Characterizing Pet Acquisition and Retention During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020, Americans began experiencing numerous lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some reports have suggested that pet acquisition and ownership increased during this period, and some have suggested shelters and rescues will be overwhelmed once pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and lifestyles shift yet again. In May 2021, the ASPCA hired the global market research company Ipsos to conduct a general population survey that would provide a more comprehensive picture of pet ownership and acquisition during the pandemic. Although pet owners care for a number of species, the term pet owner in this study specifically refers to those who had dogs and/or cats. One goal of the survey was to determine whether data from a sample of adults residing in the United States would corroborate findings from national shelter databases indicating that animals were not being surrendered to shelters in large numbers. Furthermore, this survey gauged individuals' concerns related to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and analyses examined factors associated with pet owners indicating they were considering rehoming an animal within the next 3 months. The data showed that pet ownership did not increase during the pandemic and that pets may have been rehomed in greater numbers than occurs during more stable times. Importantly, rehomed animals were placed with friends, family members, and neighbors more frequently than they were relinquished to animal shelters and rescues. Findings associated with those who rehomed an animal during the pandemic, or were considering rehoming, suggest that animal welfare organizations have opportunities to increase pet retention by providing resources regarding pet-friendly housing and affordable veterinary options and by helping pet owners strategize how to incorporate their animals into their post-pandemic lifestyles.

Download Full-text

Owning a pet is associated with changes in the composition of gut microbiota and could influence the risk of metabolic disorders in humans.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-57388/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Javier Arenas-Montes ◽

Pablo Perez-Martinez ◽

Cristina Vals-Delgado ◽

Juan Luis Romero-Cabrera ◽

Magdalena P. Cardelo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Test Score ◽

Metabolic Disorders ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Cardiovascular Prevention ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Cardiometabolic Diseases ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Coronary Patients ◽

Pet Owner

Abstract Background: Pet ownership positively influences clinical outcomes in cardiovascular prevention. Additionally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been previously linked to microbiota dysbiosis. We evaluated the influence of owning a pet and its relationship with the intestinal microbiota.Methods: We analysed the gut microbiota from 162 coronary patients from the CORDIOPREV study (NCT00924937) according to whether they owned pets (n=83) or not (n=79). The pet owner group was further divided according to whether they owned dogs only (n=28) or not (n=55). A 7-item pet-owners test score was used.Results: Patients who owned pets had less risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR=0.462) and obesity (OR=0.519) and were younger (P<0.001) than patients who did not own pets. Additionally, patients who owned dogs had less risk of MetS (OR=0.378) and obesity (OR=0.418) and were younger (P<0.001) than patients who did not own pets. A preponderance of the genera Serratia and Coprococcus was found in the group of owners, while the genera Ruminococcus, an unknown genus of Enterobacteriaceae and Anaerotruncus were preponderant in the group of non-owners. In patients who owned dogs the Methanobrevibacter and two more genera, Coprococcus and Oscillospira, were more common. Conclusions: Our study suggests that the prevalence of MetS and obesity in CVD patients is lower in pet owners, and that pet ownership could be a protective factor against MetS through the shaping of the gut microbiota. Thus, owning a pet could be considered as a protective factor against cardiometabolic diseases.

Download Full-text

The Concerns, Difficulties, and Stressors of Caring for Pets during COVID-19: Results from a Large Survey of U.S. Pet Owners

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10101882 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1882

Author(s):

Jennifer W. Applebaum ◽

Camie A. Tomlinson ◽

Angela Matijczak ◽

Shelby E. McDonald ◽

Barbara A. Zsembik

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Well Being ◽

Disease Spread ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Behavioral Issues ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Potential Benefits ◽

Quantitative Analyses ◽

Pet Owner ◽

Large Survey

Pets may be a positive presence for their owners during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, it is pertinent to identify the hardships associated with pet ownership. We conducted a large-scale survey of U.S. pet owners (n = 2254) in spring and summer 2020 to assess the ways that relationships with pets impacted life during COVID-19. We used thematic analysis to analyze 3671 open-ended responses to three prompts. Reported concerns fell into three major categories: (1) pet-focused (meeting needs of pets; procuring supplies; accessing veterinary care; new and emerging behavioral issues; fate of the pet if owner becomes ill; general safety and well-being), (2) human-focused (issues with working from home; well-being and mental health; balancing responsibilities), and (3) household-focused (disease spread; economic issues). Quantitative analyses showed that the owner’s strength of attachment to their pet, economic resources, and relationship status were associated with the types of concerns expressed. Results from this study indicate that pet owners experienced unique hardships related to changes in everyday life from the COVID-19 pandemic. These hardships should be considered alongside the potential benefits found in other studies in order to manage pet owner expectations, prevent pet relinquishment, and more fully understand multifaceted human-companion animal relationships.

Download Full-text

Owning a Pet Is Associated with Changes in the Composition of Gut Microbiota and Could Influence the Risk of Metabolic Disorders in Humans

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11082347 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 2347

Author(s):

Javier Arenas-Montes ◽

Pablo Perez-Martinez ◽

Cristina Vals-Delgado ◽

Juan Luis Romero-Cabrera ◽

Magdalena P. Cardelo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Test Score ◽

Metabolic Disorders ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Cardiovascular Prevention ◽

Pet Ownership ◽

Cardiometabolic Diseases ◽

Pet Owners ◽

Coronary Patients ◽

Pet Owner

Pet ownership positively influences clinical outcomes in cardiovascular prevention. Additionally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been previously linked to microbiota dysbiosis. We evaluated the influence of owning a pet and its relationship with the intestinal microbiota. We analyzed the gut microbiota from 162 coronary patients from the CORDIOPREV study (NCT00924937) according to whether they owned pets (n = 83) or not (n = 79). The pet-owner group was further divided according to whether they owned dogs only (n = 28) or not (n = 55). A 7-item pet-owners test score was used. Patients who owned pets had less risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) (OR = 0.462) and obesity (OR = 0.519) and were younger (p < 0.001) than patients who did not own pets. Additionally, patients who owned dogs had less risk of MetS (OR = 0.378) and obesity (OR = 0.418) and were younger (p < 0.001) than patients who did not own pets. A preponderance of the genera Serratia and Coprococcus was found in the group of owners, while the genera Ruminococcus, an unknown genus of Enterobacteriaceae and Anaerotruncus were preponderant in the group of non-owners. In patients who owned dogs, Methanobrevibacter and two more genera, Coprococcus and Oscillospira, were more common. Our study suggests that the prevalence of MetS and obesity in CVD patients is lower in pet owners, and that pet ownership could be a protective factor against MetS through the shaping of the gut microbiota. Thus, owning a pet could be considered as a protective factor against cardiometabolic diseases.

Download Full-text

A Database for Counterfeit Electronics and Automatic Defect Detection Based on Image Processing and Machine Learning

ISTFA 2016: Conference Proceedings from the 42nd International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis ◽

10.31399/asm.cp.istfa2016p0580 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Navid Asadizanjani ◽

Sachin Gattigowda ◽

Mark Tehranipoor ◽

Domenic Forte ◽

Nathan Dunn

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Image Processing ◽

Integrated Circuits ◽

Web Application ◽

The United States ◽

Global Market ◽

Online Database ◽

Ongoing Effort ◽

Time Period ◽

Physical Defects

Abstract Counterfeiting is an increasing concern for businesses and governments as greater numbers of counterfeit integrated circuits (IC) infiltrate the global market. There is an ongoing effort in experimental and national labs inside the United States to detect and prevent such counterfeits in the most efficient time period. However, there is still a missing piece to automatically detect and properly keep record of detected counterfeit ICs. Here, we introduce a web application database that allows users to share previous examples of counterfeits through an online database and to obtain statistics regarding the prevalence of known defects. We also investigate automated techniques based on image processing and machine learning to detect different physical defects and to determine whether or not an IC is counterfeit.

Download Full-text

The 1980s to the Present

10.1093/oso/9780199642533.003.0009 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Gregory A. Barton

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Nations ◽

Organic Farming ◽

The United States ◽

Global Market ◽

Health Food ◽

Organic Certification ◽

Organic Farmers ◽

The United Nations ◽

Mainstream Press

While a few positive stories on organic farming appeared in the 1970s most mainstream press coverage mocked or dismissed organic farmers and consumers. Nevertheless, the growing army of consumer shoppers at health food stores in the United States made the movement impossible to ignore. The Washington Post and other newspapers shifted from negative caricatures of organic farming to a supportive position, particularly after the USDA launched an organic certification scheme in the United States under the leadership of Robert Bergland. Certification schemes in Europe and other major markets followed, leading to initiatives by the United Nations for the harmonization of organic certification through multilateral agencies. As organic standards proliferated in the 1990s the United Nations stepped in to resolve the regulatory fragmentation creating a global market for organic goods.

Download Full-text

Individual-Level Determinants of Lifestyle Behavioral Changes during COVID-19 Lockdown in the United States: Results of an Online Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18084364 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (8) ◽

pp. 4364

Author(s):

Xiaotao Zhang ◽

Abiodun Oluyomi ◽

LeChauncy Woodard ◽

Syed Ahsan Raza ◽

Maral Adel Fahmideh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Online Survey ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

The United States ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Lifestyle Behaviors ◽

Individual Level ◽

Diet And Physical Activity ◽

Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors

This study examined individual-level determinants of self-reported changes in healthy (diet and physical activity) and addictive (alcohol use, smoking, and vaping) lifestyle behaviors during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in the USA. A national online survey was administered between May and June 2020 that targeted a representative U.S. sample and yielded data from 1276 respondents, including 58% male and 50% racial/ethnic minorities. We used univariate and multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations of sociodemographic, mental health, and behavioral determinants with self-reported changes in lifestyle behaviors. Some study participants reported increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors since the pandemic (i.e., 36% increased healthy eating behaviors, and 33% increased physical activity). However, they also reported increases in addictive lifestyle behaviors including alcohol use (40%), tobacco use (41%), and vaping (46%). With regard to individual-level determinants, individuals who reported adhering to social distancing guidelines were also more likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors (β = 0.12, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.21). Conversely, women (β = −0.37, 95% CI −0.62 to −0.12), and unemployed individuals (β = −0.33, 95% CI −0.64 to −0.02) were less likely to report increases in healthy lifestyle behaviors. In addition, individuals reporting anxiety were more likely to report increases in addictive behaviors (β = 0.26, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.43). Taken together, these findings suggest that women and unemployed individuals may benefit from interventions targeting diet and physical activity, and that individuals reporting anxiety may benefit from interventions targeting smoking and alcohol cessation to address lifestyle changes during the pandemic.

Download Full-text

The Constitutionality of Involuntary Civil Commitment of Opiate Addicts

Journal of Drug Issues ◽

10.1177/002204268801800409 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 641-661 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Michael P. Rosenthal

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Supreme Court ◽

Civil Commitment ◽

The United States ◽

Involuntary Treatment ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Narcotic Trafficking ◽

The Supreme Court ◽

Opiate Addicts ◽

The 1960S

This paper deals with the constitutionality of involuntary treatment of opiate addicts. Although the first laws permitting involuntary treatment of opiate addicts were enacted in the second half of the nineteenth century, addicts were not committed in large numbers until California and New York enacted new civil commitment legislation in the 1960s. Inevitably, the courts were called upon to decide if involuntary treatment was constitutional. Both the California and New York courts decided that it was. These decisions were heavily influenced by statements made by the United States Supreme Court in Robinson v. California. The Robinson case did not actually involve the constitutionality of involuntary treatment; it involved the question of whether it was constitutional for a state to make addiction a crime. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court declared (in a dictum) that a state might establish a program of compulsory treatment for opiate addicts either to discourage violation of its criminal laws against narcotic trafficking or to safeguard the general health or welfare of its inhabitants. Presumably because the Robinson case did not involve the constitutionality of involuntary treatment of opiate addicts, the Supreme Court did not go into that question as deeply as it might have. The California and New York courts, in turn, relied too much on this dictum and did not delve deeply into the question. The New York courts did a better job than the California courts, but their work too was not as good as it should have been.

Download Full-text

Safety and Efficacy of Ranolazine for the Treatment of Chronic Angina Pectoris

Clinical Medicine Insights Therapeutics ◽

10.4137/cmt.s7824 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. CMT.S7824 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Mohammed Aldakkak ◽

David F. Stowe ◽

Amadou K.S. Camara

Keyword(s):

Coronary Heart Disease ◽

Blood Flow ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Supply And Demand ◽

Chronic Stable Angina ◽

The United States ◽

Lifestyle Changes ◽

Channel Blockers ◽

Coronary Syndrome ◽

Chronic Angina

Coronary heart disease is a global malady and it is the leading cause of death in the United States. Chronic stable angina is the most common manifestation of coronary heart disease and it results from the imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand due to reduction in coronary blood flow. Therefore, in addition to lifestyle changes, commonly used pharmaceutical treatments for angina (nitrates, β-blockers, Ca2+ channel blockers) are aimed at increasing blood flow or decreasing O2 demand. However, patients may continue to experience symptoms of angina. Ranolazine is a relatively new drug with anti-anginal and anti-arrhythmic effects. Its anti-anginal mechanism is not clearly understood but the general consensus is that ranolazine brings about its anti-anginal effects by inhibiting the late Na+ current and the subsequent intracellular Ca2+ accumulation. Recent studies suggest other effects of ranolazine that may explain its anti-anginal and anti-arrhythmic effects. Nonetheless, clinical trials have proven the efficacy of ranolazine in treating chronic angina. It has been shown to be ineffective, however, in treating acute coronary syndrome patients. Ranolazine is a safe drug with minimal side effects. It is metabolized mainly in the liver and cleared by the kidney. Therefore, caution must be taken in patients with impaired hepatic or renal function. Due to its efficacy and safety, ranolazine was approved for the treatment of chronic angina by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006.

Download Full-text

VI. Examining Theological Appropriations of Problematic Historical Dissent

Horizons ◽

10.1017/hor.2018.63 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (1) ◽

pp. 149-154

Author(s):

John P. Slattery

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Catholic Church ◽

Contemporary Problem ◽

The United States ◽

Church History ◽

Holy See ◽

Chattel Slavery ◽

United States Today ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Modern Experience

This contribution will examine several theological methods used to understand morally egregious examples of historical dissent in the Catholic Church. From the 1600s to the late 1800s, large numbers of Catholics in the young United States dissented from the Holy See in one particularly egregious manner: their support for and defense of chattel slavery and the Atlantic slave trade. While chattel slavery is universally declared horrific and immoral, its vestiges have not been erased from church history, nor has its influence been eradicated in the modern experience of Christians in the United States today. After naming the contemporary problem caused by this historical example of dissent and analyzing theological approaches to ameliorate this problem, I will propose a theological-historical approach that may offer better solutions in the future.

Download Full-text

Disrupting Regulation, Regulating Disruption: The Politics of Uber in the United States

Perspectives on Politics ◽

10.1017/s1537592718001093 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 919-937 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Ruth Berins Collier ◽

V.B. Dubal ◽

Christopher L. Carter

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

State Legislatures ◽

The United States ◽

State Regulation ◽

Policy Outcomes ◽

Regulatory Regime ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Labor Issues ◽

Regulatory Regimes

Platform companies disrupt not only the economic sectors they enter, but also the regulatory regimes that govern those sectors. We examine Uber in the United States as a case of regulating this disruption in different arenas: cities, state legislatures, and judicial venues. We find that the politics of Uber regulation does not conform to existing models of regulation. We describe instead a pattern of “disruptive regulation”, characterized by a challenger-incumbent cleavage, in two steps. First, an existing regulatory regime is not deregulated but successfully disregarded by a new entrant. Second, the politics of subsequently regulating the challenger leads to a dual regulatory regime. In the case of Uber, disruptive regulation takes the form of challenger capture, an elite-driven pattern, in which the challenger has largely prevailed. It is further characterized by the surrogate representation of dispersed actors—customers and drivers—who do not have autonomous power and who rely instead on shifting alignments with the challenger and incumbent. In its surrogate capacity in city and state regulation, Uber has frequently mobilized large numbers of customers and drivers to lobby for policy outcomes that allow it to continue to provide service on terms it finds acceptable. Because drivers have reaped less advantage from these alignments, labor issues have been taken up in judicial venues, again primarily by surrogates (usually plaintiffs’ attorneys) but to date have not been successful.

Download Full-text