: The hoarding of animals is a psychiatric disease, characterized by a compulsive collection of animals, with a relevant impact upon the care and welfare of animals, as well as on human society. In Italy, there are neither substantial reports nor information shared about such a phenomenon, making it difficult to draw a clear picture of the hoarder profile. Therefore, in the present work, we sought to detail 29 cases of animal accumulators in Italy, who lived within two areas of the Lazio region, and accumulated a total of 1080 animals from 2019 to 2022. In line with other international studies, we observed a prevalence of middle-aged (in their fifties) women, who lived mainly alone in a high level of social and health degradation. Most of the hoarded animals exhibited severe signs of dehydration and malnutrition, muscle hypotrophy, dermatological injuries, and behavioral disorders. Animal hoarding is not yet fully understood nor recognized as a psychosocial disorder, although it produces a deep suffering for the hoarder themselves, as well as corresponding family members, and the animals accumulated. Therefore, given the crucial impact of animal hoarding upon human and animal welfare, cross-cultural networks aimed at properly raising awareness of the problem could be established.

Description of Twenty-Nine Animal Hoarding Cases in Italy: The Impact on Animal Welfare / Sacchettino, L.; Gatta, C.; Giuliano, V. O.; Bellini, F.; Liverini, A.; Ciani, F.; Avallone, L.; D'Angelo, D.; Napolitano, F.. - In: ANIMALS. - ISSN 2076-2615. - 13:18(2023). [10.3390/ani13182968]

Description of Twenty-Nine Animal Hoarding Cases in Italy: The Impact on Animal Welfare

Sacchettino L.;Gatta C.;Giuliano V. O.;Ciani F.;Avallone L.;d'Angelo D.;Napolitano F.
2023

Abstract

: The hoarding of animals is a psychiatric disease, characterized by a compulsive collection of animals, with a relevant impact upon the care and welfare of animals, as well as on human society. In Italy, there are neither substantial reports nor information shared about such a phenomenon, making it difficult to draw a clear picture of the hoarder profile. Therefore, in the present work, we sought to detail 29 cases of animal accumulators in Italy, who lived within two areas of the Lazio region, and accumulated a total of 1080 animals from 2019 to 2022. In line with other international studies, we observed a prevalence of middle-aged (in their fifties) women, who lived mainly alone in a high level of social and health degradation. Most of the hoarded animals exhibited severe signs of dehydration and malnutrition, muscle hypotrophy, dermatological injuries, and behavioral disorders. Animal hoarding is not yet fully understood nor recognized as a psychosocial disorder, although it produces a deep suffering for the hoarder themselves, as well as corresponding family members, and the animals accumulated. Therefore, given the crucial impact of animal hoarding upon human and animal welfare, cross-cultural networks aimed at properly raising awareness of the problem could be established.
2023
Description of Twenty-Nine Animal Hoarding Cases in Italy: The Impact on Animal Welfare / Sacchettino, L.; Gatta, C.; Giuliano, V. O.; Bellini, F.; Liverini, A.; Ciani, F.; Avallone, L.; D'Angelo, D.; Napolitano, F.. - In: ANIMALS. - ISSN 2076-2615. - 13:18(2023). [10.3390/ani13182968]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
animals-13-02968 (1).pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione Editoriale (PDF)
Licenza: Dominio pubblico
Dimensione 935.01 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
935.01 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11588/946601
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 1
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact