The General Health Condition of Shelter Dogs and Cats in Tottori Prefecture,Extrapolated from the Medical Records of Animals at Amitie

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  • 人と動物の未来センター・アミティエ受け入れ犬猫の健康調査に基づく鳥取県内における保護犬猫の健康実態
  • ヒト ト ドウブツ ノ ミライ センター ・ アミティエ ウケイレ ケンネコ ノ ケンコウ チョウサ ニ モトズク トットリ ケンナイ ニ オケル ホゴケンネコ ノ ケンコウ ジッタイ

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Abstract

<p>The general health condition of shelter dogs and cats is largely unknown due to the lack of veterinary interventions and few laboratory tests being performed routinely in many shelters in Japan. At Amitie, a veterinarian-run animal shelter in Tottori, dogs and cats translocated from other shelters undergo veterinary health examinations including blood and fecal examinations. In this study, the records of 90 dogs and 112 cats of various ages were evaluated in order to characterize the health status of stray animals found in Tottori prefecture. The results revealed that 73.3% of dogs and 54.5% of cats suffered from one or more diseases requiring medical or surgical veterinary interventions when they were rescued. These included gastrointestinal parasite infestations (25.7%), heartworm infection (32.0%) and associated cardiovascular diseases in dogs, and viral infections (8.9%) in cats. Of those, approximately 40% of dogs and cats required long-term treatment or monitoring even after adoption. The time from translocation to adoption was significantly shorter in dogs weighing <10 kg and kittens aged <1 year, but a significant effect was not observed for sex or health condition. This is the first report, to the author’s knowledge, that provides collective information regarding the health condition of stray dogs and cats in Tottori prefecture. The results suggested that veterinarians are encouraged not only to become involved in the health care of shelter animals, but also to play a leading role in improving public awareness regarding the responsibility of pet ownership in order to achieve good animal welfare practice in Japan.</p>

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