Updated document provides the most comprehensive guidelines in the shelter veterinary community
The Shelter Veterinary Association (ASV) has published the second edition. Guidelines for standards of care in animal sheltersThe guidelines were originally created in 2010 to provide a reliable resource for housing, husbandry, medical and behavioral care of animals living in animal shelters. After an extensive review process, the guidelines have been updated to include extensive research and information in the field of shelter veterinary medicine.
ASV Executive Director Tom Van Winkle said: “As research advances and shelter care changes, we have decided it is time to update our guidelines to provide the best possible resources for shelters and veterinarians everywhere.”
of Guidelines for standards of care in animal shelters Provides evidence-based support to those caring for animals in shelters, rescues, fosters, sanctuaries, and other collective settings. They are used as benchmarks for organizational self-assessment and improvement, as a framework for shelter consultations, and as a basis for shelter regulation.
In 2019, ASV began its review process with a survey of shelter professionals. It is meant to reflect the diverse and wide range of tasks that shelter professionals face every day. A task force composed of 19 shelter veterinarians, selected for their subject matter expertise, compiled current knowledge and literature to produce a consensus document of guidelines and recommendations. The second edition shifts its ethical framework from Her Five Freedoms to Her Five Domains. It provides a broader approach to achieving and maintaining positive well-being and extends the previous document with two new sections (Additional References and Expanded Resources).
“guidelines interim director of Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell University and vice president of ASV, guidelines revision. “These updates and recent Journal of Shelter Medicine & Community Animal Health (JSMCAH), we continue to expand our resources
It provides veterinarians and shelters with evidence-based research that specifically impacts animal welfare in shelters and communities. ”
Click the link below to learn more about the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and their resources.
