97 Animals Are People Too: Comparing Human and Animal Burns in a Large Wildfire
Larissa Epstein, Jamie L Peyton, Alexandra Coward, Jason Heard, Soman Sen, Kathleen S Romanowski, Tina L Palmieri

TL;DR
This study compares burn injuries in humans and animals during wildfires, finding differences in injury patterns, treatment, and outcomes.
Contribution
The paper is one of the first to compare human and animal burn injuries and outcomes in wildfires.
Findings
Companion animals had the longest hospital stays but the fewest surgeries compared to humans and non-companion animals.
Non-companion animals had the lowest survival rate and the highest proportion of third-degree burns.
Current animal burn care does not follow human medical standards.
Abstract
Although human burns have been studied in depth, there are few studies involving animal burns, and even fewer studies that compare the two. However, recent wildfires across the globe, like the 2019 Australian bushfire, have drawn attention to the plight of animals. Our study aims to compare effects of wildfire burns between humans and animals. Animals have adaptations that may protect them from burns: fur/feathers, agility, innate fight or flight response, and burrowing/swimming/flying abilities. We hypothesize that humans would have deeper burns and a higher mortality rate than their animal counterparts. After IRB approval, a retrospective chart review was conducted using electronic medical records for humans with burns in 2018 wildfires at a university hospital and burned animals treated at the veterinary hospital. Animals were split into 2 groups: companion animals (CA) and…
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Taxonomy
TopicsFire effects on ecosystems
