PSYCHOSOCIAL PROFILE OF ANIMAL ACCUMULATORS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35172/rvz.2022.v29.601

Keywords:

hoarding disorder, animal welfare, veterinary forensics, zoonoses

Abstract

The accumulation of animals in homes is an emerging topic in the context of One Health, characterized as a mental disorder, in which the hoarder has difficulties in getting rid of his animals. The environment in which animals live is usually unhealthy, favoring the development of diseases and compromising animal welfare, infringing legal rights. The present study aimed to evaluate five residences in the municipality of Botucatu in which there were more than ten animals. Visits were made, and animal feces were collected for endoparasites research by the coproparasitological methods of simple flotation to detect helminth eggs and by the method of centrifugation-flotation in zinc sulfate to detect protozoan oocysts and cysts. An expertise protocol was also applied to evaluate animal welfare, according to an adaptation of the Hammerschmidt protocol, in which welfare is classified into levels: very high, high, regular, low, and very low. An interview was also conducted to identify characteristics of the hoarders.  The presence of Ancylostoma spp., Cystoisospora sp. and Giardia spp. was verified by fecal examination. Regarding animal welfare, three residences were identified as regular, and one as high. In the interviews we observed a predominance of male hoarders, 60% were married, and there was a predominance of dog hoarding. The justifications for the accumulation were unwanted reproduction and affective issues. We highlight the importance of the veterinarian to intervene in these situations, by the knowledge, as to the zoo-sanitary management related mainly to public health, especially in relation to zoonotic diseases that may be present in these environments, in addition to the knowledge about Veterinary Forensic Medicine, to identify possible infractions that may be being committed and consequently affecting the welfare of animals. We emphasize the need for a multiprofessional approach to the subject in order to create a favorable environment in which both animals and humans can have quality of life, avoiding the occurrence of diseases for both

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Published

2022-06-15

How to Cite

1.
Nardy JF, Missen Tremori T, Daniela Babboni S, Moreira dos Santos Schmidt E, Sousa Rocha N, Langoni H. PSYCHOSOCIAL PROFILE OF ANIMAL ACCUMULATORS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. RVZ [Internet]. 2022 Jun. 15 [cited 2024 Nov. 22];29:1-14. Available from: https://rvz.emnuvens.com.br/rvz/article/view/601

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