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Socioeconomic Influences on Reports of Canine Welfare Concerns to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in Queensland, Australia
| Contributor(s):: Hao Yu Shih, Mandy B. A. Paterson, Clive J. C. Phillips
Human–dog relationships are an important contributor to the welfare of dogs, but little is known about the importance of socioeconomic status of the dogs’ owners. We conducted a retrospective study of canine welfare complaints, using Australian government statistics on the...
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Pet Food Quality Assurance and Safety and Quality Assurance Survey within the Costa Rican Pet Food Industry
| Contributor(s):: Astrid Leiva, Andrea Molina, Mauricio Redondo-Solano, Graciela Artavia, Lizeth Rojas-Bogantes, Fabio Granados-Chinchilla
Costa Rican animal feed production is continually growing, with approximately 1,238,243 metric tons produced in 2018. Production-wise, pet cat and dog food are in fifth place (about 41,635 metric tons per year) amongst animal feeds, and it supplies up to 90% of the national market. Pet food...
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Rein Tension in Transitions and Halts during Equestrian Dressage Training
| Contributor(s):: Agneta Egenvall, Hilary M. Clayton, Marie Eisersiö, Lars Roepstorff, Anna Byström
In dressage, the performance of transitions between gaits and halts is an integral part of riding sessions. The study aimed to evaluate rein tension before, during and after the transitions between different gaits and the transitions into halts. The kinematic (inertial measurement units) data...
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Dog-bites, rabies and One Health: Towards improved coordination in research, policy and practice
| Contributor(s):: Melanie J. Rock, Dawn Rault, Chris Degeling
Dog-bites and rabies are neglected problems worldwide, notwithstanding recent efforts to raise awareness and to consolidate preventive action. As problems, dog-bites and rabies are entangled with one another, and both align with the concept of One Health. This concept emphasizes interdependence...
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Behavioral Changes in Dogs With Idiopathic Epilepsy Compared to Other Medical Populations
| Contributor(s):: Hilary Levitin, Devon Wallis Hague, Kelly C. Ballantyne, Laura E. Selmic
Anxiety related behaviors have been reported in humans diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) and such traits may be altered depending on seizure phase. The purpose of this study was to determine the presence and severity of anxiety related behaviors in dogs with IE compared to other medical...
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Can Responsible Ownership Practices Influence Hunting Behavior of Owned Cats?: Results from a Survey of Cat Owners in Chile
| Contributor(s):: Sebastián Escobar-Aguirre, Raúl A. Alegría-Morán, Javiera Calderón-Amor, Tamara A. Tadich
The domestic cat (Felis catus) has become a worldwide threat to wildlife. The potential impact of owned cats on wildlife in Chile has not been documented at a large scale. The purpose of this study was to investigate the number and type of prey that owned cats bring back in Chile and its...
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Expression of Myoepithelial Markers in Mammary Carcinomas of 119 Pet Rabbits
| Contributor(s):: Sophie Degner, Heinz-Adolf Schoon, Sebastian Degner, Mathias Baudis, Claudia Schandelmaier, Heike Aupperle-Lellbach, Sandra Schöniger
Most mammary tumors in pet rabbits are carcinomas; prognostic factors are unknown. The aim of this study on rabbit mammary carcinomas was to determine the expression of myoepithelial markers that have a prognostic relevance in human cancers. Mammary carcinomas (n = 119) of female or...
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Measuring Volumetric Changes of Equine Distal Limbs: A Pilot Study Examining Jumping Exercise
| Contributor(s):: Steven Johnson, Jennifer Symons
Equine athletes can incur musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive loading during training and competition. Prior to signs of lameness, horse trainers and veterinarians may observe swelling in the distal limbs, where injuries most frequently occur. Early observations may guide modulation of...
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A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference to Collected Trot, Passage and Piaffe in Dressage Horses
| Contributor(s):: Hilary M. Clayton, Sarah Jane Hobbs
Gaits are typically classified as walking or running based on kinematics, the shape of the vertical ground reaction force (GRF) curve, and the use of inverted pendulum or spring-mass mechanics during the stance phase. The objectives of this review were to describe the biomechanical...
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Shelters Reflect but Cannot Solve Underlying Problems with Relinquished and Stray Animals—A Retrospective Study of Dogs and Cats Entering and Leaving Shelters in Denmark from 2004 to 2017
| Contributor(s):: Peter Sandøe, Janne B.H. Jensen, Frank Jensen, Søren Saxmose Nielsen
Data covering about 90% of the estimated intake of dogs and cats to Danish shelters from 2004 to 2017 were used to study the effects of tight control of dogs and of efforts to increase shelter services for unwanted or stray cats. During the period, there was a low and decreasing intake of dogs,...
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Human Induced Rotation and Reorganization of the Brain of Domestic Dogs
| Contributor(s):: Taryn Roberts, Paul McGreevy, Michael Valenzuela
Domestic dogs exhibit an extraordinary degree of morphological diversity. Such breed-to-breed variability applies equally to the canine skull, however little is known about whether this translates to systematic differences in cerebral organization. By looking at the paramedian sagittal magnetic...
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Virulence Genes, Shiga Toxin Subtypes, Serogroups, and Clonal Relationship of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia Coli Strains Isolated from Livestock and Companion Animals
| Contributor(s):: Nicolás Galarce, Beatriz Escobar, Fernando Sánchez, Esteban Paredes-Osses, Raúl Alegría-Morán, Consuelo Borie
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes severe illness in humans and is an important cause of foodborne disease. In Chile, there is limited information on the virulence characteristics of this pathogen in livestock, and none in companion...
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Back to School: An Updated Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Long-Term Trap-Neuter-Return Program on a University's Free-Roaming Cat Population
| Contributor(s):: Daniel D. Spehar, Peter J. Wolf
A growing body of evidence indicates that trap-neuter-return (TNR) is not only effective at reducing community cat numbers, but that such reductions are sustainable over extended periods. Recently, a series of peer-reviewed articles documenting long-term declines in community cat populations...
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The Role of Oxytocin in the Dog–Owner Relationship
| Contributor(s):: Sarah Marshall-Pescini, Franka S. Schaebs, Alina Gaugg, Anne Meinert, Tobias Deschner, Friederike Range
Oxytocin (OT) is involved in multiple social bonds, from attachment between parents and offspring to “friendships”. Dogs are an interesting species in which to investigate the link between the oxytocinergic system and social bonds since they establish preferential bonds with their...
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Effects of pre-conditioning on behavior and physiology of horses during a standardised learning task
| Contributor(s):: Kate Fenner, Holly Webb, Melissa J. Starling, Rafael Freire, Petra Buckley, Paul D. McGreevy
Rein tension is used to apply pressure to control both ridden and unridden horses. The pressure is delivered by equipment such as the bit, which may restrict voluntary movement and cause changes in behavior and physiology. Managing the effects of such pressure on arousal level and behavioral...
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The Sleep of Shelter Dogs Was Not Disrupted by Overnight Light Rather than Darkness in a Crossover Trial
| Contributor(s):: Katherine A. Houpt, Hollis N. Erb, Genaro A. Coria-Avila
Dogs in shelters may be unattended at night. The purpose of this study is to describe the night-time behavior of dogs in a shelter and to determine if artificial light affected their sleeping patterns. Ten dogs were video-recorded under both light and dark conditions and their behavior recorded...
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Providing Humans With Practical, Best Practice Handling Guidelines During Human-Cat Interactions Increases Cats' Affiliative Behaviour and Reduces Aggression and Signs of Conflict
| Contributor(s):: Haywood, C., Ripari, L., Puzzo, J., Foreman-Worsley, R., Finka, L. R.
The importance of animals' experiences and associated comfort during Human-Animal Interactions (HAI), and particularly Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI), are increasingly recognised. However, there remains a paucity of published research, particularly concerning less formal but frequent...
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Love, fear, and the human-animal bond: On adversity and multispecies relationships
| Contributor(s):: Applebaum, J. W., MacLean, E. L., McDonald, S. E.
Love and strong social bonds are known buffers in the experience of adversity. Humans often form strong bonds with non-human animals. The human-animal bond refers to a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between humans and non-human animals. Previous research suggests that strong bonds...
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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
| 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...
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Demographic Characteristics of Individuals Who Abuse Animals: A Systematic Review
| 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...
