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Pasteur K, Diana A, Yatcilla JK, Barnard S, Croney CC. Access to veterinary care: evaluating working definitions, barriers, and implications for animal welfare. Front Vet Sci 2024; 11:1335410. [PMID: 38304544 PMCID: PMC10830634 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1335410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Pasteur
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Alessia Diana
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Jane Kinkus Yatcilla
- Purdue University Libraries, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Shanis Barnard
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Candace C. Croney
- Center for Animal Welfare Science, Departments of Comparative Pathobiology and Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
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da Silva WC, Printes OVN, Lima DO, da Silva ÉBR, dos Santos MRP, Camargo Júnior RNC, Barbosa AVC, da Silva JAR, Silva AGME, Silva LKX, de Araújo CV, Britto EN, Lourenço-Júnior JDB. Evaluation of the temperature and humidity index to support the implementation of a rearing system for ruminants in the Western Amazon. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1198678. [PMID: 37520006 PMCID: PMC10375705 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1198678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The good productive and reproductive performance of the animals depends on multiple factors, including favorable climatic conditions, which are responsible for causing changes in the physiological and behavioral responses. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the temperature and humidity index (THI) to support the implementation of a rearing system in ruminants in the Western Amazon, Brazil. Monthly temperature and relative humidity data were obtained from the Database for Teaching and Research (BDMEP) for the capitals Manaus (Amazonas), Boa Vista (Roraima), and Rio Branco (Acre), considering a historical series of 27 years (1993 to 2020), referring from January to December. In the capital Boa Vista, the months of January, February, May, June, and July showed an indication of mild stress and the months of March, April, August, September, October, November, and December had moderate stress. In Rio Branco, all months of the year presented the average THI in mild stress with variations of lower THI (73) and higher THI (77). In the capital Manaus, the months from January to July signaled mild stress, but from August to November, there was moderate stress, and in December, there was mild stress. It is possible to observe significant climatic variations during the months as well as the years of study, with the animals under thermal stress with THI > 72 or in a warning signal, with a gradual increase in temperature and humidity indices over the last 10 years. The importance of the breeding system and the consideration of environmental factors, such as the THI, are fundamental for the wellbeing and performance of cattle raised in the field. Our results support the adoption of heat stress mitigation strategies for ruminants in Western Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Welligton Conceição da Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAN), Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Para (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Center of the Amazon (UNAMA), Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Oscar Vitor Nina Printes
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Center of the Amazon (UNAMA), Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Dagmar Oliveira Lima
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University Center of the Amazon (UNAMA), Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Éder Bruno Rebelo da Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAN), Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Para (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Raimundo Nonato Colares Camargo Júnior
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAN), Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Para (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
| | | | | | - André Guimarães Maciel e Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAN), Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Para (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
| | | | - Cláudio Vieira de Araújo
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Sinop, Mato Grosso, Brazil
| | - Elton Nunes Britto
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Federal Institute of Pará (IFPA), Santarém, Pará, Brazil
| | - José de Brito Lourenço-Júnior
- Postgraduate Program in Animal Science (PPGCAN), Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Federal University of Para (UFPA), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Castanhal, Pará, Brazil
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