Abandonment and rehoming of rabbits and rodents in Madrid (Spain): A retrospective study (2008-2021)

Díaz‐Berciano, Cristina; Gallego, Miguel

doi:10.1080/10888705.2022.2162342

Cited by 2 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…To prevent the issue of unwanted rabbit litters, animal shelters might consider making spaying and neutering mandatory before adoption. However, accessibility to veterinarians that treat rabbits can be a barrier, and increasing the availability of rabbit spay and neuter services is important in preventing unwanted litters [ 5 , 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is similar to the findings of Ellis and colleagues [ 6 ], where adult rabbits (age between six months and five years) represented 56% of total intake. Likewise, Díaz-Berciano and Gallego-Agundez [ 8 ] found that adult rabbits (age between six months and five years) represented 64% of total intake, while Cook and McCobb [ 5 ] found that adult rabbits (age between one and six years) represented 71.1% of intakes. A standardized classification of rabbit life stages by age would facilitate more consistent comparisons across studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There was a similar proportion of male (48.2%) and female (44.5%) rabbits entering BC SPCA shelters. Likewise, proportions of male and female rabbits were similar in two rehoming centers in the UK [ 6 ] and in a foster home network in Spain [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, our finding is comparable to a study in the UK, which found that 61.5% of rabbits surrendered were healthy, while 38.5% of rabbits surrendered had health issues [ 6 ]. However, Díaz-Berciano and Gallego-Agundez [ 8 ] found a greater proportion of unhealthy rabbits (65.7%). This might be because the foster home network they studied gave priority to admitting animals considered vulnerable [ 8 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An understanding of the population dynamics of shelter animals can help guide programs to increase their adoption and improve welfare [ 5 , 7 ]. Previous studies have revealed that the majority of rabbits entering shelters were adult rabbits of various breeds, exhibiting a diverse range of physical characteristics [ 5 , 6 , 8 ]. Rabbits were primarily surrendered by their owners for reasons related to human factors, rather than issues with animal behaviour [ 4 – 6 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rabbit intakes and predictors of their length of stay in animal shelters in British Columbia, Canada

U.,

Hou,

Protopopova

2024

PLoS ONE

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Domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) are the fourth most common species admitted to the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA) shelter system. However, shelter data analysis has largely focused on cats and dogs and little is known about the population dynamics of rabbits in shelters. We analyzed five years of rabbit records (n = 1567) at the BC SPCA to identify trends in intake and predictors of length of stay (LOS) of rabbits. The majority of rabbits were surrendered by their owners (40.2%), with most rabbits being surrendered for human-related reasons (96.9%). Overall, rabbit intakes decreased over the study period. When analyzing by month of intake, rabbit intakes were found to be the highest in May. Most rabbits in our data were adults (46.7%), non-brachycephalic (66.7%), erect-eared (82.5%), short-furred (76.2%), and subsequently adopted (80.3%). The median LOS of rabbits was 29 days, highlighting the pressing need to improve their time to adoption. A linear model was constructed to identify predictors of LOS of adopted rabbits (n = 1203) and revealed that intake year, intake month, source of intake, age, cephalic type, and breed size significantly predicted time to adoption for rabbits (F(37, 1165) = 7.95, p < 2.2e-16, adjusted R2 = 0.18). These findings help characterize shelter population dynamics for rabbits, shed light on the challenges associated with unwanted rabbits, and offer a foundation for animal shelters to design programs and marketing strategies tailored to reduce LOS of rabbits with particular characteristics. Shelter rabbits represent an understudied population and our study highlights the importance of further research in companion rabbits.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rabbit intakes and predictors of their length of stay in animal shelters in British Columbia, Canada

U.,

Hou,

Protopopova

2024

PLoS ONE

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Attending veterinarians improve the research capability and psychological well-being of researchers in animal research institutes

Lee,

Kim

2024

Front. Vet. Sci.

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The use of laboratory animals in biomedical research has significantly advanced scientific understanding, yet it raises ethical concerns about animal welfare and the mental health of researchers Recent research has highlighted the potential for stress and compassion fatigue among researchers working with distressed animals. Attending veterinarians (AVs) are crucial in mitigating the pain and stress experienced by animals and, by extension, researchers. However, the impact of AVs on researchers’ psychological well-being remains understudied. This study explores how AVs contribute to researchers’ research capability and psychological well-being in animal research institutions. AVs oversee animal housing, health, and welfare; their involvement is mandated or strongly recommended in developed countries. AVs enhance animal welfare by ensuring proper housing, nutrition, and social interaction. They monitor animal health, educate researchers on pain assessment, and promote compliance with post-surgical care. AVs also contribute to researchers’ well-being by addressing euthanasia procedures, which can be emotionally challenging. Programs for rehoming animals after experiments offer an alternative to euthanasia and positively impact researchers’ psychological well-being. Moreover, AVs promote workplace well-being by fostering positive workplace cultures, offering peer counseling, and providing social support. Programs considering animal welfare and researchers’ emotions are crucial for a healthy research environment. In conclusion, AVs are essential in balancing scientific progress with animal welfare and researchers’ psychological well-being. Therefore, their role should be recognized as vital in achieving social equity that considers the welfare of humans and laboratory animals.

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Abandonment and rehoming of rabbits and rodents in Madrid (Spain): A retrospective study (2008-2021)

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Rabbit intakes and predictors of their length of stay in animal shelters in British Columbia, Canada

Rabbit intakes and predictors of their length of stay in animal shelters in British Columbia, Canada

Attending veterinarians improve the research capability and psychological well-being of researchers in animal research institutes

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