Honors Theses, Ohio Dominican University, 2018, Honors Theses

The domesticated dog (Canis familiaris) is the most popular household pet in America. There are approximately 42.5 million dogs kept as pets in the United States. Despite dogs being the most popular pet, methods for dogs' age determination are limited and lack precision. After eruption of the final permanent teeth at about 7 months of age there is no quality method for determining age. Characteristics such as development of cataracts, tooth wear, and acquisition of grey hair become the leading factors in age determination; however, the aforementioned factors are variable in all dogs. The use of a pulp cavity/tooth width ratio, measured using dental radiographs, was applied to Canis familiaris to determine a more reliable method for determining age in dogs. This, more accurate method for determining age in dogs, will allow a reduction in shelter euthanasia and allow veterinarians and pet owners to more easily determine treatment plans.

Committee: William Chastain D.V.M. (Advisor); Blake Mathys Ph.D. (Committee Chair); John Marazita Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Veterinary Services

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2021, Animal Sciences

Annually, approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide—3.3 million are dogs. Upon intake, shelter personnel evaluate each dog to gain information regarding behavioral and health history. Previous owner's records or shelter personnel's visual perception of the dog generates a “breed label.” However, the U.S. shelter canine population predominately consists of dogs with an unknown history and breed heritage; thus, the created “breed label” is a subjective assessment of breed type. Several studies illustrate that majority of shelter dogs are composed of more than one breed and are mislabeled compared to identified breeds from their genetic analysis. Additionally, breed labels have negatively impacted adopters' decisions due to certain breeds' stereotypes and legislation. Breed labeling is a tool animal shelters can utilize to implement specific care strategies and tailored adoption matches for the dogs in their care. However, canines are multidimensional individuals whose behavior and appearance are influenced by numerous factors; therefore, whether a breed label accurately reflects a dog's genetic makeup may not be efficient for successfully matching potential adopters with a companion. By steadily increasing the number of successful adoptions out of the shelter, fewer animals may require euthanasia. The overarching objective of this research was to assess the impact of removing dog breed labels in a local animal shelter on overall dog adoption rate and length of availability (LOA) for adoption, in addition to dog breeds commonly restricted by breed legislation or currently under county restrictions in the state of Ohio. The second objective examined the impact of visitors' demographics, perceptions, and importance of potential companion's features on adoption decisions, contingent on breed label presence or absence. A third objective utilized dog behavioral observations during a visitor interaction to identify out-of-kennel she (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kelly George (Advisor); Kimberly Cole (Committee Member); Peter Neville (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Sciences; Animals; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Behaviorial Sciences; Demographics; Management; Marketing; Social Psychology; Veterinary Services; Welfare; Zoology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2015, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology

In many areas, wildlife populations have increased substantially in their local density because of a loss of natural controls or some artificially supplemented resource. These populations are often managed to avoid harmful effects on other wildlife species and human-wildlife conflicts. Many species are managed using lethal population reduction, but in those that are resistant to these means or where the method is unpalatable due to public concern, fertility control is becoming increasingly common. This method seeks to reduce the population size of some target problem species by capturing, sterilizing, and releasing individuals back into their habitat. Fertility control is often paired with vaccination programs because each has synergistic effects. Sterilization reduces the population size, making it easier to achieve a higher vaccination proportions for herd immunity. However, these programs have uncertain effects on both the basic biology, population demographics, and disease epidemiology. The current literature makes strongly countered species-specific conclusions. It is also unclear if fertility control is an effective method at reducing the population size in an economically viable way, compared to lethal removal. Here I use computer simulations, cross sectional surveys, and long-term monitoring of two populations, the street dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) of Rajasthan, India, and the raccoons (Procyon lotor) of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, to investigate what impact fertility control makes on the populations it targets. In Chapter 2, I exposed replicate simulated populations to various control schemes to see which most lowered the population size and increased vaccination coverage. In Chapter 3, I report the results of surveys of dogs from several real world Indian cities with varied histories of fertility control for several diseases. In Chapters 4 and 5, I report the results of a randomized control study on raccoons, which measured differences in paras (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ian Hamilton Dr (Advisor); Stanley Gehrt Dr. (Advisor); Rebecca Garabed Dr. (Committee Member); Liza Comita Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Animal Diseases; Ecology; Organismal Biology; Parasitology; Veterinary Services; Wildlife Management; Zoology