HABRI Central

Assessing preferences and motivations for owning exotic pets: Care matters

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Anna Hausmann, Gonzalo Cortés-Capano, Iain Fraser, Enrico Di Minin

Understanding drivers of demand for exotic pets may help inform adequate conservation strategies to address unsustainable trade. Here, we used a best-worst scaling approach to understand the variety of preferences and motivations for owning exotic pets. Respondents (316 from 33 countries)...

Effects of Waiting Room and Feline Facial Pheromone Experience on Blood Pressure in Cats

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Laura R. Van Vertloo, Joyce M. Carnevale, Rebecca L. Parsons, Meghann Rosburg, Suzanne T. Millman

Obtaining accurate blood pressure measurements in cats is challenging due to the stressful nature of clinic visits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of veterinary clinic waiting experiences and a feline pheromone spray on blood pressure in the cat. We hypothesized that...

Situating the study of jealousy in the context of social relationships.

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Christine E. Webb, Frans B. M. de Waal

Whereas the feelings of other beings are private and may always remain so, emotions are simultaneously manifested in behavior, physiology, and other observables. Nonetheless, uncertainty about whether emotions can be studied adequately across species has promoted skepticism about their very...

Temporal Variation of Moose–Vehicle Collisions in Alaska

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Lucian R. McDonald, Terry A. Messmer, Michael R. Guttery

Collisions between vehicles and wildlife have long been recognized to pose threats to motorists and wildlife populations. In addition to the risk of injury or mortality faced by the motorists involved in wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs), other drivers are also put at risk due to road...

Major Parasitic Zoonoses Associated with Dogs and Cats in Europe

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): G. Baneth, S.M. Thamsborg, D. Otranto, J. Guillot, R. Blaga, P. Deplazes, L. Solano-Gallego

Some of the most important zoonotic infectious diseases are associated with parasites transmitted from companion animals to man. This review describes the main parasitic zoonoses in Europe related to dogs and cats, with particular emphasis on their current epidemiology. Toxoplasmosis,...

Jealousy, competition, or a contextual cue for reward?.

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Thomas R. Zentall

Emotions are difficult to assess, even in humans. The attribution of jealousy in an animal like a dog is especially difficult because performance of a particular behavior in the context of another animal receiving a reward may not be easily distinguishable from intra-species competition or...

Conflict Behavior in Show Jumping Horses: A Field Study

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Ewa Jastrzębska, Anna Wolska, Michela Minero, Magdalena Ogłuszka, Bernadette Earley, Janusz Wejer, Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda

The study objective was to determine if there was a relationship between behavioral and physiological stress measures in sport horses and their performance. Nineteen horses competed in show jumping events (6 housed at the center and 13 transported), while 5 horses at home training served as...

Leveraging Social Network Analysis for Characterizing Cohesion of Human-Managed Animals

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Dixon Vimalajeewa, Sasitharan Balasubramaniam, Bernadette O’Brien, Chamil Kulatunga, Donagh P. Berry

The 20 or so species of Leishmania which have been recorded as human infections are all either zoonotic, or have recent zoonotic origins. Their distribution is determined by that of their vector, their reservoir host, or both, so is dependent on precise environmental features. This...

On-Farm Welfare Assessment of Horses: The Risks of Putting the Cart before the Horse

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Martine Hausberger, Noémie Lerch, Estelle Guilbaud, Mathilde Stomp, Marine Grandgeorge, Séverine Henry, Clémence Lesimple

Although the question of animal welfare has been an important source of concern in the scientific community for several decades, many aspects are still under debate. On-farm assessments have to be rapid, acceptable to farmers and safe for both the assessors and animals. They are thus very...

Warm Air Leads to Hazardous Ground Temperatures When Walking Dogs in Built and Natural Environments

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Paul Hudak

  Two case studies in Texas, one in a built environment and another in a natural setting, illustrate potential ground heat hazards when walking dogs on warm days. In the first case, temperatures of four different ground surfaces—concrete, grass, chip seal, and tar—were...

Review of Lori Gruen's Critical Terms for Animal Studies

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Angus Taylor

Review of Critical Terms for Animal Studies, edited by Lori Gruen

Dog Owners' Perspectives on Canine Dental Health—A Questionnaire Study in Sweden

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Karolina Brunius Enlund, Carl Brunius, Jeanette Hanson, Ragnvi Hagman, Odd Viking Höglund, Pia Gustås, Ann Pettersson

Periodontal disease is one of the most common diseases affecting dogs, with a reported prevalence of at least 80% in dogs over 3 years of age. However, there is a lack of studies regarding dog owners’ assessment of their dog’s dental health, and whether they perceive clinical signs...

Why are sheep sheepish? How perception affects animal stereotyping.

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Robert G. Franklin Jr.

Marino & Merskin present compelling evidence that many stereotypes of sheep are incorrect. One factor that may play an important role in animal stereotyping is the physical appearance of animals, which can directly lead to stereotyping through automatic mental processes. Sheep have a round...

Train–Elephant Collisions in a Biodiversity-Rich Landscape: A Case Study from Rajaji National Park, North India

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Ritesh Joshi, Kanchan Puri

Linear developments like railways and highways have a negative impact on ecological processes of wildlife species at a landscape level. The impacts in terms of wildlife mortality and threat to surviving populations of species have been well-studied; however, less work has been done to...

Differences in the Search Behavior of Cancer Detection Dogs Trained to Have Either a Sit or Stand-Stare Final Response

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Jennifer L. Essler, Clara Wilson, Alexander C. Verta, Rebecca Feuer, Cynthia M. Otto

Recent literature has demonstrated that dogs have the potential to detect, and communicate the presence of, various human diseases. However, there is a lack of investigation into whether commonplace training differences within the field could influence a dog's behavior during a biomedical...

Proposal of a customized animal welfare protocol for military kennels

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Otavio Augusto Brioschi Soares, Fernanda Ishi, José Luiz Vetorazzo, Felipe Borges Soares, Nivea De Mattos Goes Vieira

The guarantee of animal welfare has been modernly approached in both physical and emotional aspects. The objective of this work was to propose a management protocol that maximizes animal welfare for working dogs, and that takes into account the particularities of Brazilian military...

Review of Emerging and Re-Emerging Zoonotic Pathogens of Dogs in Nigeria: Missing Link in One Health Approach

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Dorcas A. Gado, David O. Ehizibolo, Clement A. Meseko, Neil E. Anderson, Peter W. W. Lurz

Dogs live in close contact with humans as pets, for hunting, for security, and as a source of income. In addition, the meat is also consumed by some tribes in Nigeria. Dogs could therefore serve as reservoirs, carriers, and transmitters of zoonotic diseases. This review evaluates the literature...

Psycho-Social Effects of Pet Dog Ownership on Mentally Challenged Children

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Sandeep Aggarwal, Roopashi Aggarwal, Manmeet Kaur Sodhi, Shallu Aggarwal

Aim: Mental retardation is a social stigma and children affected by this condition always require love and compassion. Pets have a positive role in human life to relieve stress and anxiety. Pets are therefore considered to be a very important aspect of psychological therapy. Those children who...

Seroexposure to Zoonotic Anaplasma and Borrelia in Dogs and Horses That Are in Contact with Vulnerable People in Italy

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Traversa, D., Milillo, P., Maggi, R., Simonato, G., Di Cesare, A., Pezzuto, C., Grillini, M., Morelli, S., Colombo, M., Passarelli, A., Grassano, A., Serio, P., Losurdo, M., Brueckmann, R.

Equine and canine anaplasmosis and borreliosis are major tick-borne zoonotic diseases caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum and various species of Borrelia (the most important being Borrelia burgdorferi s.l.), respectively. This study evaluated the seroexposure to Anaplasma and Borrelia in dogs...

The Impact of Campus-Based Therapy Dogs on the Mood and Affect of University Students

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Peel, N., Nguyen, K., Tannous, C.

University students experience a high level of stress, which could potentially affect how they manage stressful situations beyond university, such as when entering the workforce. Although universities offer counseling services and various health promotion programs, there is reluctance and...