2011-2018: Past Events

2017-2018:

Shelter Medicine Club Lunch Lecture
March 23, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2258

Our own Dr. Agapis will be giving a lecture about parvovirus protocols within shelters! Knowing how to implement control measures for highly infectious diseases such as parvovirus is critical in almost any field of veterinary medicine. Snacks and desserts will be served to club members, but please bring a lunch.

Spaying/Neutering Zoological Companion Mammal Lunch Lecture
March 26, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | LAC 100

Dr. Keller will be presenting a one hour presentation on spaying/neutering zoological companion mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.), a procedure becoming more common in companion animal practice! This is a joint lunch lecture with Surgery Club, NTS, and CAVA.

Shelter Medicine Club Lunch Lecture
March 14, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2258

Dr. Barbara Hanek, an administrator veterinarian from the DuPage County Animal Care & Control (DCACC), will be discussing the differences between an open admission municipal facility and a private shelter as well as a $10 million construction project DCACC is working on and a specialty vehicle they recently received a grant for. She will also be announcing internships/potential employment opportunities.

Royal Canin Lunch Lecture
February 16, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | LAC 100

Royal Canin will be here to discuss how to choose a diet for shelter animals such as how often to feed dogs and cats of various ages, is it best to feed one diet or any food that is donated, etc.

ISC-ASV Rotations Discussion
February 12, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2271C

Fourth year students who have done shelter medicine related rotations or externships will be discussing these programs like Best Friends & Humane Alliance, in a relaxed environment where others are welcome to ask questions! Please bring a lunch.

Shelter Medicine Club/HSVMA Lunch Lecture
January 31, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | LAC 100

Alicia Schneider, a humane investigator and educator from the Champaign County Humane Society, will be giving a talk about the roles humane investigators play in an animal shelter including providing humane education to the public. She will also be giving some examples of the investigations she has done in the past.

Breed Specific Legislation Lunch Lecture
January 17, 2018 | 12PM – 12:50PM | LAC 100

Ledy VanKavage, an attorney from Best Friends Animal Society, will be here to talk about Canine Breed Discrimination, commonly known as “Breed Specific Legislation”/BSL in regards to bully breeds.

“Veterinary Professionals Against Puppy Mills”
December 14, 2017 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2251

Dr. Jane Lohmar (1995 grad from UIUC CVM) of “Veterinary Professionals Against Puppy Mills” (VPAPM) will be presenting over Skype. Dr. Lohmar has provided emergency services for dogs rescued from mills, on location, and currently works at Family Pet Animal Hospital in Chicago.

Alley Cat Allies Lunch Lecture
December 5, 2017 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2251

Becky Robinson of Alley Cat Allies will be coming to talk to us about feral cat TNR (trap, neuter/spay, vaccinate, release) programs around the USA. They work on altering feral/”community cats” to reduce populations, which has shown to be more effective than simply euthanizing ferals as far as controlling their numbers. They also advocate for anti-cruelty laws and disaster response plans for animals. Siam Terrace will be served!

Behavior Club/Shelter Medicine Club Lunch Lecture
November 30, 2017 | 12PM – 12:50PM | LAC 100

Natalie Piper, a behavior specialist from Champaign County Humane Society, will be speaking about behavior evaluations and assessments that they use in the shelter. Fazoli’s will be served to all those who RSVP’d!

Movie Screening
November 10, 2017 | 12PM – 12:50PM | BSB 2251

We will be screening the documentary “Second Chance Dogs” produced by the ASPCA with a focus on some of their toughest behavioral cases going through training and rehabilitation to get adopted after rescue. There will be popcorn, but please bring a lunch!

Chicago Animal Shelter Tours
November 4, 2017 | 10AM – 3PM

We will be touring Chicago Animal Care and Control, PAWS Chicago, and The Anti-Cruelty Society!

Royal Canin Lunch Lecture
October 25, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM | BSB 2251

Royal Canin’s Dr. Jenny Sandler will be giving a talk about “Pet Food Nutrition Myths”. All are welcome!

Dr. Fischer – Shelter Emergency Preparedness
October 16, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM | BSB 2258

In the wake of the recent natural disasters and organizations mobilizing in order to help the animals affected by these disasters, Dr. Amy Fischer, a Teaching Associate and Extension Specialist with the University of Illinois Department of Animal Sciences, will be speaking about how shelters prepare for these types of emergencies.

HSVMA RAVS – Volunteer Trips Info Meeting
October 9, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM | BSB 2258

We will be having a panel of vet students come in to talk about their experience volunteering at Native American reservations around the country through HSVMA Rural Animal Veterinary Services (RAVS). RAVS trips provide students with a lot of invaluable hands-on veterinary experience, building up their confidence in performing physical exams, monitoring anesthesia, and even spaying/neutering. Snacks will be provided, but please bring a lunch!

Shelter Med Cases with Dr. Elaine Jordan
October 6, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM | LAC 100

Dr. Elaine Jordan, a veterinarian from the San Diego Humane Society, will be Skyping in with us go over some of the more complex shelter medicine cases she’s managed. San Diego Humane Society takes in over 45,000 dogs, cats, horses, and exotic pocket pets annually. They have a wildlife clinic that accepts an additional 10,000 animals annually and three low cost spay-and-neuter clinics. They often manage long-term illnesses like diabetes, hyp(er/o)thyroidism, ringworm, etc., and injuries like hit-by-car and abuse.

Bake Sale: The Sato Project
October 5, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM| Outside of LAC 100 and Einstein’s Cafe

Our second bake sale of the year will be benefiting The Sato Project. Please stop by and consider making a donation of any amount and get some delicious baked goods in return! All proceeds will go towards helping the many animals in need of medical care after Hurricane Maria.

VetCorder: Portable ECG Monitoring
September 29, 2017 | 12:00  – 12:50 PM | LAC 100

VetCorder will be coming to speak to us about their new portable ECG design (which is currently being used on the shelter medicine mobile unit) and will be bringing some of the devices for us to try out as well! A non-pizza lunch will be sponsored by VetCorder.

Bake Sale: Austin Pets Alive!
September 11, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM| Outside of LAC 100 and Einstein’s Cafe

We will be having a bake sale benefiting Austin Pets Alive! Please stop by and consider making a donation of any amount and get some delicious baked goods in return! All proceeds will go towards helping the many animals displaced by Hurricane Harvey.

Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS) Tour
September 9, 2017 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM

Join us on a tour at CCHS with Dr. Gilbert to get a behind-the-scenes look at the clinic and adoptable animals as well as learn about volunteer opportunities!

Shelter Medicine Club Introductory Meeting
September 8, 2017 | 12:00  – 12:50 PM | BSB 2258

Join us for our introductory meeting and learn about all the exciting events we have planned for this year including wetlabs, shelter tours, and volunteer opportunities! Pizza will be provided so come hungry! Club dues this year is $15, and it would be $6 for 4th year students.

2016-2017:

Shelter Rabbits Spay & Neuter Lecture
May 5, 2017 | 12:00 – 12:50 PM | LAC 100

Dr. Wilson-Cohen, UIUC’s shelter medicine intern veterinarian, will be giving a presentation about spaying and neutering rabbits in a shelter environment (high-quality, high volume), including highlights of rabbit anatomy and challenges in surgery.

Snacks will be provided to both Shelter Medicine Club and Non-Traditional Species (NTS) club members, but please bring a lunch!

Ligature Lab
April 28, 2017 | 5:00 – 7:00 PM | SAC 80 (5:00 – 5:30 PM) and CSLC Room 101 (5:30 – 7:00 PM)

We will be having a ligature wetlab with Dr. Agapis who will first be giving a presentation on the spay procedure and the types of knots and suture patterns that are involved. Students will then have the exciting opportunity to practice knot tying/ligatures on foam spay models including the circumferential ligation, transfixation ligation, Miller’s knot, and maybe even the Aberdeen knot!

Chicago Shelter Tours
April 22, 2017

We will be traveling to Chicago to tour PAWS Chicago (10 AM-12 PM) and Treehouse Humane Society (1:30-3 PM)! Dr. Von Waldau at PAWS and Dr. Swiniarski at Treehouse have volunteered some of their weekend to show us their facilities and teach us about Shelter medicine in Chicago. This will be a great opportunity to see some of the successful city shelters first hand!

Discussion Session on Purina PetFinder’s Shelter Research
April 5, 2017 | 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM | 2271J BSB (Zuschlag room)

Sara Kent, Director of Shelter Operations for PetFinder, will be hosting a discussion session with us about Purina PetFinder’s shelter research including what drives adopters to select certain shelters and what your average person looks for when picking a pet.

Shelter Behavior Assessments – Behavior Club and Shelter Medicine Club:
LAC 100, Friday, March 31, 2017.

Dr. Jessica Hekman will be coming to speak to us about the validity of shelter behavior assessments.

Purina PetFinder.com Shelter Med Club Presentation
March 1, 2017, 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100

Sara Kent, director of PetFinder.com Shelter Outreach, will be coming to speak to us about the many ways their company does to find homes for shelter pets (dogs, cats, large animals, and exotics) across the USA. Over the past 20 years, Petfinder has adopted out 25 million shelter pets!

Shelter Med Club – HSVMA Dr. Rives
February 15, 2017, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100

Dr. Rives will be talking to students over lunch about puppy mills and the welfare issues surrounding them. She will also discuss what veterinarians can do to prevent animal suffering and what to do in cases of abuse, such as tracking puppy mill dogs by their unique USDA number.

Dr. Weedon on Animal Welfare & Shelter Medicine
January 26, 2017, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100

Join Animal Welfare Club and Shelter Medicine Club for a lecture given by Dr. Weedon on the intersection of animal welfare and shelter medicine.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Presentation: TNR Community Cats

Friday December 2, 2016 at noon-12:50
Vet Med LAC – Room 100

This lecture will feature Peter Wolfe from the Best Friends Animal Society discussing his success in managing feral cats and TNR initiatives. Lunch provided for club members who RSVP’d.

“Behavior & Shelter Med Club Lunch Lecture on Behavioral Issues in Shelters”
November 3, 2016, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100

Lunch lecture hosted by the Behavior Club and Shelter Medicine Club. Behaviorist for the Champaign County Humane Society, Natalie Piper, will be speaking on behavioral issues commonly seen in shelters.

Dr. Ellen Jefferson from Austin Pets Alive
October 24, lunch lecture in LAC100

Austin is one of the safest cities in the US for homeless and lost pets. 8 years ago the city only had a live outcome rate of just 50%. APA and the open-admission city shelter worked together to implement the “No-Kill” philosophy, and within 3 years the city was saving 90%. Now, they have a live-outcome rate as high as 98%. Austin is the largest city to successfully implement this philosophy and have live-outcome rates above 90%. Whether you have any negative impressions of what it means to be “no-kill”, or if you don’t know much about it, this lunch lecture is for you!

Come hear about the movement from a national veterinary leader on the topic. Dr. Ellen Jefferson’s talk,“Busting Myths about No-Kill” will be on Monday, October 24th at 12pm in LAC 100. She’s a truly inspirational speaker and individual. All are certainly welcome to attend, and lunch will be provided to club members

Paw Project documentary screening
September 27, SAC80, 6-7 PM
Documentary about the current declawing debate in the USA – with snacks provided – chips and baked goods.

Also, free Paw Project bumper stickers if you’re interested in spreading the message. See the trailer here:
The movie is 58 minutes in length and features many veterinarians from shelters and private practice alike.

Dr. Olsen Lunch Lecture:
September 28, 2016, 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100
Dr. Cynthia Olsen (2006 UIUC CVM grad) will be speaking about her work with the Illinois “Paw Project” and how to integrate shelter medicine into working as a private practice veterinarian. All are invited but lunch from Siam Terrace provided to club members.

Shelter Med Introductory Meeting:
September 2, 2016, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Vet Med LAC – Room 100
Shelter Club Introduction Meeting – lunch provided to those who RSVP’d! Come learn about all the exciting things we have planned out for this year! We are planning to do several documentary screenings as well as at least one lunch lecture per month. There will numerous opportunities to volunteer offered, too.Please e-mail sheltervetmed@gmail.com for more information and how to pay club dues for the year ($12).

2015-2016:

Thursday, April 21st, in LAC 100! Lunch lecture!

Susan Taney, Director of Lost Dogs Illinois,” will spoke to us about the mission of this amazing non-profit organization which has helped countless families reunite with their missing pets. She discussed how veterinarians can help get lost dogs home – such as by scanning them more than once with a microchip scanner and making sure it is a universal chip scanner. She hopes to lower the number of “strays” (ie lost, but owned dogs) entering shelters and preserve the human/animal bond. Katie Campbell, an expert in trapping shy, elusive dogs in the Chicago area, also spoke during this lunch lecture, reminding us to never chase stray dogs as it may just drive them further away from you. Susan and Katie told us several stories about dogs that had been missing for years from their families and then were reunited through patient capture methods.

Friday, February 5, 2016: Dr. Jessica Von Waldau, Chief Veterinarian at PAWS Chicago’s Lurie low cost spay/neuter clinic, came to speak with the club over lunch today. She discussed her job at PAWS and how they practice High Volume High Quality spay and neuter surgeries at free or low-cost for owned animals, shelter animals, and feral/community cats. She shared a website for students to explore called http://www.humanealliance.org/e-learning/medical with some interesting and helpful shelter-themed medical videos. She also shared some amazing statistics about how the euthanasia rate in Chicago animal shelters had dropped dramatically since 1997, from 42,561 animals per year to 9,817 in 2014. There is still much work to be done to increase adoptions and spay-and-neuter but progress is being made!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015: Becky Robinson, President and Founder of Alley Cat Allies, will be speaking in SAC 80 for a lunch lecture (noon to 1 pm). Becky recently released a new book, found here, entitled “The Evolution of the Cat Revolution: Celebrating 25 Years of Saving Cats.” Lunch will be provided to the first 50 students who RSVP to the email sent out on December 1, 2015 to their University email account.

Saturday, November 7, 2015: HSVMA: RAVS Animal Welfare Symposium at University of Wisconsin Madison’s College of Veterinary Medicine: This educational day long conference will be from 9 am to 5 pm; attendance is free for all veterinary students and veterinary technician students but registration is requested. Veterinarians speaking at the conference will be discussing topics such as puppy mills, farm animal welfare, and ways to identify cases of animal cruelty.

The HSVMA RAVS offers both national and international service outreach trips for veterinary students and veterinarians to give back to communities in need.

Friday, October 2, 2015 at noon in SAC 80: Clay Foley, a humane investigator and outreach educator from the Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS), spoke about his work – from helping county residents provide the best care possible for their pets to speaking in schools, educating children about being kind to animals. He mentioned how CCHS is proud to be able to offer low cost spay-and-neuter options for cat owners and how local partners like Catsnap are even able to offer free (suggested donation $10 per cat) spay-and-neuter for feral cats. Clay remarked that CCHS is always looking for foster homes, particularly for young kittens. Interested volunteers should apply here.

On a last note, Clay introduced many of us to a new form of feral cat trap that is extremely durable and a little less stressful for some of the cats!

2014-2015:

Introductory Lunch

Monday, September 15th at noon in BSB 2258

Come eat lunch and learn about one of the most active clubs at the college! We will discuss various events that the club has had in the past and is planning for the future. There are lots of opportunities for students of all experience levels. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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Behavior Lecture and Wet Lab

Monday, November 10th at 6pm in LAC 100

The Behavior Club and Shelter Medicine Club presented Dr. Sarah Bennet, a certified veterinary behaviorist, who spoke to us on November 10th! Dr. Bennet gave a dinner lecture on the pro’s and con’s of various behavioral assessments currently being used in the shelter setting! After dinner we had a Wet Lab where Dr. Sara Bennet performs some of the previously discussed assessments on real, live dogs! Participants in the lab had a chance to practice skills, watch the tests in action, and discuss what is being seen, as well as the pros and cons of each assessment.

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Alley Cat Allies Lecture

Tuesday , December 9th at 12pm in BSB 2258

The Feline Medicine Club and Shelter Medicine Club welcomed Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies, who gave a presentation on December 9th about her wonderful organization. Alley Cat Allies is an organization dedicated to protection and humane treatment of cats with an emphasis on humane methods for cat care including Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. Ms. Robinson spoke to us about how Alley Cat Allies started, the details of their fascinatingly efficient 12-step sterilizing process, and how TNR programs around the country are reducing unnecessary killing in shelters. She encourages all prospective veterinarians interested in shelter work to get involved with TNR in their community.

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Illinois Shelter Program Gets New Mobile Surgery Unit

January 2015

We are thrilled to have our very own mobile surgery unit as of January 2015! Dr. Terri Kidd performed the first spay on the unit on January 7th at Coles County (pictured below). We are hopeful that this unit will increase our sterilization capabilities and help save more lives in shelters.

spayunit2 spayunit First Spay on the Mobile Unit (1)

 

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HSVMA’s “Doing Well Because You’re Doing Good”

Wednesday, March 4th at 12pm in BSB 2251

Dr. Barbara Hodges of the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association gave her highly popular presentation to the shelter club – “Doing Well Because You’re Doing Good: How Helping Animals Can Help Your Bottom Line”. In this talk, several clinics around the USA and their business models were highlighted for their success as a healthy business as well as well as how they generously give back to their community. From running their own animal shelter as part of the clinic to encouraging all veterinarians to be involved with rescue and wildlife work outside of the clinic, all of these business models proved to be successful and highly regarded by their clients and community through their charity work.

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ISCASV Club Donates Table Warmers to CCHS

Friday, April 17th at CCHS

The shelter program’s new mobile sterilization unit has warmed surgery tables which has proven to keep our patients more comfortable during surgery and allowing for quicker recovery time. To provide this useful equipment to our local shelter, Champaign County Humane Society, the shelter club held a fundraiser, raising several hundred dollars to purchase three surgical table warmers. On April 17th, we presented three new table warmers to the shelter. We hope that the animals of CCHS will have smoother surgeries and recovery times thanks to these warmers!

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2013-2014:

Rabbits in Shelters/Rescues

Friday, May 9 at noon in BSB 2258

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and the Non-Traditional Species Club (NTS) co-sponsored a joint lunch lecture featuring Kate McGinley, the shelter manager at the Champaign County Humane Society and an educator for the House Rabbit Society in Chicago. She gave a lecture on caring for rabbits in a shelter/rescue setting.


Feline Frenzy: The Veterinarian’s Role in Solving the Feral Cat Overpopulation Crisis

Monday, April 28 at noon in LAC 100

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and the Feline Practitioner’s Club (AAFP) sponsored a joint lunch lecture presented by Dr. Susan Krebsbach from the HSVMA on “Feline Frenzy: The Veterinarian’s Role in Solving the Feral Cat Overpopulation Crisis.” This presentation summarized our current understanding of feral cat management and reviewed the elements of a successful feral cat spay/neuter clinic.


 Wisdom Panels

Wednesday, April 16th at noon in BSB 2258

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and Royal Canin sponsored a lunch lecture about Wisdom Panel canine DNA testing with Drs. Jodi Davis and Angela Hughes from Royal Canin.


 High Volume Spay/Neuter Techniques

Friday, February 21st at noon in BSB 2251

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) sponsored a lunch lecture presented by Dr. Speck and Dr. Reese from the Animal Protection League in Springfield on high volume spay/neuter techniques! They lectured on some time saving surgery methods and how to deal with tricky surgeries such as cryptorchids, pregnant spays, and obese dog spays.


Mobilizing the Public to Protect Cats

Tuesday, December 10th at noon in BSB 2251

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and the Feline Practitioner’s Club (AAFP) sponsored a joint lunch lecture presented by Becky Robinson, President and Founder of Alley Cat Allies. Alley Cat Allies focusing on the humane treatment and protection of cats and advocating for Trap-Neuter-Return programs for feral cat populations.


Cats and Carbohydrates

Wednesday, October 9th at noon in LAC 100

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and the Feline Practitioner’s Club (AAFP) sponsored a joint lunch. Feline nutritionist Craig Datz, DVM, spoke on Cats and Carbohydrates so you can speak smartly about all the feline diets out there with your clients.


Spay Before They Stray: The Benefits of Early-Age Sterilization

Thursday, September 26th at noon in LAC 100

Dr. Susan Krebsbach from the HSVMA presented her talk on early-age spaying and neutering as the most effective means of preventing unplanned litters of kittens and puppies. This presentation provided examples of surgical sterilization of a kitten and puppy and included discussions about anesthesia protocols, surgical techniques and recovery factors, as well as video clips!


2012-2013:

Common Shelter Parasites and How to Treat Them

Monday, April 8th at 6:00PM in LAC 100

AAFP and ISCASV are teaming up with Bayer for this dinner lecture. The emphasis will be on common feline parasites encountered in shelters, and how to treat them. Hope to see you there!

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Forensic Investigation Lunch Lecture

Tuesday, April 2nd at noon in BSB 2258

Dr. Adam Stern, a veterinary pathologist at the college will talk about veterinary forensics. The talk is titled “Animal Abuse: What Should I Do?”. Animal abuse can be encountered in many areas of veterinary practice, and Dr. Stern discussed many practical considerations from reporting laws to evidence gathering. Thank you to everyone who made it to the lecture!

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Spay Day USA – “Feline Fixation”

Sunday, February 17th 8:00am – 3:00pm at Champaign County Animal Control

We participated in this year’s Spay Day USA event by hosting a “Feline Fixation” cat spay/neuter clinic. We sterilized and vaccinated 70 cats this year with the help of many volunteers. They inlcuded veterinarians, animal control officers, and many students. Thank you everyone, this was a huge accomplishment!

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Joining Shelter Medicine and Private Practice — a Win-Win-Win for the Pet-Client-Practice

Friday, November 2nd at noon in BSB 2251

ISCASV co-hosted a lunch lecture with the VBMA about how homeless animals can help your practice through rough financial times. The talk was by Dr. Tony Kremer (Class of 1990). Dr. Kremer currently owns 6 veterinary hospitals in the Chicagoland area, founded the animal shelter Help Save Pets… and even has his own radio show!

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Keeping Your Feline Patients Calm

Thursday, October 25th at noon in BSB 2251

The Shelter Medicine Club (ISCASV) and the Feline Practitioner’s Club (AAFP) are sponsoring a joint lunch. Dr. Sally Foote will be discussing feline-friendly exam rooms, while a Royal Canin representative will be on-site to provide information on their new veterinary diet: CALM. See you there!

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Public Rabies Vaccine Clinic: World Rabies Day

Sunday, October 21st from 1pm until 3pm at Champaign County Animal Control

In conjunction with World Rabies Day we are hosting a public free rabies vaccine clinic. We are reaching out to all community members that may have a pet dog, cat, or ferret that needs to be vaccinated. This is the second year we are hosting this event, and we are hoping to make it even better! Club members – please get in touch with Katie Butcher if you would like to volunteer.

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“Beds for Pups” Fundraiser for Danville Humane Society

30 Beds by Christmas – DONE!

Currently the dogs at Danville Humane Society have to sleep on the concrete floor in their kennels. We want to provide 30 Kuranda dog beds for them by christmas. Please use the Paypal link on our homepage to donate.

Thanks to the amazing response from our community, this fundraiser was a huge success! We have ordered the beds and will be delivering them shortly. Please watch this website and our FaceBook page for updates.

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Lunch with Bill Daggett

Thursday, September 27th at noon in BSB 2258

Come listen to Bill Daggett, an architect specializing in shelter design talk to us about trends in the industry. He is a great resource and this should be a wonderful discussion. Hope to see you there!

Introductory Lunch

Thursday, September 13th at noon in LAC 100

Come eat lunch and learn about one of the most active clubs at the college! We will discuss various events that the club has had in the past and is planning for the future. There are lots of opportunities for students of all experience levels. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have

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2011-2012 Events

DNA Wisdom Panel Clinic

Lecture: Friday, March 30th at Noon

Clinic: Saturday, March 4th from 9am until Noon

On March 30th we will be having a lunch lecture with Mars called “Advances in Doggie DNA Testing” and we will also discuss the new MiniChip microchip. A geneticist from the group will discuss how they use DNA testing to determine dog breeds with their Wisdom Panel.

Mars Wisdom Panel is giving a generous help to the Shelter Medicine Club for a dog DNA testing clinic. We will be using the test kit described here. The test is done via a cheek swab. There will be a lecture accompaning the clinic so that we can learn more about the way that DNA breed testing is done. Please join us for both events!

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Doggone Lucky Donation Drive for Crawford County Humane Society

February 1st through March 16th

Does your dog or cat have toys that s/he no longer plays with? Are old blankets or towels taking up precious room in your closets? How about that old dog or cat food that your pet has decided it no longer wants to eat? Well, you’re in luck because the Illinois Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians would be happy to take all of it off your hands!

The Crawford County Humane Society (CCHS) is an animal control shelter located in rural Robinson, IL. It is over run with animals that need enrichment, comfort, and a new home. Unfortunately, due to the economic climate of the area, rehoming these dogs and cats is very challenging. Many of them spend the duration of their lives at the shelter. You can help make their lives better without any, or very little, cost to you! Here is a link to their website if you want to learn more about them or would like a furry new best friend: here.

Donation bins will be located near the student mailboxes in both BSB (second floor near ASA) and LAC (downstairs near the vending machine).

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Lunch with Ledy VanKavage

Monday, March 5th at Noon in LAC 100

The Illinois Student Chapter of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians will sponsor a lunch-time lecture featuring Ms. Ledy VanKavage, an attorney with the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society, speaking on breed discrimination legislation, advances in DNA testing for breed determination, and the legal implications for veterinarians now that there is a scientific method for determining a dog.s breed lineage.

Ms. VanKavage was a co-founder of the Illinois Federation of Humane Societies and has provided expert testimony on a variety of policy and legislative issues affecting companion animals. As municipalities and private housing facilities (apartments and condominiums) contemplate breed discrimination regulations, veterinary input is crucial to determining the validity of banning individual dogs based simply on their breed or suspected breed. With the advent of DNA testing for breed determination, there is the possibility that there will be associated liability if a veterinarian offers opinion on a dog.s breed that is later refuted by a DNA test

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Lunch Lecture and Wetlab – Esterilsol

Lunch: Friday, January 20th – LAC 100

Wetlab: Saturday, January 21st – Champaign County Animal Services 8:00AM

ISCASV will be holding a lunch lecture and wet lab on the use of Esterilsol, a chemical sterilant that is injected into the testicles of dogs and renders them permanently sterile. On Friday, 20 January, representatives from ARK Sciences, including the ISCASV faculty adviser Dr. Weedon, will present a lecture on Esterilsol, including how it is used, how it works, and the benefits of using Esterilsol vs. surgical castration. Then, on Saturday morning, 21 January, they will give a demonstration of the product on both shelter and owned dogs.

The wet lab will be held at Champaign County Animal Services (this is the animal control building and not the humane society), located at 210 S. Art Bartell Road in Urbana, beginning at 8:00 a.m. Length of time for the demonstration will be dependent on the number of dogs available. We also are inviting local veterinarians, including U of I faculty, to participate. Priority for actually performing an injection will be given to community and faculty vets first, then fourth-, third-, second-, and first-year students, in that order.

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Lunch with Alley Cat Allies

Thursday, December 8th at noon

Becky Robinson, co-founder and president of Alley Cat Allies, will give a lunch lecture on Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return and the veterinarian’s role in the humane management of feral cat colonies. We will be sending out an email for lunch reservations once we return from fall break. She also will be speaking to the Shelter Medicine II third-year elective class from 3:00 to 4:00 that afternoon in LAC 100. Everyone is invited to sit in on the class. We’ll send a reminder as the date gets closer.

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Spay/Neuter Weekend at Crawford County Humane Society

Saturday, November 19th – Sunday, November 20th in Robinson, IL

We are planning a spay/neuter weekend at the Crawford County Humane Society in Robinson, IL, on Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20. This is the first weekend of our fall break. We estimate that we can accommodate ten students from each class (first, second, third year) each day to help with physical exams, vaccinations, surgical prep, surgery and surgical assist, recovery, parasite control, etc. We plan to start by at least 8:00 each morning so that we can finish by late afternoon and have the animals recovered before leaving for the day. Robinson is about two hours south of Champaign.

Our plan is that positions will be rotated so that everyone has a chance to work in each area. Members of all three classes will have the opportunity to neuter cats, second-years who have adequate suturing skills will be allowed to close, and third-years will be allowed to do limited spays and canine neuters. Please contact Teri Kidd for more details.

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Bayer Lunch with AAFP

Wednesday, November 15th at noon in 2251 BSB

You are invited to the AAFP/Bayer lunch on Wednesday November 16, BSB 2258 to learn about Profender. Profender® is the first and only topical felie dewormer that treats and controls ascarids, hookworms and tapeworms.

Rabies Vaccine Clinic

Saturday, November 5th at 1:00-3:00PM in the Stock Pavilion

In conjunction with World Rabies Day our club will be helping with the local rabies vaccine clinic. Brittany Cacciottoli is organizing the event and can be contacted for more details and to join in the effort.

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Halloween Candy-gram Sale

Monday, October 24 – Friday, October 28 at 12:00pm-1:00pm in front of LAC 100 and the BSB Cafe

All week we will be selling candy-grams in front of the cafe in BSB and outside of LAC 100 during the noon hour. Each one is $1 and will be delivered the morning of Halloween. Send one to a friend, big/little sib, professor, or resident!

Lunch Lecture with Dr. Speck

Friday, October 21st at noon in LAC 100

Dr. Speck is the lead veterinarian with the Animal Protective League of Springfield and Sangamon County spay/neuter clinic. He will present a lunch lecture on running a high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinic. The APL clinic follows the Humane Alliance protocol, and Dr. Speck will introduce us to some of the procedures used that are specific to the Humane Alliance model. APL partners with shelters and rescue groups within a 90-mile radius of Springfield to provide affordable spay/neuter surgeries to the organizations’ animals and provides low-cost services to family pets. In addition, they have a free spay/neuter program for pit bulls and feral cats. Dr. Speck had worked with APL while maintaining a private practice until selling his practice several years ago to devote all his time to the APL spay/neuter program.

The Veterinarian’s Role in Disaster Response

Friday, October 7th at noon in BSB 2251

Anne Culver, former director of the HSUS Disaster Services Department will present an introduction to the issue of animals in disasters and how they fit into the emergency response system. She also will discuss a couple of examples like Katrina and Joplin and what worked well and what didn’t and speak on the role of veterinarians in helping animals during a disaster.