July 11, 2013Comments are closed.Getting 2 Zero
G2Z through disease management in pounds & shelters – Dr Lila Miller (ASPCA)
Culture change – mind shift.
When she began, they just warehoused animals and killed them.
By challenging our beliefs, it can be done. We have to put our hearts, souls and science to it!
Good health is not merely the absence of disease (WHO 1948)
Physical and behavioural health.
(no longer appropriate to put a cat in a 2×2 cage and think we’ve done them a service)
No longer bringing animals to the shelters.
Letting animals experience natural behaviours (toys, perches, beds, hiding places). Stressing animals makes them vulnerable to disease.
The principal of shelter medicine – focus on keeping healthy animals from getting sick, rather than getting sick animals healthy.
Valuing animals – not dependant on them having an owner.
They should not get sick on our watch. Let’s keep them well.
The well designed shelter health care program – the prevention of disease transmittion and design of wellness programs requires a team approach.
Management of population density
Minimising of crowding has to be the key goals of any health program. Reduces stress on animals and staff and increases time for appropriate care.
Doing an animal a disservice if you take it in, when don’t have the room to care for it appropriately.
Reducing the length of stay.
Capacity to provide care
Can increase live release rate, by having less of them.
Appropriate husbandry
Takes 15 minutes to clean and feed. This task should be done in three hours.
– Proper shelter design. Evaluate.
– Ventilation – animal health 101. Research.
– Temperature – respond to animal needs if they’re out of their comfort zone
– UV lights
– Use fans with caution
– Hepa filters
Good sanitation
– physically separate isolation areas
– several small areas ideal (not one large area)
– quarantine during outbreaks
– minimising the movement of sick animals in the facility
– versatility
– enclosures; provide a variety for residents different needs
– dogs need to be able to distance themselves from food and poop
– cats need litter boxes, perches, hiding places and distance between food and poop)
– easily accessible food and water’
As we change our mindset, we have to change our beliefs about appropriate housing. If we’re not just killing them, we have to care for them appropriately. Recognising better welfare.
Minimising stress
– Shelters must try and reduce stress.
– Stress lowers individuals resistance to disease.
– Not a ‘fluffy’ requirement. This is core to health.
– Training staff to be mindful of the things they do and how it causes stress in animals.
Overcrowding
– creates stress
– does not result in more animals being saved
– more suffering
Housing
– colony housing for compatible animals
– keep littermates together
– separate juvenile from adults
– house ‘bullies’ and aggressive animals separately
– provide shelter and hiding places
– colony cat housing can increase stress; have someone watch the behaviour of animals
– housing for ferals, dangerous, fearful and distressed
– separate dogs and cats, and predators and prey
Ferals – we’re a death trap for these cats. Let’s stop bringing them in. Reduce handling.
Management considerations
– Avoid overcrowding
– Staff training (are ‘older’ staff, teaching ‘newer’ staff the appropriate things?)
– Set a routine for daily procedures.
– Are cleaning procedures increasing stress & the resurface of disease?
– Reducing rehousing
– Consider play groups, socialisation and exercise periods
Environmental
– Respond to signs of discomfort
– Minimise loud noise
– Turn off lights at night
– Feliway/DAP (mixed results)
– Enrichment, windows and natural light
– Bedding, perches and platforms
– Hiding places
Enrichment is not ‘toys’. We need effective enrichment
Nutrition
– Individualised for optimal nutrition
– Fresh & palatable
– Avoid poor quality diets/expired food
– Must have a variety of foods available (obese animals, small & large, growth)
– Store safely
– Fresh water at all times (overturned dishes, not scheduled)
Behaviour
– Emotional suffering may cause more physical pain than illness or injury (McMillan)
– Signs of stress and maladjustment should be treated as seriously as illness!
– Staff trained to recognise
– Find solutions/increase tool kit
Santitisation
– cleaning and disinfection
– disease outbreak – look at your sanitisation
– the most common source of disease is fomite (inanimate) object. Must sanitise everything!
– handwashing protocols
– minimise disrupting the animals life, when doing killing.
– minimise movement from cage to cage/place to place
– cleaning order; healthy to sick
Veterinary health care
– physical exam on entry
— immediate medical care
– prompt isolation of sick
— segregation for different diseases – don’t lump all in together
— treat or euthanise appropriate
– medical rounds
— visually examine every animal
— train staff to assist
– quarantine only when appropriate
– need to know
— incubation periods
— shedding
— transmition
— carrier state
— killing it
— vaccine prevention
– vaccination on entry
— herd immunity
— as many animals as possible
— modified live vaccine (live)
— repeat boosters (2 weekly in young animals, due to high level of exposure)
– worming
— routine worming for hookworms and roundworms
– outbreak management
— risk assements
– having a plan will reduce euthansia
– foster care
– euthanasia
The most effective disease control measure, but is often unnecessary if good protocols are in place.
Questions
Should we treat ringworm?
At the ASPCA we have a ringworm treatment facility. But you have to look at
– Strict isolation
– 6 weeks treatment (Highly intensive)
– Effective bleach 1:10
– Lime sulfer dips
– Potentially limit to adoptable animals
Into foster care first, or hold then foster?
– Get them out of the shelter
– You are holding with other stressed sick pets. Get them out!
– Don’t quarantine if it’s going to increase length of stay
– Don’t have them come in, in the first place
– Speed of them getting them out of the shelter
– Schedule intakes (get foster carer ready, so they don’t even have to come in)
– The longer you hold, the less chance you have of a live outcome. Every second your house, you are taking from their lives.
