The evolution of the discipline of animal emergency management drives the need for periodic updates of best practice materials.   To fill the current need for revisions, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Care Program funded a cooperative agreement with a core planning team at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment to collaborate with National Alliance of State Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs (NASAAEP), the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and other key stakeholders to update, consolidate, and create animal emergency management best practices.  The 2023 Current Best Practices documents result from extensive work by subject matter experts over 24 months.  Document content development was guided by the Best Practices Working Group (BPWG) Steering Committee and subjected to a rigorous external peer review process. The following papers have been developed  and are currently under technical review and will be available for use on October 1, 2023

1. Evacuation and Transportation (Pets and Equine)
2. Veterinary Medical Response
3. Community Engagement and Preparedness
4. Animal Search and Rescue 
5. Incident Command and Coordination
6. Decontamination
7. Mass Care and Sheltering
8. Planning and Resource Management