Pet Care Research Articles

FAMÍLIA MULTI-ESPÉCIE: A FALTA DE REGULAMENTAÇÃO DE GUARDA E PENSÃO ALIMENTÍCIA PARA PETS APÓS O TÉRMINO DO VÍNCULO CONJUGAL

This paper addresses the growing relevance of pets in the family context and the lack of legal regulations regarding custody and alimony for these animals after the end of conjugal relationships. Given the significant increase in multi-species families in Brazil, where pets are considered essential members, questions arise about how to ensure the well-being of these beings in cases of separation. The research investigates the gaps in Brazilian legislation, highlighting the absence of specific rules to protect pets in custody and alimony disputes. Through bibliographic and jurisprudential analysis, it seeks to propose solutions to ensure proper rights and care for pets, based on family law principles. The study aims to contribute to the development of public policies and legislation that regulate pet protection, recognizing their importance within the family unit and mitigating potential judicial conflicts.

Social determinants of pet needs among young adults experiencing homelessness in the Southwest United States

ABSTRACT A substantial proportion of unhoused Americans own pets, yet there is a dearth of research examining what factors predict unhoused people needing support to care for pets. With this information, support programs for unhoused pet owners can be targeted more effectively and efficiently. Survey data included young adults aged 18–34 (n = 205) experiencing homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona. We fit logistic regression models predicting pet needs (has pet needs versus does not have pet needs). We included demographic covariates and information regarding respondents’ situations, including their ability to find support and care for themselves. Unhoused People of Color were significantly more likely to have pet needs than unhoused non-Hispanic White people. Respondents who needed protection from rape, needed help finding other people to spend time with, and had some form of health insurance were also more likely to have pet needs. The widespread pet-exclusionary policies of many support services may exclude some of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness, namely People of Color and people at risk of sexual assault. Our findings support the expansion of pet-inclusive homelessness support services.

Pet Health Club expands to boost pet care

Pet Health Club expands to boost pet care

Welfare of pet primates for sale in the United States

Welfare of pet primates for sale in the United States Dr. Melissa Seaboch, Professor and Department Chair at Salt Lake Community College, charts the welfare of pet primates for sale in the United States. Despite their unsuitability as pets, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pet primates in the United States (1), and the U.S. ranks third out of 171 countries in the ease of purchasing a pet primate online. (2) Though the pet primate trade is robust, there are few federal regulations addressing the care of companion animals or pets. The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), often considered the minimum acceptable standard for animal care and use, governs the care of animals in multiple settings, including research labs, zoos, and commercial breeding facilities. PACT (Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture) prevents the most egregious forms of animal cruelty, and the Lacey Act addresses interstate transportation and illegal wildlife trafficking. (3) None of these regulations address the care or welfare of pet primates.

Exploring frailty in apparently healthy senior dogs: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundAs dogs age, they face various health challenges, and preventive care may be overlooked, impacting their quality of life. Frailty, a concept established in human medicine, has recently been applied to dogs using validated tools like the frailty index and frailty phenotype. This study aims to characterize frailty in senior pet dogs and investigate associated factors. To achieve this goal, 88 apparently healthy dogs, as reported by their owners, voluntarily participated in thorough consultations. These consultations included supplementary examinations such as urinary analyses, hematological assessments, and blood biochemistry. Additionally, owners completed questionnaires addressing their dog's overall health, cognitive and locomotor status, as well as their own attachment to the dog and personality traits. Subsequently, each dog was classified as robust or frail based on the presence of multiple criteria out of a set of five. All collected data underwent preliminary screening by a multiple factorial analysis, followed by binomial logistic regression to model frailty.ResultsThe final population consisted of 74 dogs, with a frailty prevalence of 41.9% (95% CI: 30.5 – 53.9). In the statistical analysis, older age of the dog, lower owner attachment score, lack of regular deworming, and a disparity in extraversion between owner and dog were identified as contributing factors to frailty.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the importance of regular deworming and strong owner-pet attachment in reducing frailty in dogs. It underscores the significance of proactive pet care and highlights the complex relationship between owner-dog personalities and canine frailty. This research advocates for a holistic approach that considers both human and canine traits to promote better health outcomes.

Incidence and Characteristics of Dermatophytosis Lesions in Cats (Felis catus) at Go Pet Care Animal Clinic (2020-2022)

Dermatophytosis, a dermatological condition caused by dermatophyte fungi, affects the superficial keratinized structures of the skin. The primary etiological agents include the genera Microsporum, Trichophyton, and Epidermophyton. This study examines the incidence and characteristics of dermatophytosis lesions in domestic cats (Felis catus) at Go Pet Care Animal Clinic from 2020 to 2022. The research utilized secondary data from the clinic's medical records, which is a significant reference institution in Kabupaten Bandung Barat, to assess the prevalence and features of dermatophytosis within this population. The findings revealed a prevalence of 7.5% in 2020, 11.3% in 2021, and 3.7% in 2022. The incidence was highest in cats under 1 year of age, with a notable frequency in Persian breed cats and males. Common lesions identified included localized alopecia primarily in the ear region, alopecia in the back region, and crust formation also in the back area. This study provides critical insights into the epidemiology and clinical presentation of dermatophytosis in domestic cats, offering guidance for improved diagnosis and management of the condition.

Evaluation of Characteristics Associated with Self-Identified Cat or Dog Preference in Pet Owners and Correlation of Preference with Pet Interactions and Care: An Exploratory Study.

Dog and cat preference has been associated with a few factors, like owner personality traits, but data regarding other aspects of preference ontogeny and the impact of preferences on pet wellbeing have yet to be examined. In this exploratory study, several of these characteristics, such as exposure to pets when young and as adults and current pet interactions and diet were analyzed from internet survey data. We found that more people identified as dog people (63.3%) versus cat people (36.7%) and preference for dogs remained consistent from childhood to adulthood compared with cats. In individuals who changed species preference, a lack of childhood exposure to cats (47.2%) was significantly associated with the group that changed preferences from dogs to cats from childhood to adulthood, compared with dog ownership as a child in the group that changed preferences from cats to dogs (24.4%). The number of cats and dogs in the home directly correlated with species preference (p < 0.001). Dwelling location was also significantly associated with species preference, with cat people being more likely to live in an urban area and dog people in a rural area (p = 0.002). More time was spent in both active and passive interactions with pets of the preferred species. Cats owned by cat people were more likely to be fed prescription diets compared with cats owned by dog people (p < 0.001). Interestingly, dog people were more likely to feed both their cats (p = 0.012) and dogs (p < 0.001) a raw diet compared with cat people. Additional research is needed to understand the development and impact of owner species preferences on pets to identify risks of suboptimal wellbeing.

Risk factors of pyometra in cat at several clinics in Kediri, East Java, Indonesia

Pyometra is a reproductive disease that most often affects cats which is caused by bacterial infection of the uterus. This study aims to determine the risk factors that could influence the occurrence of pyometra in cats. The study was conducted at the Four Leg Pet Care, Asa Animal Clinic, and K-5 Animal Care in Kediri regency in December 2021 to February 2022. This retrospective cohort study took secondary data for the period 2020 to 2021 as research material and found 35 cats diagnosed with pyometra. The odds ratio was calculated to analyze the associations to some factors including age, body weight, use of hormonal contraception, frequency of administration of hormonal contraception, hormonal contraceptive drugs used, dose of hormonal contraception given. Analysis of the relationship between risk factors for pyometra showed that the factors age, use of hormonal contraception, and frequency of giving hormonal contraceptives each have p values ​​of 2.17, 2.13, and 2.13, respectively. It could be concluded that age, use of hormonal contraception, and frequency of administration of hormonal contraception influenced or had an association with the risk of pyometra in cats.

Utilization of the easy electron-losing capacity of dog fur waste for green energy devices and self-powered smart pet care systems

The present global energy shortage and climate crisis can be addressed by embracing recycling, reuse, and recovery; for example, this can be achieved by methodically utilizing the problematic wastes for energy harvesting. This research describes a novel approach for recovery and reutilization of waste material by incorporating dog fur waste into a triboelectric energy harvester; this was accomplished via a simple, inexpensive, and eco-friendly chemical processing to turn this problematic waste into a high-performance tribolayer. Due to the complications of operating practical devices with dog fur in its natural form, the dog fur waste was transformed for the first time into a uniform thin-film-based high-performance positive tribolayer. The optimization of the fabrication of the dog fur film featured hexagonal pyramid nanostructures, and a novel tribopair was selected and consisted of the dog fur-based film and a Teflon film; these films have very large differences in electron affinities. Based on this optimization and selection, we achieved an outstanding output voltage, current, and power density of 2021.46 V, 109.84 μA and 24,669.957 μWcm−2, respectively, along with appreciable mechanical stability during continuous operation up to 10,000 cycles. Our research demonstrates the potential for integration of green electronics and self-powered human-pet interaction systems while providing a sustainable approach to a circular bioeconomy.

Assessing the Veterinary Health Care Needs of Knoxville’s Latino Community Through a Community-Based Participatory Approach: A Short Report

The primary objective of the study was to better understand the interests, needs, and perceived barriers to veterinary care of Knoxville’s Latino community. Investigators adapted a national survey designed to understand access to veterinary care for distribution to the Latino population through a community-based participatory approach with an established community center. Seventy-six percent of survey respondents (n = 46) reported that they consider the pet as part of the family. Forty-eight percent said their pets were not spayed or neutered (s/n), and of these, 39% said s/n was cost-prohibitive, whereas 22% did not know where to receive services. Twenty-six percent identified an inability to obtain treatment for a sick pet, primarily due to a lack of access to affordable care. Participants expressed interest in vaccines and parasite prevention (64%), training and behavior (36%), and information on veterinary and pet care resources (29%). The survey tool (provided in English and Spanish) and community engagement approach can assist animal welfare organizations in identifying and addressing community veterinary needs and barriers to care.

Pet Care and Adoption

Pet Care and Adoption

Effectiveness of a Daily Honeycomb-Shaped Dental Chew in Reducing Calculus, Plaque, Gingivitis and Malodor in Dogs.

Periodontal disease in dogs is common. Client compliance with oral hygiene and oral care for pets is low. The gold standard is annual dental prophylaxis under general anesthesia with imaging followed by home care including daily brushing. Clients should be offered methods to reduce calculus, plaque, gingivitis, and resulting halitosis that are time efficient, cost-effective, and easy to administer between annual preventative dental prophylaxis with the goal to move into maintenance phase of managing periodontal disease. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a honeycomb-shaped dental chew in reducing hardened calculus, plaque, gingivitis, and malodor in client-owned dogs in their normal home environment including various breeds, skull types, ages, and weights. Calculus, plaque, and gingival scores with volatile sulfur compounds readings were performed under sedation and evaluated under general anesthesia after 60 consecutive days of receiving a daily honeycomb-shaped dental chew treat. There was an overall statistically significant percentage reduction of calculus (26.6%), plaque (14.2%), and malodor (46.71%). Gingival scores did not demonstrate statistically significant reduction (0.99%). Use of this honeycomb-shaped daily dental chew significantly reduced calculus, plaque, and associated malodor in dogs when fed consecutively for 60 days.

PET COMPANION HUB

Pet Companion Hub is a multifaceted platform designed to enhance pet care and animal welfare through its three interconnected modules: Pet Adoption, Pet Veterinary, and Pet Shelter. The Pet Adoption module provides a user-friendly interface for individuals to browse and adopt animals in need of homes, promoting responsible pet ownership and reducing shelter overpopulation. Users can access detailed profiles of animals, facilitating informed decision-making and personalized matches. The Pet Veterinary module offers comprehensive veterinary services, including appointment scheduling, medical record management, and expert advice, ensuring pets receive the care they need to thrive. This module empowers pet owners to make informed healthcare decisions and promotes proactive health management. The Pet Shelter module serves as a valuable resource for shelters and rescue organizations, streamlining operations, facilitating communication, and maximizing impact within the community. By providing support to shelters and promoting collaboration, Pet Companion Hub strengthens the infrastructure for caring for and rehoming animals in need. Together, these modules create a holistic approach to pet care and advocacy, fostering a culture of compassion, responsibility, and community engagement in the realm of animal welfare

Development of the Software System for Managing a Digital Pet ID

Recent Research and Publications Analysis: The shift towards digital documentation, such as Ukraine's «Diia» for human records, has not yet been fully embraced in pet care, creating a significant service gap. Ukraine, with a high number of household pets, especially approximately 7.63 million cats, highlights the need for a comprehensive digital pet management system. Given the frequent cases of pets getting lost—with low recovery rates—a robust digital system is essential for improving these figures and enhancing pet safety. When designing software, it is important to choose the right technologies for both the web interface and the backend. Django is recommended for the backend because of its «batteries-included» architecture, which provides a comprehensive set of ready-to-use tools that facilitate rapid development and ensure a high level of security. For the inter-face, it is recommended to use JavaScript integrated with frameworks such as React, An-gular or Vue to create dynamic applications that improve the user experience with asyn-chronous requests, allowing the content of the page to be updated without reloading the page. This combination not only provides scalability and security, but also effectively meets the complex needs of web applications. Purpose of the Study. This study aims to develop a software system that facilitates the management of digital pet IDs, which will integrate medical records, vaccination his-tories, and detailed activity logs. This integration aims to streamline pet care, making it more efficient and significantly more convenient for pet owners. Main Material Presentation. The proposed system's architecture will include: – backend. Utilizing Django REST Framework for creating scalable, secure web APIs that handle data operations efficiently; – frontend. Employing JavaScript, HTML, and CSS to provide a responsive and in-teractive user experience. Key Features: – digital passports for pets, verifiable via QR codes; - detailed activity logs that track and display pet movements and behaviors; – comprehensive vaccination records accessible by both pet owners and veterinari-ans; – a lost pet bulletin board that uses geographical data to notify users of nearby lost or found pets. Conclusions.Technologies have been chosen and a software system has been devel-oped for effective management of digital pet IDs, integrating key functions for compre-hensive data management of pets. It utilizes modern technologies to ensure reliable data security, high scalability, and enhanced user interaction, making it a key achievement in the management of digital pet IDs.

Dog Breeds Classifier

This paper introduces a novel approach to dog breed detection using deep learning, focusing on the InceptionV5 architecture. It addresses the need for accurate breed identification crucial in pet care, veterinary diagnostics, and animal welfare studies. By training a fine-tuned InceptionV5 model on a Kaggle dataset pre-processed via Google Colab, the system achieves classification based on standard metrics like accuracy and F1-score. Integration into a Flask web app enables real-time breed detection from uploaded images, enhancing accessibility. The study highlights the efficacy of deep learning, particularly InceptionV5, in automating breed identification tasks, offering practical solutions across various applications. Moreover, it discusses potential implications for pet care, veterinary diagnostics, and animal welfare enhancement. Top of Form Key Words — dog breed detection, deep learning, InceptionV5 architecture, pet identification

Pawsome Detect: Harnessing Pattern Recognition and Data Mining for Canine Age and Breed Detection

PAWSOMEDETECT leverages pattern recognition to revolutionize canine age and breed detection. Determining a dog's age and breed from photos has become vital due to rising popularity of dogs as pets and the demand for personalized, data-driven pet care. Traditional methods rely on manual inspection and judgment, prone to errors. Furthermore, mating compatibility among breeds is a consideration for dog owners. This aids users in identifying compatible breeds for mating, increasing successful mating chances. To achieve accurate age and breed, deep learning models are trained on a vast collection of annotated dog photos. These models use Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and transfer learning to improve performance and generalize knowledge, revealing age and breed patterns. Researchers, breeders, and owners can benefit from this data. Following ISO-25010 guidelines, the study confirms the system's accuracy in age and breed determination, as well as its ability to detect user locations for successful mating. It meets response time and resource utilization requirements, ensuring timely operations. In conclusion, "PAWSOMEDETECT" a groundbreaking pattern recognition-based method for accurate age and breed identification in dogs. It provides data-driven solutions for pet care, mating compatibility, and more, benefiting users and dogs. The study's continued enhancements promise even greater accuracy and functionality.

DESIGN AND BUILD AUTOMATIC FISH FEEDING DEVICE BASED ON INTERNET OF THINGS

Generally, living organisms can be considered healthy when their nutritional intake and overall nutrition are well satisfied. This applies not only to humans and plants but also to the growth and development of animals, which are influenced by regular feeding and drinking patterns, especially for pets. Feeding pets regularly can sometimes become a serious issue faced by every pet owner. Some factors contributing to feeding problems include lack of time for caretaking, forgetfulness about feeding times, laziness in pet care, limited availability of food, and mismatched types of food for the pets. This research aims to assist in feeding fish at Gajah Tunggal Polytechnic. The design of this research is carried out using the Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) method, which involves the process of creating and developing a system based on research conducted, ranging from system planning to its practical implementation.

An examination of US pet owners' use of veterinary services, 2006-2018.

Examine US consumer pet-related and veterinary service expenditures and factors influencing US households' use of veterinary services. Descriptive analysis on pet-related and veterinary service expenditures and regression analysis on pet owners' use of veterinary services, using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure from 2006 to 2018, with the sample size of 257,836 households, of which 73,593 had pet expenses. From 1980 to 2018, the proportion of households with pet-related and veterinary service expenditures increased. Since 2010, the percentage of pet-owning households using veterinary services has increased substantially. Household characteristics were examined and significantly affected the probability of both pet and veterinary expenditures. Non-White and Hispanic groups had increased pet ownership, but the likelihood of veterinary service use has not surpassed White and non-Hispanic pet owners. Understanding the effects of household sociodemographics, particularly race and ethnicity, on using veterinary services provides insights for optimizing strategic planning for the pet industry and veterinarians. Reviewing the implications helps adjust and fine-tune strategies and influence the sustainability of the veterinary service sector by attracting different racial and ethnic groups. Future research might focus on other social and cultural factors influencing the utilization of veterinary care. The veterinary service sector can then effectively address pet care disparities, bridge existing gaps and improve economic viability.

Improving the treatment of osteoarthritis in practice

Osteoarthritis is a common condition in dogs and cats. This article looks at a clinical improvement project that aimed to improve care for pets with the condition.

Talking treats: A qualitative study to understand the importance of treats in the pet-caregiver relationship

Treats are a prevalent aspect of pet care, frequently given by dog and cat caregivers for varying reasons. However, recommendations of reducing or eliminating treat feeding poses a common challenge, leading to potential non-adherence surrounding weight management practices. To explore caregivers’ perceptions and experiences surrounding treat feeding, we conducted five online focus groups with 24 dog and cat caregivers, recruited via an infographic shared on social media using snowball sampling. NVivo12© was used to organize and analyze verbatim transcripts using inductive thematic analysis. Outcomes illustrated three major themes: 1) the role of treats as an important tool for caregivers; 2) considerations for treat selection and provision; and 3) caregivers’ need for more and better information and support related to treats. Participants emphasized the importance of treats for managing behaviours, health-related activities, and enhancing the pet-caregiver relationship. Results suggest that the diverse and valued applications of treats, caregivers’ satisfaction associated with treat-giving, and perceived lack of guidance surrounding treats may present challenges for caregivers in reducing treat feeding with their pets. Findings highlight opportunities to enhance the available resources that can empower both veterinary professionals and caregivers to make well-informed decisions and foster sustainable changes in treat feeding practices to support weight management and overall health. Such considerations can improve client compliance with veterinary recommendations, to promote companion animal health and well-being while fostering the human-animal bond.