Safe Handling and Restraint of Animals

A Comprehensive Guide

Stella J. Chapman

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781119077909
• eBook ISBN: 9781119077923
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Veterinary Medicine

Provides all you need to know about the safe and humane handling and restraint of animals.

Safe Handling and Restraint of Animals takes a holistic approach to the handling of a wide variety of animal species. This comprehensive resource offers a thorough overview of how to safely handle and restrain a number of commonly encountered species including dogs, cats, small mammals, exotic pets, horses and farm animals. Each chapter discusses the behaviour of the species and then outlines the appropriate handling and restraint methods, including any equipment required, multiple explanatory photographs, and useful further reading.

• Covers a wide range of species commonly encountered by veterinary staff and those working within animal industries
• Includes key points and self-assessment questions at the end of each chapter, and a glossary of terms
• Ideal for students of any animal-related degree or diploma programme, including veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, and animal studies and husbandry

Written for students and professionals who work with animals, Safe Handling and Restraint of Animals: A Comprehensive Guide encompasses all aspects of handling and physical restraint, including biosecurity and welfare issues. 

1
Biosecurity and Personal Equipment for Safe Handling and Restraint of Animals

Stella J. Chapman

University Centre Hartpury, Gloucestershire, UK

When handling animals it is important that your own personal safety is top priority, yet at times this can be something that is overlooked. When dealing with large animals, particularly cattle and horses, events can happen that put us at great risk and many people have been injured, or even killed, by complacency as people are in a hurry to get things done. Preparation, suitable equipment and good facilities are key to providing a safe environment, not only for yourself but also the animals that you are handling. A good knowledge and understanding of the principles of biosecurity and disease transmission are also important, in order to prevent disease spreading from animals to humans, and also from animals to animals.

1.1 Transmission of Disease

There are many ways in which disease can be transmitted and this is largely dependent on the pathogen involved. Pathogens need to be able to leave an infected host, survive in the environment, enter a susceptible person or animal and then replicate in the new host. The term ‘transmission cycle’ is often used to describe this process and the cycle can either be ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’ (Table 1.1).

Table 1.1 Transmission routes.

Direct transmission	Indirect transmission
Direct contact	Food or water
Secretions	Aerosol
Blood	Animal vectors
Urine or faeces	Fomites
Droplets	Medical devices and treatments

1.1.1 Zoonoses

Many pathogens are specific to humans and some specific to animals; however, there are pathogens that are capable of transmitting disease to both humans and animals. A pathogen capable of causing disease from an animal to a human is known as a zoonosis. Knowledge of these pathogens and the diseases that they cause is essential in order to prevent the transmission of disease between the animals we look after and ourselves.

Ringworm is one example of a zoonotic disease. The disease is caused by a fungus and is common in many species, including dogs, cats, horses and cattle. Many animals that are infected show no clinical signs of the disease. People will become exposed by direct contact with the infected areas on the animal and will then show clinical signs (e.g. small circular areas of reddened, inflamed skin that itch) on exposed areas (i.e. hands, neck, lower arms and face). This is prevented by careful observation of the animals that you are in direct contact with and also good personal hygiene.

There are many other examples of zoonotic diseases but it is not the intention of this chapter to provide details on these. What is important is that handlers of animals have a good basic knowledge of some of the more common zoonotic diseases that they are at risk of being exposed to when working with different species. Some of the common zoonotic diseases that handlers should be aware of are outlined in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2 Examples of zoonotic diseases (Hiber and Darling, 2011. Reproduced with permission of John Wiley & Sons.).

Disease	Route of transmission	Prevention
Brucellosis	Direct contact; aerosol	Vaccines for sheep, cattle and goats; PPE; good hand hygiene
Campylobacter	Faeces; bodily discharges; contaminated food and water; swimming in lakes; flies can be a mechanical vector	Good hand hygiene and disinfection protocols; control of flies and rodents; prevention of faecal contamination into water and feed sources
Leptospirosis	Contaminated food, water, equipment and surfaces; spread in aerosolized urine or water; direct contact with contaminated urine	PPE; face shields should be worn if there is a risk of urine splashing; good hand hygiene; vaccines for some species, e.g. dogs and cattle
Toxoplasmosis	Ingestion of infected animal tissues or contaminated water and food; direct contact with infected faeces and soil; inhalation of aerosols	Disinfection; pregnant women should be careful when handling raw meat and avoid contact with cat faeces; wear gloves when cleaning out cat litter trays; good hand hygiene

In all cases, the risk of disease transmission can be reduced by using a good handwashing technique with soap and water after handling any animal. Wearing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is also important.

1.1.2 Carriers

With some pathogens the host does not always show obvious clinical signs of disease. In these cases, the host acts as a ‘carrier’ for the pathogen and will be capable of spreading the disease to susceptible animals.

Strangles is one example of a disease that has a ‘carrier’ status. The disease is caused by bacteria and is common in horses. It is important to note that with this disease there is no risk to humans becoming infected. However, strangles easily transmitted to other horses and, therefore, if you are in contact with an infected horse you must ensure that all necessary precautions are taken with regards to reducing the transmission of the disease. This will include isolation of the horse and putting biosecurity and barrier nursing protocols in place.

1.2 Infection Control

The majority of the time that people spend working with animals is with those that are healthy. However, as previously mentioned, it is not always possible to detect that the animals we are working with are ill. Therefore, it is important that handlers are ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contributors
• Acknowledgement
• Chapter 1: Biosecurity and Personal Equipment for Safe Handling and Restraint of Animals
• Chapter 2: Welfare Considerations for the Handling and Restraint of Animals
• Chapter 3: Handling and Restraint of Dogs
• Chapter 4: Handling and Restraint of Cats
• Chapter 5: Handling and Restraint of Rabbits
• Chapter 6: Handling and Restraint of Rodents
• Chapter 7: Handling and Restraint of Ferrets
• Chapter 8: Handling and Restraint of Horses and Donkeys
• Chapter 9: Handling and Restraint of Cattle
• Chapter 10: Handling and Restraint of Small Ruminants
• Chapter 11: Handling and Restraint of Pigs
• Chapter 12: Handling and Restraint of South American Camelids
• Chapter 13: Handling and Restraint of Poultry and Aviary Birds
• Chapter 14: Handling and Restraint of Reptiles
• Glossary
• Answers to Chapter Questions
• Index
• End User License Agreement