Bartonella henselae and Domestic Cats, Jamaica

Bartonella henselae has been isolated from domestic cats in most countries where it has been investigated, with the exception of some countries at northern latitudes, such as Norway. The prevalence of both bacteremia and seropositivity in cats is usually highest in warm and humid tropical countries. The worldwide distribution of cat scratch disease (CSD), a zoonotic disease caused mainly by the scratch of a B. henselae–infected cat, follows a similar pattern. Limited information is available about CSD in either humans or the feline reservoir in the Caribbean region

A Qualitative Exploration of Challenges and Opportunities for Dog Welfare in Ireland Post COVID-19, as Perceived by Dog Welfare Organisations

This novel qualitative study identifies challenges and opportunities to improve dog welfare in Ireland, as perceived by dog welfare organisations (DWOs), a previously underutilised stakeholder. This study sought the views of this predominantly voluntary sector of the next steps for policy and action in dog welfare, in light of the effects of the “puppy pandemic”, increased costs and COVID-19 restrictions. An integrated online focus group and interview design involving DWOs was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Thematic analysis identified 2 key themes: (1) Key challenges and solutions in general dog welfare and (2) Challenges and opportunities in the welfare organisation sector. DWOs perceived poor public awareness of appropriate dog-husbandry, inadequate legislation enforcement, negative impact of puppy farms, and increased financial and volunteer burden. DWOs helped construct a best practice rehoming pathway, identified how overall standards could be improved and recommendations to enhance dog welfare. The DWOs perceived an increased numbers of households acquiring dogs, difficulties in rehoming, and financial challenges as threatening their viability as organisations and Irish dog welfare. Greater enforcement of legislation, greater communication between organisations and the government, and more media awareness were seen as helpful by the DWOs to improve dog welfare standards and their organisations.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

A mixed-method survey to understand the role of dog welfare organisations in Ireland, including reported challenges and potential solutions

Background: This novel study forms part of a larger research programme seeking an improved understanding of aspects of the owned dog population in Ireland. Dog welfare organisations (DWOs) in Ireland are recognised as an instrumental pillar of the animal welfare sector with some receiving substantial public funding. We conducted a survey of DWOs in Ireland (n = 39) to gain a better understanding of their role and function, including their policies and procedures and the rehoming of dogs to other regions. In addition, we wanted to get a better understanding of the challenges experienced by DWOs in fulfilling their role and their perspectives on potential solutions to these challenges. The survey questions consisted of closed and open-ended items. Closed items were analysed quantitively; open-ended items were analysed thematically. Results: Most DWOs (> 80%) had written protocols for important welfare actions including rehoming procedures, assessment of owner suitability and euthanasia. DWOs sent dogs to Northern Ireland (13%), Great Britain (38.5%) and to other countries outside the United Kingdom (36%, including Germany, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands and Czechia). Reported challenges included a general lack of funding, limited public awareness of the importance of dog welfare and insufficient capacity to handle dog numbers. To address these challenges, the DWOs highlighted the potential contribution of subsidised programmes and access to resources to educate potential owners. In a further qualitative evaluation to capture perceptions of appropriate solutions by DWOs, several themes emerged, relating to legislation, education, an overwhelmed workforce, and funding. Conclusions: This study provides important insights into the roles and functions of DWOs and challenges they experience in Ireland. It is hoped that the findings from this research will inform future research investigating potential solutions to these challenges as well as the development of policy in Ireland.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Bayesian estimation of prevalence of paratuberculosis in dairy herds enrolled in a voluntary Johne’s Disease Control Programme in Ireland

Bovine paratuberculosis is a disease characterised by chronic granulomatous enteritis which manifests clinically as a protein-losing enteropathy causing diarrhoea, hypoproteinaemia, emaciation and, eventually death. Some evidence exists to suggest a possible zoonotic link and a national voluntary Johne’s Disease Control Programme was initiated by Animal Health Ireland in 2013. The objective of this study was to estimate herd-level true prevalence (HTP) and animal-level true prevalence (ATP) of paratuberculosis in Irish herds enrolled in the national voluntary JD control programme during 2013–14. Two datasets were used in this study. The first dataset had been collected in Ireland during 2005 (5822 animals from 119 herds), and was used to construct model priors. Model priors were updated with a primary (2013–14) dataset which included test records from 99,101 animals in 1039 dairy herds and was generated as part of the national voluntary JD control programme. The posterior estimate of HTP from the final Bayesian model was 0.23–0.34 with a 95% probability. Across all herds, the median ATP was found to be 0.032 (0.009, 0.145). This study represents the first use of Bayesian methodology to estimate the prevalence of paratuberculosis in Irish dairy herds. The HTP estimate was higher than previous Irish estimates but still lower than estimates from other major dairy producing countries

Factors Affecting University Student Blood Donation in Grenada, West Indies

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine which factors acting in close temporal proximity to the day of a university campus blood drive were associated with university-student blood donation. Methods: An incidence density case-control study was conducted at St. George’s University, Grenada, West Indies. Cases (69) were students interviewed while donating blood at blood drives (February-April 2010). Controls (437) were non-donating students interviewed on the same days as cases. Exposures of interest were: Sources of knowledge of the blood drive, the presence or lack of academic deadlines within a week of the blood drive, and the number of hours of classes on the day of the blood drive. Data were analysed using logistic regression with adjusted odds ratios approximating risk ratios (RR). Results: Associations with blood donation were higher for electronic and/or personal (RREmail = 5.1; 95% CI: 2.7–9.6, RRFacebook = 4.3; 95% CI: 2.1–9.0, RRPersonalReminder = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.6–5.4) than for impersonal (RRClassAnnouncement = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.3–4.8) sources of blood drive knowledge. Additionally, students with classes only in the morning (RRAMonly = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2–3.2), or afternoon (RRPMonly = 1.5; 95% CI: 0.7–2.9) and those with no academic deadlines within a week of the blood drive were more likely to donate blood. Conclusion: University-student blood donation shows a stronger association with personal and/or electronic advertising than with impersonal and/or non-electronic advertising. University blood drives should target students with similar timetables at times of reduced academic stress using personal and electronic modes of advertising

Pooled Testing for Bovine Paratuberculosis: Details Matter

Pooling of fecal samples with subsequent testing for Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) by culture or real-time PCR is used for 3 main purposes: herd or group classification, prevalence estimation and as a low-cost initial screening for identification of animals infected with MAP. Though pooling is touted to reduce costs for the latter purpose when prevalence is low, some important considerations have been overlooked. First, there is no consensus as to which pool size is optimal for a given within-herd prevalence. Second, rarely are negative pools retested. Although the choice to not retest might be reasonable if the objective is to find animals shedding moderate to high numbers of MAP (i.e. the most infectious animals), it may be sub-optimal if the goal is to detect all infected animals. Some infected pools will invariably test negative because culture and PCR are only about 50 to 60 % sensitive based on a single sample. Third, more sophisticated pooling protocols (for example those requiring re-creation of pools of half or quarter the original size) might offer cost-saving advantages Reticence about application of the latter two testing modifications is understandable since pooling is not supposed to increase laboratory work-load

Temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of pet ownership on mental health: A longitudinal survey.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us in numerous ways and may consequently impact our relationships with pet dogs and cats. We conducted a longitudinal survey to examine the temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during four phases of the pandemic: 1) pre-pandemic (February 2020), 2) lockdown (April to June 2020), 3) reopening (September to December 2020), and 4) recovery (January 2021 to December 2021). We also investigated the effect of pet ownership on stress and loneliness, by considering a set of a priori causal assumptions. In addition, we hypothesized that the differences in the levels of stress and loneliness between dog and cat ownerships were mediated by the owner-pet relationship. A total of 4,237 participants (657 non-pet owners, 1,761 dog owners, and 1,819 cat owners) completed between one and six surveys. Overall, the closeness in the relationship between owners and their pets increased with time during the study period. We also observed that dog owners consistently showed larger decreases in the levels of stress and loneliness than cat and non-pet owners. However, after adjusting for confounders, the findings did not support a mitigating effect of pet ownership. Pet ownership did not alleviate stress, social loneliness resulting from a lack of friendships or workplace relationships, or emotional loneliness due to deficiencies in family relationships. Pet owners, however, reported a lower degree of emotional loneliness caused by deficits in romantic relationships than non-pet owners. Our results also indicated that the differences in stress and loneliness levels between dog and cat ownerships were partially explained by the owner-pet relationship, and once this was accounted for, the differences between them reduced. In summary, this study highlights the dynamic effects of COVID-19 on owner-pet relationship and mental health. It also shows the complexity of the association between pet ownership and mental health, partially mediated by owner-pet relationships

Temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effect of pet ownership on mental health: A longitudinal survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us in numerous ways and may consequently impact our relationships with pet dogs and cats. We conducted a longitudinal survey to examine the temporal patterns of owner-pet relationship, stress, and loneliness during four phases of the pandemic: 1) pre-pandemic (February 2020), 2) lockdown (April to June 2020), 3) reopening (September to December 2020), and 4) recovery (January 2021 to December 2021). We also investigated the effect of pet ownership on stress and loneliness, by considering a set of a priori causal assumptions. In addition, we hypothesized that the differences in the levels of stress and loneliness between dog and cat ownerships were mediated by the owner-pet relationship. A total of 4,237 participants (657 non-pet owners, 1,761 dog owners, and 1,819 cat owners) completed between one and six surveys. Overall, the closeness in the relationship between owners and their pets increased with time during the study period. We also observed that dog owners consistently showed larger decreases in the levels of stress and loneliness than cat and non-pet owners. However, after adjusting for confounders, the findings did not support a mitigating effect of pet ownership. Pet ownership did not alleviate stress, social loneliness resulting from a lack of friendships or workplace relationships, or emotional loneliness due to deficiencies in family relationships. Pet owners, however, reported a lower degree of emotional loneliness caused by deficits in romantic relationships than non-pet owners. Our results also indicated that the differences in stress and loneliness levels between dog and cat ownerships were partially explained by the owner-pet relationship, and once this was accounted for, the differences between them reduced. In summary, this study highlights the dynamic effects of COVID-19 on owner-pet relationship and mental health. It also shows the complexity of the association between pet ownership and mental health, partially mediated by owner-pet relationships

Applying Haddon’s matrix to bovine injury prevention: An example using white line disease

The 29th Buiatrics Congress (WBC), Dublin, Ireland, 3-8 July 2016Haddon’s matrix is a model used to conceptualize injury occurrence. This model defines injury as energy transfer, by the agent to the host, in quantities or rates exceeding the tolerance of the host’s tissue. While this approach has been used in human injury research for over 30 years to identify risk factors and develop preventive interventions, we have not seen it applied to animal injury. Lameness, an etiologically complex condition, is a source of both economic losses and welfare concerns to the cattle industry. We introduce Haddon’s matrix as an approach to viewing traumatic animal injury using bovine white line disease as an example

Differences in the mean (95% confidence interval) loneliness scores comparing dog, cat, and no-pet groups in each of the four phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social loneliness (Social) and emotional loneliness due to the deficits in family relationships (Family) and intimate relationships (Romantic) are quantified using the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults Short Version, each range from 1 to 7 with higher scores indicating higher degrees of loneliness. N = 4,166.</p