The Relief Life: Surgery, Shelters, & Spaces Beyond

Date & Time: September 16, 2026, 6-7 PM Pac

What if your practice wasn't tied to one clinic, one community, or even one country? Relief work lets veterinarians move between environments and specialties — expanding access to care wherever they land, near or far. It’s also a way to expand your own skillsets in medicine and surgery, and to bring care to shelters, clinics, and communities that do not have consistent veterinarian access, while being your own boss! Join host Dr. Jenn Bennett with guests Dr. Eli Butler (full-time independent contractor providing private and shelter medicine, spay/neuter surgery and community clinics) and Dr. Lauren Kloer (small animal veterinarian and Humane World for Animals staff trip leader for Rural Area Veterinary Services/RAVS) for a conversation on building a career around relief work: how they got started, how and why they choose their gigs, and what it really takes to do this work well.

By the end of this hour, you'll be better prepared to:

• Recognize how relief experiences can be mutually beneficial for expanding veterinary services in underserved areas and expanding depth and skillset for veterinarians
• Understand what relief veterinary work looks like and how to get started
• Identify what factors go into choosing where and how to practice relief work
• Recognize the skills, equipment, and prep work needed across varied environments
• Explore the range of relief opportunities available, from local shelters, HQHVSN clinics, and field work, to remote gigs and how to plug in

Shelter Med LIVE isn’t a lecture—it's a conversation for veterinarians, and everyone else who wants to talk shop on shelter medicine. Kick back and recharge with your colleagues in the middle of a long week! Find past episodes on-demand in the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie!

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Triaging Trauma: Stabilization Strategies from Field to Shelter

Date & Time: Now available on demand.

Burns. Broken bones. Bleeding. Bite wounds. When your team calls on you to assess an animal in distress, how do you determine your next steps?

Join host Dr. Jenn Bennett with guests Dr. Maria Pyrdek (Chief Veterinarian and Animal Care Officer, Pasadena Humane) and Dr. Ashley Patterson (Associate Director of Operations, UC Davis California Veterinary Emergency Team) for a conversation on triage strategies that help shelter vets work within their capacity while still providing critical care.

By the end of this hour, participants will be better prepared to:

• Determine which patients can be stabilized in the shelter and which require immediate referral
• Provide short-term stabilization while moving animals toward the appropriate level of care and outcome
• Recognize how triage priorities and common scenarios differ between field and shelter settings
• Identify essential supplies for triage and stabilization of common conditions
• Understand foundational disaster-planning considerations for shelters, including legal responsibilities for animal care

Shelter Med LIVE isn’t a lecture—it's a conversation for veterinarians, and everyone else who wants to talk shop on shelter medicine. Kick back and recharge with your colleagues in the middle of a long week! Find past episodes on-demand in the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie!

Couldn't make it live? Click the link below to receive the recording and resources, accessible through the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse, #ThanksToMaddie! This event has been approved for 1 hour of continuing education credit by CAWA and NACA.

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