Mission
Our mission is to educate veterinary students and post-graduate veterinarians in all aspects of shelter medicine and to advance and disseminate scientific knowledge in the field. By fostering a strong positive relationship between veterinarians and animal shelters, we will enhance the welfare of homeless pets and reduce euthanasia.
We are seeking applications for two internships in shelter medicine
Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell
Cornell University is grateful to Maddie's Fund for funding the creation of a Maddie'sŪ Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Cornell program consists of four components: Veterinary Student Education, Advanced Training of Veterinarians, Shelter Outreach and Life-Saving Research.
A Day in the Life of Our Program Slideshow
Circles of Compassion - Every Animal Counts
"Hugo," a large timid tomcat, arrived at the shelter one evening in the fall of 2006. Hugo was in a cardboard box, hunkered down. His ear flaps were bent forward, covering his ears and he had a bad odor. He drew his neck into his shoulders to hide when the staff reached out a hand to him. They nicknamed him "Sad Sack Hugo" because he was such a messy, pathetic sight. Read Hugo's Story
Our Goals
The purpose of our program is to educate veterinary students and post-graduate veterinarians disease and problem behavior prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This program emphasizes the need for medical programs in animal shelters and serves to raise the profile of shelter medicine as a valuable, challenging, and rewarding discipline within the field of veterinary medicine.
Unfortunately, most animal shelters today do not have the veterinary staff to maintain appropriate programs to keep shelter pets healthy and to rehabilitate treatable pets. In addition, research is needed to better define protocols for limiting and treating physical and behavioral diseases common to shelter pet populations. In recognition of these facts, Cornell University collaborates with Maddie's Fund to provide a comprehensive Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Our goals are to improve the quality of life for shelter pets, to decrease shelter deaths, to increase adoptions, and to create a pool of veterinarians who are well-versed in shelter medicine, including those who specialize in the field. Finally, we seek to advance scientific knowledge in non-lethal strategies for pet population control and in the discipline of shelter medicine in order to find a cure for the "disease" of euthanasia (the leading cause of untimely death in cats and dogs) and to guarantee a home for all healthy and treatable pets.