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Faculty members participate in Pet Expo adoption event in Ocala

Dr. Justin Shmalberg discusses pet nutrition during a Pet Expo adoption event sponsored by the Marion County Public Library System. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Gareth Buckley)

Two UF College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members participated in the first annual Paws and Pages Pet Expo event,  sponsored by the Marion County Public Library System and held on October 1 in Ocala.

Dr. Gareth Buckley, chief of the UF Small Animal Hospital’s emergency and critical care service, and Dr. Justin Shmalberg, chief of the hospital’s integrative medicine service, were among the invited speakers. They presented information from their respective disciplines relating to health care as well as tips for selecting the right family pet.

The event included participation from five local animal shelters/rescue agencies and resulted in the adoption of 30 pets.

Participating rescue groups were Marion County Animal Services, Humane Society of Marion County, SPCA of Marion County, VOCAL for Pets and Sheltering Hands Cat Rescue.

“Everyone was very pleased with the outcome and the number of adopted pets that will now have new homes,” said Karen Jensen, the library’s community liaison. “Marion County Animal Services even had to go back for more dogs, as the initial group was all adopted.”