The evolution of disaster response over the last decade was the catalyst for revising animal emergency management practices. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Animal Care funded a cooperative agreement with the University of Kentucky.

This agreement was to collaborate with the National Alliance of State Animal and Agriculture Emergency Programs (NASAAEP), the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalition (NARSC), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and other key stakeholders to update, consolidate, and create animal emergency management best practices.

The 2023 NASAAEP Current Best Practices in Animal Emergency Management documents are the result of extensive work by subject matter experts (SMEs) over a 24-month period. Document topics and content development were guided by the Best Practices Working Group (BPWG) Steering Committee and subjected to a rigorous external peer review process.