Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters. Группа авторов

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Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters - Группа авторов


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Association of Shelter Veterinarians https://www.sheltervet.org/assets/docs/shelter‐standards. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) https://www.aspcapro.org Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) http://www.humanepro.org Photo depicts outdoor section of a row of double-sided kennel runs. Indoor-outdoor kennel runs afford dogs with separate areas for resting and elimination.

      The success of the adaptation of cats and dogs to novel environments depends on both the quality of the environment and the adaptive capacity of the animal. With proper behavioral wellness protocols in place, most animals will adapt and successfully cope with shelter life in the short term. However, some will never adjust and will remain stressed indefinitely, resulting in the decline of physical as well as emotional health. Novel environments tend to be especially stressful for poorly socialized and geriatric cats and dogs. Geriatric animals generally benefit from placement in foster care. The housing of feral cats should be avoided whenever possible; healthy feral and free‐roaming cats can benefit from appropriately managed neuter and return programs in which healthy cats are vaccinated, surgically sterilized, and returned to their original site of capture (e.g. their home base).

      The importance of proper staff training to recognize and prevent stress is critical for animal welfare and cannot be overemphasized. Long‐term behavioral coping is extremely difficult for most animals, thus behavioral deterioration can be expected as LOS increases. This further underscores the importance of employing management strategies that minimize each animal's time in the shelter while maximizing the best outcomes.

      The ASV Guidelines state that “enrichment should be given the same significance as other components of animal care and should not be considered optional.” It is not a task that can be neglected on busy days; instead, it bears repeating that it is a fundamentally important, core component of daily routine animal care that should be a part of every shelter's wellness protocol. Enrichment can be therapeutic and should be tailored to meet the needs of individual animals and improve behavioral health and emotional wellbeing. Enrichment opportunities for animals being treated for infectious disease are just as important as for healthy animals but must be tailored to meet their individual conditions and utilize appropriate biosecurity measures to minimize the risk of disease transmission. Ultimately, enrichment reduces stress and promotes positive emotional states.

      Perhaps the most effective enrichment in a shelter is a trained animal care staff that enjoy working with animals and that are willing and able to spend ample quality time interacting with them daily to ensure social contact and tractability. Cats and dogs become accustomed to daily routines and generally respond strongly to their human caregivers. Whenever possible, caregivers should be assigned to care for the same animals on a regular basis and preferably at the same time each day so that they become aware of the habits and personality of each animal. This familiarity is necessary for better detection of physical or behavioral problems and enables staff to make better adoption matches. Caregivers should schedule time each day to interact with “their” animals in addition to the activities of feeding and cleaning. Some cats and dogs may prefer to be petted and handled while others will prefer to interact via a toy (e.g. cats chasing dangling feathers or dogs fetching a ball). Regular aerobic exercise is essential for dogs; the intensity and duration are defined by the individual's needs. Many dogs benefit greatly from participation in play‐groups. Health, age, gender and reproductive


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