2024 AAHA Community Care Guidelines for Small Animal Practice.

Community care is a creative way of thinking about health care that mobilizes resources within a community and consists of four core principles: recognition of the urgency of access-to-care for the veterinary profession, collaboration within community networks, family-centered health care, and redefining the gold standard of care. The AAHA Community Care Guidelines for Small Animal Practice offer strategies to help busy veterinary practitioners increase access to care within their practice and community by optimizing collaborative networks. While these guidelines do not claim to provide exhaustive solutions to access-to-care issues, they propose a starting point from which private practices can explore and implement workable solutions for their community and their practice. Broadening the scope of care to reach all people with pets requires multimodal, collaborative, and creative solutions both within and outside of the veterinary profession. These solutions can begin with greater communication and collaboration between private veterinary practices and nonprofit veterinary practices, with the goal of keeping pets in their homes with their loving families as much as reasonably possible.

Behavior and adoptability of hoarded cats admitted to an animal shelter.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze the behavioral characteristics and success of adoption for previously hoarded cats. METHODS: Shelter records and post-adoption surveys were analyzed for hoarded cats ⩾6 months old at intake. A non-standard scoring system was used. Intake scores were allocated contemporaneously and socialization scores were applied retrospectively for three time points (TPs): 5-10 days post-intake (shelter TP), ⩽1 week post-adoption (home TP1) and >1 week post-adoption (home TP2). Adoption returns were compared between hoarded and non-hoarded cats. RESULTS: The study included 195 hoarded cats, of which 174 were adopted. Of 164 cats with intake scores, 86 (52%) were scored as 'friendly' at intake. Forty-five cats had socialization scores for all of the TPs, and of these, the percentages of 'supersocial' or 'social' decreased from 87% at the shelter TP to 47% at home TP1, then increased to 84% at home TP2. Most cats that scored as 'tense' at intake had supersocial or social scores at home TP2. Nine of the 88 cats with survey results had out-of-box (OOB) elimination in either the shelter or home but only 1/88 in both. Adopters expressed positive feelings for 42/43 cats for which feelings-based language was used in their survey responses. Notable behaviors, such as neediness, were recorded for 48/88 cats. Relationships with other household pets were typically positive. Eighteen of 174 hoarded (10%) and 188/2662 non-hoarded (7.1%) cats were returned post-adoption. Of these, six hoarded and 87 non-hoarded returns included behavioral reasons. There were no significant differences between hoarded and non-hoarded cats for total or behavioral returns. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Hoarded cats had high adoption rates, high adopter satisfaction and the potential for good emotional well-being in adoptive homes. Behavior at intake and OOB elimination in the shelter may not reflect post-adoption behavior. Behavior-based outcome decisions for these vulnerable animals should be deferred to allow time for habituation.

Medical conditions and outcomes in 371 hoarded cats from 14 sources: a retrospective study (2011-2014).

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the source, route of surrender and signalment of hoarded cats relinquished to the Toronto Humane Society (THS); (2) document the prevalence of medical conditions by group (place of origin); (3) compare medical conditions between institutional hoarding (IH) and non-institutional hoarding (NIH) environments; and (4) report length of stay (LOS) and outcomes in hoarded and non-hoarded cats. METHODS: A retrospective, descriptive epidemiological study was performed using THS records from between July 2011 and June 2014. The prevalence of medical conditions was calculated for the different groups. Univariable logistic regression with a random intercept to account for autocorrelation among animals from the same group was used to examine the influence of IH and NIH environments on selected medical conditions. LOS and outcomes were calculated for hoarded and non-hoarded cats. RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy-one hoarded cats from 14 sources were included. The majority (n = 352/371) were surrendered voluntarily, many with the assistance of a community intermediary. Upper respiratory infection (URI) was the most common medical condition (38% of cats), followed by dermatological disease (30%). The prevalence of medical conditions varied substantially between groups. The odds of URI at intake (odds ratio [OR] 4.35, P = 0.044) and chronic URI (OR 23.70, P <0.0001) were significantly greater for IH compared with NIH. Adoption rates, euthanasia rates and LOS were similar for hoarded and non-hoarded cats. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The different prevalence of medical conditions in groups of hoarded cats indicates a continuum of harm and severity in animal hoarding. Hoarded cats can have LOS and live release rates comparable with non-hoarded cats. Cats from IH were significantly more likely to have chronic URI. This study highlights the need for a greater focus on IH, as well as the role of community intermediaries and the potential for a harm reduction approach to animal hoarding.

Frequency and spatial distribution of animal and object hoarder behavior in Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil.

This study aimed to establish the frequency and spatial distribution of animal and object hoarding in Curitiba (Paraná State), the eighth most populous city in Brazil. All hoarding complaints received by the City Secretaries of Health, Environment and Social Assistance between September 2013 and April 2015 were collected (n = 226) and suspicious cases were individually investigated. A total of 113/226 (50%) of complaints were confirmed as hoarding cases, representing an overall ratio of 6.45 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Curitiba, of which 48/113 (42.5%) involved object hoarders, 41/113 (36.3%) animal hoarders and 24/113 (21.2%) both animal and object hoarders. A correlation of total identified cases with neighborhood population density and all population stratums analyzed (total, gender, age) was significantly positive (p < 0.01), and with neighborhood mean monthly income (r = -0.2; p = 0.03) significantly negative. A spatial cluster of cases was found in the north of the city (OR = 8.57; p < 0.01). Hoarding cases were relatively frequent in Curitiba and were associated with population distribution patterns and inversely related to neighborhood income.

Frequency and spatial distribution of animal and object hoarder behavior in Curitiba, Paraná State, Brazil / Frequência e distribuição espacial do acúmulo compulsivo de animais e objetos em Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil / Frecuencia y distribución espacial del acúmulo compulsivo de animales y objetos en Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil

Abstract: This study aimed to establish the frequency and spatial distribution of animal and object hoarding in Curitiba (Paraná State), the eighth most populous city in Brazil. All hoarding complaints received by the City Secretaries of Health, Environment and Social Assistance between September 2013 and April 2015 were collected (n = 226) and suspicious cases were individually investigated. A total of 113/226 (50%) of complaints were confirmed as hoarding cases, representing an overall ratio of 6.45 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Curitiba, of which 48/113 (42.5%) involved object hoarders, 41/113 (36.3%) animal hoarders and 24/113 (21.2%) both animal and object hoarders. A correlation of total identified cases with neighborhood population density and all population stratums analyzed (total, gender, age) was significantly positive (p < 0.01), and with neighborhood mean monthly income (r = -0.2; p = 0.03) significantly negative. A spatial cluster of cases was found in the north of the city (OR = 8.57; p < 0.01). Hoarding cases were relatively frequent in Curitiba and were associated with population distribution patterns and inversely related to neighborhood income.

Resumo: O estudo teve como objetivo identificar a frequência e distribuição do acúmulo compulsivo de animais e objetos em Curitiba, Paraná, a oitava maior cidade do Brasil. Foram coletadas todas as denúncias de acúmulo compulsivo registradas pelas Secretarias Municipais de Saúde, Meio Ambiente e Assistência Social entre setembro de 2013 e abril de 2015, e casos suspeitos foram investigados individualmente. Do total de 226 denúncias, 113 (50%) foram confirmadas como casos de acúmulo compulsivo, representando uma taxa geral de 6,45 casos por 100 mil habitantes em Curitiba, dos quais 48 (42,5%) envolviam acumuladores de objetos, 41 (36,3%) acumuladores de animais e 24 (21.2%) acumuladores de animais e objetos. Foi identificada uma correlação positiva significativa (p < 0,01) entre os casos identificados e a densidade populacional do bairro e em todos os estratos populacionais analisados (total e por gênero e idade), e uma correlação negativa significativa (r = -0,2; p = 0,03) com renda média do bairro. Foi encontrado um cluster espacial de cases na região norte da cidade (OR = 8,57; p < 0,01). Os casos de acúmulo compulsivo mostraram-se relativamente frequentes em Curitiba e estiveram associados diretamente a padrões de distribuição populacional e inversamente à renda média do bairro.

Resumen: El estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar la frecuencia y distribución del acúmulo compulsivo de animales y objetos en Curitiba, Paraná, la octava mayor ciudad de Brasil. Se recogieron todas las denuncias de acúmulo compulsivo registradas por las Secretarías Municipales de Salud, Medio Ambiente y Asistencia Social, entre septiembre de 2013 y abril de 2015, y los casos sospechosos se investigaron individualmente. Del total de 226 denuncias, 113 (50%) se confirmaron como casos de acúmulo compulsivo, representando una tasa general de 6,45 casos por 100.000 habitantes en Curitiba, de los cuales 48 (42,5%) involucraron a acumuladores de objetos, 41 (36,3%) acumuladores de animales y 24 (21.2%) acumuladores de animales y objetos. Se identificó una correlación positiva significativa (p < 0,01) entre los casos identificados y la densidad poblacional del barrio y en todos los estratos poblacionales analizados (total y por género y edad); y una correlación negativa significativa (r = -0,2; p = 0,03) con renta media del barrio. Se encontró un clúster espacial de casos en la región norte de la ciudad (OR = 8,57; p < 0,01). Los casos de acúmulo compulsivo se mostraron relativamente frecuentes en Curitiba y estuvieron asociados directamente a patrones de distribución poblacional e inversamente a la renta media del barrio.