Animal Welfare Worldwide, the Opinion of Practicing Veterinarians

The objective of this study was to investigate the animal welfare issues considered the most important by companion animal veterinarians worldwide. For this purpose, a global survey of several potential animal welfare issues was distributed via SurveyMonkey® in multiple languages. The distribution of survey responses differed by region. The main animal welfare concern reported worldwide was obesity, although there were differences across regions, possibly due to cultural and socioeconomic factors. Anthropomorphism (attributing human qualities or characteristics to an animal) was an issue in western countries but less so in Asia, Africa, and Oceania. There were significant differences between Asia and Europe, Africa, and Oceania in the importance and prevalence of convenience euthanasia. There were also age and sex differences in participant responses, with older veterinarians reporting fewer welfare problems than younger veterinarians, and female veterinarians reporting more welfare issues than their male counterparts

Renal secondary hyperparathyroidism should be considered a differential diagnosis in forensic cases where animal abuse is suspected

This case description reports an adult dog with multiple rib fractures that was initially suspected to be the victim of non-accidental trauma, but eventually was diagnosed with severe chronic interstitial nephritis and renal secondary hyperparathyroidism leading to fibrous osteodystrophy and multiple pathological fractures. The importance of the specific expertise of a dedicated expert panel on animal abuse is discussed. This case illustrates the significance of the identification of normal, pathological, and breed-related variations within an animal in addition to forensic expertise, emphasizing that the presence of multidisciplinary teams in an expert panel on animal abuse is crucial

Renal secondary hyperparathyroidism should be considered a differential diagnosis in forensic cases where animal abuse is suspected

This case description reports an adult dog with multiple rib fractures that was initially suspected to be the victim of non-accidental trauma, but eventually was diagnosed with severe chronic interstitial nephritis and renal secondary hyperparathyroidism leading to fibrous osteodystrophy and multiple pathological fractures. The importance of the specific expertise of a dedicated expert panel on animal abuse is discussed. This case illustrates the significance of the identification of normal, pathological, and breed-related variations within an animal in addition to forensic expertise, emphasizing that the presence of multidisciplinary teams in an expert panel on animal abuse is crucial

Parent perceptions of the quality of life of pet dogs living with neuro-typically developing and neuro-atypically developing children: an exploratory study

There is growing scientific and societal recognition of the role that pet dogs can play in healthy development of children; both those who are neuro-typically developing and those who live with a neuro-developmental disorder, such as autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, little attention has been paid to how living with children positively and negatively affects quality of life of a pet dog. In this exploratory study we conducted semi-structured interviews with parents of neuro-typically developing children (n = 18) and those with a neuro-developmental disorder (n = 18) who owned a pet dog, until no new factors were identified. Living with children brought potentially positive benefits to the dog’s life including: imposition of a routine, participation in recreational activities and the development of a strong bond between the child and the dog. The importance of maintaining a routine was particularly prevalent in families with children with neuro-developmental disorders. Potential negative factors included having to cope with child meltdowns and tantrums, over stimulation from child visitors, harsh contact and rough and tumble play with the child. The regularity and intensity of meltdowns and tantrums was particularly evident in responses from parents with children with a neuro-developmental disorder. However, child visitors and rough play and contact were mentioned similarly across the groups. Protective factors included having a safe haven for the dog to escape to, parent’s awareness of stress signs and child education in dog-interaction. Parents were also asked to complete a stress response scale to provide an initial quantitative comparison of stress responses between dogs living with the two family-types. Parents with neuro-typically developing children more frequently observed their dog rapidly running away from a situation and less frequently observed their dog widening their eyes, than parents with children with a neuro-developmental disorder. We propose the development of a stress audit based on the findings reported here, to prevent potential dangerous situations, which may lead to dog bites and dog relinquishment and allow owners to maximise the benefits of dog ownership

Socio-demographic factors associated with pet ownership amongst adolescents from a UK birth cohort

Background: In developed nations, pet ownership is common within families. Both physical and psychological health benefits may result from owning a pet during childhood and adolescence. However, it is difficult to determine whether these benefits are due to pet ownership directly or to factors linked to both pet ownership and health. Previous research found associations between a range of socio-demographic factors and pet ownership in seven-year-old children from a UK cohort. The current study extends this research to adolescence, considering that these factors may be important to consider in future Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) research across childhood.Results:The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) collected pet ownership data prospectively via maternal reports from gestation up to age 10 years old and via self-report retrospectively at age 18 for ages 11(n= 3063) to 18 years old (n= 3098) on cats, dogs, rabbits, rodents, birds, fish, tortoise/turtles and horses. The dataset also contains a wide range of potential confounders, including demographic and socio-economic variables.The ownership of all pet types peaked at age 11 (80%) and then decreased during adolescence, with the exclusion of cats which remained constant (around 30%), and dogs which increased through 11–18 years (26–37%). Logistic regression was used to build multivariable models for ownership of each pet type at age 13 years, and the factors identified in these models were compared to previously published data for 7 year-olds in the same cohort. There was some consistency with predictors reported at age 7. Generally sex, birth order, maternal age, maternal education, number of people in the household, house type, and concurrent ownership of other pets were associated with pet ownership at both 7 and 13 years (the direction of association varied according to pet type).Factors that were no longer associated with adolescent pet ownership included child ethnicity, paternal education,and parental social class.Conclusions:A number of socio-demographic factors are associated with pet ownership in childhood and adolescence and they differ according to the type of pet, and age of child. These factors are potential confounders that must be considered in future HAI studies

A study of the yield and composition of the essential oils from Agathosma crenulata and A. betulina

Thesis (M. Sc.) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1972.Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record

Een nieuwe visie op het aandeel

De kapitaalmarkt vormt een voedingsbodem voor beursfraude, bedrijfsblindheid en klachten van beleggers over gebrek aan invloed op beursgenoteerde ondernemingen. Er is een herbezinning nodig op de rol van het aandeel, bijvoorbeeld in de vorm van het consent-aandeel. Het consent-aandeel draagt bij aan een moderne invulling van eigendomsverhoudingen waarin aandeelhouders gelijkwaardig zijn aan andere belanghebbenden, zoals verschaffers van arbeid en kennis

Naar een nieuwe vormgeving van het aandeel

In dit artikel wordt de noodzaak van een nieuwe vormgeving van het aandeel bepleit, in het licht van de problemen die zich voordoen in de relatie tussen aandeelhouders en onderneming. Deze problemen zijn een gevolg van het dilemma tussen de aandeelhouders- en de stakeholdersbenadering. De aandeelhoudersbenadering gaat uit van het principe van financiële eigendom waarbij het maximaliseren van aandeelhouderswaarde centraal komt te staan. De stakeholdersbenadering bepleit een verbreding van de betrokkenheid bij de onderneming, onder meer door middel van het belang van managers, werknemers en bijvoorbeeld het natuurlijk milieu. We betogen dat een doeltreffende verbinding tussen aandeelhouder en onderneming staat of valt met een structurele oplossing voor het dilemma tussen de stakeholders- en de aandeelhoudersbenadering. Dit wordt uitgewerkt en geïllustreerd aan de hand van het ontwerp voor het zogenoemde consentaandeel dat samenhangt met een concrete vormgeving van participatie in de beleidsvorming op verschillende niveaus in de onderneming