Purdue University

Purdue University

School of Veterinary Medicine
Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program

The Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) has established the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program through a generous gift by the Maddie’s Fund. Our shelter medicine program focuses on three main areas: education and training, research, and the dissemination of information on shelter medicine. Our partners in this program are our collaborating shelters — the Humane Society of Indianapolis and PAWS Chicago (Pets Are Worth Saving).


Our Mission: The mission of the Purdue Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program, in partnership with Maddie’s Fund, is to:

  • Work towards ending pet homelessness in the United States by investigating its causes on a community- and individual owner basis and developing cost-effective methods of population control using science- based, epidemiologically sound research methods.
  • Improve the quality of life of pets living in shelters through humane research and application of evidence-based methods of veterinary health care, behavior assessment and modification, and preventive medicine.
  • Educate and train veterinary professionals and leaders of the future in shelter medicine, animal behavior, population health, and companion animal welfare.
  • Foster a better understanding of the human-animal bond among pet owners, community leaders, and the general public, and develop programs that strengthen this bond.


Our Vision: Our vision is to become global leaders in addressing societal issues related to animal welfare through innovative discovery, education and communication.

 

Education and Training: This component of our program will include annual fellowships for veterinarians (the Maddie’s® Post-DVM Fellows in Shelter Medicine) where our fellowship trainees work for one year with the team of shelter veterinarians in state-of-the-art facilities at PAWS Chicago. There are also residencies in animal behavior (Maddie’s® Animal Behavior residents) that allow veterinarians to undergo specialist training in animal behavior at our collaborating shelters and the SVM at Purdue University. Veterinary students and Veterinary Technology students are encouraged to become involved in the education and training components of our program by including shelter medicine externships as part of their degree.

 

Shelter Medicine Research: Our research explores the areas of preventative medicine and infectious disease management in shelters, and investigates the causes of pet homelessness so that we can develop effective strategies to address animal abandonment and increase adoption rates. Our studies will aim to improve the health of shelter pets, reduce the cost of their care, increase owner retention and decrease the numbers of animals entering the shelter system.  Research will be performed mainly by graduate students (Maddie’s PhD students in shelter-based population medicine) and veterinarians in our training programs (Maddie’s animal behavior residents and the Maddie’s post-DVM fellows in shelter medicine). Veterinary students can also become involved during our annual Maddie’s summer research experience. In keeping with our philosophy that shelter animals are our partners and therefore treated as our pets, our research is population-based and non-invasive. Through these studies we intend to advance Maddie’s Fund mission to “revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals”.
           

The Dissemination of Information on Shelter Medicine:The centerpiece of this program is an annual 15-lecture course in shelter animal medicine for veterinary students. We also look forward to presenting the information generated by our research program at national, regional, and local meetings for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and all those interested in shelter medicine and the welfare of shelter animals.

HSI Image

PAWS Chicago

Humane Society of Indianapolis

PAWS® Chicago

 

Maddie's Fund - The Pet Rescue Foundation
vetsign

Feedback | Web Questions
Maintained by: Veterinary Web Design Team

Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine
625 Harrison Street. West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA (765) 494-7607
© 2009 Purdue University.      An equal access/equal opportunity university.