Our mission
We are committed to saving
lives and reducing suffering of
homeless dogs and cats
through education,
advancement of knowlege
and shelter outreach.
Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell
Click to read the current issue of the Shelter Watch newsletter.
Why Shelter Medicine?
More than 4,500 animal shelters in the United States care for over 10 million dogs and cats annually. Infectious diseases are common. Animals entering shelters are stressed, enhancing their vulnerability to disease and many are debilitated, either because of injury or disease. The young are particularly susceptible to acquiring infectious diseases, often resulting in death. Illness in both traditional and adoption-guarantee shelters delays adoption and causes suffering.
Program History
In September 2005 the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, with support from Maddie’s Fund, launched a Shelter Medicine Program to educate veterinarians and veterinary students in shelter medicine, to provide medical and behavioral outreach to animal shelters and to advance the new discipline through the discovery of new knowledge.
As one of only a handful of comprehensive shelter medical programs at veterinary colleges in the United States, the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell is elevating the profile of shelter medicine and emphasizing the critical need for medical and behavioral programs in all shelters.
Featured News Story
The 9th Annual ASPCA/Maddie's Shelter Medicine Conference will take place July 14 & 15 at the Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine Ithaca, NY. This two-day conference is a great opportunity to bring continuing education to local & regional shelter staff, volunteers, veterinarians, technicians, veterinary students, & others interested in animal welfare. Registration will open in March at www.aspcapro.org.
Thanks to Maddie’s® Fund
We are indebted to Maddie’s Fund for their $1.7 million grant awarded to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell in 2005 to establish a comprehensive shelter medicine program over a 6-year period.