Pet Care Research Articles

Online Promotion, Personal Selling and Product Display to Increase Interest to Buy at Twin's Petshop & Care

Technological developments have had an impact on changing marketing activities from conventional to digital marketing. This change was also adopted by Twin's Petshop & Care as a business that operates in the sale of products for pet needs and pet care services. The aim of this community service activity is to increase partners' ability to practice marketing strategies through online promotions using Instagram and the Shopee marketplace. Apart from that, product displays are also arranged to make it easier for consumers to choose the products they need. The method used is assistance with direct practice through the development of promotional content and product display methods through an open interior display system.

FEMALE FELINE METAPHORS IN VICTORIAN NOVELS

The Victorian era witnessed pivotal transformations, with a notable shift towards institutionalizing the care of domestic pets. A crucial milestone in this evolution was the enactment of the 1835 Protection of Animals Act. This legislative measure played a central role in influencing societal perspectives on animal treatment, representing a significant stride towards acknowledging and safeguarding the welfare of animals.

The Impact of Touch Screen Tablet Caring Games on Empathic Concern and Compassion in Young Children

Tablet apps that simulate caring for virtual characters have gained considerable popularity among preschoolers. These games involve taking care of virtual pets, babies, or distressed characters on touch screens. Although there are claims that these games enhance empathy and prosocial behavior, there is little research on their impact. The two experiments here explored whether playing touch screen tablet games that involve caring for virtual characters had an influence on preschoolers’ compassion and how young children’s emerging theory-of-mind and developing emotional regulation abilities moderate the relationship between these caring games and compassion towards real others. In both experiments, 3 to 6-year-olds were randomly assigned to one of three game conditions (caring, violent, or neutral). Children’s empathic concern and prosocial behavior towards distressed characters were assessed on laboratory tasks and on vignettes after playing the game. Experiment 1 (N = 192) showed that playing a caring game led to higher levels of empathic concern and helping behavior towards a distressed experimenter than violent or neutral games. In Experiment 2 (N = 188), playing a caring game resulted in higher levels of empathy and prosocial behavior towards hypothetical same-aged peers in need, as compared to the violent or neutral game conditions. Compassion after playing the caring game increased the most in children who scored low on theory-of-mind, or who scored high on emotional regulation abilities. These results suggest that playing caring touch screen games lend weight to the assumption that they may promote empathic concern and compassionate behavior towards distressed others in early childhood.

Cats and dogs should have a health check-up at least once a year!

Veterinarian Burcu Çevreli, Responsible Director of Üsküdar University Experimental Research Unit (ÜSKÜDAB), shared the details that need to be considered about pet care.

Support for the 'Pets as Ambassadors' hypothesis in men: Higher animal empathy in Australian pet-owners vs non-owners and farmers.

Human empathy towards non-human animals (Animal Empathy; AE) has shown a strong gender bias, with women demonstrating higher levels than men. This study aimed to investigate the influence of animal experiences on AE in a male-only sample. It was hypothesised that there would be different levels of AE between men with experiences caring for pets, men with experience in animal agriculture, and men with limited animal experiences. Ninety-one Australian men (18yrs+) completed an online survey evaluating their level of AE using the Animal Empathy Scale (AES). Additionally, they were asked what in their experience they think has influenced their beliefs about how animals think and feel. As expected, AE levels differed significantly between groups, with those in the pet ownership experience group demonstrating higher AE levels than the other two groups. All three groups displayed high endorsement for direct interactions with animals in adulthood as being most influential in shaping their beliefs about how animals think and feel. However, our quantitative results support the idea that not all experiences are worth the same, with the responsibility and sacrifice involved in pet caring appearing to be most influential to the development of AE. These findings have implications for the importance of human-animal interactions in understanding animal sentience and the development of AE in males.

Practical Principles of Palliative Care in Veterinary Oncology: Alleviating the Suffering of the Animal, Owner, and Veterinarian.

Palliative care for pets is a developing area that encompasses animals with cancer and other chronic and degenerative diseases. To elucidate the guiding principles of palliative care in veterinary oncology. This article was structured from an extensive literature review and addresses the growing need for improved palliative care in veterinary medicine. Methods of quality of life assessment in animals with cancer, owner education, and the importance of an interdisciplinary team approach are discussed. Palliative care aims to improve the animal's quality of life, alleviating its physical, emotional, and social suffering. Through attentive communication, palliative care also seeks to alleviate owners suffering from the moment of diagnosis to mourning the patient's death. The importance of offering palliative care alongside anticancer techniques and treatments should not be underestimated and should ideally use a multidisciplinary team approach.

Mobilization of a Mobile Veterinary Clinic to Ukraine During Wartime: Notes from the Field

Abstract In late May, 2023, a 25’ long mobile veterinary clinic was mobilized to Ukraine from the US to provide emergency veterinary response for the animals of Ukraine. Due to effects of the Russian invasion, many pets and other animals were suffering from neglect, starvation and injuries, and many veterinary practices had been forced to close, greatly decreasing access to care. Prior to the mobilization of the mobile clinic, an initial response to care for pets of Ukraine refugees had been set up at the Ukraine-Romania border in early March 2022, soon after the invasion begun. This presentation will describe the initial challenges that arose when 6 million refugees, some with pets, migrated from Eurasia to Eastern and Westen Europe with the focus on potential zoonotic disease transmission, barriers to travelling to the EU with pets, and the strong bonds that the Ukraine people had with their pets. The main focus of the presentation will be on the many logistical challenges that arose with the transport and mobilization of the mobile veterinary clinic from the US to Ukraine, and operational issues related to security, travel logistics, language barriers, stocking drugs and medical supplies, pet overpopulation and many other challenges.

THE MAKING OF AN AUTOMATIC DOG FEEDING DEVICE WITH THE USE OF ARDUINO UNO AND SERVO MOTOR

As individuals continue to live busy lifestyles, neglect remains prevalent among dog owners. Therefore, malnutrition among dogs, caused by improper feeding habits, remains a rampant issue worldwide. The main objective of this study is to create an automatic dog feeding device out of Arduino Uno and Servo Motor. For the purpose of dog food dispensing, the Arduino Uno, an open-source electronics platform based on simple hardware and software, was used in the servo motor operations. Thus, the device utilized two main components Methodology: The researchers utilized the experimental design of research as well as the quantitative method. The results of the study show the dispensing capabilities of the automatic dog feeding device under increasing loads. Additionally, the servo motor’s dispensing precision was proved with slight deviations from the expected weight to the actual weight averages. Moreover, the Arduino Uno’s dispensing accuracy and its reliability was tested wherein the device dispensed on cue with minimal deviations in time. The results demonstrated that the automatic dog feeding device can effectively dispense dog food meeting the various criteria tested. The discussion states the significant contribution of this study toward pet care technology and the field of engineering. Asserting that the findings of this study allow for better understanding of the role of technology in the pet industry. Lastly, in accordance with the limitations of the study, it is recommended that the design and functionality of the device may be enhanced and improved by later researchers.

Model View Controller Method For Animal Care (Petcare) Information System At Niz Petcare Lawang

Pet Care is a company that offers animal care services that are equipped with a variety of pet shop products such as food, vitamins and care. In addition to Daily Pet Care selling pet supplies and also offering animal medical and treatment services. on one computer. Pet sitting services are one of the best solutions for the majority of Indonesian people who have pets but have to travel far and cannot bring their pets with them. The owners of Niz Petcare see this as a great business opportunity. However, currently they still use manual recording in their business processes, sometimes resulting in loss of material and customer confidence. The purpose of this research is to solve this problem by designing a flow and design of a petcare application prototype that is integrated and more organized using information technology that is developing rapidly and makes it easier for customers to access online. Given these needs, the authors apply the prototyping method to accommodate these needs. The implementation of making software uses the model view controller (MVC) method which adopts the CodeIgniter framework. In this study, an evaluation was carried out using UAT and Usability Testing with ISO/IEC 9126. The evaluation results show that the application of the MVC method can produce good software products that work according to their functionality. Based on the ISO/IEC 9126 percentage, the criteria with the greatest value for understanding on P05, P07, and P09 is 89%, usability on P05 is 89%, and learning on P07 is 89% and 88% power handling at P10. From the results of the summary of the evaluation, it can be concluded that there are if the users of the system are owners, customers, administrators, fully aware of the ease of understanding, learning, use and attractiveness of the NIZ pet care information system created

온도조절이 가능한 반려동물용 스마트 넥게이터 개발 연구

Background/Objectives: With the increasing number of households raismg compamon dogs in South Korea, pet tech products and services that use advanced technology to assist in pet care have been developed. However, there are few published studies on smart clothing with temperature control, which is necessary to maintain the health of pets. Therefore, in this study, we developed a temperature-adjustable smart neck gaiter for companion dogs. The main objective of this research is to fabricate smart clothing for dogs that can actively regulate body temperature using Peltier devices that can be cooled and heated.
 Methods: We designed and manufactured a temperature-adjustable smart textile in the form of a neck gaiter that wraps around the neck, considering the activity and comfort of pets. For the dog's hygiene, nonwashable components, such as Peltier devices and batteries, were also designed to be detachable for repeated washing. We tested the prototype of the temperature-controlled neck gaiter on an actual dog to confirm that it does not cause stress.
 Results: In this study, a smart neck gaiter that can actively adjust the temperature of dogs was implemented using Peltier devices. The smart neck gaiter is designed to allow dogs to perform various activities without any discomfort while wearing the smart neck gaiter. The results show that the cooling and heating functions of the smart neck gaiter help to regulate the dog's body temperature.
 Conclusion/Implications: Unlike the existing passive temperature control products, the proposed smart neck gaiter can actively regulate the dog's body temperature using a Peltier module. Additionally, this study presents a new paradigm of washable textile- based smart pet wearable products that is different from the existing accessory- type pet wearable products.

A Design Case Study for the Development of Water Dispenser for Pets Based on User-Centered Design:Focused on the Pet Industry in China

The pet market in China is growing rapidly, and the trend of sophisticated pet care is obvious. This trend has given rise to multiple market segments in the pet consumer market, among which water dispenser for pets have become an important product. Chinese pet brands have serious concerns on the water quality, but user research shows users are still concerned about the high number of micro-organisms and bacteria that may be present in the water. This study adopts an integrated design approach, user-centered design, combining research on users and markets. The market research mainly analyzes the global trends and development of the market of water dispenser for pets, as well as the improvements and innovations in water quality of well-known domestic and foreign brands. User research collects Chinese pet owners’ needs and concerns about pet water dispensers through questionnaires and interviews. Based on the results of market research and user research, combined with market trends and user behavior analysis, we proposed a smart water dispenser with a purified sewage separation system. Water contaminated by pets will be discharged into the waste water tank, ensuring that pets always have access to pure water. The design methodology proposed in this study can help designers respond to changing user needs and contribute to the continued growth of China's pet water dispenser market.

RECOGNIZING THE ROLE OF PETS IN HOME ASSESSMENTS FOR OLDER ADULTS

Abstract To support aging in place, health professionals may identify safety and accessibility concerns via home assessments. Although 50% of older adults share their homes with pets, standardized home assessments often overlook pet care, an instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). To bridge this gap in existing knowledge, we conducted four focus group sessions with older adult pet owners to identify potential elements for a novel assessment tool. We utilized directed content and thematic analysis, informed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health model. Researchers recruited a purposive sample of older adults (65 years or older) who were the primary caretakers of a dog or cat. Participants (N=30) discussed age-related changes to their body’s function that hindered their participation in pet care activities (e.g., the strength needed to pick up a pet). Participants explained how the interaction of their pets and housing features (e.g., stairs) contributed to falls and injuries. Further, personal factors (e.g., restricted income) may contribute to home safety issues (e.g., unable to afford needed modifications). The results indicate that pets’ behavior, care needs, and caregiving activities may impact home safety, thereby influencing the potential for aging in place. Findings support the development of holistic approaches when evaluating older adults’ functioning in their homes and emphasize the importance of pet care within home assessments.

OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSIDERATIONS WHEN WORKING WITH AGING PET OWNERS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDES FOR PROFESSIONALS

Abstract Pets can be an important relationship in the lives of older adults and are often a factor in older adults’ behaviors and decisions. Guided by the stress process model, the aim of this study was to understand the benefits, challenges, and resources of pet ownership geriatric professionals encountered in their work. An interdisciplinary sample (N=462, 89.13% female, Mage=53.02, SDage=12.18) of geriatric professionals (i.e., people working with older adults [OA], persons with dementia [PWD], and/or caregivers [CG]) working in healthcare, social services, and private and community-based services (e.g., long-term care, housing) completed an online survey on pet ownership issues they had encountered in their work. A convergent parallel approach was used in data analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVAs. Qualitative data were analyzed using a directed content analysis to create codes and themes. The benefits of pet ownership were wellbeing (e.g., positive mental and physical health) and connections. Pet care was the most common challenge (e.g., basic care, financial), caregiver strain was unique to CGs. Other challenges were planning, safety (e.g., falls, pet behavior), and the pet being a barrier to care. The companionship directly experienced by OA and PWD was the central resource of pet ownership. The results were synthesized to develop guides for professionals on the benefits, challenges, opportunities, and considerations when working with older adult pet owners (including PWD) and another was created for professionals working with caregivers aging pet owners (living with and without dementia).

Security and privacy of pet technologies: actual risks vs user perception

As IoT becomes more and more commonplace, it is expanding into many different industries. One of these rapidly growing industries is pet tech, technologies designed to aid with the care of pets, expected to reach a market value of $3.7 billion by 2026. As with all IoT technologies, these devices introduce new security, privacy, and safety risks to their users and their homes. Despite these risks, the security and privacy (SP) of these devices, and their users’ concerns regarding these issues, remain an under-researched field, leaving the users of these devices at risk of attack and unable to effectively protect themselves. In this paper, we perform two studies to address this research gap. First, we perform an SP analysis of 20 popular pet tech apps, finding serious security vulnerabilities, as well as poor SP practices. Among our findings, 2 out of 20 apps exposed user login and account details in non-encrypted traffic and 14 communicated with trackers before the user could consent. Second, we perform a user study of 593 participants across 3 different countries (United Kingdom, United States, Germany) to gain an understanding of what technologies are in use, incidents that have or they believe may occur, as well as the methods used by participants to protect their online SP compared to pet tech. We perform a demographic analysis of these results, finding many similarities across the countries and genders, as well as a few differences in concerns and expectations. We study the state of the security and privacy of pet technologies and the awareness, concerns, and desires of users. We find that 521 participants do believe that a range of attacks may occur targeting their pet tech. Despite this, they take fewer precautions with these devices, exposing themselves and their pets to the possible risks and harms of these technologies.

Automated Pet Feeder with RFID Technology using Design Thinking Approach

Abstract: With the increasing demand for technological solutions in the pet care industry, this paper presents the development of an automated pet feeder that integrates RFID technology and Arduino as the microcontroller. The proposed system aims to streamline and enhance the feeding process for domestic pets by enabling pulsed feeding schedules and portion control based on RFID-tagged collars. The system uses an RFID reader to identify individual pets, triggering a simple motor mechanism to deliver the designated portion of pet food. The Arduino microcontroller facilitates the coordination of RFID tag recognition and food delivery, providing a user-friendly and customizable interface for pet owners. The design and implementation considerations, including hardware integration, software development, and fuzzy control logic, were thoroughly discussed. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of the proposed automated pet feeder in maintaining a consistent feeding schedule and portion management, ensuring the well-being and health of pets. The study not only contributes to the advancement of pet care technology but also highlights the potential for further enhancements and applications in the realm of smart pet management systems.

Design And Implementation of Smart Pet House Temperature Monitoring System Based on STM32 Single-Chip Microcomputer

With the development of social economy and the acceleration of urbanization as well as the increasingly heavier burden of social competition, keeping pets has become an important pastime for more and more families which result in the improvement of the market of pet caring. In order to take better care of pets more efficiently, in this paper, the author designs a smart pet house temperature monitoring system based on STM32 single chip microcomputer with the interaction to the upper computer. The intelligent pet house temperature monitoring system chooses STM32F102C6T6 single chip microcomputer controller as the controlling core and designs several circuits to achieve each required function. The overall designed system realizes the function of pet house temperature measurement with displaying on the LED connected to the single chip and data transmission to PCs with real-time plotting through the MATLAB. Experimental results show that the temperature monitoring system can timely measure the temperature in the pet house, and prove the feasibility of the design. Consequently, the designed system quality can be guaranteed to a great extent.

Development and Item Analysis of a Self-Reporting Instrument to Capture Children's Knowledge and Behaviours on Zoonotic-Related Diseases from Household Pets

Zoonotic infections, which can develop into life-threatening conditions, should not be taken lightly. Despite the rising number of pet owners, knowledge of zoonotic diseases and children's behaviour when associating with pets at home remains limited. In Malaysia, few studies have investigated children's knowledge of zoonotic diseases and personal hygiene practices while caring for pets at home. Therefore, this focused on item development, validation, and analysis to assess content validity, acceptability, and contribution to internal consistency for age appropriateness among children. A pre-validation questionnaire was validated on two primary domains, knowledge, and behaviour, by subject matter experts (SME) specialising in zoonoses. A total of 66 children were selected to answer 14 dichotomous scale questions, with the responses subjected to further analysis. The post-validation process was performed by assessing the item suitability for the target group. Several items in the instrument should be modified. Meanwhile, some items should be retained due to the significance in evaluating the knowledge of disease transmission among children. The rationale underlying this modification stemmed from prior research findings and expert feedback. The final self-reporting instrument, Cognitive Affective Behaviours – Institute for Health Behavioural Research- Zoonoses Children-01 (CAB-IHBR-Zoonoses C-01), includes 10 items with adequate content coverage, acceptable qualities, and favourable expert reviews.

Abstract 17304: Assessing the Nonmedical Needs of Hospitalized Heart Failure Patients: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) patients experience unexpected hospitalizations, which can cause significant stress. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better characterize the nonmedical stressors during extended hospitalizations for HF patients. Objective: This aim of this survey study was to explore the unmet nonmedical needs of patients with HF admitted for an extended stay, focusing on identifying interventions that may enhance patient care and quality of life outside the hospital. Methods: A survey was conducted among n=25 HF patients admitted for >5 days to the HF unit at a single institution. We assessed patients’ care gaps at home (e.g. caretakers, food, cleaning, pet care, mental health) and barriers to accessing those gaps. We determined the magnitude of potential impact (MPI) of a category by multiplying the number of people who rated it as stressful and the average level of stress it caused. Results: Of the 25 patients, 9 (36%) were female, 13 (52%) were white, and average age was 62.4 ± 13.3 years. Home accessibility (28%), housekeeping (24%), support groups (20%) and HF education (20%) were the most common unmet needs. Housekeeping had the highest MPI, with financial barriers and lack of information as the most frequently reported challenges. Housekeeping, home accessibility (e.g. stair lifts, ramps, rails), support groups, and finding a caretaker were issues identified as having the biggest impact on patient quality of life. Conclusion: This study is the first, to our knowledge, to characterize the unmet nonmedical needs of HF patients with extended hospitalizations and highlights possible interventions that may decrease stress and improve quality of life for these patients. The survey results indicate improving access to housekeeping, caretaking, home accessibility, and support groups may reduce patient stress during HF hospitalization. Further research is warranted to explore which interventions are feasible and cost effective.

Pre-sleep routines in adult typical sleepers

ABSTRACT Sleep is the most important restorative occupation in which humans engage and pre-sleep routines, which occur prior to it, have not been explored. The main question this project sought to answer was: “What are the pre-sleep routines of typical adult sleepers?” Sixteen adults identified as good sleepers based on scores from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, between 23 and 60 years-old, drew pictures of their pre-sleep routines, followed by interviews about their depictions. Data analysis began after the first interview and continued through theoretical saturation, producing a descriptive theory of pre-sleep routines. During the pre-sleep period, participants performed an average of eight occupations in three to four spaces, using an average of five objects, and primarily in solitude. Routines had a clear beginning and end, and were both obligatory and optional. Occupations within the pre-sleep routine included body care, care for home, pets, or plants, engagement with technology, quiet leisure, and communicating with others. The intent of the pre-sleep routines was to ensure that sleep was not disturbed and to prepare for the next day. The construct of routines is important to the understanding of daily patterns of human occupation and is used as an intervention in occupational therapy, the primary profession applying the products of occupational science. This research describes usual routines before sleep, thus contributing to a fuller grasp of daily occupational patterns with potential for supporting sleep in adults with and without sleep issues. Drawings were found to be a useful method to collect information on routines.

Breast cancer treatment and recovery: pets’ roles as emotional buffers and stressors

BackgroundResearch suggests pets foster affection, connection, and physical activity, yet has failed to address the challenges people diagnosed with cancer face in caring for their pets. The objective of this study was to better understand how pets serve as emotional buffers and/or stressors for people diagnosed with breast cancer, and how their ability to meet their pet’s needs affects their well-being.MethodsA cross-section study of people diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States was conducted. Adults diagnosed with stages 0 (in situ) -IV breast cancer and currently the primary guardian of at least one dog or cat and owned the animal(s) for at least 6 months, were recruited for the study. A total of 211 responses, obtained between July – November 2022 were analyzed. The survey included questions about participants’ demographics; attachment to their pets; physical, emotional, and functional well-being; social support received from their pet; and ‘pet parenting’ concerns. Descriptive statistics were calculated to describe participants’ demographics. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors of pet attachment, well-being, support from pet, and ‘pet parenting’ concerns.ResultsPeople diagnosed with breast cancer derive substantial support from their pets (80% feel their pet makes them feel loved, needed, and offers a positive presence in the home), yet only 50% of participants feel this relationship is supported by their medical team. Controlling for owner demographics, heightened levels of pet-related guilt and concerns, along with lower perceived support from their pet, are all significant predictors of a lower quality of life.ConclusionsFindings highlight the benefits pets offer people diagnosed with breast cancer, yet also the distress they feel in trying to meet their pet’s needs. Assessment conversations about pet ownership, including pet-related support systems, are needed to validate people’s concerns and support the identification and development of pet support teams. Medical team facilitated discussions about pet care needs is suggested to demonstrate support for the pet-parent bond and help normalize feelings of guilt related to challenges in meeting their pet’s needs. These discussions could be aided through the development of research-driven intervention strategies and online, freely accessible targeted tools.