Webinar question-- How to recognize Panleukopenia sooner? Making the decision to euthanize a panleuk kitten is difficult. Any words of advice?
There are two main operational practices that will help to optimize recognizing a kitten (or puppy, though I'll only say kitten from here on out) may be ill from panleukopenia (feline parvovirus). The first is having trained staff perform a brief intake exam soon after admission, generally when intake vaccinations are given. Staff do not need to be a veterinary technician or veterinarian- other staff can be trained to identify normal vs abnormal findings on an exam. From there there needs to be system for prompt reporting of concerns (panleukopenia suspicion or other) and initiating assessment by a tech or veterinarian. Staff can be provided with a list of conditions that should be urgently addressed to help limit handling and contamination from a potentially infectious animals.
The second practice is performing daily health and behavior monitoring. Carestaff see and interact with animals regularly and are well positioned to notice when an animal's health or behavior changes. The same system used to report concerns at intake can be used to initiate assessment by a tech or veterinarian.
Recognize that you cannot effectively implement or maintain intake examinations and daily monitoring if your team is overstretched, so the other key aspect of recognizing sick animals sooner (kittens with panleuk or other cases) is to be continuously stiving to operate within your agencies capacity for care. Crowding, random co-mingling, poor housing, lack of behavioral care/enrichment are all risk factors for missing early signs of illness in sick animals.
With regard to the question about the difficulty deciding to euthanize a kitten with panleukopenia, I hear you. When euthanasia will or will not be appropriate for any given case is going to vary between seasons, between agencies, and many other factors. When I have been faced with this very difficult decision I tend to focus on two questions.
1) If I choose to continue treating this kitten, what risks am I creating for other animals in the population? Can we effectively isolate this animal and prevent spread within the population? What will the team not be able to do if their time is taken up helping to care for this kitten, and how will that affect both the team and the other animals in the population?
2) What is this kitten's quality of life (QOL)? If currently poor, am I likely to be able to improve it (and improve it rapidly) with the treatment/housing/care options that are within my means? If the kitten's QOL declines, what will I do? What changes am I looking for to decide euthanasia is definitely appropriate? If QOL is currently poor and I am uncertain that treatment will be effective, if the kitten is suffering, how do I justify not euthanizing?
Again, each of us who have been in positions to make euthanasia decisions has to develop our own ways to engage with those choices, but I hope that in sharing some of my thoughts it might provide some help to others.
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BeckyStuntebeckUCD Koret Shelter Medicine ProgramVeterinarian
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-28-2023 11:21 AM
From: alison gibson
Subject: Webinar: Curbing Disease as Intake Rises - Prevent, Fight and Win Today - 8/16/23
How to Keep Infectious Disease at Bay at Your Shelter
From animal care attendants to RVTs and beyond, everyone in the shelter has the power to have a big impact on animal health. Does it seem like animals keep getting sick no matter what you do, especially right now with intake numbers climbing in many shelters? Does URI have to be status quo for summer? Is parvo inevitable? Have you wondered what else you can do to get ahead of these vicious cycles? This webinar is for you!
This 90-minute webinar was recorded on Wednesday, August 16, 2023.
You can access the resources and handouts on Maddie's University via this link: https://tinyurl.com/CurbDiseaseHome
The recording will be available to watch starting Thursday 8/17/23 at the same link.
The on-demand has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit through The AAWA and NACA and in jurisdictions that recognize RACE approval by RACE. After watching the on-demand video and taking the short quiz, you can receive your CE certificate at that same link.
UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program veterinarians Dr. Aziz and Dr. Stuntebeck will arm you with the information you need to squash the most concerning infectious diseases in your shelter. Whether you're providing daily care for animals or reviewing care and intake protocols, you'll learn practical steps to relieve the strain on animals and team members. Come prepared to UNLEARN unhelpful myths and walk away with tools and techniques that will lead to healthier animals, less stress for you, and make your job of serving the pets and people in your community easier.
If you have any questions, you can post them on this discussion thread or at learniverse@sheltermedportal.com.
About the speakers
Chumkee Aziz, DVM, Outreach Veterinarian, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Dr. Aziz grew up in Houston, Texas within a strong Bangladeshi-American community. Pet ownership and veterinary medicine were uncommon concepts growing up within her culture and it wasn't until later in life that she was exposed to veterinary specialty medicine and eventually shelter medicine. Dr. Aziz found that shelter medicine encompassed everything she was interested in within veterinary medicine – supporting communities, championing the human-animal bond, upholding animal welfare and wellbeing, and supporting shelter colleagues and veterinary students. After completing her shelter medicine residency training with UC-Davis KSMP, Dr. Aziz worked with Austin Humane Society, the ASPCA and eventually rejoined the KSMP team in 2022 as an outreach veterinarian. Through her various positions, Dr. Aziz has been able to work with shelters across the country on mitigating infectious disease outbreaks, operating within their capacity for care, and implementing programs to keep pets with their families.
Dr. Aziz volunteered with the Association of Shelter Veterinarians' (ASV) board from 2016-2022. Her time with ASV meant a lot to her because it gave her the chance to support colleagues in their efforts to care for animals and families across the country. Dr. Aziz also served on the authorship task force for the updating of AAHA's Canine Vaccine Guidelines and ASV's Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters. Currently, Dr. Aziz supports shelter medicine's specialty college, ABVP; volunteers with her Houston-based Street Dog Coalition chapter; and serves on Texas VMA's shelter medicine committee, leading their student mentorship program.
Becky Stuntebeck, DVM, Facility Design Veterinarian, UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Becky joined the KSMP team as a Facility Design Veterinarian in April 2022. She obtained her DVM degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine in 2013. She completed a shelter medicine internship at Dane County Humane Society via the KSMP team in 2014 and a shelter medicine residency with the UW Shelter Medicine Program in 2018, achieving board certification through the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners that Fall.
Becky has also worked as a shelter veterinarian at two private shelters in Wisconsin. In addition to facility design her interests include proactive population management and infectious disease prevention in shelters, as well as building relationships with folks across the sheltering field.
Outside of work she enjoys petting kittens, getting outside, and reading. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, daughter, 3 aging cats, and 1 rowdy puppy.
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alison gibson
Senior Media Specialist
Maddie's Fund
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