Narrator: This is Science Today. The University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is leading a pioneering program aimed at improving care in animal shelters. Kate Hurley, director of Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program, says the focus is on instruction, hands-on training for veterinary students, diagnostic and medical support for shelters, as well as research to improve shelter-animal medical care.

Hurley: Death arising out of animal homelessness, either because of disease that occurs in animal shelters, behavioral problems that develop in the very difficult environment of an animal shelter or just death because no home can be found for the animal, is the leading cause of death for dogs and cats in the United States.

Narrator: The goal is to decrease the number of dogs and cats euthanized at shelters and to improve the wellbeing of the animals during shelter stays.

Hurley: And this is not to judge animal shelters at all -they're doing the best they can with minimal resources.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.