PetSmart Charities recently announced that it has committed $2 million toward the development of a facility that will be used to house and care for animals seized as part of police investigations.
The facility will house the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safe Haven (MASH) Unit and will be the first of its kind in the United States. Not only will the new MASH Unit provide housing and medical care for seized animals, it will also serve as a space for the rehabilitation of nonviolent inmates through the human-animal bond. The rehabilitation program allows inmates to earn a training certificate for socializing animals in preparation for adoption. Over 660 inmates have graduated from the program to date.
The new facility will replace the MASH Unit’s previous facility, the Maricopa County’s First Avenue Jail facility. Human use of the complex was prohibited when it was decommissioned two decades ago. The new facility is being designed from the ground up with support from animal welfare experts to ensure that it will be suitable for the long-term care of animals living there.
“Our MASH program benefits animals, humans, and our community at large. Numerous studies have demonstrated the impact that the human-animal bond has on stress levels and fostering compassion. This new facility will enable us to expand MASH to include engagement and responsibility for our inmate population, including incarcerated mothers and their children, veterans, juveniles, and those with substance use disorders. Our goal is to reduce recidivism, while finding loving homes for the vulnerable animals we must lawfully care for. Ultimately, we believe this program will serve the needs of our animal population, save taxpayer dollars, and make our County an even better place to live and work. We are grateful to PetSmart Charities for its role in this innovative public-private partnership.”
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-02-10 08:37:292019-02-18 12:38:27PetSmart Charities Contributes $2 Million Toward Development of Safe Haven Facility
Invasive species — non-native plants and animals introduced to ecosystems outside of their own — can devastate local ecosystems. By upsetting the balance of individual regions, they can quickly explode in numbers and overwhelm native species. According to a new article from the Ecological Society of America, the worst offenders may be fueled by a particularly potent characteristic: positive public perception.
The opinion piece, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, suggests that charismatic critters may be more difficult to manage effectively due to the public’s adoration of them. While many invasive species negatively impact humans as well as their local ecosystems, others — such as free-roaming horses — may negatively impact ecosystems without directly affecting humans in the area. If the species happens to be viewed positively among humans — perhaps due to associations with their native versions — management efforts can become very difficult very quickly. In some cases, local people may actively attempt to thwart management efforts.
“Take the ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) for example. The pet trade has led to an established population of parakeets in Europe, far outside the species’ native range. Even though parakeets can transmit diseases to native birds, compete with them for nesting cavities, and are recognized as a crop pest, the public enjoys seeing them in parks, gardens, and homes. Introduced parakeets tend to be released in cities, but the parakeets actually exact the most damage in rural areas. But because people have grown used to them, they are likely to oppose eradication efforts that take place before the birds become an established nuisance.”
— The Ecological Society of America
While the Ecological Society of America does not offer any firm solutions to the challenges to management posed by charismatic species, they suggest that communication between wildlife managers, researchers, and the general public will likely be key.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-02-07 09:17:172019-02-18 12:17:38Charismatic Invasive Species More Difficult to Manage
Mars Petcare recently announced the creation of a certification program that will serve as a companion to its Better Cities for Pets initiative.
The certification program, designed for city officials seeking to make their cities more pet friendly, provides evaluations based on 12 traits of pet-friendly cities. The 12 traits comprise attributes of a city’s businesses, homes, parks, and shelters. The certification program not only provides a way for cities to ensure that they are accommodating pets, but also provides a way for cities to advertise their pet-friendliness to prospective residents and businesses.
The Mars Petcare Better Cities for Pets initiative, for which the certification program is a companion, aims to improve the number and quality of pet-friendly cities across the United States. The initiative includes educational components through a collection of resources oriented toward city officials looking to improve the pet-friendliness of their cities as well as a grant program that awards funds to cities for projects that will improve their pet-friendliness.
“Cities across the country are making strides towards becoming more pet friendly, but there’s more work to be done. Through this certification, we hope to inspire more cities to take real action that leads to a better quality of life for people and pets in their communities.”
— Mark Johnson, President, Mars Petcare North America
Since its launch in 2017, Better Cities for Pets has impacted over 100 cities and provided more than $100,000 in grant funding and $1 million in pet food donations.
According to Petfood Industry, new actuarial data suggests that the rates of pet obesity and associated diseases continue to rise in the United States.
The data, collected by Nationwide, describes the incidence rate of obesity-related diseases in cats and dogs throughout 2017.
Top obesity-related diseases, 2017
Dogs
Arthritis
Bladder/Urinary Tract Disease
Liver Disease
Low Thyroid Hormone Production
Torn Knee Ligaments
Diseased Disc in Spine
Diabetes
Chronic Kidney Disease
Heart Failure
High Blood Pressure
Cats
Bladder/Urinary Tract Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
Diabetes
Asthma
Liver Disease
Arthritis
High Blood Pressure
Heart Failure
Gall Bladder Disorder
Immobility of Spine
For the full list of obesity-related diseases as well as additional information on the pet obesity epidemic and what veterinarians are doing to combat it, check out the full article on Petfood Industry.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-01-26 08:47:112019-01-28 15:49:13New Actuarial Data Highlights Top Diseases Associated with Pet Obesity
A new study suggests that medical alert dogs don’t just help people living with diabetes avoid hypoglycemic episodes, they also “vastly” improve their quality of life.
The research, led by a team at the University of Bristol, investigated the accuracy and reliability of medical alert dogs trained to detect hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes over the course of 12 weeks.
Medical alert dogs are trained to respond to indications of medical distress with alerting behaviors, giving the affected individual or those around them the ability to intervene. In the case of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, alert dogs are trained to detect the subtle changes in the scent of affected individuals that accompany changes in blood sugar.
The team found that while detection accuracy varied between dogs studied, overall accuracy was much higher than had been previously reported. For all out-of-range glycemic events, there was a median sensitivity of 70%. For hypoglycemia, the median sensitivity was an even higher 83%. In total, over 4,000 glycemic episodes were detected by the dogs during the 12 week period.
Curiously, one of the factors associated with a dog’s accuracy was the degree to which it had been bonded to its human partner.
“Our research shows a dog’s effectiveness is affected by the individual dog and its connection with its human partner. Since the usage of such dogs is growing, it’s important that any dogs used for these purposes are professionally trained, matched and monitored by professional organisations like Medical Detection Dogs. It’s also vital that research continues both to assess true efficacy and determine ways to optimise their performance.”
— Nicola Rooney, Faculty, School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol
The results of the study have been published in PLOS One.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-01-20 10:34:012019-01-28 15:34:37New Research Suggests Medical Alert Dogs Vastly Improve Quality of Life of Those with Diabetes
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) recently announced that it had awarded grants to five projects examining the effects of human-animal interaction on human health.
The five projects that will receive HABRI grant funding focus on a wide range of topics within human-animal interaction, including the effects of human-animal interaction on the physical health of older adults, mental health of adolescents, and the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients.
“With human-animal interaction research more clearly documenting the impact of the human-animal bond on mental and physical health, it is important to support research on how companion animals can benefit vulnerable and at-risk populations. This new group of research projects is particularly exciting as two of the studies will add to existing HABRI research results on the benefits of dog walking for physical activity and the impact of therapy animal visitation on the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients. Two studies will look at mental health and preventing suicide among teenagers, a population that is often overlooked.”
— Bob Vetere, President, HABRI
Since 2010, HABRI has funded 26 research projects investigating the effects of human-animal interaction on humans and animals alike. HABRI has also supported the development of HABRI Central, a digital library for the study of human-animal interaction. In total, HABRI has contributed more than $2.75 million to funding new human-animal interaction research.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-01-18 15:04:062019-01-28 15:08:15HABRI Awards Five Research Grants to Study Effects of Human-Animal Interaction
The breakdown, included as part of Packaged Facts‘ 14th edition of Pet Food in the US, indicates that eCommerce both expanded the capacity of the pet food market in 2018 while also encroaching on sales from brick-and-mortar pet food retailers.
According to the report, pet speciality chains continue to hold the largest share of pet food sales, followed by mass market retail chains and Internet-based sales. Despite bringing up the tail-end of the list of channels, the Internet-based sales channel experienced substantial growth in 2018 and is on track to take an even greater share in 2019
Beyond the sales channel shake-up, eCommerce has indirectly added some volatility to the brand landscape as well. The emergence of Amazon‘s private label, Wag, and Chewy‘s private label, American Journey, has bumped into the shares of established brands. Both Amazon and Chewy have taken advantage of their respective sales platforms to promote their own brands. As the share of eCommerce sales increases, this effect is expected to increase.
For additional information about the effects of eCommerce’s growth in 2018, check out the full report from Packaged Facts.
The tips take some of the more recent issues in pet health — such as the pet obesity epidemic — into consideration, as well as some of the latest advancements in pet nutrition and health.
Limit treats to no more than 10% of your pet’s daily caloric intake
Invest in slow feeder bowls to reduce overall calorie consumption while also providing enrichment
Separate eating areas to prevent one dog or cat from consuming food meant for another
Seek out complete and balanced sources of nutrition
Be mindful of what activities do (and do not) interest your pets and engage them accordingly
“Just like humans, overweight dogs and cats are more likely to get diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, skin conditions, liver disease and joint problems. Starting a diet and exercise regimen for both you and your pet in 2019 will result in improved health and perhaps a longer life for both of you.”
— John de Jong President, AVMA
As with any modification to your pets’ dietary or fitness routines, always consult a veterinarian before adopting any changes.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-01-16 09:56:232019-01-30 11:05:11AVMA & Pet Food Institute Offer Pet Health Tips for 2019
The Whippet, Pinnacle Tennessee Whiskey — or just Whiskey, as he is known to his friends and fans — stood out among 5,000 other entries to earn Best in Show at the 2018 event. Whiskey and his handler, Justin Smithey, share the honor along with a $50,000 cash purse.
https://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.png00Jamie Branthttps://petleadershipcouncil.org/resources/uploads/pet-leadership-council-logo-sm.pngJamie Brant2019-01-10 10:37:292019-01-17 14:37:55Whippet Takes Home Best In Show at AKC National Championship
The announcement comes after the release of a joint, longitudinal study from the AVMA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that found that veterinary professionals are more than twice as likely to die from suicide than the general population. The results of the study, conducted over a 36-year period between 1979 and 2015, indicate that, when compared to the general population, male veterinarians are 2.1 as likely to die by suicide while female veterinarians are 3.5 times as likely.
Among the steps being taken by the AVMA to reduce the risk of suicide among veterinary practitioners is the development of new resources to help veterinary professionals identify and support colleagues who may be at risk as well as the promotion of existing resources. One such program, known as Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training, is designed to help individuals identify signs that someone may be contemplating suicide and to help them initiate a dialogue that can then be used to refer that person to a qualified mental health professional. The one-hour QPR Training is currently available, free of charge, to all AVMA members.
“Too many of our colleagues have either contemplated, attempted or died by suicide. And one suicide, is clearly too many. Working with our colleagues throughout the veterinary community will help us find solutions more quickly. This issue is affecting not only our profession, but society as a whole, in numbers greater than ever before.”
— John de Jong, President, AVMA
For more information about the steps the AVMA’s is taking to combat suicide among veterinary professionals, read the full story.
PetSmart Charities Contributes $2 Million Toward Development of Safe Haven Facility
PetSmart Charities recently announced that it has committed $2 million toward the development of a facility that will be used to house and care for animals seized as part of police investigations.
The facility will house the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safe Haven (MASH) Unit and will be the first of its kind in the United States. Not only will the new MASH Unit provide housing and medical care for seized animals, it will also serve as a space for the rehabilitation of nonviolent inmates through the human-animal bond. The rehabilitation program allows inmates to earn a training certificate for socializing animals in preparation for adoption. Over 660 inmates have graduated from the program to date.
The new facility will replace the MASH Unit’s previous facility, the Maricopa County’s First Avenue Jail facility. Human use of the complex was prohibited when it was decommissioned two decades ago. The new facility is being designed from the ground up with support from animal welfare experts to ensure that it will be suitable for the long-term care of animals living there.
Source: PetSmart Charities Commits $2 Million to Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safe Haven Unit Facility
Charismatic Invasive Species More Difficult to Manage
Invasive species — non-native plants and animals introduced to ecosystems outside of their own — can devastate local ecosystems. By upsetting the balance of individual regions, they can quickly explode in numbers and overwhelm native species. According to a new article from the Ecological Society of America, the worst offenders may be fueled by a particularly potent characteristic: positive public perception.
The opinion piece, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, suggests that charismatic critters may be more difficult to manage effectively due to the public’s adoration of them. While many invasive species negatively impact humans as well as their local ecosystems, others — such as free-roaming horses — may negatively impact ecosystems without directly affecting humans in the area. If the species happens to be viewed positively among humans — perhaps due to associations with their native versions — management efforts can become very difficult very quickly. In some cases, local people may actively attempt to thwart management efforts.
While the Ecological Society of America does not offer any firm solutions to the challenges to management posed by charismatic species, they suggest that communication between wildlife managers, researchers, and the general public will likely be key.
For more information about charismatic invasive species, check out the full article in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
Source: Why charismatic, introduced species are so difficult to manage
Mars Petcare Announces Better Cities for Pets Certification Program
Mars Petcare recently announced the creation of a certification program that will serve as a companion to its Better Cities for Pets initiative.
The certification program, designed for city officials seeking to make their cities more pet friendly, provides evaluations based on 12 traits of pet-friendly cities. The 12 traits comprise attributes of a city’s businesses, homes, parks, and shelters. The certification program not only provides a way for cities to ensure that they are accommodating pets, but also provides a way for cities to advertise their pet-friendliness to prospective residents and businesses.
The Mars Petcare Better Cities for Pets initiative, for which the certification program is a companion, aims to improve the number and quality of pet-friendly cities across the United States. The initiative includes educational components through a collection of resources oriented toward city officials looking to improve the pet-friendliness of their cities as well as a grant program that awards funds to cities for projects that will improve their pet-friendliness.
Since its launch in 2017, Better Cities for Pets has impacted over 100 cities and provided more than $100,000 in grant funding and $1 million in pet food donations.
Source: Mars Petcare certification aims to create more welcoming world for pets
New Actuarial Data Highlights Top Diseases Associated with Pet Obesity
According to Petfood Industry, new actuarial data suggests that the rates of pet obesity and associated diseases continue to rise in the United States.
The data, collected by Nationwide, describes the incidence rate of obesity-related diseases in cats and dogs throughout 2017.
Top obesity-related diseases, 2017
Dogs
Cats
For the full list of obesity-related diseases as well as additional information on the pet obesity epidemic and what veterinarians are doing to combat it, check out the full article on Petfood Industry.
Source: Infographic: Top 10 obesity diseases in dogs, cats 2017
New Research Suggests Medical Alert Dogs Vastly Improve Quality of Life of Those with Diabetes
A new study suggests that medical alert dogs don’t just help people living with diabetes avoid hypoglycemic episodes, they also “vastly” improve their quality of life.
The research, led by a team at the University of Bristol, investigated the accuracy and reliability of medical alert dogs trained to detect hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic episodes over the course of 12 weeks.
Medical alert dogs are trained to respond to indications of medical distress with alerting behaviors, giving the affected individual or those around them the ability to intervene. In the case of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, alert dogs are trained to detect the subtle changes in the scent of affected individuals that accompany changes in blood sugar.
The team found that while detection accuracy varied between dogs studied, overall accuracy was much higher than had been previously reported. For all out-of-range glycemic events, there was a median sensitivity of 70%. For hypoglycemia, the median sensitivity was an even higher 83%. In total, over 4,000 glycemic episodes were detected by the dogs during the 12 week period.
Curiously, one of the factors associated with a dog’s accuracy was the degree to which it had been bonded to its human partner.
The results of the study have been published in PLOS One.
Source: Medical detection dogs help diabetes patients regulate insulin levels
HABRI Awards Five Research Grants to Study Effects of Human-Animal Interaction
The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) recently announced that it had awarded grants to five projects examining the effects of human-animal interaction on human health.
The five projects that will receive HABRI grant funding focus on a wide range of topics within human-animal interaction, including the effects of human-animal interaction on the physical health of older adults, mental health of adolescents, and the quality of life of pediatric cancer patients.
Since 2010, HABRI has funded 26 research projects investigating the effects of human-animal interaction on humans and animals alike. HABRI has also supported the development of HABRI Central, a digital library for the study of human-animal interaction. In total, HABRI has contributed more than $2.75 million to funding new human-animal interaction research.
Source: Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) Funds Five New Grants
eCommerce Drives Pet Food Sales Above $27 Billion
A new report on the state of the pet food industry suggests that eCommerce is responsible for pushing sales of dog and cat food in the United States over $27 billion in 2018.
The breakdown, included as part of Packaged Facts‘ 14th edition of Pet Food in the US, indicates that eCommerce both expanded the capacity of the pet food market in 2018 while also encroaching on sales from brick-and-mortar pet food retailers.
According to the report, pet speciality chains continue to hold the largest share of pet food sales, followed by mass market retail chains and Internet-based sales. Despite bringing up the tail-end of the list of channels, the Internet-based sales channel experienced substantial growth in 2018 and is on track to take an even greater share in 2019
Beyond the sales channel shake-up, eCommerce has indirectly added some volatility to the brand landscape as well. The emergence of Amazon‘s private label, Wag, and Chewy‘s private label, American Journey, has bumped into the shares of established brands. Both Amazon and Chewy have taken advantage of their respective sales platforms to promote their own brands. As the share of eCommerce sales increases, this effect is expected to increase.
For additional information about the effects of eCommerce’s growth in 2018, check out the full report from Packaged Facts.
Source: E-commerce helps US dog, cat food sales hit US$27 billion
AVMA & Pet Food Institute Offer Pet Health Tips for 2019
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI) have teamed up to bring you tips for maintaining your pets’ health in 2019.
The tips take some of the more recent issues in pet health — such as the pet obesity epidemic — into consideration, as well as some of the latest advancements in pet nutrition and health.
As with any modification to your pets’ dietary or fitness routines, always consult a veterinarian before adopting any changes.
For more health tips for the new year, check out the full article on Petfood Industry.
Source: How to keep pets healthy in 2019
Whippet Takes Home Best In Show at AKC National Championship
At this year’s American Kennel Club (AKC) National Championship, the real winner was… Whiskey.
The Whippet, Pinnacle Tennessee Whiskey — or just Whiskey, as he is known to his friends and fans — stood out among 5,000 other entries to earn Best in Show at the 2018 event. Whiskey and his handler, Justin Smithey, share the honor along with a $50,000 cash purse.
Source: Whippet “Whiskey” Wins AKC National Championship
AVMA Takes Measures to Reduce Suicide Rate Among Veterinary Professionals
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently announced that it would be taking measures to reduce the rate of suicide among veterinary professionals.
The announcement comes after the release of a joint, longitudinal study from the AVMA and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that found that veterinary professionals are more than twice as likely to die from suicide than the general population. The results of the study, conducted over a 36-year period between 1979 and 2015, indicate that, when compared to the general population, male veterinarians are 2.1 as likely to die by suicide while female veterinarians are 3.5 times as likely.
Among the steps being taken by the AVMA to reduce the risk of suicide among veterinary practitioners is the development of new resources to help veterinary professionals identify and support colleagues who may be at risk as well as the promotion of existing resources. One such program, known as Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) Training, is designed to help individuals identify signs that someone may be contemplating suicide and to help them initiate a dialogue that can then be used to refer that person to a qualified mental health professional. The one-hour QPR Training is currently available, free of charge, to all AVMA members.
For more information about the steps the AVMA’s is taking to combat suicide among veterinary professionals, read the full story.
Source: AVMA Combating Suicide Amongst Veterinary Professionals