Staff and Foster Education
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1 / basics of Medical Fostering
Estimated Time: 90 minutes + Q&A
Primary Audience: Fosters, Volunteers
In this lecture, you will learn why medical fostering plays such a vital role in supporting medically fragile shelter animals and what to expect when caring for them in a foster home environment. We will discuss how to monitor your foster pet, recognize concerning changes, and know when to communicate with the medical team.
We will also cover the fundamentals of daily medical care, including common medication administration techniques and step-by-step instruction for administering subcutaneous (SQ) fluids.
Finally, we will review practical strategies to help prevent disease transmission within your home, as well as the cleaning and sanitation protocols commonly used by shelters after a foster animal has completed their stay.
2 / Disease Prevention and Sanitation protocols in the Shelter or rescue environment
Estimated Time: 60 minutes + Q&A
Primary Audience: Staff, Volunteers, and Management
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In this lecture, participants will learn the essential principles of disease prevention and sanitation within animal shelters and rescue environments. We will discuss how infectious diseases spread in shelter settings and the critical role that proper cleaning, disinfection, housing practices, and workflow protocols play in protecting animal health.
Topics will include the difference between cleaning and disinfection, common shelter pathogens, appropriate use of disinfectants, isolation and quarantine procedures, personal protective equipment (PPE), and strategies to reduce disease transmission between animals, staff, volunteers, and foster homes.
We will also review practical, real-world sanitation protocols that can be implemented in shelters of varying sizes and resource levels, with a focus on creating safe, humane, and sustainable practices that support both animal welfare and public health.
3 / Pediatric medicine for Shelter Staff *coming Soon*
Tips and Tricks for taking care of our smallest patients.
4 / Tips to improve shelter efficiency *Coming Soon*
Ideas to help move animals through the shelter quicker and improves staff's QOL.
5/ Recognizing Fear, Anxiety and Stress in the foster home *coming soon*
Teaching fosters how to recognize signs of FAS in the Foster home and how to address it.
6 / capacity for care and the 5 domains of animal welfare
Estimated Time: 60 minutes + Q&A
Primary Audience: Management, Board Members, Stake Holders and Staff
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In this lecture, we will explore the concept of Capacity for Care and why it is one of the most important foundations of successful animal sheltering and rescue work. Participants will learn how maintaining appropriate capacity directly impacts both physical and behavioral health outcomes for animals in care.
Using the Five Domains of Animal Welfare as a framework, we will discuss how population management, housing, enrichment, medical care, nutrition, and stress reduction all contribute to an animal’s overall wellbeing. We will also examine the risks associated with overcrowding, including increased disease transmission, behavioral deterioration, caregiver fatigue, and reduced quality of care.
Finally, we will discuss practical strategies shelters, rescues, and foster-based organizations can use to support humane, sustainable care while improving outcomes for the animals they serve.