for accurate surveillance of individuals, especially where litters or groups of animals are communally housed. Though the use of collars and tags as visually obvious forms of identification is extremely valuable, the provision of permanent identification in the form of a microchip is also very beneficial as a means of back‐up identification and has been demonstrated to improve pet–owner reunification since collars and tags may be easily lost (AVMA 2013; Griffin 2016; Lord et al. 2007a, b, 2009; Slater et al. 2012; Weiss et al. 2011). Improving pet recovery following adoption is another important goal or welfare target for animal shelters to strive for; thus, applying collars and tags and implanting and scanning for microchips is another way for shelters to be proactive and to model excellent standards of pet care for the public.
2.5.5 Proper Nutrition and Physical Exercise
Proper nutrition and exercise have profound implications for wellness. Not only are they essential for the management of healthy body weight and condition, good nutrition also supports immune function and regular physical exercise is closely associated with behavioral health and well‐being. A regular diet of good‐quality, palatable commercial food consistent with life stage and health status should be offered, and appetite should be monitored to ensure the maintenance of an adequate nutritional plane. Animals that do not eat for more than one to two days should be evaluated for medical problems and stress, and appropriate action should be taken based upon the findings. In addition, fresh water must always be available. Finally, animals should be weighed at intake and at routine intervals throughout their shelter stay. This is especially important for undernourished animals, including those involved in starvation cruelty cases and for cats because significant or even dramatic weight loss may be associated with stress and/or feline upper respiratory infection (URI) during the first few weeks of confinement (Tanaka et al. 2012). On the other hand, excessive weight gain may occur in some individual animals housed long term. Ideally, bodyweight should be recorded weekly during the initial month of shelter care and then once a month or more often if indicated. Protocols must be in place to identify and manage unhealthy trends in body weight that can potentially compromise an animal's health, well‐being, or adoption.
2.5.6 Grooming
Attention must also be given to proper grooming of animals in the shelter, including bathing, brushing and removal of matted hair, nail trimming, and ear cleaning. This is more than just a matter of cosmetics or appearance. Many animals enter shelters in urgent need of grooming, especially long‐haired dogs and cats, with heavily matted hair coats and/or overgrown nails, which can be painful and/or associated with skin infections. In some cases, severe matting on extremities can compromise the blood supply and result in dangerous, gangrenous lesions. When animals are held in the shelter for long‐term stays, a system of regular grooming must be implemented to prevent the accumulation of painful mats and overgrown nails. Care must also be taken to keep animals clean and dry. Being housed in soiled, damp, and/or wet environments is not only potentially stressful for animals, but such conditions predispose them to matting, pungent body odor, pyoderma, and pododermatitis, and therefore must be avoided. According to the ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (2010), “Spraying down kennels or cages while animals are inside them is an unacceptable practice.”
Some animals will require more grooming than others, depending on their type of hair coat and conformation. In addition to supporting a healthy hair coat and skin, regular grooming also provides an excellent opportunity to monitor health and body condition while checking for skin problems and lumps. Also, many animals enjoy contact and attention, and well‐groomed animals are often more attractive to potential adopters.
2.5.7 Periodontal/Oral Disease Prevention
Dental or oral health is another component of addressing wellness; it extends far beyond bad breath. Plaque and tartar buildup are known to contribute to serious health concerns ranging from oral pain to chronic, intermittent bacteremia and organ failure. Some animals with dental disease may refuse to eat because of the discomfort and pain. In dogs, periodontal disease is one of the most common health problems, affecting an estimated 80% of canine patients over the age of five years. It is especially common in small breed dogs (Debowes 1998). Periodontal disease is very common in adult cats as well, and some cats also develop resorptive lesions, which are frequently very painful (Reiter 2012).
Stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth) is another painful oral condition that predominantly affects cats, although it is occasionally seen in dogs as well. Importantly, stomatitis may be more commonly seen in cats that are housed intensively such as cats originating from hoarding situations and those housed in large group settings long term (Merck 2016). Affected cats experience wide‐spread oral inflammation around the teeth, which often extends into the back of the mouth (pharynx) and along the sides of the tongue. The exact cause is unknown; however, the vast majority of affected cats are chronic carriers of calicivirus, thus this virus may play a role in this chronic inflammatory process (Harley et al. 2011; Poulet et al. 2000). In a study of cats from large scale hoarding investigations, FCV was the most common viral respiratory pathogen detected, infecting 78% of the cats from the populations studied (Polak et al. 2014).
In an animal shelter, periodontal and oral disease prevention may be low on the list of priorities for wellness; however, it should be an important consideration for individual wellness care. When painful dental and/or oral disease is present and animals are kept for adoption or long‐term stays, a plan for timely treatment must be implemented. Adopters of animals with dental disease should be advised to seek follow‐up veterinary care as soon as possible.
In terms of simple and practical means of prevention, the use of products aimed at encouraging canine chewing activity is well recognized to be beneficial by maximizing self‐cleansing and physiological stimulation of salivary flow. Furthermore, chewing is a normal behavior for puppies and dogs, and when dogs are confined, isolated, anxious, or otherwise stressed, they may engage in chewing as a coping strategy. For these reasons, as well as to help maintain oral hygiene, dogs of all ages should be provided with a variety of safe chew toys appropriate for their size and age. For cats, preventive efforts should focus on the reduction of stress and URI since FCV has been implicated as a likely contributing cause of oral inflammation, particularly in housed cats.
2.5.8 Individual‐Specific Care
Wellness protocols may also be dictated by the specific needs of individual animals. In some cases, the needs of individuals may be anticipated based on particular physical or behavioral traits, or breed, if known, since many breed predispositions have been well documented. For example, caution must be taken with brachycephalic dogs to ensure they do not experience heat exhaustion, to which they are extremely sensitive given the conformation of their airways. This may affect the selection of holding/housing areas and exercise routines for these individuals. Poor airway conformation also predisposes brachycephalic dogs and cats to more severe URIs than other breeds. For these reasons, care should be taken to house brachycephalic animals in well‐ventilated areas away from sick animals, and they should be prioritized for removal to foster care or rescue. In the author's experience, even intranasal vaccination of these breeds is best avoided because it can result in severe clinical signs of respiratory disease.
Similarly, certain other breeds require special care in the shelter depending on their medical or behavioral genetic predispositions. The pit bull is another example: Many of these dogs require extra attention regarding housing conditions in a kennel setting so that a propensity to learn or exhibit dog‐dog aggression is not exacerbated through exposure to high levels of arousal and stimulation from other dogs. This type of behavior may be exhibited by other breeds and individual dogs as well and similar precautions should be taken regarding their care and housing.
2.6 Wellness: BehavioralHealth
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