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Principal Investigator: Brenda Griffin
Contact Information: E-mail: bg87@cornell.edu - Phone: 607-253-3607
Sponsor: The Sweetbay Foundation
Grant Number: N/A
Title: Support of the Maddie's Fund® Shelter Medicine Program at Cornell
Annual Direct Cost: $119,781
Project Period: 09/17/07-09/16/11
According to the Humane Society of the United States, between eight and twelve million cats and dogs enter animal shelters across our country annually. Some of these animals are lost or abandoned; others are unwanted or abused, and many are the result of uncontrolled breeding. Pets entering shelters are highly stressed and at significant risk of developing infectious diseases. The stress of long-term confinement in a shelter can compromise both physical and behavioral health making cats and dogs less desirable to potential adopters. With inadequate resources and methods to care for these animals, shelters currently euthanize between four and six million annually. Homelessness is tragically the leading cause of death of young cats and dogs.
Training veterinarians in the discipline of shelter medicine and conducting research designed to improve the physical and behavioral health of shelter pets are critically important to decreasing euthanasia in animal shelters. Shelter medical programs improve the health of shelter animals by reducing behavioral stress and infectious disease. The ultimate goal of a shelter medical program is to improve the quality of life of shelter pets and make them highly desirable, adoptable companions.
Cornell is taking a leadership role in this new, life-saving frontier in veterinary medicine by developing an important model program for shelter medical education for veterinarians and outreach to animal shelters. This model is having a national impact on veterinary education and on medical programs within shelters.
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