Death Of Pet Research Articles

How Cultural Practices Influence the Understanding and Emotional Intensity of Mexican Children's Memories of Death Events.

This study assessed whether a sample of 43 children in Puebla, Mexico would show the Fading Affect Bias (FAB) for memories of the death of loved ones or pets and for general negative memories. FAB is a phenomenon in which emotional intensity associated with unpleasant memories fades faster than affect in pleasant memories. Mexican children showed FAB across negative and death memories. Younger children showed lower fading for general negative memories when compared to older children. A second aim of this work assessed whether younger (ages 4.83-9) and older (ages 10-13) children in Mexico would show biological and spiritual understanding of death, and findings indicated that Mexican children's understanding included both biological and spiritual subcomponents. Younger children showed lower comprehension of the death subcomponents Inevitability and Irreversibility. Higher depression, anxiety, and social stress scores as measured with the BASC-2 predicted lower FAB, lateralized to negative memories.

Dangerous Pets, Misguided Owners: The Pitfalls of Pet-Keeping in T.C. Boyle’s Stories

The present article is an attempt to look at the human-animal relationship in selected stories from T. Coraghessan Boyle’s two collections: Tooth and Claw (2006) and Wild Child (2010). In “Thirteen Hundred Rats,” “Tooth and Claw” and “Admiral” Boyle ponders on human motivations behind such controversial contemporary practices as keeping exotic pets, hoarding animals and cloning dogs. The stories focus on the dark side of pet-keeping, rarely touched upon in literary representations of this widespread social practice. Boyle seems to doubt the sincerity of human devotion to animal companions, presenting characters who acquire unusual or exotic pets for purely utilitarian or egotistical reasons. In Boyle’s stories human dominance over life and death of pets symbolizes human power over nature. Yet these fantasies of power prove illusionary when exotic or unusual pets (python, serval, rats) transform civilized domestic space of the characters’ homes into the uncivilized “jungle.” In a sense, abused animals take symbolic revenge on their irresponsible caretakers. Dog-cloning, in turn, is presented as a misguided attempt to combat death, a means to provide immortality for a dog, which is treated both as a surrogate child and a status symbol by his millionaire owners.

Pet Death and Owners’ Memorialization Choices

An increasing number of people view their pets as family members and the death of a pet often induces a grief reaction of comparable severity to the loss of a significant human relationship. Yet, despite similar levels of grief, the death of a pet typically does not involve similar rituals that allow owners to express their grief. This study was designed to better understand how people memorialize their pets through the use of continuing bonds (CB) expressions, as well as their choices pertaining to after-death body care, decisions related to taking time off work following the death, the impact of their religious beliefs on memorialization choices, and how their veterinarian responded to the death. An online, anonymous, cross-sectional survey was distributed to pet owners who had experienced the loss of a companion animal, resulting in 517 responses, most of whom were White (86%), female (91%) and resided in the United States (87%). We found that choices regarding the expression of CB in response to pet death are similar to those witnessed after human loss. This study is one of the first to identify the wide array of pet owners’ choices regarding memorialization and emphasizes the importance of recognizing individual choices. These results suggest that it is essential that those grieving the death of their pet be supported and reassured that there is no right or wrong way to grieve, with all options recognized as legitimate in the experience and expression of one's grief.

Ensuring environmental safety on the example of forest fire prevention and elimination of their consequences

Forest fires are one of the problems that impede the conservation and rational use of national resources, as well as restraining the development and sustainable environmental safety of the forest industry. Damage from forest fires is expressed not only in damage to trees, but also in the destruction of the animal and plant world. In addition, the number of forest fires arising directly near settlements is increasing, which leads to the destruction of residential buildings by the elements, as well as the death of people and pets. Such serious negative consequences predetermine the need to develop urgent ways to improve the activities of law enforcement agencies that ensure the protection and protection of natural resources of the Russian Federation. The purpose of this study is to study the activities of the internal affairs bodies to prevent forest fires and eliminate their consequences. As a result of the study, the author analyzed the dynamics of various indicators and individual measures that reflect the effectiveness of the activities of the internal affairs bodies to prevent forest fires. The author’s principle of forest insurance is practical. The use of the proposed tool will increase the efficiency of government agencies in the process of ensuring environmental safety and eliminating the consequences of forest fires.

Determining the role of natural SARS-CoV-2 infection in the death of domestic pets: 10 cases (2020-2021).

To establish a pathoepidemiological model to evaluate the role of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first 10 companion animals that died while infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the US. 10 cats and dogs that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and died or were euthanized in the US between March 2020 and January 2021. A standardized algorithm was developed to direct case investigations, determine the necessity of certain diagnostic procedures, and evaluate the role, if any, that SARS-CoV-2 infection played in the animals' course of disease and death. Using clinical and diagnostic information collected by state animal health officials, state public health veterinarians, and other state and local partners, this algorithm was applied to each animal case. SARS-CoV-2 was an incidental finding in 8 animals, was suspected to have contributed to the severity of clinical signs leading to euthanasia in 1 dog, and was the primary reason for death for 1 cat. This report provides the global community with a standardized process for directing case investigations, determining the necessity of certain diagnostic procedures, and determining the clinical significance of SARS-CoV-2 infections in animals with fatal outcomes and provides evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can, in rare circumstances, cause or contribute to death in pets.

Pet Owners’ Expectations for Pet End-of-Life Support and After-Death Body Care: Exploration and Practical Applications

Pet owners caring for a pet during the end of its life are faced with aftercare choices and decisions. This study, through the use of an online anonymous survey, explored the perceptions and expectations of United States (US) pet owners regarding end-of-life issues, with a focus on after-death body care. Participants living in the US who were the current owners of at least one cat or dog, had a regular veterinarian, and had made end-of-life decisions for at least one pet were recruited for the study. Survey respondents included 2043 dog and/or cat owners (41.4% male, 57.9% female) of which 68% had made cremation decisions and 32% had made burial decisions for at least one pet in the past. The majority of these owners indicated they preferred to work with a specific crematory (43%) or cemetery (70%) and over 95% of these owners reported feeling it important to work with their preferred after-death body care service. In terms of guidance, most owners indicated they rely on their veterinary team to help them with end-of-life decisions and orchestrating arrangements on their behalf with tertiary pet aftercare services/companies. Participants indicated being more likely to use veterinary staff for pet death and dying as well as after-death body care and memorialization than any other source. When asked about these after-death body care conversations, 73% indicated they need 20 minutes or less. Participants expressed significant concern over several aspects of after-death body care (e.g., body mislabeling, type of container used for short term and long-term storage). Results of this study create the foundation for practical, ethical after-death body care recommendations to help guide veterinary teams acting on their clients’ behalf.

The mental health effects of pet death during childhood: is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

Pet ownership is common. Growing evidence suggests children form deep emotional attachments to their pets. Yet, little is known about children's emotional reactions to a pet's death. The goal of this study was to describe the relationship between experiences of pet death and risk of childhood psychopathology and determine if it was "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all". Data came from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a UK-based prospective birth cohort (n = 6260). Children were characterized based on their exposure to pet ownership and pet death from birth to age 7 (never loved; loved without loss; loved with loss). Psychopathology symptoms at age 8 were compared across groups using multivariable linear regression. Psychopathology symptoms were higher among children who had loved with loss compared to those who had loved without loss (β = 0.35, p = 0.013; 95% CI = 0.07, 0.63), even after adjustment for other adversities. This group effect was more pronounced in males than in females. There was no difference in psychopathology symptoms between children who had loved with loss and those who had never loved (β = 0.20, p = 0.31, 95% CI = -0.18-0.58). The developmental timing, recency, or accumulation of pet death was unassociated with psychopathology symptoms. Pet death may be traumatic for children and associated with subsequent mental health difficulties. Where childhood pet ownership and pet bereavement is concerned, Tennyson's pronouncement may not apply to children's grief responses: it may not be "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".

Anti-Proliferative Effect of Melamine on Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells

Melamine is an organic chemical used primarily as a plastics stabilizer and fire retardant. Also, it was used to fraudulently elevate the protein content of animal feed and dairy products, which led to infant kidney diseases and pet deaths. In this study, melamine was studied for its effects on growth in the human colon adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2). Different concentrations of medium-dissolved melamine were incubated for 24 h with Caco-2 cells and tested for its anti-proliferative potential using MTT assay. Half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of melamine was calculated from dose-response curve and found to be 14636 µg/L in the cells. The results demonstrated that the dose dependent melamine decreased cell proliferation and direct anti-proliferative effect in Caco-2 cells.

Coconut oil as phase change material to maintain thermal comfort in passenger vehicles

Parked vehicles are vulnerable to cabin overheating, which leads to hyperthermia, accidental death of babies and pets, increased fuel consumption and deterioration of vehicle interior. In this study, an effort was made to maintain thermal comfort inside an automobile cabin by impregnating phase change material (PCM) beneath the rooftop of the vehicle. Experiments were performed for a period of 3 months with coconut oil as PCM, in the Abha region of Saudi Arabia. An Arduino UNO microcontroller-based temperature measurement system with LM-35 temperature sensors along with a bluetooth module and an android application was used to monitor the cabin temperature history. Initially, the cabin temperature was monitored without PCM, and it was found in good agreement with the theoretical values published in the literature. Subsequently, the cabin temperature with PCM was measured, and the results show that the interior temperature of the automobile cabin is decreased by 15 °C on an average. This method is a simple and feasible solution to prevent undesirable heating of automobile cabins when parked under sunlight.

Investigating the Emotion Regulation Strategies Implemented by Adults Grieving the Death of a Pet in Australia and the UK

Pet-related grief has been for the most part been overlooked in psychological research. The aim of this study was twofold. First, to investigate whether the ambiguous loss of one’s pet was associated with heightened grief compared to certain pet death; and second, to examine whether adaptive emotion regulation (ER) strategies were related to less pet grief reactions compared to maladaptive ER strategies. One hundred and thirty-four bereaved individuals recruited from the UK and Australia completed an online survey. Within the Australian sample no significant difference in grief severity emerged between individuals who had experienced ambiguous pet loss (N = 10) vs. certain death (N = 65). For the second aim, based on 67 Australian and 56 UK participants who had experienced the death of their pet, maladaptive ER strategies including catastrophizing were positively associated with heightened grief, anger and trauma symptoms following pet death, while more ‘adaptive’ ER strategies were significantly associated with less grief, anger, trauma and guilt symptoms. The findings have clinical implications for individuals recovering from the death of their pet.

Retrospective survey of owners' experiences with palliative radiation therapy for pets.

OBJECTIVE To describe animal owners' experiences with palliative radiation therapy (PRT) of pets and identify factors influencing satisfaction with their pets' treatment. DESIGN Retrospective, cross-sectional study. SAMPLE 118 owners of dogs, cats, or rabbits. PROCEDURES Medical records were searched to identify animals that underwent PRT between 2004 and 2013. Signalment, tumor-related data, and outcome information were recorded. Owners completed an electronic survey assessing satisfaction with treatment (ie, satisfaction with the decision for their pet to undergo PRT and indication that they would choose PRT for their pet again), expectations regarding PRT, and perceptions of their pets' quality of life (QOL) and signs of discomfort from acute adverse radiation effects. Additional data regarding practical aspects of treatment, pet death, communications with veterinarians, and owner demographics were collected. Variables were tested for association with measures of owner satisfaction. RESULTS 92 of 116 (79%) owners were satisfied with the decision to have their pets undergo PRT. Most (92/118 [78%]) owners reported their pet's QOL improved after PRT; these owners were significantly more likely to be satisfied than those who did not report improved QOL. Owners who perceived their pets had discomfort from adverse radiation effects (38/116 [33%]) were significantly less likely to be satisfied than owners who did not report this observation. Measures of satisfaction were not associated with patient survival time. Twenty-one of 118 (18%) owners indicated they expected PRT would cure their pet's tumor. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested that short life expectancy should not deter recommendation of PRT for pets. Protocols that minimize risk of acute adverse effects may be advantageous. Veterinarians should attempt to ensure that owners understand the goals of PRT.

Supporting quality of life in feline patients with chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a progressive terminal disease that is commonly seen in cats in small animal veterinary practices. Veterinary nurses will be involved in caring for these patients during the diagnostic and treatment phases including providing end-of-life care when symptoms increase and the patient either dies a natural death or is euthanased. Palliative or hospice care will be provided by owners in the home environment. Veterinary nurses have a role in supporting owners to deliver high quality care to their pet and when making difficult decisions about their pet's death.

The emerging world of animal hospice: (2) Management strategies

Animal hospice is an emerging field that aims to maintain an animal's wellbeing and dignity at the end of its life. In an article published in last month's issue of...

The emerging world of animal hospice: (1) Introduction

Animal hospice is an emerging field that aims to maintain an animal's wellbeing and dignity at the end of its life. Here, Kathleen Cooney describes the hospice philosophy of care...

Forming an end of life hospice/Pawspice service.

Abstract Practitioners who support the human-animal bond can organize a team to provide end of life hospice/'Pawspice' care services in their hospitals. Selected staff can acquire communication skills needed to deal with end of life care issues. Pawspice carers often express worry, disappointment, fear, sadness, anxiety, anticipatory grief and fear of their pet's death. Staff can be trained to provide emotional care for the carers and end of life palliative medicine and body care for patients in end of life decline. We must dispel the old myths that discourage end of life care and refute the reasons why doctors feel reluctant to discuss a poor prognosis. Using the HHHHHMM Quality of Life Scale points out areas to improve and justify palliative care at the end of life.

Frequency of Neurotic Symptoms Shortly after the Death of a Pet

ABSTRACTSome individuals manifest psychosomatic symptoms after the death of their pets. A survey was conducted at four public and commercial animal cremation service centers in Japan. In each center, a questionnaire was distributed to 100 individuals (400 in total). The questionnaire consisted of the 28-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), the social readjustment rating scale (SRRS) and a series of questions regarding demographic information and the circumstances of their pet’s death. In total, 82 returned questionnaires were available for analysis. GHQ28 proved the existence of neurotic symptoms in 46 responses (56.1%; 95% confidence interval: 44.7%–67.0%). Analysis of the responses using the GHQ28 subscales with a Likert scoring system demonstrated more somatic dysfunction in females (GHQ-A: P=0.04). Furthermore, significant correlations were identified among the following factors: owner’s age (GHQ-A: ρ=−0.60, P=0.01; GHQ-B: ρ=−0.29, P=0.01; GHQ-C: ρ=−0.32, P<0.01; GHQ-D: ρ=−0.42, P<0.01), SRRS score (GHQ-A: ρ=0.32, P<0.01; GHQ-B: ρ=0.25, P=0.02; GHQ-D: ρ=0.30, P=0.01) and animal’s age (GHQ-D: ρ=−0.26, P=0.02). The death of indoor pets caused deeper depression (GHQ-D: P=0.01) than that of outdoor or visiting pets. The results revealed neurotic symptoms in almost half of the pet owners shortly after their pet’s death.

Neuroticism and Religious Coping Uniquely Predict Distress Severity among Bereaved Pet Owners

ABSTRACTA growing body of literature grounded in contemporary psychological theory suggests that personality and religion have a significant impact on the emotional well-being of the bereaved. Although this approach has been validated in human bereavement research and proposed by specialists in the field, it has not been empirically examined in the context of pet loss. This is surprising given the large number of people who own pets, and the high emotional value placed on animal companions in society today. Thus, the purpose of this study was to fill a void in the literature by examining the influence of neuroticism and religious coping on pet bereavement distress (PBD) while controlling for other variables of interest. A total of 510 adults who had lost a pet completed an online survey measuring pet-related characteristics, demographics, social desirability, religious variables, pet attachment, death anxiety, bereavement distress, neuroticism, and two forms of religious coping. A standard multiple regression analysis yielded a robust model (adjusted R2 = 0.52) which supported our hypotheses that a tendency to experience negative emotions (neuroticism) and using religion to deal with loss in an unsupportive and negative manner (negative religious coping) would be unique predictors of PBD. Negative religious coping was also the strongest predictor in our model. In addition, death type, time since pet death, pet attachment, social desirability, death anxiety, spirituality, and positive religious coping also explained unique variance in PBD. These findings not only emphasize the significance of considering personality and religion as unique factors that also impact pet bereavement, but also demonstrate the importance of controlling for other variables of interest when conducting this kind of research. Limitations and consideration of future research are also discussed.

Pet Food Information: Resources for Making Healthy Choices for Our Best Friends

Many of us who are guardians for companion animals were struck with fear when we heard about the massive recall of cat and dog foods during the spring of 2007. Even premium brands were being added to the recall list. Dogs and cats were becoming ill and many died from what appeared to be some sort of food contamination. Eventually, the cause of these pet illnesses and deaths was linked to the intentional adding of melamine to wheat gluten and rice protein imported from China. The melamine combined with cyanuric acid—a by-product of melamine and an additive in some animal feed—caused the formation of crystals in the kidneys of cats and dogs that consumed the tainted food (Dobson et al., 2008). Shortly after the pet food recalls of 2007, Congress worked to promote better food safety, including the safety of pet food. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired hearings on the pet food recall (American Veterinary Medical Association, 2007). New pet food legislation was included and passed as part of the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007, Public Law 110–85. Section 1002 of the Act deals with pet food safety, and this section was codified at 21 U.S.C. §2102. This provision requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and other stakeholders to establish regulations regarding ingredients, processing standards, and labeling for pet food. It also requires the establishment of “early warning surveillance systems and notification during pet food recalls” (21 U.S.C. §2102[b]).

Inhibition of Heme Peroxidases by Melamine

In 2008 melamine-contaminated infant formula and dairy products in China led to over 50,000 hospitalizations of children due to renal injuries. In North America during 2007 and in Asia during 2004, melamine-contaminated pet food products resulted in numerous pet deaths due to renal failure. Animal studies have confirmed the potent renal toxicity of melamine combined with cyanuric acid. We showed previously that the solubility of melamine cyanurate is low at physiologic pH and ionic strength, provoking us to speculate how toxic levels of these compounds could be transported through the circulation without crystallizing until passing into the renal filtrate. We hypothesized that melamine might be sequestered by heme proteins, which could interfere with heme enzyme activity. Four heme peroxidase enzymes were selected for study: horseradish peroxidase (HRP), lactoperoxidase (LPO), and cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1 and -2). Melamine exhibited noncompetitive inhibition of HRP (K i 9.5 ± 0.7 mM), and LPO showed a mixed model of inhibition (K i 14.5 ± 4.7 mM). The inhibition of HRP and LPO was confirmed using a chemiluminescent peroxidase assay. Melamine also exhibited COX-1 inhibition, but inhibition of COX-2 was not detected. Thus, our results demonstrate that melamine inhibits the activity of three heme peroxidases.

Abstract 4049: Early prediction of response to targeted drugs treatment in malignant lymphoma and sarcoma using in vivo proliferation marker 18F-FLT

Abstract Purpose: Last year we have shown that 18F-FLT is superior surrogate marker than 18F-FDG for very early response assessment to therapy in malignant Lymphoma. In this study, we use FLT-PET to predict the response of ewing sarcoma to different cancer therapy and investigate its relation to cancer cell death, especially apoptosis. Methods: FLT and/ or FDG PET were performed prior and early in each therapeutic course on SCID mice bearing with various tumor cells. Ewing sarcoma A673 was applied for investigation of the response to sorafenib treatment or Radiotherapy. GFP labelled Lymphoma cells (Myc449, Myc665) with or without transportation of Bcl2 gene was employed for the observation of cell death especially apoptosis after the treatment with aura kinase inhibitor or chemotherapy. Tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) of FLT-PET were compared to that of FDG-PET. PET findings were correlated with optical Imaging, histopathology and in vitro data comprising cellular tracer uptake, cell cycle related protein expression, cell cycle distribution and viability assessment. Results: In vitro study shows that sarcoma A673 cells were sensitive to all therapy. For in vivo studies, tumor volume of sorafenib treated animals showed modest increase of 0.1cm3 (range 0.02cm3 to 0.2cm3, SD=0.09) within the first week as opposed to a 15-fold increase in control mice. Median TBR of FLT-PET decreased significantly to 30.1% compared to baseline as early as 5d after therapy (range 11.3-53.5%, n=12, p=0.0004). On the other side, TBR in FDG-PET also showed the similar tendency (median TBR 74.6%, range 28.1%-131.8%, n=12, p=0.02). But the reduction of TBR in FLT was significantly stronger than that in FDG (p&amp;lt;0.001). In vitro study of lymphoma cells with Bcl2 transduction showed a strong anti- cell death ability, which will be served for the link between FLT PET and cell death. Conclusion: Compared with FDG-PET, FLT-PET is able to predict the response in the early therapeutic course and has a high specificity for the detection of ewing sarcoma. Continuing studies are intensively carried out to investigate FLT and FDG PET in relation to therapy-induced cell death. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4049. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4049