Outreach Offering Community service through Extension and other programs

Extension is a partnership between state, federal, and county governments to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public. At UF, Extension is located in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), and the College of Veterinary Medicine houses Veterinary Extension, providing information relevant to residents of the state of Florida on aquatic animals, equine research, beef and dairy cattle, and poultry.

The Aquatic Animal health program at UF includes the marine mammal health program operated through the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. It is funded by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Also included is a strong program in fish and aquaculture medicine, which is run through the Program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation.

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is a lead member of the Florida State Agriculture Response Team, or SART. As a “quick strike” resource, the college has been tasked to assist the state in response to animal and agricultural disasters whenever an emergency has been officially declared. The UF Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service includes disaster response as well as animal technical rescue and training.

Operation Catnip, founded at UF in 1998, is a nonprofit organization offering free spay/neuter and vaccines for unowned free-roaming community cats from Alachua County, Florida. Our clinics are run entirely by volunteers, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians and other trained volunteers, and are capable of sterilizing over 200 cats in a matter of hours.

A program for innovative medical, surgical, and behavioral training to prepare practice-ready veterinarians for high-impact and rewarding careers in animal welfare. Our nationally known experts provide shelter consultation services, emergency response for disease outbreaks, and research to solve the most critical threats to successful animal sheltering.

The Veterinary Community Outreach Program is an elective clinical rotation for junior and senior veterinary students at the college. Working closely with area animal rescue groups, VCOP introduces students to the challenges of veterinary practice in both community and shelter environments and provides experience in spay and neuter techniques of dogs, puppies, cats and kittens.

Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) is a volunteer organization run by veterinary students at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, aiming to improve the quality of life for people with disabling illnesses by offering free veterinary care to their pets.