Can intake data inform on impacts of repeated subsidized onsite spay-neuter clinics for dogs?

Objective: Subsidized dog care and population management programs (DPM) are often implemented for dog population control where for-profit veterinary care is inaccessible. However, impacts of such programs are rarely assessed. The goal of this project was to determine if and how previously collected intake data from ongoing high-volume spay-neuter clinics could be used to measure impacts of such DPM programs. Animals: We used intake data collected from 2008 to 2019 from spay-neuter clinics that had been delivered repeatedly over a 10-year period in 6 First Nations communities in Alberta, to assess changes in intake dog characteristics. Procedures: Numbers of dogs brought in for spay-neuter surgery or surrendered, and their ages, sexes, breeds, weights, and body condition scores were compared. Reasons for surrender were investigated and socioeconomic factors were investigated as possible drivers for community differences in clinic participation rates and clinic sex ratios. Results: Socioeconomic indicators did not differ between the 6 participating communities; however, the total number of clinics requested by communities varied. In early years, female dogs were more likely to be brought to the clinics to be spayed whereas, in later years, more males were seen. The age at which animals were brought in for spay or neuter decreased over time (P < 0.05) but the surrender age did not. Breed proportions of x-large, small, and x-small breeds varied over time for both spay-neuter and surrender dogs (P < 0.05), with large-breed dogs always being the most common. However, there was an increase in small and x-small breeds in the final years of the study. Finally, weight status, a calculated estimate of body condition of spay-neuter dogs, increased over time within large and medium breeds, whereas the body condition score of surrendered dogs shifted from "thin" to "ideal" over time. Conclusions and clinical relevance: This work highlights the potential and challenges of using intake data to assess impacts of spay-neuter clinics that occur repeatedly over many years in the same communities. Overall increased weight status, high participation rates, and reduction of age at intake suggest positive effects of the assessed spay-neuter programs.

Les données d'admission peuvent-elles renseigner sur les impacts des cliniques de stérilisation sur place pour les chiens répétées et subventionnées? Objectif: Des programmes subventionnés de soins canins et de gestion de la population (DPM) sont souvent mis en œuvre pour limiter la population canine là où les soins vétérinaires à but lucratif sont inaccessibles. Cependant, les impacts de ces programmes sont rarement évalués. L'objectif de ce projet était de déterminer si et comment les données d'admission précédemment collectées dans les cliniques de stérilisation à grand volume en cours pourraient être utilisées pour mesurer les impacts de tels programmes de DPM. Animaux: Nous avons utilisé les données d'admission recueillies de 2008 à 2019 dans des cliniques de stérilisation qui avaient été dispensées à plusieurs reprises sur une période de 10 ans dans 6 communautés des Premières Nations de l'Alberta, pour évaluer les changements dans les caractéristiques d'admission des chiens. Procédures: Le nombre de chiens amenés pour une chirurgie de stérilisation ou cédés, ainsi que leurs âges, sexes, races, poids et scores de condition physique ont été comparés. Les raisons de l'abandon ont été étudiées ainsi que les facteurs socio-économiques en tant que facteurs possibles des différences communautaires dans les taux de participation aux cliniques et les ratios des sexes entre les cliniques. Résultats: Les indicateurs socioéconomiques ne différaient pas entre les 6 communautés participantes; cependant, le nombre total de cliniques demandées par les communautés variait. Au cours des premières années, les chiennes étaient plus susceptibles d'être amenées aux cliniques pour être stérilisées, tandis que dans les années suivantes, davantage de mâles étaient vus. L'âge auquel les animaux ont été amenés pour la castration ou la stérilisation a diminué avec le temps (P < 0,05), mais pas l'âge d'abandon. Les proportions de races très grandes, petites et très petites variaient au fil du temps pour les chiens stérilisés et les chiens abandonnés (P < 0,05), les chiens de grande race étant toujours les plus courants. Cependant, il y a eu une augmentation des races petites et très petites au cours des dernières années de l'étude. Enfin, le statut pondéral, une estimation calculée de la condition corporelle des chiens stérilisés, a augmenté avec le temps au sein des races grandes et moyennes, tandis que le score de condition corporelle des chiens abandonnés est passé de « mince ¼ à « idéal ¼ au fil du temps. Conclusions et pertinence clinique: Ce travail met en évidence le potentiel et les défis liés à l'utilisation des données d'admission pour évaluer les impacts des cliniques de stérilisation qui se déroulent à plusieurs reprises sur de nombreuses années dans les mêmes communautés. L'augmentation globale du statut pondéral, les taux de participation élevés et la réduction de l'âge à l'admission suggèrent des effets positifs des programmes de stérilisation évalués.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Owner expectations and surprises of dog ownership experiences in the United Kingdom.

Introduction: Although many owners are satisfied by dog ownership, large numbers of dogs are relinquished annually, with an estimated 130,000 dogs cared for each year by rescue organisations in the UK. Unrealistic ownership expectations are a potential factor in the decision to relinquish and therefore understanding what surprises owners about the realities of ownership and how this meets their expectations is vital. Methods: Using a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study design, as part of Dogs Trust's National Dog Survey 2021, owners were asked 'what has surprised you most about owning a dog?' and to classify how their experiences had compared with their expectations on a list of aspects of ownership as either more than, less than or as expected. Free text responses (n= 2,000) were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis in NVivo Pro (v.12 QSR) and a quantitative summary of classified expectations (n=354,224) was conducted in R. Results: Many aspects of ownership were reported to be as expected, however a discrepancy between expectation and reality regarding some aspects was revealed. The cost of vet visits was greater than expected for the majority of respondents (52%), whilst other factors that often exceeded expectations included buying/rehoming cost (33%) and amount of patience needed (25%). Damage to furniture was less than expected for many (50%) as was damage to garden (33%). From the thematic analysis, four themes were generated that reflected what surprised owners most about ownership: emotional connectedness of human-dog relationships; dog's impact on human health/wellbeing; understanding what dogs are like; and meeting the demands of ownership. Conclusion: Overall these results aid our understanding of dog-human interactions, highlighting the complexity of the dog-owner relationship which may come with unanticipated costs. Whilst this study's results are reassuring given many aspects of ownership were as expected, and surprises were often positive, some areas had greater impacts than expected, raising opportunities for intervention, resources or support. The aim would be to manage owners' expectations prior to acquisition or ensure these are more realistically met, reducing the likelihood of negative welfare implications for both dog and owner.

Pooches on a platform: Text mining twitter for sector perceptions of dogs during a global pandemic.

Introduction: Businesses commonly text mine Twitter data to identify patterns and extract valuable information. However, this method is rarely applied to the animal welfare sector. Here, we describe Twitter conversations regarding dogs during a global pandemic, assess the evolution of sentiment, and examine the dynamics of sector influence. Methods: Between March and August 2020, we gathered 61,088 unique tweets from the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, relating to COVID-19 and dogs. Tweets were assigned to one of four pandemic phases and active accounts were assigned to a sector: Personal (i.e., UK and ROI public), Press (i.e., mass media), State (i.e., Government, Police, and NHS), and Other (i.e., welfare organizations, social enterprises, research organizations, charity, and business). Results: Word frequency and sentiment analysis between phases and sectors were assessed, and cross correlation functions and lagged regressions were used to evaluate sector influence. Topical foci of conversations included: meat trade, separation anxiety and dog theft. Sentiment score remained stable until the last phase where sentiment decreased (F 3, 78, 508 = 44.4, p < 0.001), representing an increased use of negative language. Sentiment differed between the four sectors (F 3, 11, 794 = 52.2, p < 0.001), with Personal and Press accounts presenting the greatest use of negative language. Personal accounts were initially partly influenced by State accounts (R = -0.26; p = 0.05), however this altered to Press accounts by the last phase (R = -0.31; p = 0.02). Discussion: Our findings highlight that whilst Personal accounts may affect sector-specific messaging online, perhaps more importantly: language used, and sentiment expressed by Press, State and Other accounts may influence public perception. This draws attention to the importance of sector responsibility regarding accurate and appropriate messaging, as irresponsible/ill-considered comments or campaigns may impact future human-animal interaction.

National Dog Survey: Describing UK Dog and Ownership Demographics.

With dogs being the most commonly owned companion animal in the United Kingdom, knowledge about dog demographics is important in understanding the impact of dogs on society. Furthermore, understanding the demography of dog owners is also important to better target support to dogs and their owners to achieve optimal welfare in the canine population. Combining natural fluctuations in the population and unprecedented events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for an up-to-date large-scale dataset is even more paramount. In order to address this, Dogs Trust launched the 'National Dog Survey' to provide a large population-level dataset that will help identify key areas of concern and needs of owners and their dogs. The online survey was completed by a total of 354,046 respondents owning dogs in the UK, providing data for 440,423 dogs. The results of this study highlight dog demographics, including acquisition and veterinary factors, as well as owner demographic and household information. Finally, general trends in ownership, and more specifically those following the COVID-19 pandemic, are described. This paper's findings provide valuable insight into the current population of dogs and their owners in the UK, allowing for the most appropriate products, services, interventions and regulations to be developed, reducing the likelihood of negative welfare outcomes such as health and behaviour issues, relinquishment or euthanasia. Furthermore, with significant changes to the dog population following the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted, this dataset serves as an up-to-date baseline for future study comparisons to continue to monitor trends and patterns of the dog population and dog owners going forwards.

Accessing veterinary healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods analysis of UK and Republic of Ireland dog owners' concerns and experiences.

BACKGROUND: This study explored dog owners' concerns and experiences related to accessing veterinary healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Data were obtained through two cross-sectional owner-completed surveys conducted in May (first nationwide lockdown) and October 2020 and owner-completed diaries (April-November 2020). Diaries and relevant open-ended survey questions were analysed qualitatively to identify themes. Survey responses concerning veterinary healthcare access were summarised and compared using chi-square tests. RESULTS: During the initial months of the pandemic, veterinary healthcare availability worried 32.4% (n = 1431/4922) of respondents. However, between 23 March and 4 November 2020, 99.5% (n = 1794/1843) of those needing to contact a veterinarian managed to do so. Delays/cancellations of procedures affected 28.0% (n = 82/293) of dogs that owners planned to neuter and 34.2% (n = 460/1346) of dogs that owners intended to vaccinate. Qualitative themes included COVID-19 safety precautions, availability of veterinary healthcare and the veterinarian-client relationship. CONCLUSION: Veterinary healthcare availability concerned many owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to veterinary healthcare for emergencies remained largely available, but prophylactic treatments were delayed for some dogs.

"More Attention than Usual": A Thematic Analysis of Dog Ownership Experiences in the UK during the First COVID-19 Lockdown.

On 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an electronic diary completed by members of the general public and participants involved in "Generation Pup", an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of dogs. A total of 10,510 free-text entries were analysed. Three major themes emerged: spending time at home with dog(s), walking practices, and behaviour and training. Owners valued having more time than usual with their dog(s) but also recognised that spending extra time with their dog(s) may negatively impact on the dog's future ability to cope when left alone. However, very few owners provided alone time for their dog(s) during the lockdown. The opportunity to walk their dog(s) as part of their permitted daily exercise was regarded positively, but walks under the lockdown guidelines were not always felt to be adequate with respect to providing sufficient exercise and opportunities for interaction with other dogs. Owners reported observing new undesirable behaviours in their dog(s) during the lockdown, including barking and dogs being "clingy" or vocalising when briefly left alone. Based on these findings, we suggest intervention strategies to best support dog welfare that include helping dog owners to teach dogs to cope with being alone, even if owners do not need to leave their dogs alone.

Education as a tool for improving canine welfare: Evaluating the effect of an education workshop on attitudes to responsible dog ownership and canine welfare in a sample of Key Stage 2 children in the United Kingdom.

One of the core objectives of many animal-welfare organisations is to achieve improvements in animal welfare through school education programmes. However, whilst many charities and organisations develop and deliver these educational activities, impact relating to specific animal welfare attitudes and behaviours remains largely undescribed. This study evaluated the effects of an hour-long dog welfare workshop delivered to children aged 7-11, evaluating 2732 learners in state primary schools across the UK. Two types of workshop were evaluated; "Be Dog Smart" (BDS) and "Responsible Dog Ownership" (RDO). This study assessed short-term impact on attitude outcomes, as a first step in developing a full education monitoring and evaluation framework. Learners within each class were randomly assigned to two groups; one completing an attitude-based questionnaire before (control) and the other after the workshop (treatment). Dog ownership status, age, gender, and social deprivation (measured as access to free school meals) were collected for all participants. Questionnaire scores were compared between treatment and control groups. Mean scores were significantly different (BDS p<0.001; Cohen's D 0.65; RDO p<0.001; Cohen's D 0.51) between control (BDS 13.57 ± 3.15; RDO 22.97 ± 4.78) and treatment groups (BDS 15.61 ± 3.10; RDO 25.47 ± 5.06) for both workshops, suggesting workshops effectively convey key messages and improve learner attitudes concerning dogs. Gender, age and social deprivation were found to significantly influence questionnaire responses. These findings contribute to a broader effort to improve canine welfare via childhood education while also demonstrating the feasibility of effective monitoring and evaluation during operational delivery of a schools workshop programme. Ongoing impact assessment is important in ensuring successful development, delivery and refinement of educational programmes to maximise the probabilty of positive changes in participants. Further work is needed to evaluate longer term impact, and ensure that desired influences on human behaviour change, and animal welfare, are achieved.

Risk Factors for Canine Osteoarthritis and Its Predisposing Arthropathies: A Systematic Review.

Osteoarthritis is a common clinical and pathological end-point from a range of joint disorders, that ultimately lead to structural and functional decline of the joint with associated lameness and pain. Increasing understanding of the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis will assist in addressing the significant threat it poses to the welfare of the dog population and implementing preventive measures. Presented here, is the first comprehensive systematic review and evaluation of the literature reporting risk factors for canine osteoarthritis. This paper aimed to systematically collate, review and critically evaluate the published literature on risk factors for canine osteoarthritis and its predisposing conditions such as developmental joint dysplasias, cruciate ligament degeneration, and patellar luxation. Peer-reviewed publications were systematically searched for both osteoarthritis and predisposing arthropathies on Web of Science and PubMed following PRISMA (2009) guidelines, using pre-specified combinations of keywords. Sixty-two papers met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated and graded on reporting quality. Identified risk factors included both modifiable factors (neuter status and body weight) for which intervention can potentially affect the risk of occurrence of osteoarthritis, and unmodifiable factors (sex, breed, and age) which can be used to identify individuals most "at risk." Osteoarthritis in dogs frequently develops from predisposing arthropathies, and therefore risk factors for these are also important to consider. Papers evaluated in this study were rated as medium to high-quality; gap analysis of the literature suggests there would be significant benefit from additional research into the interactions between and relative weighting of risk factors. There are a number of examples where research outcomes are conflicting such as age and sex; and further investigation into these factors would be beneficial to attain greater understanding of the nature of these risks. Comprehensively collating the published risk factors for osteoarthritis and its predisposing conditions offers opportunities to identify possible means for control and reduction within the population through preventative methods and control strategies. These factors are highlighted here, as well as current literature gaps where further research is warranted, to aid future research direction.

Impact of the First COVID-19 Lockdown on Management of Pet Dogs in the UK.

Initial COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the United Kingdom (23rd March-12th May 2020) prompted lifestyle changes for many people. We explored the impact of this lockdown phase on pet dogs using an online survey completed by 6004 dog owners, who provided information including dog management data for the 7 days prior to survey completion (4th-12th May 2020), and for February 2020 (pre-lockdown). We explored associations between potential predictors and four outcomes relating to changes pre-/during lockdown (reduction in number and duration of walks; increased frequency of play/training, and provision of toys). Most owners (79.5%) reported their dog's routine had changed compared to pre-lockdown. There was a four-fold increase in the proportion not left alone for >5 min on any day during a weekly period (14.6% pre-lockdown, 58.0% during lockdown), with the proportion being left for ≥3 h at a time decreasing from 48.5% to 5.4%. Dogs were walked less often and for less time daily during lockdown, with factors related to the dog, owner, household, and home location associated with changes to walking practices. Many dogs had more play/training sessions and were given toys more frequently during lockdown. Decreased walk duration was associated with increased odds of play/training opportunities and toy provision. These changes to dog management have the potential for immediate and longer-term welfare problems.

Prevalence, duration and risk factors for appendicular osteoarthritis in a UK dog population under primary veterinary care.

Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease diagnosed in veterinary medicine and poses considerable challenges to canine welfare. This study aimed to investigate prevalence, duration and risk factors of appendicular osteoarthritis in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. The VetCompassTM programme collects clinical data on dogs attending UK primary-care veterinary practices. The study included all VetCompassTM dogs under veterinary care during 2013. Candidate osteoarthritis cases were identified using multiple search strategies. A random subset was manually evaluated against a case definition. Of 455,557 study dogs, 16,437 candidate osteoarthritis cases were identified; 6104 (37%) were manually checked and 4196 (69% of sample) were confirmed as cases. Additional data on demography, clinical signs, duration and management were extracted for confirmed cases. Estimated annual period prevalence (accounting for subsampling) of appendicular osteoarthritis was 2.5% (CI95: 2.4-2.5%) equating to around 200,000 UK affected dogs annually. Risk factors associated with osteoarthritis diagnosis included breed (e.g. Labrador, Golden Retriever), being insured, being neutered, of higher bodyweight and being older than eight years. Duration calculation trials suggest osteoarthritis affects 11.4% of affected individuals' lifespan, providing further evidence for substantial impact of osteoarthritis on canine welfare at the individual and population level.