Animals may be affected by full moon, study says
Margaret Canty
Issue date: 7/25/07 Section: News
Pet owners beware - CSU researchers say there's a "bad moon rising," and many cats and dogs may get caught in the crosshairs.
A recent study, headed by veterinarian Reagan Wells of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, compared emergency room visits of dogs and cats to the moon phases, and found a 23 percent greater likelihood for cats to be admitted during the 12 days surrounding the full moon and a 28 percent greater likelihood in dogs.
"When it's busy in the ER, you always here people say things like 'Oh it must be a full moon,'" said Reagan Wells, head researcher of the study. "We set out trying to prove the urban myth wrong, thinking it was nonsense."
As it turns out, the loony myth, when put to the test, has something to it. But Wells and his team weren't quick to howl over their findings, as there are still other factors to consider.
"There is a theory that with more light that the full moon provides animals are more active, and therefore more apt to injure themselves," Wells said. "However, the problem with that theory is that no one type of emergency was more likely than another."
Reasons for admittance ranged from cardiac arrest, to toxins, to trauma, many of which appear to have no direct connection to extra light. This finding has left the vets puzzled as to what might be causing the increase in visits during the fullest stages of the moon.
What is considered to be a full moon occurs when the moon is on the exact opposite side of the earth as the sun, causing the alignment of the three bodies. This occurs about every 30 days, with the next one predicted for July 30.
The ten-year retrospective study analyzed emergency room visits from 1992 to 2002 at CSU's vet hospital. Wells said this was the first study of its kind to look at pets.
"I'd like to see another vet repeat it," he said. "If similar results are found, it could lead to reorganization of staffing at vet hospitals."
A recent study, headed by veterinarian Reagan Wells of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, compared emergency room visits of dogs and cats to the moon phases, and found a 23 percent greater likelihood for cats to be admitted during the 12 days surrounding the full moon and a 28 percent greater likelihood in dogs.
"When it's busy in the ER, you always here people say things like 'Oh it must be a full moon,'" said Reagan Wells, head researcher of the study. "We set out trying to prove the urban myth wrong, thinking it was nonsense."
As it turns out, the loony myth, when put to the test, has something to it. But Wells and his team weren't quick to howl over their findings, as there are still other factors to consider.
"There is a theory that with more light that the full moon provides animals are more active, and therefore more apt to injure themselves," Wells said. "However, the problem with that theory is that no one type of emergency was more likely than another."
Reasons for admittance ranged from cardiac arrest, to toxins, to trauma, many of which appear to have no direct connection to extra light. This finding has left the vets puzzled as to what might be causing the increase in visits during the fullest stages of the moon.
What is considered to be a full moon occurs when the moon is on the exact opposite side of the earth as the sun, causing the alignment of the three bodies. This occurs about every 30 days, with the next one predicted for July 30.
The ten-year retrospective study analyzed emergency room visits from 1992 to 2002 at CSU's vet hospital. Wells said this was the first study of its kind to look at pets.
"I'd like to see another vet repeat it," he said. "If similar results are found, it could lead to reorganization of staffing at vet hospitals."
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