Evidence-based guidelines for the post-fire assessment of domestic ruminants : a scoping review

dc.contributor.authorCardoso, Claudia L.
dc.contributor.authorMay, Catherine Edith
dc.contributor.authorLeask, Rhoda
dc.contributor.emailclaudia.cardosocamaiti@up.ac.za
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-23T05:30:26Z
dc.date.available2025-05-23T05:30:26Z
dc.date.issued2025-03
dc.descriptionDATA AVAILABILITY : The review matrix file is available upon request to the corresponding author.
dc.description.abstractWildfires 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.
dc.description.departmentProduction Animal Studies
dc.description.librarianhj2025
dc.description.sdgSDG-02: Zero Hunger
dc.description.sdgSDG-03: Good health and well-being
dc.description.sponsorshipRed Meat Research Development SA partially funded this work.
dc.description.urihttps://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/
dc.identifier.citationCardoso, C.L., May, C.E. & Leask, R. Evidence-based guidelines for the post-fire assessment of domestic ruminants: a scoping review. BMC Veterinary Research 21, 223 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04666-3.
dc.identifier.issn1746-6148 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1186/s12917-025-04666-3
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/102484
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBioMed Central
dc.rights© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
dc.subjectRuminants
dc.subjectBurns
dc.subjectTriage
dc.subjectPrognosis
dc.subjectWelfare
dc.titleEvidence-based guidelines for the post-fire assessment of domestic ruminants : a scoping review
dc.typeArticle

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Cardoso_EvidenceBased_2025.pdf
Size:
1.61 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Article

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description: