Lila Miller, DVM

The demand for better care has resulted in unprecedented interest and involvement of the veterinary community in shelter operations.

The Association of Human Animal Bond Veterinarians defines the human animal bond as the relationship between people, animals, and their environment.

Shelter medicine is specialized herd health medicine for small animals.

Animal abandonment and abuse are two of the darkest consequences of a failed human animal bond, both of which are defined as animal cruelty in most, if not all, states.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that there may be anywhere between 4-6,000 animal shelters in the United States.

There are many reasons why the veterinary profession is addressing the issue of animal abuse now.

Whenever there is a disease outbreak, one of the first control measures should be a thorough, first-hand review of sanitation procedures.

A leader in shelter medicine, Dr. Miller cares for the underserved, often-forgotten animals and trains others to follow in her footsteps. She says a good veterinarian "doesn't lose sight of doing what is right for the patient even though it isn't always possible."

To effectively satisfy the rising demand for better preventive healthcare programs and veterinary services for shelter animals, veterinarians must understand the mission and goal of animal shelters and the resources available to them.