Animal Welfare Professionals

Chumkee Aziz, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice), Outreach Veterinarian, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program discussed how foster caregivers can keep their homes safe and healthy for foster pets.

Dr. Aziz's Power Point presentation

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Webcast Description:

Sanitation is one of the most underrated but important factors in maintaining animal wellbeing. We all know how important it is to keep infectious diseases at bay in shelters, but what about foster homes? These temporary havens are a lifeline for our most vulnerable animal populations, giving them a break from shelter stress and infectious disease risk while offering personalized care and attention. But let's face it, foster homes are busy places! From kids to grandparents, and even resident pets, there can be a lot of interaction going on in foster homes. So, how do we keep these environments safe and healthy for our foster animals? In this webinar, we'll explore practical, safe, and effective sanitation tips tailored to foster homes. By the end, you'll know even more than you already do about creating and maintaining clean, nurturing spaces that support your foster animals' recovery and wellbeing.

About Dr. Aziz:

Dr. Chumkee Aziz is a first-generation Bangladeshi-American and native Houstonian. She received her DVM degree from Tufts Vet School in 2012. She then completed an internship with ASPCA in New York City in 2013 and a shelter medicine residency at the UC-Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program (UC-Davis KSMP) in 2016. After her residency, she worked for the Austin Humane Society and the ASPCA before returning to work with UC-Davis KSMP as shelter medicine consultant. She is board certified in shelter medicine practice through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP) and she serves on ABVP's shelter medicine specialty college. She also served on the Association of Shelter Veterinarians' (ASV) Board from 2017-2022. She has helped author the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters, the AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines, and publications on shelter feline housing and wellbeing. Her professional interests include supporting shelters in helping their communities and managing infectious disease outbreaks. She volunteers with Houston's Street Dog Coalition chapter and supports underserved, Houston-based students who want to obtain post-secondary education training. She enjoys birding and loves movies.

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Kelly Duer
Senior Shelter Solutions Specialist
Maddie's Fund
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Participant Questions Not Answered Live:

• The Rescue website says not intended for laundry. So how much to add for a load of laundry?

• Is handwashing with soap and water effective for most organisms? Such as if we only find out later an animal has parvo or panleuk and we weren’t wearing gloves, how transmissible are we?

• What is your recommendation to know when to clean something vs getting rid of it altogether?

• Do you provide cleaning disinfectant for your fosters? Rescue?

Thanks to everyone who attended the webinar. Here are responses to the questions that we didn't get to during the live presentation:

• The Rescue website says not intended for laundry. So how much to add for a load of laundry?
  • I have recommended Rescue's (accelerated hydrogen peroxide) use in laundry – especially for heavily contaminated materials/cloth. I reached out to a manufacturer of an accelerated hydrogen peroxide product and will try to get back to you with their response. I suspect the lack of a laundry use label for Rescue is a regulatory/labeling issue, not necessarily a question of effectiveness. 
  • Update: The manufacturer I got in touch with shared that Rescue is likely not labeled for laundry use because they cannot legally say so, the EPA won't allow it.
• Is handwashing with soap and water effective for most organisms? Such as if we only find out later an animal has parvo or panleuk and we weren't wearing gloves, how transmissible are we?
  • Yes, handwashing with soap and water is effective against most organisms and should always be done after contact with animal bodily fluids. Soap acts as a surfactant, breaking down microorganisms, while the friction from rubbing your hands physically removes germs and particles from your skin. This mechanical action is why handwashing can be more effective than hand sanitizer.  Even if you were exposed to something like parvo or panleuk without gloves, thorough handwashing will remove most viral particles and greatly reduce your risk of spreading infection.
• What is your recommendation to know when to clean something vs getting rid of it altogether?  
  • I recommend throwing away items if they are:
    • Porous (like cat trees)
    • Have lots of crevices that are hard to clean
    • Made of delicate material that can't handle thorough washing
    • Heavily contaminated (for example, collars, brushes, or clothing used by animals with ringworm or panleuk)
  • These types of items are difficult or impossible to fully disinfect, so it's safer to dispose of them rather than try to clean them.
• Do you provide cleaning disinfectant for your fosters? Rescue? Some agencies may provide disinfectant products if they have the financial ability to do so, especially if a foster home is dealing with parvo, panleuk or calici – something very hardy in the environment – that needs thorough and effective disinfection. In other cases, I know of agencies that don't provide disinfectant products if foster animals are otherwise healthy and typical disinfectants at home will be effective enough for sanitation.

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Chumkee Aziz, DVM, DABVP (Shelter Medicine Practice)
Outreach Veterinarian
UC Davis
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This was very informative! Disinfecting is so important! Lots of good tips! #thankstomaddie

Jo Lunsford. KayTurpin Animal Rescue Fund