Cardoso Claudia L, May Catherine E, Leask Rhoda
Ruminant Health and Production Section, Department of Production Animal Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Clinical Skills Laboratory, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
BMC Vet Res. 2025 Mar 31;21(1):223. doi: 10.1186/s12917-025-04666-3.
Wildfires globally impact farmers, with risk expected to rise in the next thirty years. Beyond fatalities, wildfires impair the reproductive capabilities of surviving livestock due to smoke exposure. Effective interventions require considering animal welfare, prognosis, and costs. Enhanced clinical assessment is crucial. There is a paucity of data concerning decision-making processes regarding burn injuries in livestock. This study establishes evidence-based guidelines for wildfire-affected ruminants in field settings. The goal is categorizing scientific evidence to create prognostic guidelines. English and Spanish publications from Web of Science, Medline, and Google Scholar were searched using keywords related to burn injuries, disaster management, and animal welfare. A research matrix was populated based on inclusion criteria and evidence strength, leading to the development of visual triage guidelines for sheep and cattle. Most evidence comprises case reports (expert opinion) and observational trials. Ovine controlled trials in the 80 s and 90 s significantly advanced burn injury understanding in humans and animals. Key clinical factors determining burn severity include burn extent and depth, anatomic location, and smoke inhalation. Core non-clinical factors implicated in decision-making include feed, water, and shelter, amongst others. Animal categorization by burn severity creates a model for prioritising resources towards animals with the best recovery chances, protecting animal welfare.
全球范围内，野火对农民造成影响，预计在未来三十年风险还会上升。除了导致人员伤亡外，野火还会因烟雾暴露损害幸存牲畜的繁殖能力。有效的干预措施需要考虑动物福利、预后和成本。加强临床评估至关重要。关于牲畜烧伤决策过程的数据匮乏。本研究为野外环境中受野火影响的反刍动物制定了循证指南。目标是对科学证据进行分类以创建预后指南。使用与烧伤、灾害管理和动物福利相关的关键词，检索了科学网、医学期刊数据库和谷歌学术上的英文和西班牙文出版物。根据纳入标准和证据强度填充研究矩阵，从而制定绵羊和牛的视觉分诊指南。大多数证据包括病例报告（专家意见）和观察性试验。20世纪80年代和90年代的绵羊对照试验极大地推动了对人类和动物烧伤的认识。决定烧伤严重程度的关键临床因素包括烧伤范围和深度、解剖位置以及烟雾吸入。决策中涉及的核心非临床因素包括饲料、水和庇护所等。按烧伤严重程度对动物进行分类，为将资源优先用于恢复机会最大的动物创造了一个模型，以保护动物福利。
