San Diego Humane Society’s new director of Pilar and Chuck Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine brings a decade of veterinary experience to oversee compassionate and effective medical care for 40,000 companion animals this year. Dr. Zarah Hedge, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DABVP is one of only 28 board-certified shelter veterinarians with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.
Most recently, Hedge worked as hospital director at Western University Spay/Neuter Center in Van Nuys. She was also an assistant professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona. This is also where she graduated from veterinary school.
Hedge will be based at the state-of-the-art Bahde Center for Shelter Medicine at the San Diego Campus, where she will help build a residency program, programs for community cats, community spay/neuter clinics and much more.
“Shelter medicine has a place in my heart because the animals need specific types of care,” said Hedge. “It is a different mindset that requires you to consider the full spectrum: An animal’s unknown background, whether or not they are part of a cruelty investigation, infectious disease concerns – you have to be very versatile and think of the entire shelter population to keep all animals healthy.”
“Hedge’s role will help advance our mission to be a leader in shelter medicine with innovative programs that will help reduce animal homelessness in our community and provide the best treatment for homeless animals in our care,” said Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of San Diego Humane Society. “In addition, she will help develop our student internship program, so we can continue to teach the shelter veterinarians of tomorrow in this highly unique and specialized field.”
While at SDHS, Hedge will continue as a Reserve Field Veterinarian for Rural Area Veterinary Services, a program of The Fund for Animals. Four weeks per year, she travels to provide direct veterinary care to Native American reservations, including spay/neuter surgery and preventive services.
