Association of Shelter Veterinarians

Association of Shelter Veterinarians
AbbreviationASV
Formation2001
Founded atAmerican Humane Association Conference, Washington, D.C.
Legal status501(c)3
HeadquartersApex, North Carolina
FieldsShelter medicine
Membership700 licensed veterinarians (2014)
President
Staci Kehir, DVM
Main organ
Board of Directors
Publication
Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health
AffiliationsWorld Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2024[1]
RevenueUS$251,561 (2022)
ExpensesUS$192,824 (2022)
Staff14 (2022)
Volunteers25 (2022)
Websitewww.sheltervet.org
[2][3][4]

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) is an American national professional association for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in the shelter medicine specialty. Founded in 2001 as the first professional organization for shelter medicine, the ASV successfully advocated for the establishment of shelter medicine board certification, accreditation programs and expansion of shelter medicine curricula.[5] The ASV continues to publish guidelines for shelter medicine practice, advocate for the shelter medicine field, and publish its journal, the Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health.

History

The Association of Shelter Veterinarians was founded in 2001 at the American Humane Association Conference in Washington, D.C..[5]

In 2012, the ASV petitioned the American Veterinary Medical Association's American Board of Veterinary Specialties (ABVS) for shelter medicine's recognition as a veterinary specialty. The specialty was provisionally recognized in 2014.[2][6] In March 2023, following another petition from the ASV in 2022, shelter medicine was fully recognized as a veterinary specialty.[7]

Activities

The ASV has promulgated two editions of The Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters: the first edition in December 2010[8], and the second edition in January 2023.[9] The Guidelines were created as a framework for management of American animal shelters, given the lack of a national oversight body for their operation. The foundation of the Guidelines is in the Five Freedoms model.[8] As of 2013, the Guidelines have been endorsed by the National Federation of Humane Societies, the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators, the National Animal Control Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the Humane Society of the United States.[10]

The ASV also created the Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs to provide guidance to spay-neuter projects. The first edition was published in JAVMA in 2008; the second edition in 2016 added guidance for animal hospitals.[11]

The ASV recognizes outstanding shelter medicine practitioners with the Veterinarian of the Year award.[12]

Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health

The Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health (JSMCAH, officially pronounced "jazz-macaw"[13]) is the independent online journal of the ASV. The journal was first published in December 2022. The journal focuses on shelter medicine and veterinary community medicine.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Welcoming Our New Members to WSAVA". World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Ontario. October 25, 2024. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  2. ^ a b Nolen, R. Scott (May 14, 2014). "A specialty whose time has come". American Veterinary Medical Association. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  3. ^ Hennessy, Sonya. "History of the ASV". www.sheltervet.org. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  4. ^ Jennifer Bolser. Return of organization exempt from income tax 2022: Association of Shelter Veterinarians (PDF) (Form 990). EIN 1627937. Retrieved 2026-01-05 – via Internal Revenue Service.
  5. ^ a b Spindel, Miranda E.; MacPhail, Catriona M.; Hackett, Timothy B.; Egger, Erick L.; Palmer, Ross H.; Mama, Khursheed R.; Lee, David E.; Wilkerson, Nicole; Lappin, Michael R. (December 2008). "A Lifesaving Model: Teaching Advanced Procedures on Shelter Animals in a Tertiary Care Facility". Journal of Veterinary Medical Education. 35 (4): 553–558. doi:10.3138/jvme.35.4.553. ISSN 0748-321X. PMID 19228908.
  6. ^ Laderman-Jones, B.E.; Hurley, K.F.; Kass, P.H. (April 2016). "Survey of animal shelter managers regarding shelter veterinary medical services". The Veterinary Journal. 210: 68–76. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.02.007. PMID 26965085.
  7. ^ "Shelter medicine receives full recognition as specialty, fish medicine receives provisional recognition". American Veterinary Medical Association. April 3, 2023. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  8. ^ a b Bushby, Philip A. (August 1, 2011). "The need for standards of care in animal shelters (Proceedings)". DVM360. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  9. ^ Nolen, R. Scott (January 26, 2023). "Shelter veterinarians update care guidelines". American Veterinary Medical Association News. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  10. ^ Miller, Lila; Zawistowski, Stephen, eds. (December 17, 2012), "Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters", Shelter Medicine for Veterinarians and Staff (1 ed.), Wiley, pp. 701–702, doi:10.1002/9781119421511.app2, ISBN 978-0-8138-1993-8, retrieved 2026-01-06{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  11. ^ Primm, Kathryn (August 29, 2016). "Navigating a quick fix: Updated guidelines for spay-neuter programs". DVM360. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  12. ^ Sewing, Joy (May 26, 2023), "Houston veterinarian wins national Shelter Vet of the Year award", Houston Chronicle
  13. ^ About the Journal, Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health, retrieved 2026-01-06
  14. ^ "Animal Shelter and Community Medicine Journals for Publication | ASPCApro". ASPCApro. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. January 17, 2024. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  15. ^ Smith-Blackmore, Martha (October 2025). Carnevale, Joyce (ed.). "Overview of Shelter Medicine". Merck Veterinary Manual. Retrieved 2026-01-07.
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