Today's Veterinary Practice

JUL-AUG 2011

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

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WELFARE & ETHICS IN VETERINARY SHELTER MEDICINE | being required to practice both individual and popu- lation medicine; however, the health and welfare of the shelter population takes precedence.19 Impediments to population welfare often stem from the fact that shelters must maximize welfare within a limited environmental space, with limited funding, while still allowing for healthy animal pop- ulation dynamics and interaction with the public.19 Additionally, stringent regulatory standards for shelter animal care are lacking, which, if coupled with inad- equate resources and poor staff training, can further complicate the goals of optimal care and welfare.4,19,20 Other welfare challenges arise from:4,19,20 U Housing and environmental conditions U Diet/nutrition U Restriction of space and/or movement constraints U Lack of environmental control U Lack of social contact U Discordant social groupings U Inability to hide and/or express anti- predator behavior U Chronic fear U Individual animal considerations, such as medical or behavioral prob- lems.2 Shelter veterinary medicine plays an essential role in addressing these chal- lenges by evaluating and maintaining the physiological, behavioral, and psychologi- cal health of shelter animals. IMPLEMENTING WELFARE Behavior Evolutionary history influences the behav- ior of a given species and leads to species- specific behaviors.2 These motivations persist even when the captive environ- ment prevents animals from performing such behav- iors, resulting in frustration for the animal.2 Behavioral considerations include reasons for behavioral displays and the performance of these behaviors. For shelter animals, it must be determined which behaviors cannot be executed, why they cannot be performed, and what effect this has on the animal.4 In other words, how does the animal respond when highly motivated species- specific behaviors are not possible? Frustrated motivations and lack of control can yield numerous changes in behavior. 5, 22-24 U Displacement behavior is purposeful activity U Aggression can occur when behavioral frustration leads to increased hostility toward conspecifics. apparently unrelated to the frustrating stimulus (eg, grooming when denied access to food). U Vacuum behaviors are actions performed in the absence of a stimulus. U Stereotypic behaviors can be generally defined as maladaptive, repetitive, and abnormal move- ments and actions, such as pacing, weaving, Enrichment Environmental enrichment is an ongoing process that is species, and perhaps individually, variant over time. Variables from the species’ natural history and the captive environment must be carefully evaluated for enrichment implications.20 Enrichment implementa- tion, such as group animal housing, is not without risk for injury, illness, or harm; thus, safety evaluation and monitoring is crucial.4 Enrichment can be divided into 5 categories:27,28 1. Food-based 2. Physical habitat 3. Sensory (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile) 4. Social (human/nonhuman interaction) 5. Cognitive (problem solving). Providing confined animals with some measure of control over their environment by providing them the ability to choose enrichments has been shown to improve welfare:28 UÊInnovative feeding enrichment devices, such as feeding enrichment toys, enable control and help July/August 2011 Today’s Veterinary Practice 53 U Other abnormal behaviors include self-harming, regurgitation, and ingestion. circling, excessive barking; all of which can have negative consequences on the adoptability of shel- ter animals.24-26 The causes of behavior change must be evaluated with caution, as they may arise from psychological causes, yet often signal an underlying health issue.23 In particular, stereotypic behavior can suggest com- promised welfare when related to frustration, inability to cope, and/or brain dysfunction.24,25 However, while stereotypes may be a viable measure of stress in many captive species, not all express these behaviors. It has also been theorized that stereotypic behaviors may serve as an important coping mechanism for shelter animals and it is important to view these behaviors within a more broadly-based assessment of welfare.25-26

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