Naslov
Management of Croatian shelters and dog mortality

Autori
Mikuš, Tomislav ; Barnard, Shanis ; Ostović, Mario ; Pavičić, Željko

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Animal Populations – World Resources and Animal Welfare / - Wheathampstead : Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 2015, 22-22

Skup
UFAW International Animal Welfare Science Symposium

Mjesto i datum
Zagreb, Hrvatska, 14.07.2015. - 15.07.2015

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
dog welfare ; shelter ; Croatia

Sažetak
Association between shelter management by various organisations and dog mortality, apart from legal euthanasia, was observed in the study. In Croatia, there are 19 registered shelters for stray animals including dogs, which are managed either by non-governmental (NGO) or veterinary organisations (VET), with the exception of one municipal-managed shelter. Analysed data were collected in 2014 from databases of 8 shelters (42.1%) as part of the Shelter Quality Protocol development – protocol for assessment of shelter dog welfare. All the selected shelters (including the municipal- managed shelter) are facilities with no-kill management policy, as the protocol requires assessment of dogs that have been kept in the shelter for at least 3 months and by the Croatian legislation euthanasia is legal after 60 days. The mortality assessment included adult animals (>6 months) euthanized due to health or behavioural problems and dead without euthanasia. Of the study shelters, 62.5% (n=5) were managed by NGO and 37.5% (n=3) by VET. NGO shelters had no employees and based their activities on voluntary work and agreements with local veterinary clinics, while VET shelters had at least one full-time veterinarian and one veterinary technician. The average continuously present adult dog population in NGO shelters tended to be higher in NGO than in VET shelters (174.4 vs. 46.3 dogs ; P=0.052). On annual average, 4.2 dogs were euthanized in NGO shelters, all due to health problems, as compared with 21.4 dogs in VET shelters, with the same share of animals euthanized for health (P>0.05) and behavioural problems (P=0.051). Regarding dead animals without euthanasia, there was no statistical difference (P>0.05) between NGO and VET managed shelters (12.8 vs. 34.3 dogs/year). Study results suggest that the shelters managed by NGO tend to provide better animal welfare in spite of the higher number of dogs as compared with VET shelters, but with a lower rate of euthanasia due to behavioural problems. However, is it really so?

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Veterinarska medicina

POVEZANOST RADA