Factors Associated with High Live Release for Dogs at a Large, Open-Admission, Municipal Shelter.

Better understanding of factors contributing to live release (rehoming) may help shelters improve outcomes. In this cross-sectional, exploratory, non-interventional study, data for all intakes (n = 21,409) for dogs eligible for rehoming from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2016 are analyzed to identify such factors. Live release was >88%.

Use of accelerometers to measure stress levels in shelter dogs.

Stress can compromise welfare in any confined group of nonhuman animals, including those in shelters. However, an objective and practical method for assessing the stress levels of individual dogs housed in a shelter does not exist. Such a method would be useful for monitoring animal welfare and would allow shelters to measure the effectiveness of specific interventions for stress reduction.

Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States (2000-2009).

Objective: To examine potentially preventable factors in human dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs) on the basis of data from sources that were more complete, verifiable, and accurate than media reports used in previous studies.

Design: Prospective case series.

Sample: 56 DBRFs occurring in the United States from 2000 to 2009.

Use of geospatial neighborhood control locations for epidemiological analysis of community-level pet adoption patterns.

Objective: To explore the joint effect of distance and neighborhood-level demographics on pet adoptions from an animal shelter by means of client segmentation, geospatial tools, and epidemiological techniques.

Sample Population: Geocoded locations of 1,563 adoptions from an animal shelter in eastern Massachusetts and 4,700 geospatial control locations.

Procedures: Pet adoptions were geocoded to addresses by use of spatial analysis software for area-based analysis.

General public health considerations for responding to animal hoarding cases.

Animal hoarding is an under-recognized problem that exists in most communities and adversely impacts the health, welfare, and safety of humans, animals, and the environment. These guidelines address public health and worker safety concerns in handling situations where animal hoarding or other dense concentrations of animals have caused unhealthy and unsafe conditions. Because animal hoarding situations are often complex, a full response is likely to be prolonged and require a cross-jurisdictional multiagency effort.

Mapping and measuring disparities in welfare for cats across neighborhoods in a large US city.

Objective: To determine whether disparities in health and welfare among cats are present within neighborhoods and across census tracts in a large US city, and to compare results with area-level human data.

Sample Population: 17,587 cat intake records from 2 animal sheltering organizations serving Boston, and summary data from city animal control authorities for a 5-year period (2004 through 2008).

Procedures: Geocoded addresses (n = 15,285) were spatially joined to neighborhood and census tract polygons.

A theoretical perspective to inform assessment and treatment strategies for animal hoarders.

Animal hoarding is a poorly understood, maladaptive, destructive behavior whose etiology and pathology are only beginning to emerge. We compare and contrast animal hoarding to the compulsive hoarding of objects and proceed to draw upon attachment theory, the literature of personality disorder and trauma, and our own clinical experience to propose a developmental trajectory. Throughout life, there is a persistent struggle to form a functional attachment style and achieve positive social integration.

Animal bites.

Animal bites continue to pose major public health challenges, and the clinical sequelae of bite injuries can extend far beyond simple wound management. Identification of people bitten by animals remains incomplete, and inconsistencies in data collection preclude meaningful conclusions about bite circumstances and predisposition of specific breeds of dogs to bite or inflict severe bites.

Comparison of remote versus in-person behavioral consultation for treatment of canine separation anxiety.

To investigate the validity of remote consultation for treatment of canine separation anxiety, this study compared the efficacy of 2 types of behavioral services offered by Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (TCSVM): (a) "PetFax," a remote consultation service in which dog caregivers (owners) and a certified applied animal behaviorist correspond via fax or email and (b) in-person clinic consultation, which requires that owners bring their dogs to the Animal Behavior Clinic at TCSVM to consult with a board-certified veterinary behaviorist, a veterinary behavior resident, or a certified applied animal behaviorist. The study tested 4 variables for significant differences between PetFax users and clinic visitors: (a) pre- and posttreatment anxiety scores; (b) owner-reported improvement; (c) percentage of rehomed dogs, dogs relinquished or euthanized because of separation anxiety; and (d) clarity of communication with owners. The study found no significant differences between the groups.

Systematic review of comparative studies examining alternatives to the harmful use of animals in biomedical education.

Objective: To systematically review the published literature for controlled studies comparing learning outcomes of traditional methods that require the terminal use of animals (eg, dissection, live-animal surgery, and live-animal laboratory demonstrations) with outcomes obtained with alternative teaching methods.

Design: Systematic review.

Study Population: Controlled studies published between 1996 and 2004.

Evaluation of a questionnaire regarding nonphysical aspects of quality of life in sick and healthy dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the ability of a questionnaire regarding the nonphysical aspects of quality of life (QOL) to differentiate sick and healthy dogs.

Animals: 120 dogs.

Procedure: The questionnaire was administered by telephone to owners of 120 dogs with appointments at a veterinary teaching hospital.

Development of a discriminative questionnaire to assess nonphysical aspects of quality of life of dogs.

Objective: To develop a preliminary discriminative questionnaire for assessment of nonphysical aspects of the quality of life (QOL) of pet dogs and evaluate the questionnaire's content validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency.

Study Population: Owners of 120 dogs.

Procedure: Each QOL question had 4 response options, representing descending levels of QOL that were equally weighted.

Assessment of stress levels among cats in four animal shelters.

Objective: To measure stress levels among cats in traditional and enriched shelter environments via behavioral assessment and urine cortisol-to-creatinine ratios.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Animals: 120 cats in 4 Boston-area animal shelters.

Benefits of prophylactic gastropexy for dogs at risk of gastric dilatation-volvulus.

The lifetime probability of death from gastric dilation-volvulus (GDV) for five dog breeds was estimated based on published breed-specific longevity and GDV incidence. These breeds were Great Dane, Irish Setter, Rottweiler, Standard Poodle and Weimaraner. Lifetime risk (95% CI) of GDV in these breeds ranged from 3.