Topics in the Animal Welfare Community

 




About Topics:

Topics are used on Maddie's Pet Forum to help categorize discussions and resources which makes all content easily searchable. Members of the Animal Welfare Professionals community must select at least one topic when creating posts or when adding files to the Resource Center. Members are also encouraged to follow topics of interest to curate the notifications you receive in your Personalized Digest emails.

On your profile, there are two areas related to topics: "Topics I Follow" and "Observed Topics".
To follow topics of interest, click on the "+ Add a Topic" button to reveal the list of 25 Animal Welfare topics. This is the most direct way to ensure you receive the content you're most interested in.
Reveals list of animal welfare topics to follow
Topics that have an asterisk * next to them mean that they are a specific Human Animal Support Services (HASS) Element. These have recently been added to better support the members of the HASS Learning Community and you do not need to be a HASS project participant in order to post to these topics.

As you interact with discussions and resources in the Animal Welfare Professionals Community, the system performs calculations based on your actions (such as reading, favoriting, liking and commenting on content) to automatically promote content you're interested in in your Personalized Digest email. These are shown on your profile as your Observed Interests. You can easily remove any of these interests by clicking on the gray x next to the topic name. 


All Animal Welfare Topic Discussions

  • In our experience, when TNRd cats are crossing busy roads, it is due to food, or lack of food. If they don't all stay on one side of the road, it is probably safe to assume some are from the other side See More

  • RE: Youth Volunteers

    Discussion

    Hi there, We allow volunteers as young as 8yrs to volunteer with our animals. If they are between 8-15yrs they must be with a parent or guardian (18yrs or older). Once 16-17yrs they can volunteer on See More

  • RE: Youth Volunteers

    Discussion

    Hi Chris, I'm currently an intern with Rocky Mountain French Bulldog Rescue, so while I'm not an expert on jurisdiction surrounding youth volunteers, I can share my personal experience. When I volunteered See More

  • Thank you so much for this information. I'll look into it. ------------------------------ Isabelle Nidetz ------------------------------

  • Discussion Thread

  • Discussion

    Hi all! Thanks to Maddie's Fund, WisCARES is hiring a 3rd CVT! WisCARES is a community clinic in Madison, Wisconsin and is a part of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. We work See More

  • Hi :) No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries. Join us for Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection See More

  • At Elle's House Animal Rescue, temporary fostering is not a pause. It is protection. In January 2026, we rescued three puppies off Panama Lane. They were scared, hungry, and overwhelmed. Instead of placing See More

  • We are a foster based rescue in Northern Nevada. We work with a local veterinary practice as well as our local and surrounding shelters and animal control agencies. We are often in the position of providing See More

  • Youth Volunteers

    Discussion

    For those organizations who have youth volunteers, at what age do you allow them to have direct contact with the animals (e.g., walking dogs and socializing with cats)? If you allow individuals under 18 See More

  • Youth Volunteers

    Discussion Thread

  • Microchip Tags

    Discussion

    Hi everyone, I'm looking to gather insight on best practices regarding microchip tags at adoption. We're evaluating our current process and would love to know what works well for other organizations. See More

  • Discussion Thread

  • I would make sure there isn't a food source across the street and get all of the cats s/n. Is the caretaker providing enough food for all of the cats? Is there food available elsewhere that they like better? See More

  • We started by observing which of our local stores did "round ups" for other charities. That told us both that their computer systems could be programmed to do "round ups" and the store management was community-minded See More

  • I highly recommend Madonna University. They have both an MS and a graduate certificate in non-profit leadership. It isn't exactly the MBA, but it is fully online and they also have an animal cruelty See More

  • Hi Kerrie, Apologies but I'm having trouble understanding what you wrote. Can you share a little more detail? Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVBBoard-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist Director of Shelter Solutions See More

  • Agreed with nothing liking to medicate dogs due to one having a allergy to a sedition med that was given to them at a clinic ------------------------------ Kerrie King Owner SECOND CHANCE FOR LOVE ANIMAL See More

  • Discussion Thread

  • Hello! I'm doing some career soul searching. I want to continue my education and improve on my skills in the animal welfare sector. I noticed that a lot of executive team members have completed an MBA See More

  • Our team is looking to purchase a portable engraver. Our community initiatives team will often set up at events. Looking to purchase 2, for about $5k, but open to adjusting for the right one. Have you See More

  • Rats & Cats

    Discussion

    I'm looking for studies that discuss the relationship between a reduction of the outdoor cat population and the expansion of the rat population. Is there any research that addresses this issue at all? See More

  • Rats & Cats

    Discussion Thread

  • I run Spicy Kitten School through Joyful Pets Rescue, where we socialize feral and undersocialized kittens through a foster-based program. But the story I want to share is personal, because I'm one of See More

  • #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment #Conferences,WorkshopsandWebcasts #EducationandTraining #FosterPrograms #Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization

  • Join your colleagues on February 25 to learn how you can apply the new ASV Guidelines for Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters to your everyday shelter scenarios. Rabbits are the new kids on the See More

  • Hey Wendy! I've been at my organization for 12 years and I've seen a lot in that time and we're still trying to come up with new ways to better reach people! We are a municipality so it may See More

  • Walk/Activity Boards

    Discussion Thread

  • Walk/Activity Boards

    Discussion

    Hey everyone! My org is working on updating our walk/activity boards and I'd love to see some inspiration! I think we'd be working primarily with a white board so staff and volunteers can sign off then See More

  • I have a question about reading cultures. If you have a cat that has been improving (lesions going away, decrease in colonies, partial plate color change), but the tape prep is showing macroconidia with See More

  • About Community Conversations : Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, See More

     03-30-2026  |  11:00 AM - 11:50 AM PT

  • About Community Conversations : Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, See More

     03-23-2026  |  11:00 AM - 11:50 AM PT

  • About Community Conversations : Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, See More

     03-16-2026  |  11:00 AM - 11:50 AM PT

  • About Community Conversations : Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, See More

     03-09-2026  |  11:00 AM - 11:50 AM PT

  • About Community Conversations : Maddie’s Fund hosts a weekly hour-long Zoom call for animal well-being professionals. These calls are a collaborative space to share exciting new programs and research, See More

     03-02-2026  |  11:00 AM - 11:50 AM PT

  • RE: oral ulcers

    Discussion

    Hi! "Stomatitis" is a sign (symptom), not a diagnosis. It can be due to anything from poor husbandry/diet to FORL (resorptive disease) to to periodontal disease. It is important to get a diagnosis before See More

  • We have used temporary fostering for a variety of needs that we have at our open-admission shelter. There are a lot of times when we see stress in our animals --especially our dogs--and ask for short-term See More

  • We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET for "Safe at Home - Engaging Communities," a conversation with @Stephanie Medrano, See More

  • Discussion

    Hi Everybody! Our foundation recently put out a position opportunity and received an immense amount of interest. Realizing the amount of people passionate about our mission of making emergency veterinary See More

  • Discussion Thread

  • We have had the same experience! How did you go about establishing "round ups" at local stores? ------------------------------ Concerned Citizens Animals Concerned Citizens for Animals ---------- See More

  • Maddie's® Insights is our ongoing webcast series with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people. Join us in March for a webinar on how early-life stress affects rescue kittens' behavior See More

  • Discussion

    We can take puppies at our small rescue in Monson, Massachusetts. Please email me: cathypienkosdvm@gmail.com or snugglestoprescue@gmail.com Thank you! ------------------------------ cathy pienkos veterinarian See More

  • Our organization began in 2024 after a wildfire tore through our community, causing the loss of over 100 homes. I took in cats who had been abandoned/lost during the fire, and eventually found their owners See More

  • We did our first #FoFCatsRock! campaign last summer. We had local youth paint cat themed rocks, sponsored by local businesses and then hid them throughout the community for a scavenger hunt. It allowed See More