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Item The veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management of animals : an exploration of veterinary training and the perspectives of New Zealand cat owners : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2021) Littlewood, KatherineDomestic cats are living longer and more of them are living with chronic conditions. It is up to the owner(s) to make the decision about when, and how, to end the life of their cat. Owners may find such end-of-life decisions difficult, as they are influenced by many factors relating to their cat and to themselves. Owners often involve their veterinarian in the decision-making process; therefore, it is essential that veterinarians understand the role they play in end-of-life management of animals. To ensure veterinarians are effectively supporting owners to make end-of-life decisions, there is also a need to know how veterinary students are taught relevant topics and skills. The central question this research aimed to answer was: 'what is the veterinarian's role in end-of-life management of older and chronically ill cats in New Zealand?' Study 1 investigated how aspects of end-of-life management – technical euthanasia skills, end-of-life decision-making, and grief management – were taught to Australasian veterinary students. Study 2 then explored the role veterinarians play in end-of-life management from the perspective of owners of older and chronically ill cats, as well as how those owners made the decision to end their cat’s life. Study 1 demonstrated some gaps that, if filled, could improve veterinary training in end-of-life management of animals. Technical aspects of euthanasia were not taught consistently for companion animals and this needs to be improved to ensure new graduates meet client expectations – that is, they are as competent as my cat owner participants assumed. There also appeared to be gaps in teaching end-of-life decision-making relative to what was important to cat owners. Owners expected their veterinarian to be the professional or ‘expert’ when it came to knowledge of animal health and welfare, but not all veterinary students were taught how to assess animal welfare or quality of life in the context of end-of-life decisions. In contrast, teaching of grief-related topics left only a few gaps to fill. Grief management teaching best reflected many of the features my cat owner participants wanted from their veterinarian, and particularly the human-centred themes taught to students. Most of this grief management teaching was performed by student counsellors and psychologists in earlier (preclinical) years. This means these human-centred themes may not have been explicitly linked to the decision-making process, and, more importantly, to the veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management. Without explicit alignment, veterinary students may be left thinking that veterinarians have only a limited role, or even no role at all, in managing their clients’ emotions and that this should be left to trained professionals. However, my cat owner participants emphasised the important role their veterinarian had played in the end-of-life process, suggesting that training, in New Zealand at least, is effective in this regard. Significant methodological developments in this research include designing and conducting in-depth interviews using social science methodology, in addition to the analysis and interpretation of qualitative data. Future studies should compare owner and veterinary perceptions of the same euthanasia event to obtain a detailed picture of the veterinarian’s role in end-of-life management of animals.Item Understanding attacks by kea (Nestor notabilis), an endemic parrot, on sheep (Ovis aries) in the South Island high country : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University/Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand(Massey University, 2019) Reid, Clio ElizabethHuman-wildlife conflict is a complex global issue that can have negative impacts on wildlife species and human livelihoods. An ongoing example of such conflict in Aotearoa New Zealand occurs between high country sheep farmers and kea (Nestor notabilis). This study is the first to document the conflict since attempts were made in the early 20th century. My aims were to: 1.) review the historical records of the conflict, and estimate the number of kea killed under a 100+ year bounty scheme; 2.) characterise sheep wounds attributed to kea attacks (‘kea strike’), and estimate the current prevalence and associated risk factors; 3.) survey high country farmers’ experiences with and perspectives of kea strike; 4.) examine behaviours that potentially underpin kea strike via experimental tasks presented to wild kea. I estimated that at least 116,869 kea were killed historically as a result of the bounty scheme. The majority of sheep wounds attributed to kea strike were in the loin (lumbar) region, and the wound prevalence was low (0–1.25%). However, it should be noted that the prevalence reported by farmers can be higher, and that higher kea strike frequency results in considerable economic and welfare costs for some high country sheep stations. Risk factors included station location, breed (Perendale), class (ram), and age (>1 yr). The results of an anonymous online survey of high country sheep farmers showed that less than half of the farmers reported kea strike, with low estimates of sheep injuries and losses, and a decrease of kea strike over the past 25+ years, which may have resulted from decreasing kea numbers and changes in sheep flock management. More than half of the farmers thought that only some kea attack sheep, which is consistent with the long-standing concept that kea strike is instigated by ‘rogue’ kea (problem individuals). Individual kea differed in innovative problem solving performance, exploration tendency and neophobia, and exploration tendency was linked with social rank and innovation. I propose that high ranking males that are innovative and exploratory may initiate kea strike. Understanding the drivers of kea strike can be used to inform conservation management decisions regarding farmer-kea conflict, to the benefit of kea, high country sheep farmers and their stock.Item A study of the relationships between the behaviour of cetaceans and vessel traffic using two case studies : Killer whale (Orcinus orca) and Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Conservation Biology, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand(Massey University, 2009) Smith, Jodi ChristineTwo studies were carried out to describe the relationship between vessel presence on the behaviour of both whales and dolphins. Each study conducted focal follows on members of two endangered sub-populations using a land-based theodolite station in order to track and mark positions of opportunistic vessel traffic in relation to animal surfacings. Southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) were theodolite tracked during the months of May-August for three field seasons (1999-2001), off San Juan Island, Washington State, U.S.A, in an independent study. Migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were theodolite tracked off Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia during 2005 from May-September in partial fulfilment for a Master of Science degree. For each study, four dependent whale variables were analysed in relation to two boat variables. Whale variables included mean time per dive (dive time), swimming speed, directness of path traveled (directness index) and the number of surface behaviours per hour such as breaches or tail-slaps (surface active behaviour). The two boat variables included a count of the number of boats within the study area during each tracking session (boat count) and the point of closest approach (PCA) by a vessel to the focal animal during the tracking session. Southern resident killer whales were found to decrease path directness with the point of closest approach of vessels. As whales adopted a more circuitious path, distance travelled increased by 9.5% when boats were within 100 m. Humpback whales significantly decreased their rate of surface active behaviour by 50% when boats were present. This thesis presents data that show a snapshot of the levels to which both species are exposed to vessel traffic, as well as subtle short-term behavioural responses in relation to vessel presence. I compare the impacts of vessel traffic identified for the two species, and suggest possible long-term population consequences due to potential interruptions of foraging and/or social behaviours. I discuss limitations of small data sets such as these and discuss ways in which further research can be better designed. Deliberate planning of vessel effect studies and their subsequent analyses can provide conservation managers useful information for determining recovery strategies of endangered whales and dolphins.Item Knowing the honey bee : a multispecies ethnography : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Luttrell, JordanMultispecies scholarship argues that the non-human has been relegated to the background of discussions about who and what inhabits and shapes the world. This thesis engages with this discussion as an experimental multispecies ethnography with honey bees in Manawatu, New Zealand. I aim to centre the honey bee in ethnography through engagement in the practice of fieldwork as well as the representation of the findings of this engagement. The honey bee is commonly known as an introduced, domesticated species, kept by humans in beehives in apiculture. This conceals the agency of the honey bee, rendering it passive, productive and compliant to the desires of humans, or in need of human intervention for survival. To view the agency of the bee I undertook embodied, performative ethnography, interviewing beekeepers and becoming one myself. My methodology, which was shaped by the bee, traced the networks that honey bees were enrolled in. Encounters were awkward, one-sided, and sometimes dangerous. The representation of honey bees demands an approach which attends to multiple, distinct accounts of honey bee worlds, because the bee is a lively agent, contributing to, experiencing, and communicating about the multiple networks in which it is engaged. As such, the findings of this thesis are presented in three accounts of encounters with honey bees. These accounts are distinct, capturing the honey bee in different networks, but are also distinct in their narrative styles, progressing from a description of honey networks in the spirit of Actor-Networks, to writing with honey bee narrator in poetry. Ethnographic representation is inevitably partial and an act of imagination. However, becoming sensitive to the ‘bee-ness’ of the bee; the waggle, hum and sting, and employing narrative inspired by the multisensory apiary, in other words, shaping representation with honey bees in mind, is an act of privileging honey bees in writing, and exploring what more can be said of, and with, the bee.Item The cat effect : investigating the relationship between cat ownership and health : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand(Massey University, 2016) Taylor, GwenethCompanion animals are an important part of the New Zealand psychosocial environment and companion cats are particularly popular. A number of studies have explored the relationship between pet ownership and physical and psychological health but the results have been inconclusive. Despite a lack of conclusive evidence people continue to believe that the presence of pets can enhance health and wellbeing. Specifically, there is increasing interest in the benefits to be gained from animal assisted activities and therapies. Research based on the connection between animals and health has mainly focused on physical and psychological outcomes. The present qualitative research differs from the previous work in that the focus is on investigating the nature of the owner-to-cat relationship that underpins claims of enhanced health and wellbeing. A sample (N=10) comprising five males and five females 45-77 years of age were recruited for the study with the main inclusion criteria being that they owned a cat. Open ended interviews were transcribed and the transcripts were subjected to a thematic analysis technique to identify themes that captured common aspects relative to the person-to-cat relationship. Four themes were identified. First, communication enhanced connectedness and tended to be anthropomorphic in nature. Second, companionship was linked with pleasure and often involved a close bond. Third, inclusiveness enhanced a sense of belonging when cats were often presented as one of the family. Fourth, interdependence was linked to responsibility and a sense of purpose. The overarching theme, however, was the affirmation of identity for the owner that featured throughout the transcripts. Identity formation, maintenance and protection were found to be fundamental to the nature of the person-to-cat relationship. Identity affirmation was linked to a need to feel good, a need to belong, a need to feel competent, a need to have meaning in life and self esteem, all of which can enhance psychological health and a sense of wellbeing. These findings related to a small group of devoted cat owners so the findings may not apply to other types of ownership. Broader implications related to pet assisted activities are called into question when just having a cat around or a brief encounter may not be enough to have a positive effect on health. For this reason, if a relationship with a cat is to have a positive effect, you may have to really love your cat.Item Making milking bodies in the Manawatu : assembling "good cow"-"good farmer" relationships in productionist dairy farming : a dissertation presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Anthropology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2015) McTavish, CassandraThis research traces the material and social relations of dairy cows and dairy farmers in productionist dairy farming. Life story interviews and participant observation on dairy farms reveal how dairy cow/dairy farmer relationships take diverse forms in response to competing demands in productionist dairy farming. Seeking ways of understanding the complexities inherent in dairy cow/dairy farmer relationships, I enrolled dairy cows as ethnographic research participants. Embodied, sensory and empathic participant observation methods led to understandings of how humanimal relationships form across species boundaries. My research findings suggest that deeply embedded cultural narratives of what it means to be a “good farmer” may conflict with the multiplicity of “good cow” identities. Dairy cows create tension for dairy farmers: dairy farmers work with dairy cows as production machines; but also care for dairy cows as co-workers. This ethnographic humanimal research highlights how dairy cows and dairy farmers are not fixed as “good” or “bad”. Rather, through an anthropological appropriation of Actor Network Theory, this research highlights how dairy cow/dairy farmer networks form and reform (in part) through unintentional and intentional dairy cow agency.Item Of healthy woman [i.e. women] and horses : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master in Psychology at Massey University, Turitea Campus, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2005) Billany, Ruth BernadetteThis thesis addressed the relational health resources provided by horses to a group of healthy women in a small town in New Zealand. The mutualistic symbiotic interaction between humans and animals is slowly gaining credibility amongst health professionals. Although this beneficial relationship has a long past in practice, it has a relatively short history within academia and is marginalised in relation to mainstream health research. Within a salutogenic approach to health research, this study used an ethnographic methodology bending and blurring of traditional boundaries within a feminist framework. A dominant/subordinate approach to blend quantitative and qualitative research is employed, with the quantitative study as the subordinate partner. The results from a questionnaire, based on Liang, Tracy, Taylor, Williams, Jordan and Miller's (2002) relational health indices, confirm that the growth-fostering relationships horses make available to women are authenticity, engagement and empowerment. This quantitative part of the study is reported in full in the Appendices E and Q. The dominant qualitative study involved a chiasmatic procedure with two focus group discussions and two interpretative communities blending qualitative data gathering and analysis to give voice to the perspectives of women engaged in daily experiences with horses. Seventeen emergent themes are synthesised into five growth promoting qualities extending Liang et al.'s (2002) study to include a connection to other humans and connection to nature which reweaves the dichotomy between nature and culture. Further research is called for in the domain of health psychology to investigate the salutogenic effects of this reconnection with nature through sharing our lives with animals, especially horses.Item Human and companion animal compatibility : stereotypes and health consequences : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University(Massey University, 1996) Budge, Rachel ClaireThe major theme of this thesis is compatibility of human-companion animal relationships, particularly with respect to cats and dogs. This theme was explored from two perspectives, the first of which focused on how the compatibility of people and their pets is perceived by others and involved three studies of stereotypes about human-pet compatibility. The second perspective consisted of one study which focused on some of the health consequences of the experience of compatibility between pets and their owners for the latter. In the first of the stereotype studies, 102 participants matched up ten photographs of people with ten photographs of pets and provided reasons for their selections. Chi-square analyses demonstrated significant matching trends, i.e. stereotypes, for all but one of the ten target persons. Examination of the reasons for selections suggested that participants used similar themes to those traditionally found in person perception studies (gender, age, hair colour etc.) to categorise the target persons, and made pet selections on this basis. The second study provided profiles of nine target persons who varied on a number of dimensions. One hundred and seventy two participants selected a pet for each target person, specifying the species, breed, sex and name of each pet. It was hypothesized that female target persons would receive a greater number of small dogs and cats than larger dogs, and males would be given medium to large sized dogs more frequently than small dogs and cats. It was also hypothesised that target persons would receive more same sex than opposite sex pets. Results of chi-square analyses of the animal species, breed and sex information provided some support for both hypotheses and suggested that there are certain stereotypical perceptions of particular person-pet combinations. The third study involved 542 participants who rated slides depicting a man and a woman, alone or accompanied by a dog or a cat, on 40 psychological attributes. Contrary to predictions, the woman was seen more favourably with the dog than with the cat or alone, and the man was rated more positively with the cat or alone than with the dog. The final study concentrated on actual relationships between people and their pets and introduced compatibility as a key dimension. A study was conducted to examine the effects of compatibility, attachment and social support on mental health and physical symptoms. One hundred and seventy six pet owners completed a questionnaire incorporating a compatibility measure developed for this study, the Pet Attachment Survey, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, the Mental Health Inventory and a shortened version of Pennebaker's Inventory of Limbic Languidness. Regression analyses showed that compatibility was independently associated with better mental health. Unexpectedly pet attachment was positively associated with physical symptoms and not mental health. Social support was positively related to mental health but not physical symptoms. No interaction or mediating effects were discovered. The findings of the stereotype studies suggest that there are certain person pet combinations which are perceived to be more compatible than others, which are dependent primarily on age and sex characteristics of the owner. The final study showed that actual compatibility between pet and owner can be quantified and that it is associated with beneficial health effects for the owner.Item Exploring the match between people and their guide dogs : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Turitea, Aotearoa/New Zealand(Massey University, 2004) Lloyd, Janice Kathryn FoyerThe relationship between guide dog handlers in New Zealand and their guide dogs was investigated to identify the reasons why some partnerships are successful while others are not. A two-part study was designed to explore the match between the handler and the dog to improve the outcome of the matching process. A focus group discussion with people who had a range of visual acuity and experience with mobility aids was conducted as a preliminary measure to help develop the survey questionnaire that was used in the second part of the study. Fifty current and/or previous handlers, who had used a total of 118 dogs, were interviewed about their prior expectations and the outcome of the partnerships. Results indicated that the majority of matches were successful, and quality of life was improved for most participants because of using a dog. Around a quarter of the matches were considered unsuccessful, although not all mismatched dogs were returned. Mismatches arose predominantly from problems concerning the dogs' working behaviour followed by the dogs' social/home behaviour. However, dogs were also returned for health problems and a few were returned for personal issues concerning the handler. Compatibility between the handler and the dog, and the fulfilment of expectations were positively associated with better matches. Factors relating to mobility, including a handler's ability to control a dog, made the biggest contribution to success, but non-work related issues, such as companionship and enhancement of social interactions were also significant. Other factors that appeared to be associated with a good outcome included an accurate assessment of workload, having a good relationship with the guide dog instructor, and having a little useful vision - especially if this deteriorated over the time a dog was used. Other findings suggested that the use of a dog improved travel performance, regardless of how well the participants' perceived their travel ability to have been before the dog was acquired, and that second dogs were less favoured than the first ones. These results have permitted a series of recommendations to be proposed to the guide dog industry regarding characteristics of handler and dog that are important for a successful match.