinarian might best diagnose, prevent, treat, and manage the problem within the resources of the shelter. Presentation and handout due during week 10 of the course. (20 points possible; 10 points for presentation, 10 points for handout)

Assessment for Module 4: Post recommendations for using Asilomar Categories to classify common problems for shelter dogs and discuss differences of opinion with classmates. (6 points possible; 4 for posting answers and 2 for participation in Discussion)

Module 5: Shelter Sleuth: Case of Snotty Cats (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will explore a problem-based learning scenario that focuses on the influence stress has on adoptions, length of stay, and incidence of infectious diseases for cats in animal shelters. Students will practice using the Five Freedoms as a benchmark for assessing whether basic animal welfare needs have been met for sheltered animals. In

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addition, students will investigate options for interventions that can be used to reduce stress within the shelter environment.

Required Readings for Module 5:

1. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook: • Chapter 8 “Dog and Cat Care in the Animal Shelter”

2. From the Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters textbook • Chapters 2 and 8 “Wellness" and "Feline Upper Respiratory Disease”

3. From the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters: • Pg. 10, 13-17, and 37-39 "Five Freedoms", “Facility Design and Environment",

"Group Housing", and "Animal Handling"

Assessment for Module 5: Classify a set of 5 images by whether they seem to meet or not meet the Five Freedoms for animal welfare. Explain choices and propose modifications to improve situations where needed. Compare choices in the Discussion. (6 points possible; 3 for posting choices about 5 images and 3 for participation in 3 different discussions during the module)

Module 6: Shelter Sleuth: Length of Stay (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students will explore a problem-based learning scenario to discover how data-driven population management can increase live-release-rates from animal shelters. Students will investigate the importance of standard methods for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data from shelters. And students will learn why daily monitoring of animal health and welfare can reduce average length-of-stay in shelters and thereby increase the life-saving capacity of shelters.

Required Readings for Module 6:

1. From the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters: • Pg. 18-19, “Population Management”

2. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook: • Chapter 15, Pg. 211-234 “Implementing a Population Health Plan in an

Animal Shelter: Goal Setting, Data Collection and Monitoring, and Policy Development”

3. From animalsheltering.org: • “Sick to Death,” “Coping with Kitten Season,” and “Shelter Medicine: A

Matter of Measurement”

Assessment for Module 6: Complete a self-assessment to analyze a monthly data report

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from a fictional animal shelter and assess the shelter’s capacity for care. (4 points for completion of self-assessment) In the discussion, propose two strategies a shelter might use to manage a population and increase its capacity for care. (1 point posting and participating in discussion)

Module 7: Shelter Sleuth: Get to Know a Shelter (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students explore how the mission of a shelter is affected by public perception. Students also investigate whether a shelter’s mission influences its capacity for care.

Required Readings for Module 7:

1. From the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters: • Pg. 7-12 "Introduction," "Background," and "Management and Record

Keeping," 2. From the Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff textbook:

• Chapter 1 and 3, pg. xii-9, 25-33, "Introduction," "The Evolving Animal Shelter," and "The Administrative Hurdles of Shelter Medicine"

Assessment for Module 7:

PART A: Prepare a brief overview of a shelter. Post the overview to an interactive map. In the overview, include facts about the shelter’s mission, data reporting, funding, successes, challenges, and community partnerships. (2 points for posting overview on map)

Part B: Post in the Discussion area a 250 word or less opinion about whether a “no-kill” nation is an achievable goal. (2 points for posting)

Discussion: Review postings by classmates and comment about one or more postings. (1 point for participation)

Module 8: Project Presentations (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Required Readings for Module 8:

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None

Week 8: Infectious Disease Project/ Handout Due: Students present using Adobe Connect tool during previously assigned 15 minute time-slots. Classmates can attend live presentations or view recordings later. (20 points possible)

Week 9: Animal Cruelty/Neglect Project/Case Summary Report Due: Students present using Adobe Connect tool during previously assigned 15 minute time-slots. Classmates can attend live presentations or view recordings later. (20 points possible)

Week 10: Animal Behavior Project/Handout Due Students present using Adobe Connect tool during previously assigned 15 minute time slots. Classmates can attend live presentations or view recordings later. (20 points possible)

Module 9: The Role of the Shelter Veterinarian (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students explore careers in Shelter Medicine and investigate employment opportunities.

Required Readings for Module 9:

1. From animalsheltering.org: • "A Blend of Science and Art"

Assessment for Module 9: Write and post in the Discussion the “perfect” job description for a Shelter Veterinarian, limited to one-typed page or less. Discuss how postings compare to currently available job listings. (3 points for writing and posting, 1 point for participation in discussion)

Module 10: Spay Neuter U (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Students investigate the role of high-quality/high-volume sterilization surgeries in the role of modern sheltering. Students learn about surgical techniques shown to improve surgical outcomes. Students also consider the controversies surrounding low-cost spay/neuter efforts and consider the role of targeted ( focused) spay/neuter on reducing intake into animal shelters. Model programs are highlighted. Students complete post-course survey and instructor evaluations.

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Required Readings for Module 10:

None

Assessment for Module 10: Choose one topic from a list to discuss with classmates. (1 point for posting and commenting)

VI. Course Materials Required Resources:

1. Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff, Second Edition, Lila Miller and Stephen Zawistowski (editors), Blackwell Publishing, 2013.

2. Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters, Kate Hurley and Lila Miller (editors), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2009.

3. ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters Download a copy from the following website: http://www.sheltervet.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=29

Recommended Additional Resources: (Optional) 1. Feline Infectious Diseases, Katrin Hartmann and Julie Levy (editors), Manson

Publishing/The Veterinary Press, 2011. 2. Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, Fourth Edition, Craig E. Greene, Elsevier

Health, 2011. 3. Maddie’s Infection Control Manual for Animal Shelters: for Veterinary Personnel,

First Edition, Christine A. Petersen, Glenda Dvorak, and Anna Rovid Spickler (editors), Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2008.

VII. Additional Resources/ Equipment

Recorded Lectures If you have trouble accessing recorded lectures you might need to install a free copy of Silverlight. You can download Silverlight at: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ Word Processing Use a Microsoft Office compatible file extensions to save projects that will be submitted to the instructor.(Example: save documents as .doc or .docx ; save PowerPoint presentations as .ppt or .pptx files before uploading.) VIII. Evaluation/ Grading/Testing

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IX. Administrative Policies:

For more information on UF Graduate School policies related to grades, attendance, student conduct, and academic honesty please visit: http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=762 Honesty Policy All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in

Point System for Grading Assessment Points

Discussion Points

Module 1: Introduction 0 1

Module 2: Sick Puppies 4 2

Module 3: Embedded Collar 4 2

Module 4: Misbehaving Dog 4 2

Module 5: Snotty Cats 3 3

Module 6: Length of Stay 4 1

Module 7: Get to Know a Shelter 4 1

Module 8: Project Presentations X 3 60 0

Module 9: Role of a Shelter Vet 3 1

Module 10: Spay Neuter U 0 1

Total 86 14

Total Possible Points 100

A 94 -100

A- 93-90

B+ 89-87

B 86-83

B- 82-80

C+ 79-77

C 76-73

C- 72-70

D+ 69-67

D 66-63

D- 62-60

E 59 -0

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disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” To review the student honor code please visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcodes/honorcode.php Plagiarism includes any attempt to take credit for another person’s work. This includes quoting directly from a paper, book, or website, without crediting the source. Sources should be noted, a link to the website added, or quotation marks placed around the material and attributed , even during online discussions. However, the instructor expects more than simply cutting and pasting in this graduate-level course. Students are expected to review, evaluate and comment on material they research, rather than simply copying relevant material. Work will be graded accordingly. Student Evaluation of Instruction Evaluations are performed electronically at the end of the course. To evaluate the instructor, visit the UF Evaluation site at: https://evaluations.ufl.edu/evals/ Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center at 352-392-8565. Students may also apply on-line for accommodations. For more information, see the Disability Resource Center website at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/ The Disability Resource Center will provide a letter to the student who must then meet with the course instructor to discuss the required accommodations. Once notification is complete, the instructor can work with the Disability Resource Center to provide the requested accommodations. To ensure that necessary accommodations are provided in a timely manner, it would expedite this process if any student who might need an accommodation would notify the course coordinator during registration. Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. UF Counseling and Wellness Center Many resources are available for students who need help with stress-related problems or emergencies. Assistance is available both by appointment and after hours by calling

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352-392-1575 or visiting the website at http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/. Grade Changes Grades will be changed only when a grading error has been made. Communication with Instructors

The preferred method for communication between students and the course instructor is by email within the SAKAI online learning management system. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Do NOT use the discussion board to communicate with about hardware problems, grades, or other personal matters. Attendance Lessons within this course can include a combination of asynchronous self-paced activities and synchronous activities that require attendance at specific times. Students are expected to visit the course website daily to check for important updates and announcements about due dates and scheduled times for synchronous activities. Instructors monitor participation in discussion boards and other activities within the SAKAI learning management system. Class Participation Students are expected to constructively and professionally participate in online discussions and while completing both individual and group projects. Students are also expected to contribute interesting and relevant information during the discussions, chats, and group projects. All interactions between classmates and/or faculty must be polite and professionally conducted. Shouting (using all capital letters), use of profanity or insulting language, or plagiarism will not be permitted. However, avoid clogging the discussion boards with short responses such as, “Good Job” or “Thanks” or “Me Too” as such postings contribute little to the discussion. Performance Expectations Students are expected to produce quality work of a standard comparable to any graduate-level didactic course. Postings, assignment submissions, and discussions must be legible, constructive and appropriate. Students are required to think for themselves and will be expected to complete assignments that require the application of logic and reasoning skills when the answer may not be found in a book or the course notes. Factual information should be documented and referenced during discussions and within assignments. Make-Up Work, Late Assignments, and Due Dates Students are expected to complete assignments according to the due dates given within

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the course and posted on the course calendar within SAKAI. In most cases, students will be given the flexibility to progress through the lessons at their own pace. However, once a due date is passed, there will be no opportunity for make-up or late submissions. It is imperative that students plan for completion of the course within the term calendar and sign into the course daily to check for announcements and updates. Students might have other work and personal commitments. However, because online courses offer so much flexibility, students are expected to make every effort to meet course deadlines. Instructors monitor the discussion boards and track student participation. Because students have email access to both their classmates and instructors within SAKAI, there is ample opportunity to clarify instructions and prevent misunderstandings about expectations and due dates. If a student experiences a situation that is beyond their control and there is a possibility they will not meet a due date, the student should immediately notify the instructor and course coordinator to explain the situation. This includes any technical issues that must be addressed by the UF Help Desk. If such an issue prevents a student from submitting an assignment by the due date, the student will be expected to produce a UF Help Desk Ticket to document efforts were made to correct the problem in a timely manner prior to the due date. Important Dates/Deadlines to Withdraw Consult the UF Graduate School Academic Calendar at http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=845 for details on dropping or withdrawing from this course and any tuition penalties that apply. Consult the course calendar within SAKAI for important dates and deadlines that pertain to this course.

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Shelter Animal Physical Health I. Course information

Course Number: VEM 5XXX

Section Number: TBD

Course Title: Shelter Animal Physical Health

Course Abbreviation: Shelter Animal Health

Term offered: Fall

Year: 2013

Course credit: 3 Graduate Credit Hours

II. General information

Online Course Coordinator: Terry Spencer, DVM, MEd Office location & office hours:

• Online by email. • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the course coordinator.

Office phone number: 352-294-4510 Email: sheltermedicine.online@vetmed.ufl.edu

Online Course Instructor: Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD

• Contact instructor by email within the SAKAI course. • Please allow 48 hours for a response to an email by the instructor.

Website: http://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/online/

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III. Course description

Course goals/Educational goals of the course: Construction, critique, and implementation of policies and protocols to protect and enhance the physical health and well-being of sheltered dogs and cats, including recognizing and responding to threats to physical health. Course objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Perform basic population data analyses useful in determination of animal care

capacity and design population management strategies to protect animal health. 2. Analyze the impact of various shelter housing and sanitation strategies on animal

physical health and design best practice strategies. 3. Assess various shelter preventive healthcare policies and create best practice

protocols for vaccination, parasite treatment/prevention, physical examination, housing selection, daily health monitoring.

4. Evaluate existing medical and surgical protocols and modify to contain best practices for animal shelters.

5. Diagnose and manage infectious disease outbreaks common to the shelter setting.

Course Delivery: This course will be taught within the UF academic calendar for the fall semester. Most of thecourse will be delivered using the UF centrally supported learning management system, SAKAI. Discussions and some activities will be held live. Students must have a Gator Link ID to access this e-learning site at the following link:

• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/ Students must have high-speed internet access and use either Internet Explorer or Firefox as a browser (NOT Safari or Google Chrome).

IV. Prerequisites

Students should be currently enrolled the professional veterinary medicine program leading to a DVM and should be 3rd or 4th year students.

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Tentative Course Outline & Schedule:

Content will be delivered within modules that are conceptually grouped. Some modules, due to the complexity of the content, will be longer than other modules. Assignments will be given during each module and due by the completion of the module on a designated date. The course will be completed within a semester time frame. Modules will include a combination of readings, recordings, webinars, group discussions, and/or student research projects. Experts in Shelter Medicine will be available as resources to students by use of asynchronous and/or live chats.

Module 1: Introduction (Estimated length of module, 1 week)

Introduction, course overview, success with SAKAI, online introductions, pre-course survey.

Assignment 1: Submit a 250 word-limit professional biosketch containing information on education, relevant work experience, current employment with a brief overview of job responsibilities, and future career goal(s).

Assessment for #1: 5 points (1 point each for staying within the word limit, describing educational background, pertinent work experience, current job responsibilities, and future career goal).

Assignment 2: Submit a list of the top 5 educational achievements you desire from this course. We will re-visit this list in Week 14 and reflect on whether the course provided the educational achievements you desired.

Assessment for #2: 5 points (1 point per achievement listed)

Module 2: Using Basic Population Analyses to Optimize Animal Health (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will learn to calculate basic values important for the health management of animals entering, residing in, and exiting animal shelters. They will explore the relationship of basic population analyses to animal health and care capacity, and create population management strategies that protect animal health and enhance the capacity for care.

• Week 1: Lectures/reading assignments • Week 2: Project assignment • Week 3: Discussion of projects and chat with instructor

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Assignment for Module 2: Given sample shelter data, small groups of students will calculate population intake and outcome trends, live release rates, housing capacity, staffing capacity, and lengths-of-stay. Based on these calculations, the student will deduce the impacts on animal health and offer alternative population management strategies for better capacity for care. Assessment of Module 2: 18 total points per student

• 10 points for working on group project • 4 points for posting a comment on another group’s project • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

Module 3: Protection of Animal Health through Proper Housing and Sanitation (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will investigate how the types of housing units for cats and dogs in shelters influences population stress levels, disease incidence, and staffing capacity for animal care. Students will also investigate how lapses in applying best practices for sanitation in shelters impacts disease incidence.

• Week 1: Lectures/reading assignments • Week 2: Project assignment • Week 3: Discussion of projects and chat with instructor

Assignment for Module 3: Working in small groups, students will be given a standard “foot print” for a shelter and asked to design appropriate housing and sanitation protocols based on a given shelter mission, length-of-stay, and housing density. Students will then compare how the appropriate protocols vary with the mission and population parameters.

Assessment of Module 3: 18 total points per student

• 10 points for working on group project • 4 points for posting a comment on another group’s project • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

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Module 4: Preventive Health Care and Medical Record-Keeping (Estimated length of module, 2 weeks)

Students will explore the influence of inadequate preventive healthcare protocols and record-keeping on the physical health of sheltered animals. They will also design preventive healthcare protocols to reflect best practices.

• Week 1: Lectures/ assignments • Week 2: Discussion of assignments and chat with instructor

Assignment for Module 4: Students will critique and modify protocols for microchip scanning, vaccination, parasite treatment/prevention, health examination, housing selection, pathway planning, and daily monitoring. Assessment of Module 4: 18 total points per student

• 10 points for assignment • 4 points for posting a comment on another student’s assignment • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

Module 5: Veterinary Oversight of Shelter Healthcare (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will participate in simulated veterinary daily rounds to gather information about the population and make an appropriate medical and surgical action list to improve the care provided for the sheltered animals. They will review example forms and protocols for daily monitoring rounds, medical care, surgical care, assessing response to medical interventions, and provision of emergency care.

• Week 1: Lectures/reading assignments • Week 2: Assignment • Week 3: Discussion of projects and chat with instructor

Assignment for Module 5: Students will critique and modify medical and surgical protocols based on best practices for shelter medicine and create an action list based on completion of simulated daily medical rounds.

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Assessment of Module 5: 18 total points per student

• 10 points for assignment • 4 points for posting a comment on another student’s assignment • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

Module 6: Recognition and Response to Disease (Estimated length of module, 3 weeks)

Students will analyze and practice the basic tools for recognition and response to an animal disease outbreak. Students will investigate when to conduct diagnostics, how to collect appropriate samples, what test to use, why to use a particular test, where to obtain that test, and which animals to test. They will also practice the basic tools for disease outbreak management, including appropriate use of isolation for sick animals, quarantine of exposed animals, how to create a clean break between incoming animals and already exposed or ill animals in the shelter, and communication between staff and stakeholders.

• Week 1: Lectures/reading assignments • Week 2: Assignment • Week 3: Discussion of projects and chat with instructor

Assignment for Module 6: Individual students will progress through a virtual case of an infectious disease outbreak in a shelter and select appropriate steps to diagnose, contain, and manage the outbreak. Assessment of Module 6: 18 total points per student

• 10 points for assignment • 4 points for posting a comment on another student’s assignment • 2 points for submitting question for discussion • 2 points for participating in the chat with the instructor (live or recorded)

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IV. Course Materials Required Resources:

1. ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters

Download a copy from the following website: http://www.sheltervet.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=29

2. Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters, Kate Hurley and Lila Miller (editors), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2009.

3. Various readings available on UF’s Electronic Reserves, accessible via: https://ares.uflib.ufl.edu

Recommended Additional Resources: (Optional) 1. Maddie’s Infection Control Manual for Animal Shelters: for Veterinary

Personnel, First Edition, Christine A. Petersen, Glenda Dvorak, and Anna Rovid Spickler (editors), Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2008.

V. Additional Resources/ Equipment

Recorded Lectures If you have trouble accessing recorded lectures you might need to install a free copy of Silverlight. You can download Silverlight at: http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/. Word Processing Use a Microsoft Office compatible file extensions to save projects that will be submitted to the instructor.(Example: save documents as .doc or .docx ; save PowerPoint presentations as .ppt or .pptx files before uploading.)

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VI. Evaluation/ Grading/Testing

VII. Administrative Policies:

For more information on UF Graduate School policies related to grades, attendance, student conduct, and academic honesty please visit: http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=762 Honesty Policy All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” To review the student honor code please visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honorcodes/honorcode.php

A 94 -100

A- 93-90

B+ 89-87

B 86-83

B- 82-80

C+ 79-77

C 76-73

C- 72-70

D+ 69-67

D 66-63

D- 62-60

E 59 -0

GRADES Assignment Points

Discussion Points

Module 1 10 0

Module 2 10 8

Module 3 10 8

Module 4 10 8

Module 5 10 8

Module 6 10 8

Total 60 40

Total Possible Points 100

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Plagiarism includes any attempt to take credit for another person’s work. This includes quoting directly from a paper, book, or website, without crediting the source. Sources should be noted, a link to the website added, or quotation marks placed around the material and attributed , even during online discussions. However, the instructor expects more than simply cutting and pasting in this graduate-level course. Students are expected to review, evaluate and comment on material they research, rather than simply copying relevant material. Work will be graded accordingly. Student Evaluation of Instruction Evaluations are performed electronically at the end of the course. To evaluate the instructor, visit the UF Evaluation site at: https://evaluations.ufl.edu/evals/ Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting accommodations must first register with the Dean of Students Office, Disability Resource Center at 352-392-8565. Students may also apply on-line for accommodations. For more information, see the Disability Resource Center website at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/ The Disability Resource Center will provide a letter to the student who must then meet with the course instructor to discuss the required accommodations. Once notification is complete, the instructor can work with the Disability Resource Center to provide the requested accommodations. To ensure that necessary accommodations are provided in a timely manner, it would expedite this process if any student who might need an accommodation would notify the course coordinator during registration. Software Use All faculty, staff and students of the University are required to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. UF Counseling and Wellness Center Many resources are available for students who need help with stress-related problems or emergencies. Assistance is available both by appointment and after hours by calling 352-392-1575 or visiting the website at http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/. Grade Changes Grades will be changed only when a grading error has been made.

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Communication with Instructors The preferred method for communication between students and the course instructor is by email within the SAKAI online learning management system. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Do NOT use the discussion board to communicate with about hardware problems, grades, or other personal matters. Attendance Lessons within this course can include a combination of asynchronous self-paced activities and synchronous activities that require attendance at specific times. Students are expected to visit the course website daily to check for important updates and announcements about due dates and scheduled times for synchronous activities. Instructors monitor participation in discussion boards and other activities within the SAKAI learning management system. Class Participation Students are expected to constructively and professionally participate in online discussions and while completing both individual and group projects. Students are also expected to contribute interesting and relevant information during the discussions, chats, and group projects. All interactions between classmates and/or faculty must be polite and professionally conducted. Shouting (using all capital letters), use of profanity or insulting language, or plagiarism will not be permitted. However, avoid clogging the discussion boards with short responses such as, “Good Job” or “Thanks” or “Me Too” as such postings contribute little to the discussion. Performance Expectations Students are expected to produce quality work of a standard comparable to any graduate-level didactic course. Postings, assignment submissions, and discussions must be legible, constructive and appropriate. Students are required to think for themselves and will be expected to complete assignments that require the application of logic and reasoning skills when the answer may not be found in a book or the course notes. Factual information should be documented and referenced during discussions and within assignments. Make-Up Work, Late Assignments, and Due Dates Students are expected to complete assignments according to the due dates given within the course and posted on the course calendar within SAKAI. In most cases, students will be given the flexibility to progress through the lessons at their own pace. However, once a due date is passed, there will be no opportunity for make-up or late submissions.

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It is imperative that students plan for completion of the course within the term calendar and sign into the course daily to check for announcements and updates. Students might have other work and personal commitments. However, because online courses offer so much flexibility, students are expected to make every effort to meet course deadlines. Instructors monitor the discussion boards and track student participation. Because students have email access to both their classmates and instructors within SAKAI, there is ample opportunity to clarify instructions and prevent misunderstandings about expectations and due dates. If a student experiences a situation that is beyond their control and there is a possibility they will not meet a due date, the student should immediately notify the instructor and course coordinator to explain the situation. This includes any technical issues that must be addressed by the UF Help Desk. If such an issue prevents a student from submitting an assignment by the due date, the student will be expected to produce a UF Help Desk Ticket to document efforts were made to correct the problem in a timely manner prior to the due date. Important Dates/Deadlines to Withdraw Consult the UF Graduate School Academic Calendar at http://gradcatalog.ufl.edu/content.php?catoid=2&navoid=845 for details on dropping or withdrawing from this course and any tuition penalties that apply. Consult the course calendar within SAKAI for important dates and deadlines that pertain to this course.