Exploring the Social Determinants of Animal Health.

An understanding of the One Health and EcoHealth concepts by students is dependent on medical pedagogy and veterinary medical pedagogy having similarities that allow a common discourse. Medical pedagogy includes a focus on the social, political, and economic forces that affect human health, while this discourse is largely absent from veterinary medical pedagogy. There is, however, a gradient in health that human and animal populations experience. This health gradient in human populations, which runs from low to high according to the World Health Organization, is largely explained by "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age."1,2 Regarding the human health gradient, other authors have broadened the list of conditions to include access to health care systems used to prevent disease and treat illness, and the distribution of power, money, and resources, which are shaped by social, economic, and political forces.1,2 In human medicine, these conditions are collectively termed the social determinants of health (SDH). Veterinarians who work with the public encounter people and their animals at both the low and the high end of the health gradient. This article explores the concept of the parallel social determinants of animal health (SDAH) using examples within urban, rural, and remote communities in North America as well as abroad. We believe that in order to understand the One Health paradigm it is imperative that veterinary pedagogy include information on, and competence in, SDH and SDAH to ultimately achieve improvements in human, animal, and environmental health and wellbeing.

Improving oral health care accessibility for homeless and vulnerably housed pet-owning populations.

Individuals experiencing homelessness face unique barriers to oral health care. In collaboration with local universities in Ottawa, Canada, research was conducted to explore the experiences of Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) clients in accessing oral health care. CVO utilizes a One Health approach, providing preventive veterinary care alongside human health care services to promote health service uptake among pet owners experiencing homelessness. Based on the results of 4 research projects, this short communication proposes recommendations for promoting accessible oral health care and increasing service uptake at One Health clinics by CVO clients experiencing homelessness. Relevant themes leading to the recommendations were 1) barriers to care, including financial and individual circumstances, and discrimination by service providers; and 2) facilitators of care, including the presence of pets, compassionate care, and care received in community settings. Recommendations to improve accessibility of oral health services for CVO clients are 1) continuation of pet-friendly services; 2) delivery of oral health care in alternative settings; and 3) reduction of discrimination through continuing education for oral health professionals. It is hypothesized that the implementation of these recommendations will improve oral health care service accessibility and uptake among clients at CVO clinics and in the community.

Les personnes sans abri sont confrontées à des obstacles uniques en matière de soins de santé buccodentaire. Une recherche a été menée en collaboration avec des universités locales d'Ottawa, au Canada, pour explorer les expériences des clients de la Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO) en matière d'accès aux soins buccodentaires. La CVO utilise une approche « One Health  ¼, offrant des soins vétérinaires préventifs en parallèle aux services de santé humaine en vue de promouvoir l'utilisation des services de santé par les propriétaires d'animaux sans abri. Cette brève communication propose des recommandations en fonction des résultats de 4 projets de recherche pour promouvoir l'accessibilité des soins de santé buccodentaire et faire en sorte que les clients sans abri de la CVO utilisent davantage les services des cliniques One Health. Les thèmes pertinents qui ont mené aux recommandations étaient : 1) les obstacles aux soins, y compris les circonstances financières et individuelles et la discrimination par les prestataires de services; et 2) les facilitateurs de soins, y compris la présence d'animaux de compagnie, les soins prodigués avec compassion et les soins obtenus en milieu communautaire. Les recommandations visant à améliorer l'accessibilité aux services de santé buccodentaire pour les clients de la CVO sont les suivantes : 1) continuer d'offrir des services adaptés aux animaux de compagnie; 2) fournir des soins de santé buccodentaire dans des milieux non conventionnels; et 3) réduire la discrimination au moyen d'une formation continue pour les professionnels de la santé buccodentaire. L'hypothèse est que les clients de la CVO auront un meilleur accès aux services de soins buccodentaires et utiliseront ces services dans les cliniques de la CVO et dans la communauté grâce à la mise en œuvre de ces recommandations.

Understanding the associations between owner and pet demographics on pet body condition among those experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability in Canada.

Approximately 35 000 people experience homelessness in some form each night in Canada, with similar rates (approximately 1/200 individuals) among developed countries. Ten to twenty percent of those individuals are pet owners. Animal companionship provides a variety of mental and physical benefits to people who are living homeless or vulnerably housed, but many in the non-vulnerable sector, including veterinary professionals and animal welfare advocates, express concern for the health and welfare of these animals. We describe the demographics of a population of animals owned by individuals experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability, and investigate animal and owner factors influencing body condition score and over-conditioning using data collected from Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO). Community Veterinary Outreach is a registered charity focused on improving the health and welfare of people and their pets who are experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability. The organization provides free services to clients in ten Canadian communities. Data associated with 636 owners and 946 animals were collected during clinics held between April 2018 and March 2020, representing a total of 1124 visits. The population of dogs and cats seen by CVO was demographically similar to populations seen in general companion animal veterinary practice and were in similar health. For both species, the mean body condition score was 5.4/9, where an ideal score is five for cats and four to five for dogs, and 38 % of animals were considered over-conditioned (overweight/obese). Risk factor analysis demonstrated significant associations between being over-conditioned and pet age and the reason for the veterinary visit for cats, and pet age, the number of abnormal findings on physical exam, and a previous CVO visit for dogs. Pet age, sex-neuter status, disease of the oral cavity, and a previous CVO visit were significantly associated with body condition score in cats. Body condition score in dogs was associated with owner age, and with interactions between pet age and breed size group, and between sex-neuter status and owner-reported housing security. These findings suggest that animals owned by those experiencing homeless and housing vulnerability are generally in good health and similar factors influence body condition score and over-conditioning as animals seen in general companion animal veterinary practice. Further efforts to provide support to pet owners within these communities by veterinarians will help support the good health of this population.

A Multilevel Intervention Framework for Supporting People Experiencing Homelessness with Pets.

Approximately one in 10 people experiencing homelessness have pets. Despite the psychosocial benefits derived from pet ownership, systemic and structural barriers can prevent this group from meeting their basic needs and exiting homelessness. A multilevel framework is proposed for improving the health and well-being of pet owners experiencing homelessness. Informed by a One Health approach, the framework identifies interventions at the policy, public, and direct service delivery levels. Policy interventions are proposed to increase the supply of pet-friendly emergency shelters, access to market rental housing and veterinary medicine, and the use of a Housing First approach. At the public level, educational interventions are needed to improve knowledge and reduce stigma about the relationship between homelessness and pet ownership. Direct service providers can support pet owners experiencing homelessness by recognizing their strengths, connecting them to community services, being aware of the risks associated with pet loss, providing harm reduction strategies, documenting animals as emotional support animals, and engaging in advocacy. By targeting policies and service approaches that exacerbate the hardships faced by pet owners experiencing homelessness, the framework is a set of deliberate actions to better support a group that is often overlooked or unaccommodated in efforts to end homelessness.

Profiling a one-health model for priority populations.

No abstract available.

Behavior modification and pharmacotherapy for separation anxiety in a 2-year-old pointer cross.

Separation anxiety is a common behavioral problem in dogs. Treatment is based on developing a behavior modification protocol that gradually desensitizes and counter-conditions the dog to being left alone, by rewarding calm, relaxed behavior. Judicious use of pharmacotherapy can be a useful adjunct to a behavior modification program.