A scoping review of published research on the population dynamics and control practices of companion animals

Abstract

Companion animal population dynamics is a global, diverse issue that can affect society in multiple ways, including impacts on public health, environmental destruction and shelter management. The purpose of this scoping review was to use structured and transparent methods to identify all published research investigating companion animal population dynamics and/or control practices. A comprehensive search strategy was implemented using five online databases (i.e., PubMed, CAB Direct, Agricola, PsycINFO, and Scopus) and resulted in the identification of 7810 unique citations. These citations were screened for relevance by two independent reviewers. Of these, 1410 were initially deemed relevant. Full articles were procured and 931 articles (456 primary research and 475 reviews) were confirmed relevant and important data extracted. Most of the included articles were published in the United States (395, 42.4%) and 218 articles (23.4%) were published between 2012 and 2015. The majority of the articles investigated or discussed control practices (758, 81.4%), more specifically different reproduction control practices (597, 64.1%), or euthanasia (345, 37.1%) methods The quantity of research in these areas offers future opportunities for systematic review and meta-analysis.