Colorado State University, Colorado, United States
(July 19th 2007)
The latest issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical
Association reveals that more cats and dogs visit
veterinary emergency rooms at the height of the
lunar cycle than at other times.
From 11,940 cases (9,407 canine and 2,533 feline),
a statistically significant difference in visits was
calculated between full moon periods and all other
periods. The researchers found the risk of emergency room visits to be 23 percent higher for cats and 28 percent higher for dogs on days surrounding full moons.
The types of emergencies ranged from cardiac arrest to trauma.
The researchers found the risk of emergency room visits to be 23 percent higher for cats and 28 percent higher for dogs on days surrounding full moons.
The researchers pointed out that at
a clinic with an average caseload it is unlikely
that any clinician would be consciously aware of the
very small but significant difference, but that
these results may be useful for staffing timetables
at clinics with a very high caseload.
This is only the latest in a range of historical
studies on the effects of the lunar cycle on various
aspects of human and animal life. One suggestion for
the differences observed in this case is simply that more people (and
their pets) are out during the full moon because the night is bright and good for walking.
