title: The Association of Shelter Veterinarians' 2016 Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs.
abstract: As community efforts to reduce the overpopulation and euthanasia of unwanted and unowned cats and dogs have increased, many veterinarians have increasingly focused their clinical efforts on the provision of spay-neuter services. Because of the wide range of geographic and demographic needs, a wide variety of spay-neuter programs have been developed to increase delivery of services to targeted populations of animals, including stationary and mobile clinics, MASH-style operations, shelter services, community cat programs, and services provided through private practitioners. In an effort to promote consistent, high-quality care across the broad range of these programs, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians convened a task force of veterinarians to develop veterinary medical care guidelines for spay-neuter programs. These guidelines consist of recommendations for general patient care and clinical procedures, preoperative care, anesthetic management, surgical procedures, postoperative care, and operations management. They were based on current principles of anesthesiology, critical care medicine, infection control, and surgical practice, as determined from published evidence and expert opinion. They represent acceptable practices that are attainable in spay-neuter programs regardless of location, facility, or type of program. The Association of Shelter Veterinarians envisions that these guidelines will be used by the profession to maintain consistent veterinary medical care in all settings where spay-neuter services are provided and to promote these services as a means of reducing sheltering and euthanasia of cats and dogs.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bushby
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McCobb
authors.forename: Sara C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Y Karla
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Rigdon-Brestle
authors.forename: Leslie D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.forename: Kathleen V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Makolinski
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wilford
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Bohling
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Eddlestone
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Farrell
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: Natalie M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Isaza
authors.forename: Julie K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Looney
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Moyer
authors.forename: Sheilah Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tyson
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration / Q000662:veterinary*; D002415:Cats; D004285:Dogs; D037901:Euthanasia, Animal; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011155:Population Control; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000592:standards / Q000662:veterinary; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012958:Societies, Scientific / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D014730:Veterinary Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards