Preventative Medicine Strategies for Kennels and Catteries Flashcards
What is colony immunity?
resistance of the group of animals to invasion and spread of infectious disease
What are the principles behind preventative medicine?
-
Maximize health and production
- minimize stress
- ideal housing
- good nutrition
- parasite control
- disease prevention
Who are the members of the preventative management team? Why is knowing this important?
- Veterinarian
- cattery, kennel, or shelter manager
- others that may have direct control over population size and animal movement
- accountability
What things should you include in your record keeping?
- entrance/intake
- movement
- assessment
- procedures
- vaccination
- treatment
- cleaning schedule
What are the 2 most important considerations you should have for kennel/cattery guidelines?
- easy/economical to clean and maintain
- adequate for the animal’s comfort
- maximize the space b/t food, defecation, urination, and resting area
It is recomended to have separate areas for what at kennels/catteries?
- grooming area
- food prep/storage
- storage
- office space
- indoor/outdoor (dogs)
- quarantine
- maternity
- isolation - must be separate from quarantine
- holding
How should you order your priority of handling at kennels/catteries?
based off age and disease status
- puppies/kitten
- pregnant females
- young adults
- adults
- quarantined animals
- isolation/sick animals
ALWAYS wash hands b/t each!
What are the best methods of keeping your hands clean in these situations?
- gloves - most reliable, but expensive
- hand sanitizers - 20 sec drying time, not effective vs. every organism, may have better compliance
- washing - gold standard, requires proper technique
What are the daily requirements of sanitation at catteries/kennels?
- Remove animal
- Remove solid waste and debris
- Clean w/ detergent or bleach solution (10 min) - rinse well
- 1:32 = “gold standard”
- Disinfect food and water bowls - rinse
- Dry floor
- Replace animal
- Alternatively do at end: wash/disinfect food and water bowls
What kinds of cleaning products are recommended to be used at kennels/catteries?
- soap/detergent: cleaning agent which works by suspending dirt and grease, does NOT kill harmful microbes
- disinfectant: chem agent which kills harmful microbes, does not necessarily remove dirt/grease
-
degreaser: more powerful soap/detergent specially formulated to penetrate layers of dried-on body oils and other greasy debris
- some disinfectants also have some detergent/cleaning activity; bleach has none
What are some things you should consider when choosing a disinfectant?
- MUST be used at the correct concentration
- adequate contact time is required
- must be applied to a basically clean, non-porous surface, free of organic matter
- disinfectants and detergents can cancel each other’s action and should NOT be mixed unless specifically directed by the manufacturer
What are the rules for ventilating a kennel and cattery?
- kennel: 12-20 fresh air exchanges/hour
- cattery: 10-15 fresh air exchanges/hour
What are the temperature and humidity requirements for catteries/kennels?
- temperature/humidity must be measured at the level of the animal
- AVMA Temp Requirements:
- above 60/below 80 degrees F
- must be able to maintain body temp
- AVMA Humidity Requirements:
- 30-70% relative humidity
What are some general kennel guidelines?
- Size: large, medium, small
- Building materials: nonporous and can be disinfected
- Fencing/walls: walls at least 4 ft high, fences extend two feet beyond
- Drainage: adequate for cleaning cages
- Vermin control: containers that inhibits access
What are the size specifics for a kennel? What about for a cattery?
Kennels
- Minimum size
- Sleeping area: 1.5x dog curled up, 2x length of dog, 15 cm taller than dog standing up
- good to have variations in size
Catteries
- Cats > 4 lb must have 30 cubic ft
- group cages have additional requirements
What are general cattery guidelines?
- Separate from dogs - decr stress
- Draft free
- Natural and/or artificial light - 8 hr minimum
- Food and water bowls
- Litter pan
- Resting shelf (elevation)
- Cage fronts 4 feet apart
- Ideally one cat/cage
- exceptions: nursing mothers, litters, cats that came together on entry
- Cages should be stainless still, fiberglass or other nonporous substrate
- Colony cages
What are examples of stable and transient environments?
Stable
- breeding kennels/catteries
- closed colonies
- research facilities
Transient
- vet hospitals
- grooming/boarding
- shelters
- retail outlets
- dog parks
What do the AAHA/AVMA Preventative Care Guidelines of 2011 state?
every animal should have a preventative care plan
What are the basic nutritional principles required at kennels/catteries?
- Water - fresh, clean, changed daily
- Food
- Quality
- freq and type appropriate for life stage
- avoid sudden changes in diet
- store appropriately
- cost, while important, is less important than quality
What are the parasite control guidelines for kennels/catteries?
- under guidance of a vet
- external/internal parasite control
- deworming on entry and at regular intervals
- follow parasite lifecycles and surveillance testing
- proper sanitation and removal of fecal matter
What is immunoprophylaxis?
enhancement of a specific immune response in an attempt to protect an animal from disease
- vaccination
- passive transfer
What is the difference between innate and acquired immunity?
-
Innate:
- exists prior to foreign Ag exposure
- e.g. physical barriers, phagocytic cells, NK cells
-
Acquired:
- develops upon foreign Ag exposure
- e.g. humoral immunity (B cells, antibodies), cell-mediated immunity (T cells), secretory IgA
What is passive immunization?
- artificial transfer of specific antibodies that offers immediate protection, but short-lived resistance
- e.g. allergic/immune reactions
- transfer of disease is possible
- can be given PO, IM, IP, SQ
- transfer of disease is possible
What is active immunization?
- the giving of an Ag to produce an immune response
- costs less than passive immunization, but takes time to produce immunity
- gives long-lived immunity (months, years, lifetime)
What is the window of susceptibility?
that period of time during which the maternal antibody from colostrum is below the minimum titer to block virulent viruses, but is above the the minimum titer to block vaccines; critical period for vaccinations
- anywhere from 7-11 weeks of age
