{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T13:35:03Z","timestamp":1767706503710,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,28]],"date-time":"2021-08-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630108800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic has an indirect impact on the health and welfare of animals. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on Municipal and Association animal shelters. A questionnaire was sent to 97 Municipal shelters and 65 Associations. Questions focused on public funding, management and animal welfare during COVID-19 restrictions. The response rate was 43.3% (42\/97) for Municipal shelters and 38.5% (25\/65) for Associations. Municipal shelters (67%) received over 80% of public funding, whereas 68% of the Associations received less than 50%. During the COVID-19 restrictions, financial difficulties were observed by 52% of Associations and 5% of Municipal shelters, and a lack of volunteers was observed by 56% of Associations and 17% of Municipal shelters. Operational difficulties were indicated by 43% of Associations and 12% of Municipal shelters, and a lack of instructions was observed by 31% of Municipal shelters and 4% of Associations. No significant differences were obtained on abandonment, adoption, clinical support, exercise and interaction. Decreased feed supply was reported by 40% of Associations and 5% of Municipal shelters. During the COVID-19 restrictions, Municipal shelters were more affected by the lack of instructions, and Associations were more affected by external factors such as a decrease in feed supply, volunteers and funding. Preparedness and contingency plans seem essential to face unpredicted crises.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani11092532","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,29]],"date-time":"2021-08-29T21:45:16Z","timestamp":1630273516000},"page":"2532","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Impact of COVID-19 Restrictions in Portugal: A Questionnaire to Municipal and Animal Association Shelters"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4978-207X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduarda","family":"Gomes-Neves","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro de Estudos de Ci\u00eancia Animal (CECA), Instituto de Ci\u00eancias, Tecnologias e Agroambiente da Universidade do Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro de Investiga\u00e7\u00e3o em Biodiversidade e Recursos Gen\u00e9ticos (CIBIO), Laborat\u00f3rio Associado em Biodiversidade e Biologia Evolutiva (InBIO), Universidade do Porto, Campus Agr\u00e1rio de Vair\u00e3o, Rua Padre Armando Quintas No.7, 4485-661 Vair\u00e3o, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Ad\u00e9lia","family":"Alves-Pereira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shelter Veterinarian, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Pedro","family":"Os\u00f3rio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Shelter Veterinarian, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4749-4661","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandra","family":"M\u00fcller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro de Estudos de Ci\u00eancia Animal (CECA), Instituto de Ci\u00eancias, Tecnologias e Agroambiente da Universidade do Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8158-4743","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cl\u00e1udia S.","family":"Baptista","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Ci\u00eancias Biom\u00e9dicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro de Estudos de Ci\u00eancia Animal (CECA), Instituto de Ci\u00eancias, Tecnologias e Agroambiente da Universidade do Porto (ICETA), Rua D. Manuel II, Apartado 55142, 4051-401 Porto, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105030","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prevetmed.2020.105030","article-title":"COVID-19 is likely to impact animal health","volume":"180","year":"2020","journal-title":"Prev. Vet. 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