“Hoarding” has become a reality TV staple, but the human and animal cost of this mental disorder is incalculable.
Animals seized from hoarding situations frequently suffer from conditions including enteric and respiratory infections, retroviruses, dermatophytosis, malnutrition, and other evidence of neglect.
In a presentation at the University of Florida’s 7th Annual Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Conference, UF Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program shelter alum Katherine Polak, DVM, MPH, MS, DACVMP explored the results of a retrospective study characterizing the infectious diseases carried by clinically affected cats from four large-scale cat hoarding investigations.
You can view a PDF version of her slides here, or watch her complete presentation in the video below.