A cross-sectional study to investigate associations between flooring substrates and prevalence of limb and paw abnormalities of dogs housed in commercial breeding facilities

Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2025-02-19

Understanding the impact of environmental and management factors on the health and behavior of dogs housed in commercial breeding (CB) facilities is critical to their welfare. The specific aims of the study were to assess (a) associations between combinations of flooring substrates commonly used in CB kennels with foot, elbow, or hock abnormalities such as pododermatitis, calluses, or interdigital furuncle and (b) the impact of flooring substrate on dog cleanliness. Dogs ( N = 373) from CB facilities ( N = 20), housed on combinations of concrete, gravel, and diamond-coated expanded metal were assessed. A veterinary dermatologist examined each dog's paw, toenails, elbows, hocks, body condition, and overall cleanliness. Identified conditions included wet paws (12.6%), calluses (11.26%), erythema (6.97%), and matted paw fur (6.17%). Mixed-effects logistic regression models identified an effect of sex and wet paws (OR 6.08, CI 1.23, 29.92, p = 0.03) and age with matted paw fur (OR 1.52, CI 1.12, 2.07, p = 0.007). A few conditions were identified, including pododermatitis, hygromas, and interdigital furuncles, where management alterations might result in improved outcomes and welfare states for dogs in CB facilities.

Pet acquisition trends and veterinary care access in the US

PLoS ONE · 2025-07-02 · 3 citations

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a host of unique challenges for individuals worldwide, particularly for pet owners, due to widespread shutdowns, social distancing, and financial stress. While pet acquisition increased during this time, the impact on veterinary care access and pet ownership trends remain underexplored. Within the online survey of 751 US residents 79% were pet owners (n = 596). Twenty percent of all pet owners reported difficulty accessing basic veterinary care, such as vaccinations or annual exams. Logit models revealed that having children and working from home increased the likelihood of acquiring a pet during the pandemic. Additionally, owning a pet acquired during the pandemic and managing pets with behavioral issues were associated with greater challenges in accessing veterinary care. These findings highlight unique circumstances during COVID-19 related to pet acquisition and veterinary care, which may be expanded to other situations. A better understanding of these difficulties is essential to develop solutions that protect animal welfare and support the human-animal bond, particularly in times of crisis.

Advancing canine welfare assessment in kennels: evaluating the validity of Field Instantaneous Dog Observation (FIDO) scoring in commercial breeding kennels

Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 2025-07-29

How Does Access to Veterinary Care Relate to Animal Welfare?

Advances in Small Animal Care · 2025-07-30 · 6 citations

Access to veterinary care is a critical issue affecting companion animal welfare. Clients depend on veterinarians for prevention and treatment of physical and behavioral health problems, information on animal care, avoidance of pet relinquishment, and aid with end-of-life decision-making. However, when clients face obstacles to accessing veterinary services, such as economic hardship, securing transportation, and obtaining social support, the risks to animal welfare escalate. These may be compounded by factors such as finding affordable, pet-inclusive housing. This article discusses various ways in which access to veterinary care may affect animal welfare and evaluates potential solutions to improve both.

Effects of dam fear and stress on metrics of puppy welfare in commercial breeding kennels

Scientific Reports · 2025-01-22

It is well established that maternal factors can affect the abilities of offspring to cope with stressors and can influence their overall welfare states. However, maternal effects have not been extensively explored in US commercial breeding kennels (CBKs). Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify if fear and stress in dams affected puppy welfare metrics in CBKs. Bitches (n = 90) were tested at 6 weeks prepartum (6 W Pre), and again with their puppies (n = 390) at 4 (4 W Post) and 8 weeks (8 W Post) postpartum. Dams and puppies underwent stranger approach and isolation tests, and their feces were collected to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) and secretory immunoglobulin A concentrations. Further, dams’ hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were analyzed at the previously mentioned time points and at 1 week prepartum. Finally, birth and weekly weights were collected from puppies, and litter health metrics were recorded. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects and simple linear regression models. There were significant positive associations between dams’ exploration and stationary durations and puppies’ durations of the same respective behaviors during the isolation tests (exploration: $$\:\text{{\rm\:X}}$$ 2(1) = 9.472, p = 0.002; stationary: $$\:\text{{\rm\:X}}$$ 2(1) = 5.226, p = 0.022), 8 W Post dam FGMs and 8 W Post puppy FGMs (estimate: 0.0003, SE = 0.0001, p = 0.002), and 4 W Post dam HCCs and 4 W Post litter FGMs (estimate: 0.052, SE = 0.025, p = 0.053). Significant negative associations between 6 W Pre dam HCCs and 8 W Post puppy FGMs (estimate: -0.021, SE = 0.007, p = 0.007), puppies’ birth weights ( $$\:\text{{\rm\:X}}$$ 2(1) = 3.908, p = 0.048), and puppies’ average weekly weight gains ( $$\:\text{{\rm\:X}}$$ 2(1) = 0.111, p = 0.739) were also found. These findings suggest that indicators of dam fear and stress may be associated with potential indicators of puppies’ welfare states in CBKs. Findings provide new knowledge on fear and stress-related factors that may be used to support the welfare of dams and puppies in CBKs and other populations.

U.S. residents’ self-reported access to veterinary care and implications for care-seeking decisions

Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2025-11-06

Introduction Constrained access to veterinary care may significantly affect the health and welfare of millions of pets nationwide, but little is known about how pet families’ experiences with veterinary care or their perceptions of its accessibility and quality may influence their care-seeking decisions. This study examined relationships between pet owners’ demographics, perceived access to veterinary care, and related decisions and preferences. Methods An online survey targeted 1,177 adults who were representative of the U.S. population in terms of sex, age, region, education, and income level. All participants provided their perceptions on ‘access to veterinary care’; only pet owners ( n = 1,026) were asked about their perceptions of alternative service providers (e.g., veterinary technicians, mid-tier veterinary professionals). Similarly, only care-seekers ( n = 236) were asked about their experiences with veterinarians; care-seekers who experienced barriers to care ( n = 210) responded to questions regarding their willingness to seek alternative providers. Chi-square tests of independence were used to examine relationships between respondents’ demographics, perceived access to care, and preferences for veterinary service providers. Results Of all survey participants, most defined ‘access to care’ in terms of service provider availability (78.2%), ease of communication (77.8%), and affordability (74.7%). A majority (54.7%) of care-seekers reported distrusting their veterinarians and 36.8% reported being dissatisfied with their veterinarian’s interactions with them despite being satisfied with their pet’s care. Many pet owners believed veterinary technicians (66.7%) and mid-tier veterinary professionals (65.1%) could provide quality care equivalent to a veterinarian and preferred to seek care from them rather than forego it. Age, education, and income level were related to pet owners’ perceptions of alternative providers and care-seeking decisions. Those under 45, without an advanced degree, or earning under $100,000 + reported higher levels of agreement with statements about alternative providers, indicating more favorable perceptions. Discussion These findings illustrate how pet owners’ experiences while accessing care may influence their perceptions of veterinarians, satisfaction with them, and care-seeking decisions, including their willingness to seek alternative care providers. Further, they reiterate the need for solutions that enhance care-seeker access to high quality veterinary care and promote good animal health and welfare outcomes.

311 Investigating metabolomic profiles associated with canine fearfulness

Journal of Animal Science · 2025-10-01

Abstract Chronic fear and anxiety experienced by domestic dogs pose significant welfare concerns, yet the molecular mechanisms related to these states remain poorly understood. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the relationships between type and level of fear shown by dogs and peripheral metabolites, aiming to identify metabolic markers that could inform future nutritional strategies for managing fearfulness. One hundred and one client-owned adult dogs of various breeds (48 females; 53 males, 4.2 ± 2.1 years, and 25.7 ± 11.6 kg [mean ± SD]) were recruited for this study. Included dogs ranged from those described by their owners as not generally fearful to very fearful and none were on medications or supplements. Owners completed a questionnaire, based on the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), which includes scenario-based questions scored on a scale from 0 (no fear) to 4 (extreme fear). Responses were categorized into three fear subtypes: stranger-oriented (fear of unfamiliar people), dog-oriented (fear of other dogs), and non-social (fear of unfamiliar situations, objects, or noises) for analysis. To standardize dietary nutrient profiles, dogs were fed a commercial kibble (Acana, Classics Red Meat Recipe) for ≥ 4 weeks prior to blood collection. Serum samples underwent non-targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling. Logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between fear subtypes and individual metabolites using SAS Studio, with dog as a random effect. Multiple comparisons were corrected using the Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment and data was considered significant at pFDR < 0.05. Two metabolites, L-homophenylalanine and indoleacetate, were associated with higher owner-reported non-social fear (pFDR < 0.04). No associations were found between metabolites and human- or dog-oriented fear (pFDR > 0.05). Indoleacetate is a microbial metabolite of tryptophan that acts as a signaling molecule in the gut-brain axis in other mammals, suggesting a potential link between gut-derived metabolites and some types of fear in dogs. While the role of L-homophenylalanine is not well understood in mammals, it is commonly detected in the canine fecal microbiome, further supporting a possible connection between gut microbial metabolism and pathways involved in fear responses. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence highlighting the important role of gut-brain interactions in fear and anxiety, laying the groundwork for future research in this area. By identifying specific metabolites associated with canine fearfulness, this study provides a foundation for continued exploration of microbiome-metabolite links and the development of targeted nutritional strategies to support behavioral well-being in dogs.

Access to veterinary care: evaluating working definitions, barriers, and implications for animal welfare

Frontiers in Veterinary Science · 2024-01-18 · 44 citations

Humans have a moral obligation to meet the physical and mental needs of the animals in their care. This requires access to resources such as veterinary care, which is integral to achieving animal welfare. However, “access” to veterinary care is not always homogenous across communities and currently lacks a consistent definition. The objectives of this scoping review were to (1) understand how “access” to veterinary care has been defined in the literature, (2) map a broad list of potential barriers that may influence access to veterinary care, and (3) identify how access to care impacts the welfare of companion and livestock animals. The literature search yielded a total of 1,044 publications, 77 of which were relevant to our inclusion criteria, and were published between 2002 and 2022. Studies were most frequently conducted in the United States ( n = 17) and Canada ( n = 11). Publications defining access to veterinary care ( n = 10) or discussing its impacts on animal welfare ( n = 13) were minimal. However, barriers to accessing veterinary care were thoroughly discussed in the literature ( n = 69) and were categorized into ten themes according to common challenges and keywords, with financial limitations ( n = 57), geographic location ( n = 35), and limited personnel/equipment ( n = 32) being the most frequently reported. The results of this scoping review informed our proposed definition of access to veterinary care. Additionally, our findings identified a need to further investigate several understudied barriers relating to access to care (i.e., veterinarian-client relationship, client identity) and to better understand how they potentially affect animal welfare outcomes.

Heritability and Genome-Wide Association Study of Dog Behavioral Phenotypes in a Commercial Breeding Cohort

Genes · 2024-12-17 · 4 citations

Background: Canine behavior plays an important role in the success of the human–dog relationship and the dog’s overall welfare, making selection for behavior a vital part of any breeding program. While behaviors are complex traits determined by gene × environment interactions, genetic selection for desirable behavioral phenotypes remains possible. Methods: No genomic association studies of dog behavior to date have been reported on a commercial breeding (CB) cohort; therefore, we utilized dogs from these facilities (n = 615 dogs). Behavioral testing followed previously validated protocols, resulting in three phenotypes/variables [social fear (SF), non-social fear (NSF), and startle response (SR)]. Dogs were genotyped on the 710 K Affymetrix Axiom CanineHD SNP array. Results: Inbreeding coefficients indicated that dogs from CB facilities are statistically less inbred than dogs originating from other breeding sources. Heritability estimates for behavioral phenotypes ranged from 0.042 ± 0.045 to 0.354 ± 0.111. A genome-wide association analysis identified genetic loci associated with SF, NSF, and SR; genes near many of these loci have been previously associated with behavioral phenotypes in other populations of dogs. Finally, genetic risk scores demonstrated differences between dogs that were more or less fearful in response to test stimuli, suggesting that these behaviors could be subjected to genetic improvement. Conclusions: This study confirms several canine genetic behavioral loci identified in previous studies. It also demonstrates that inbreeding coefficients of dogs in CB facilities are typically lower than those in dogs originating from other breeding sources. SF and NSF were more heritable than SR. Risk allele and weighted risk scores suggest that fearful behaviors could be subjected to genetic improvement.

Attachment style and social behavior in dogs from commercial breeding kennels

Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 2024-03-16 · 8 citations