Science & Technology

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine to host annual shelter medicine symposium

Athens, Ga. – The seventh annual Shelter Medicine Symposium will be held at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine on Jan. 11. The daylong event is focused on the best management and medicine practices for local and regional animal shelters.

Veterinary professionals and others who work in animal control facilities and humane societies, or with animal rescue groups in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, are encouraged to attend.

The event is hosted by the student chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. There is no registration fee, but all attendees must register by Jan. 1. To register and for updated information on speakers, see www.vet.uga.edu/student_clubs/sheltermed.seminar. For more information, contact Cher Hung at ugasheltermedicineseminar@gmail.com.

“The goal of the symposium is to provide an opportunity for those working in and interested in shelter medicine to share their knowledge and learn from one another so that we can improve shelter medicine practices throughout Georgia and surrounding areas,” said Elizabeth Rose, president of the UGA Shelter Medicine Club. “We are extremely excited about the positive feedback we have received after previous symposiums and the increasing number of attendees we receive each year. This just emphasizes how significant shelter medicine is in the veterinary community.”

Conference presenters include keynote speaker Wendy Wolfson, a clinical assistant professor of shelter medicine at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Wolfson will discuss LSU’s shelter medicine program and the community involvement they’ve developed, such as the pen pal program established with inmates incarcerated at a medium-security state prison.

Other scheduled presenters include Trish Loehr, a dog behaviorist and the former director of research and development for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; Brandy Duhon, a resident in shelter medicine at Louisiana State University; and Andy Moorhead, an assistant research scientist in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Filariasis Research Reagent Resource Center. Janet Martin, a former faculty member in the college who served as adviser to the Shelter Medicine Club, also will present a talk at the symposium.

Sponsors for the 2015 UGA Shelter Medicine Seminar include Nestlé Purina, the UGA Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Association of Shelter Veterinarians.

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine
The College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1946 at UGA, is dedicated to training future veterinarians, conducting research related to animal and human diseases and providing veterinary services for animals and their owners. Research efforts are aimed at enhancing the quality of life for animals and people, improving the productivity of poultry and livestock and preserving a healthy interface between wildlife and people in the environment they share. The college enrolls 114 students each fall out of more than 900 who apply. For more information, see www.vet.uga.edu.