Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB

Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVBTitle: Shelter Medicine Residents Alumna 2005

Dr. Sheila Segurson completed her Shelter Medicine  and Behavior residency in 2005. Upon completion of her residency, Dr. Segurson became a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists, joining the ranks of 42 other board-certified veterinary behaviorists in the United States. Dr. Segurson spent the next year working at the Sacramento SPCA , one of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine program’s collaborating shelters.

In 2007 Dr. Segurson started Sacramento Veterinary Behavior Services to provide private appointments for  clients with pets who have behavior problems, as well as consultative services for animal shelters.

In 2008 Dr. Segurson accepted a new position with the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program where she served in the capacity of the program’s first shelter veterinary behavior specialist. During her time he she helped to develop the behavior component of this web site, and to training veterinarians, shelter staff, veterinary students and our residents about shelter behavior.

In late 2008 Dr. Segurson accepted a new position with the Animal Rescue League of Boston in their newly established Center for Shelter Dogs.

Dr. Segurson continues to be available to our program and other shelters as a resource in many areas of shelter behavior such as behavioral assessment, evaluation and treatment of behavior problems, and evaluation of shelter behavior and training programs.

Interpreting results of behavioral assessment is often an area of contention in shelters, and Dr. Segurson is frequently called upon by shelters to consult on their behavioral assessment results of both dogs and cats. She plans to assist shelters that are developing enrichment programs. She meets regularly with shelters to discuss the often over-looked behavioral needs of felines in shelters.

As a result of the intense training she received during her three year residency Dr. Segurson possesses a clear understanding of the infectious disease control challenges inherent to sheltering as well as the sheltered animal’s need for environmental enrichment. Her approach is to strike a balance between the shelter’s need for sound infectious disease control policies while still addressing the animals need for enrichment, behavior modification, and in some cases rehabilitation.

Dr. Segurson is involved in many aspects of teaching and training veterinary and shelter professionals. She has presented numerous lectures to shelters, animal interest, and veterinary groups, most recently at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Animal Rescue Foundation’s Business of Saving Lives Conference. She has contributed to numerous behavior articles published in popular pet magazines, and is currently writing a chapter for BSAVA’s Manual of Behavioral Medicine regarding Management and Rehoming of Rescue Dogs.

Dr. Segurson maintains a strong interest in clinical shelter behavior research. Her resident research project entitled ‘Evaluation of a behavioral assessment questionnaire for use in the characterization of behavioral problems of dogs relinquished to animal shelters’  was published in the December 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Segurson’s research interests include; stress reduction and environmental enrichment of shelter animals, behavioral assessment of shelter animals, and rehabilitation programs for canine and feline behavior problems.