Practice Guidelines
Practice guidelines and consensus statements are documents developed by panels of experts who review the primary literature, assess the strength of evidence, and develop recommendations for best practice. These guidelines are designed to assist clinicians in practicing evidence-based medicine. While some of the newer guidelines include sections on an incremental care approach, many of these guidelines are not written specifically for a shelter or community clinic setting, and some of the recommendations for diagnostic or treatment approaches may not be financially or logistically feasible in these settings. However, a good understanding of the best available evidence provides a solid starting point for adapting the recommendations for a resource-limited setting. Included below are links to guidelines and consensus statements from the past ten years that may be relevant to shelter and community medicine.
Shelter and Community Medicine
2024 AAHA Community Care Guidelines for Small Animal Practice – Full Guidelines
2024 AAHA Community Care Guidelines for Small Animal Practice – Website and Tools
Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (Association of Shelter Veterinarians; 2022)
Veterinary Medical Care Guidelines for Spay-Neuter Programs (Association of Shelter Veterinarians; 2016)
Preventive Health
Companion Animal Parasite Council Guidelines
2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines (Updated 2024) – Full Guidelines
2022 AAHA Canine Vaccination Guidelines (Updated 2024) – Website and Tools
2021 AAFP Senior Care Guidelines
2021 AAHA/AAFP Feline Life Stage Guidelines
2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2021 AAHA Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines – Website and Tools
2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2020 AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines – Website and Tools
2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2019 AAHA Canine Life Stage Guidelines – Website and Tools
Infectious Diseases and Infection Control
American Heartworm Society Canine Guidelines
American Heartworm Society Feline Guidelines
2025 ISCAID Antimicrobial Use Guidelines for Canine Pyoderma
2022 AAFP/AAHA Antimicrobial Stewardship Guidelines
2022 AAFP/EveryCat Feline Infectious Peritonitis Diagnosis Guidelines
Diagnosis and Treatment of Demodicosis in Dogs and Cats (2020; World Association for Veterinary Dermatology)
2020 AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2020 AAFP Feline Retrovirus Testing and Management Guidelines – Website and Tools
Ontario Animal Health Network 2020 Infection Prevention and Control Best Practices for Small Animal Veterinary Clinics
Updated ACVIM Consensus Statement on Leptospirosis in Dogs (2020)
Antimicrobial Use Guidelines – Urinary Tract Infections (International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Disease; 2019)
2019 AAFP Feline Zoonoses GuidelinesACVIM Consensus Update on Lyme Borreliosis in Dogs and Cats (2018)
2018 AAHA Infection Control, Prevention, and Biosecurity Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2018 AAHA Infection Control, Prevention, and Biosecurity Guidelines – Website and Tools
Antimicrobial Use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Disease in Dogs and Cats (International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases; 2017)
Compendium of Animal Rabies Prevention and Control (National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians; 2016)
Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention in Veterinary Personnel (National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians; 2015)
Dentistry
2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2019 AAHA Dental Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
Euthanasia
AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (2020)
Emergency Medicine
2024 RECOVER Guidelines: Updated Treatment Recommendations for CPR in Dogs and Cats
2024 AAHA Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2024 AAHA Fluid Therapy Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
Anesthesia and Pain Management
2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2020 AAHA Anesthesia and Monitoring Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
AAFP Feline Anesthesia Guidelines (2018)
Behaviour
2024 AAFP Intercat Tension Guidelines
2022 AAFP/ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines: Approach and Handling Techniques
2022 ISFM/AAFP Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines
AAFP Feline Feeding Programs Consensus Statement (2022)
2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2015 AAHA Canine and Feline Behavior Management Guidelines – Website and Tools
Chronic Disease
2024 ISFM/AAFP Consensus Statement on the Long-Term Use of NSAIDs in Cats
2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2023 AAHA Management of Allergic Skin Diseases in Dogs and Cats Guidelines – Website and Tools
2023 AAHA Selected Endocrinopathies of Dogs and Cats Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2023 AAHA Selected Endocrinopathies of Dogs and Cats Guidelines – Website and Tools
2023 Feline Hospice and Palliative Care Guidelines
2022 AAFP Approaches to Urolithiasis Treatment Consensus Statement
2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Full Guidelines
2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats – Website and Tools
ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Diagnosis and Management of Feline Chronic Kidney Disease (2016)
2016 AAFP Guidelines for the Management of Feline Hyperthyroidism
2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines – Full Guidelines
2016 AAHA/IAAHPC End-of-Life Care Guidelines – Website and Tools