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Welcome to the ShelterMedPortal,

Your Gateway to Professional Growth in Animal Sheltering!

Free #ThankstoMaddie and the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge.

Shelter Learniverse Has a New Home

At the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, we’re dedicated to supporting you in your work within the animal sheltering industry. As part of the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge, we proudly re-introduce the Shelter Learniverse in its new home – www.shelterlearniverse.com.

Explore our new home and discover how we can assist you in your work and career.

Shelter Care Specialist Certification

The Koret Shelter Medicine Program recognizes the profound Access to Care challenges faced by animal shelters across the nation. To bridge this gap, we are excited to introduce our new certification program aimed at elevating the expertise and readiness of frontline shelter team members. Our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program is designed to address the challenges associated with access to care in shelters by empowering shelter staff with comprehensive training that extends to medical care, best practices in shelter operations, animal shelter population management, and behavior, training and enrichment for animals in shelters.

Introducing our Shelter Care Specialist Certification Program: a game-changing professional development program for shelter team members. Elevate your professional skills and credentials, positioning yourself for a fulfilling career in animal welfare. Learn more now!

Self-Paced, On-Demand Learning

Learn what you want, where you want, when you want.  Check out our bite-sized, self-paced, on-demand learning options to help you level up in your current job and prepare for future opportunities in the animal welfare industry. Dive in now!

Shelter Industry Events Calendar

Go to the animal sheltering's most-used calendar of upcoming in-person and online events from across the industry.

Shelter Medicine Resource Library

Visit sheltermedicine.com's resource library for answers to your shelter medicine questions.

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Sheltermedicine.com

Visit sheltermedicine.com for more information about the programs and services offered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Recently Announced Upcoming Industry Events

Maddie's Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives

Webinar – 10/9/25 – Maddie’s Insights: Shelter Practices & Barriers in the Use of Anxiety Medications & Alternatives – Maddie’s Fund

Maddie’s Fund Presents: This presentation will include findings from a recently published study examining which psychoactive medications (such as gabapentin, trazodone, and fluoxetine) and non-medication alternatives (such as pheromones and nutraceuticals) are most commonly used in shelters in North America, how shelter staff perceive their efficacy and ease of administration, and the barriers such as cost, uncertainty about efficacy, and time constraints that limit their use, when warranted.

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Maddie's Monthly Foster Connection

Online Event – 10/2/25 – Maddie’s Monthly Foster Connection: Smarter Systems for Stronger Support – Maddie’s Fund

Maddie’s Fund Presents: With every shelter stuffed to bursting, finding fosters and adopters is crucial. For some pets this is simple, but others are harder to place. In this workshop, we’ll discuss your favorite long stay pets to identify strategies for marketing them to fosters and adopters. This workshop is not just for foster staff– it’s open to anyone who is interested in marketing pets who are harder to place!

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Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine

Webinar – 9/30/25 – Beyond the Page: Meet the Authors Shaping DEI in Veterinary Medicine – Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation – MCVMA

MCVMA Presents: Join us for a groundbreaking webinar series that brings to life the voices behind Elsevier’s Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine, Parts 1 & 2 – the first comprehensive, open-access DEI publications in veterinary medicine. On 9/30, we’ll discuss Dr. Michael Blackwell’s chapter, “Bridging Gaps in Veterinary Care: Equity, Access, and Innovation.”

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2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference

Online Conference – 10/11/25 to 10/12/25 – 2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference – Community Cats Podcast & United Spay Alliance (fee applies)

Community Cats Podcast and United Spay Alliance Present (fee applies): This event will bring together animal welfare experts from across the field to present a variety of topics, including how to establish and maintain a low-cost spay/neuter program, secure funding for essential services, and raise awareness in communities about the importance of spay/neuter initiatives.

Read More »
2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference

Online Conference – 10/11/25 to 10/12/25 – 2025 United Spay Alliance Online Conference – Community Cats Podcast & United Spay Alliance (fee applies)

Community Cats Podcast and United Spay Alliance Present (fee applies): This event will bring together animal welfare experts from across the field to present a variety of topics, including how to establish and maintain a low-cost spay/neuter program, secure funding for essential services, and raise awareness in communities about the importance of spay/neuter initiatives.

Read More »
SMAC Talk - Shelter Medicine Access to Care Conversations

Online Event – 10/15/25 – SMAC Talk: Small Patients, Big Procedures: Weighing Pediatric Spay and Neuter Considerations – UC Davis KSMP

UC Davis KSMP Presents: Welcome to SMAC Talk, a series of Shelter Medicine Access to Care Conversations where veterinary care professionals connect. On the 10/15 edition, we’re diving into pediatric spay and neuter—what’s new, what’s still misunderstood, and how to make it work in a shelter context. Join host Dr. Jennifer Bennett (DVM, MS, CAWA) and guests Dr. Brian DiGangi (DVM, MS, DABVP) and Dr. Emily McCobb (DVM, MS, DACVAA).

Read More »

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Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to receive a list of upcoming webinars, new Shelter Learniverse courses, and blog posts worth your valuable time. You'll also receive occasional emails from Maddie's Million Pet Challenge. If you're interested in receiving additional details about new Shelter Learniverse courses and certification program, be sure to check the boxes at the bottom!

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