AVMA Conference: Connections reach new heights in Denver

By Nicole Forsyth, President and CEO

This is the third year in a row I have had the opportunity to attend and speak at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s annual conference. The past two years, RedRover has received generous funding from the Adtalem Global Education Foundation to help make this possible. The presentation covers how understanding the link between animal abuse and human abuse can help animals and how veterinary professionals can identify potential abuse in their clinics and connect with community organizations to help domestic violence (DV) survivors and their pets.

My joint presentation, “Beyond Mandatory Reporting: Developing Protocols for Early Detection of Abuse,” with Dr. Amanda Landis-Hanna, a veterinarian on our Board of Directors, was well-received. One participant told us it was their favorite talk of the conference, and that the topic should be the keynote presentation! This year, we also invited veterinary professionals to join our 25 by 2025 campaign with the goal of helping 25% of DV shelters become pet friendly by 2025. Veterinarians and others in the community – like you – can download the toolkit and share messages of support on social media, in Letters to the Editor, and more! Community support goes a long way in helping DV shelters take the leap to become pet friendly.

In addition to presenting, we connected with other veterinarians and pet industry representatives who are interested in partnering with RedRover to help people and pets in crisis. Sheri Madsen, RedRover’s Director of Public Relations and Partnerships, and I attended lots of meetings, receptions and celebrations, but we also had time to enjoy the Center for Wellbeing where attendees were relaxing in hammocks, coloring a large poster, and painting rocks! I was missing my beagle Finn, so I painted him! Speaking of Finn, I also attended a fascinating talk on how to help dogs who are fearful of loud noises, like fireworks and thunderstorms, and I came away with some great tips that we will share next summer, since I am guessing many of you had a difficult Fourth of July like I did! My last day at RedRover is July 31st, and this was the perfect way to end my tenure!