HABRI Central

Can the Visits of Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) Influence the Mental Health (Anxiety and Depression) of Male Aging Patients Institutionalized with Dementia in Health Care Units? A Pilot Study of Madeira Island, Portugal

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): S. Vasconcelos, J. Azevedo, C. Casanova, H. Jardim, D. Neto, S. Jardim, C. Viegas

Despite the fact that in the last decades, several mental health studies have shown that companion animals contribute to psychological and social well- being in humans (e.g., positive impacts have been observed in the elderly medicated for chronic diseases such as anxiety, dementia, and...

Demographic Characteristics of Individuals Who Abuse Animals: A Systematic Review

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Lisa Emmett, Nina Kasacek, Birgit Ursula Stetina

The purpose of the following review is to evaluate current literature on animal abuse including animal hoarding and zoophilia to identify demographic characteristics of adults who abuse animals. The review was conducted by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and...

Human- Animal Interaction to Support Well- Being at University: Experiences of Undergraduate Students in the UK

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Aliya Khalid, Anne Rogers, Emily Vicary, Helen Brooks

In the context of increasing concerns about student mental health and the therapeutic value of companion animals for mental health, there is limited understanding of the potential contribution of human- animal interaction in relation to undergraduate well- being. This study aimed to develop an...

Do You Hear What I Hear? Human Perception of Coyote Group Size

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Kyle Brewster, Scott E. Henke, Alfonso Ortega, John Tomecek, Benjamin Turner

Recordings of 1 – 4 coyotes (Canis latrans) that were howling and yip-yapping were played to 427 participants who were asked to estimate the number of coyotes they perceived to hear. Participants were separated by gender (M or F), age group ( 35), resident location (urban, suburban, or...

Assessing Risks to Wildlife from Free-Roaming Hybrid Cats: The Proposed Introduction of Pet Savannah Cats to Australia as a Case Study

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Christopher R. Dickman, Sarah M. Legge, John C. Z. Woinarski

Hybrid cats—created by crossing different species within the family Felidae—are popular pets, but they could potentially threaten native species if they escape and establish free-roaming populations. To forestall this possibility, the Australian government imposed a specific ban on...

Assessing the Social and Psychological Impacts of Endemic Animal Disease Amongst Farmers

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Delyth Crimes, Gareth Enticott

Outbreaks of exotic animal disease, such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) are associated with social and psychological impacts amongst farmers. Whilst claims of similar impacts for endemic diseases have been made, there is little empirical evidence to justify these assertions. This paper...

Weber's Law and the Scalar Property of Timing: A Test of Canine Timing

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Jessica H. Cliff, Surrey M. K. Jackson, James S. McEwan, Lewis A. Bizo

Domestic dogs completed a temporal bisection procedure that required a response to one lever following a light stimulus of short duration and to another lever following a light stimulus of a longer duration. The short and long durations across the four conditions were (0.5–2.0 s,...

Scientific and Ethical Issues in Exporting Welfare Findings to Different Animal Subpopulations: The Case of Semi-Captive Elephants Involved in Animal-Visitor Interactions (AVI) in South Africa

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Barbara de Mori, Elena Stagni, Linda Ferrante, Gregory Vogt, Keith A. Ramsay, Simona Normando

Elephants are charismatic, cognitively highly-developed animals, whose management conditions can vary along a “wild–captive continuum.” Several protocols have been proposed for the assessment of zoo elephants’ welfare. It is important to investigate the possible...

Developing and Assessing the Validity of a Scale to Assess Pet Dog Quality of Life: Lincoln P-QoL

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Sophie S. Hall, Beverley J. Brown, Daniel S. Mills

There has been little investment in exploring the impact of the child-dog relationship on the dog. Since child-dog interactions can pose potentially serious threats to a dog’s physical and psychological health, as well as the wider satisfaction of the owner with their dog, we describe...

Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics and Preliminary Safety Assessment with Use of CBD-Rich Hemp Nutraceutical in Healthy Dogs and Cats

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Kelly A. Deabold, Wayne S. Schwark, Lisa Wolf, Joseph J. Wakshlag

The use of CBD-rich hemp products is becoming popular among pet owners with no long-term safety data related to consumption in adult dogs and cats. The purpose of this study was to determine the single-dose oral pharmacokinetics of CBD, and to provide a preliminary assessment of safety and...

Social dog — emotional dog?

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Stefanie Riemer

Based on their high sociability and their capabilities in social cognition, we should conclude that dogs experience rich emotions in the social domain. I discuss the importance of dog-human attachment and some of the controversial evidence for so-called secondary emotions, which leaves many...

Revisiting a Previously Validated Temperament Test in Shelter Dogs, Including an Examination of the Use of Fake Model Dogs to Assess Conspecific Sociability

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Shanis Barnard, Danielle Kennedy, Reuben Watson, Paola Valsecchi, Gareth Arnott

This study assessed the feasibility and reproducibility of a previously validated temperament test (TT) for shelter dogs. The test was developed to measure dog behaviour in the kennel, and traits of sociability towards people and other dogs, docility to leash, playfulness, cognitive skills, and...

Cross-species transmission potential between wild pigs, livestock, poultry, wildlife, and humans: implications for disease risk management in North America

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Ryan S. Miller, Steven J. Sweeney, Chris Slootmaker, Daniel A. Grear, Paul A. Di Salvo, Deborah Kiser, Stephanie A. Shwif

Cross-species disease transmission between wildlife, domestic animals and humans is an increasing threat to public and veterinary health. Wild pigs are increasingly a potential veterinary and public health threat. Here we investigate 84 pathogens and the host species most at risk for...

The Effect of Tree Width on Thoracolumbar and Limb Kinematics, Saddle Pressure Distribution, and Thoracolumbar Dimensions in Sports Horses in Trot and Canter

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Russell MacKechnie-Guire, Erik MacKechnie-Guire, Vanessa Fairfax, Diana Fisher, Mark Fisher, Thilo Pfau

This study evaluated the effect of saddle tree width on thoracolumbar and limb kinematics, saddle pressure distribution, and thoracolumbar epaxial musculature dimensions. Correctly fitted saddles were fitted by a Society of Master Saddler Qualified Saddle Fitter in fourteen sports horses (mean...

Paws for Thought: A Controlled Study Investigating the Benefits of Interacting with a House-Trained Dog on University Students Mood and Anxiety

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Emily L R Thelwell

University students have been found to have higher rates of psychological distress than that of the general population, which reportedly rises significantly upon starting university and does not return to pre-university levels throughout their time in university. It is therefore highly...

Sex differences in the herding styles of working sheepdogs and their handlers

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Erin Kydd, Paul McGreevy

Working sheepdog trials test the attributes of dogs as well as the dogmanship and stockmanship skills of handlers. They generally include standard elements such as outrun, lift, fetch, drive, shed, pen and single to test all facets of the work that dogs perform on a farm. While both male and...

Impact of Socio-Economic Status on Accessibility of Dog Training Classes

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Lauren Harris, Tamsin Durston, Jake Flatman, Denise Kelly, Michelle Moat, Rahana Mohammed, Tracey Smith, MariaWickes, Melissa Upjohn, Rachel Casey

Behaviour problems are amongst the most common reasons given for relinquishing dogs to rehoming centres. Some behaviour problems may be amenable to being tackled pre-emptively with classes educating owners on basic dog training and understanding behaviour; however, it is recognised that people...

Editorial: Veterinary Sports Medicine and Physical Rehabilitation

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): David Levine, Henry Steven Adair, Denis J. Marcellin-Little, Michael Jaffe, Andris J. Kaneps

The Welfare of Pig-Hunting Dogs in Australia

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): Bronwyn Orr, Richard Malik, Jacqui Norris, Mark Westman

Hunting feral pigs using dogs is a popular recreational activity in Australia. Dogs are used to flush, chase, bail, and hold feral pigs, and their use for these activities is legal in some states and territories and illegal in others. However, there is little knowledge about the health and...

Pharmaceutical Prescription in Canine Acute Diarrhoea: A Longitudinal Electronic Health Record Analysis of First Opinion Veterinary Practices

Journal Articles | Contributor(s): David A. Singleton, P. J. M. Noble, Fernando Sánchez-Vizcaíno, Susan Dawson, Gina L. Pinchbeck, Nicola J. Williams, Alan D. Radford, Philip H. Jones

Canine acute diarrhoea is frequently observed in first opinion practice, though little is known about commonly used diagnostic or therapeutic management plans, including use of antimicrobials. This retrospective observational study utilised electronic health records augmented with...