Читать книгу Infectious Disease Management in Animal Shelters - Группа авторов - Страница 62

Housing design and its proper management can literally make or break the health of a population. Housing used for isolation, quarantine and other special needs should be appropriately separated at a distance away from the general population and designed for enhanced biosecurity and stress reduction to facilitate care and speed recovery. It is not enough for the design to only address an animal's physical needs (e.g. shelter, warmth); properly designed housing should also meet the behavioral needs of the animal while minimizing stress and other negative emotional states. Behavioral needs will vary depending upon such factors as life stage, personality, and prior socialization and experience. Regardless of the species in question, housing should always include a comfortable resting area and allow animals to engage in species‐typical behaviors while ensuring freedom from fear and distress. Both the structural and social environment are key considerations for housing arrangements. Further, the environment must provide opportunities for both physical and mental stimulation, which become increasingly important as the LOS increases. Therefore, shelters should maintain a variety of housing styles to meet the individual needs of different animals in the population. Managing housing arrangements for populations of varying species, ages, sexes, personality types, social experiences, and stress levels requires knowledge of normal species behavior and communication, including social behavior. Staff training in behavior and communication are crucial to success.

A sense of control over conditions is well recognized as one of the most critical needs for behavioral health (McMillan 2002). Thus, housing design must provide a variety of satisfying behavioral options. The design of short‐term housing should include provisions for housing individuals, litters or compatible pairs for intake evaluation and triage. Housing should be easy to clean and sanitize, well ventilated, and be safe for animals and caregivers. Even short‐term housing should provide for the minimal behavioral needs of animals, affording animals with sufficient space to stand and walk several steps, sit or lie down at full body length, and separate elimination, feeding, and resting areas. This is often best accomplished with double compartment housing, in which a door or portal separates the resting and feeding area from the area for elimination. This is important for both dogs and cats. Resting areas should include comfortable surfaces and, if needed, extra bedding that can be disinfected or disposed of. To provide a refuge, a secure hiding place (such as a box, crate, or cat den, or a visual barrier placed over a portion of the front of the enclosure) should be provided for cats and dogs. See Figure 2.1a and 2.1b.