Our Shelter Medicine Program increases veterinary students’ opportunities for hands-on training in spay and neuter as well as preventive care while helping animal shelters keep down costs for veterinary care and improving shelter animals’ chances for adoption. We have a mobile unit that prior to COVID would visit shelters in several areas of Missouri. The mobile unit trips are currently on hold due to COVID, but we hope to resume them next year. Prior to COVID, we had had around four geographic locations on our regular outreach schedule (Kirksville, Sedalia, St. Charles, and Louisiana, Missouri). We were doing primarily trap, neuter and return for community (feral) cats at those locations. The exception is Kirksville, where we do surgeries for shelter animals. We will soon have our satellite surgery suite at the shelter in Kirksville (Adair County Humane Society) up and running.
We also work with CMHS and Second Chance to provide services.
