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Veterinary Preventive Medicine

Lecture 3

Environmental Health and Animal Control

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Sabbatical – Denmark (’97-’98)

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Animal Control

• Most common area for vet employment in public health

• Mostly a local govt. responsibility

• Large cities and countries usually have a full-time administrator (usually a vet)

• Others use part-time vet advisors or administrators

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Animal Control

• The involved vet is often on the board of health

• Govt. and corp. practice rotation –– E.g. Detroit dog pound (dog pounds tend to be

the ugly underbelly of the companion animal industry)

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Animal Control Officers

• Public Health Justification – Zoonoses (rabies, Toxocara, lepto, etc.)– Sanitation– Animal attacks

• Humane considerations– Requires diplomacy, people skills, patience– 12 million dogs & cats euthanized per year in U.S.

(Arkow)– Between 1/10 and 1/4 of nation’s pets euthanized

annually– See JAVMA 197:1134-1139

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The Population Perspective

• “The pet paradigm often results in costly and superfluous attention for a tree, with disregard for the forest.” (Ott, JAVMA 197:1134-1139)

• $8 billion – spent for individual animal medicine.

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Current Animal Control Issues

• All hammered out at local level– Leash laws, pooper-scooper laws– Rural v. urban conflicts– Pit bull laws– Ethical issues of euthanasia of strays

• No-kill facilities

– Enforcing vaccination laws of dogs, cats– Animal ownership and zoning laws

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Epidemiology of Dog Bites

• About 2 million reported bites per year

• About 50% of kids 4-18 report at least one bite in their life

• 1% of all emergency room visits

• $30 million in health care (not including other costs)

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Dog Bite Fatalities in the U.S.

• 1979-94, 279 U.S. dog bite fatalities (DBF)– About 18-20 per year– Human rabies: about 2 every year

• ~ 600,000 dog bites per year requiring medical attention

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1995-1996 DBF s (n=25)• 80% (20) are in children <12 yrs. old

– 3 neonates, all on dog owner’s property, all involving 1 dog, all involving a sleeping child

• 20% adults (ages 39, 60, 75, 81, 86)• 30% unrestrained dog off owner’s property• 22% restrained dog on owner’s property• 48% unrestrained dog on owner’s property• 36% involved only one dog• 100% of attacks by an unrestrained dog off owner’s

property involved >1 dog (pack hunting instinct)

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DBF’s

• Pit bull DBFs were twice as likely to be caused by strays as other breeds (1979-89)– Non-pit bull attacks were more likely to be defense of

home territory

• What do these statistics tell us about the dog’s motivation/instincts?– Defensive, territorial bites by individual dogs

– Pack hunting behavior off the owner’s property

– Predation of infants

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DBF’s

• Is the legal view of dog attacks changing?– Pit bull or Rottweiler attacks in urban areas

• Disposition of biting dogs• The problem with breed-specific laws – according

to Dr. Stinson• Cat bites :

– Poor surveillance, less tissue damage– Risk of P. multocida infection may be 10x higher than

that of dog bite

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Measures for Preventing Dog Bites

• Realistically evaluate environment and lifestyle and consult with a professional (e.g. vet, animal behaviorist, or responsible breeder) to determine suitable breeds of dogs for consideration

• Dogs with histories of aggression are inappropriate in households with children

• Be sensitive to cues that a child is fearful or apprehensive about a god and, if so, delay acquiring a dog

• Spend time with a dog before buying or adopting it. Use caution when bringing a puppy into the home of an infant or toddler

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Measures for Preventing Dog Bites

• Spay/neuter virtually all dogs (this frequently reduces aggressive tendencies)

• Never leave infants or young children alone with any dog

• Properly socialize and train any dog entering the household. Teach the dog submissive behaviors (e.g. rolling over to expose the abdomen and relinquishing food without growling)

• Immediately seek professional advice (e.g. from vets, animal behaviorists, or responsible breeders) if the dog develops aggressive or undesirable behaviors

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Measures for Preventing Dog Bites

• Do not play aggressive games with your dog (e.g. wrestling)• Teach children basic safety around dogs and review regularly:

– Never approach an unfamiliar dog– Never run from a dog and scream– Remain motionless when approached by and unfamiliar dog (e.g. be still like a

tree)– If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g. be still like a log)– Never play with a dog unless supervised by an adult– Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult– Avoid direct eye contact with a dog– Do not disturb a dog who is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies– Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first– If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult

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Dog Breeds and Crossbreeds Involved in Dog-Bite Related Fatalities by 2-yr. Period –

U.S. 1979-1996*CATEGORY 1993-1994 1995-1996 1979-1996 TOTAL

Breed

Pit bull 5 3 60

Rottweiler 10 10 29

German Shepherd 0 2 19

Husky 1 2 14

Alaskan Malamute 1 0 12

Doberman Pinscher 0 0 8

Chow Chow 0 2 8

Great Dane 1 1 6

St. Bernard 0 0 4

Akita 2 0 4

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Dog Breeds and Crossbreeds Involved in Dog-Bite Related Fatalities by 2-yr. Period –

U.S. 1979-1996*CATEGORY 1993-1994 1995-1996 1976-1996 TOTAL

Crossbreed

Wolf hybrid 2 2 14

German Shepherd 1 2 11

Pit Bull 1 0 10

Alaskan Malamute 0 0 3

Rottweiler 1 1 3

Chow Chow 1 1 3

No. incidents for which breed known

25 22 199

*Source: MMWR, May 30, 1997.

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Companion Animal Industry• Small animal vets are part of this industry

– Where is the quality control for our product?

• We intentionally breed dogs with problems– Genetic defects requiring vet care

• Too big, too small, too long, too short-faced, too floppy eared, too long haired, too big skin, etc.

– Temperament – too aggressive, not sufficiently domesticated

• Bred for how they look, not how they act (dog shows)

• Dog-wolf hybrid. It took years of selective breeding to get a submissive dog that will not challenge humans as the head of the pack. The last thing we need is to introduce wolf genes into the gene pool!

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Legislative Mess:

• Dog-Wolf Hybrid bills

• Dangerous Animal Act– African lions sell for about $150 in Michigan

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Ferret Bites• Anecdotal accounts are nasty• Motivation/instinct: aggression, rough play, predation of

infants• Each state is trying to decide if ferrets should be legal.

Legal in MI as of Jan. ’95• Are bite rates lower than for dogs?

– Poor “reporting”– Less severe for adults– Rabies laws dictated euthanasia (until Dec. ’97)

• A licensed rabies vaccine now available for ferrets.– The MDCH fought licensing – bites used to mean rabies

testing for $200 each

• Now a 10-day observation period is available for ferrets

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Horses: The Second Most Dangerous Animal

• Oregon Study of Animal-related deaths (1983-1993):– 16 Horses (8 thrown, 4 kicked, 2 crushed, 1 dragged, 1 bumped

heads)– 10 Wasps and bees– 4 Bulls– 2 Cows– 3 Dogs (2 pit bulls, 1 tripped over and fell down stairs)– 1 Mule (trampled)– 1 Sheep (54 yr. old hairdresser kicked by his sheep)– 1 Bison– 1 Ferret attack– 1 Lion– 1 Rattlesnake

Homicides / Animal related deaths = 38

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Michigan Study Results:

All Deaths Motor Vehicle Associated

Non-Vehicle

Associated

Deer 50 50 0

Insects 33 0 33

Horses 32 5 27

Dogs 13 5 8

Cattle 11 1 10

Other 7 3 4 (lion, bear, monkey, unk.)

Human Deaths resulting from animal-related trauma in MI, 1987-1996