According to popular folklore a full moon brings out the worst in animals (both the two-legged and the four-legged varieties) . Scientific fact, however, seems scant and those studies that have been carried out are contradictory in their findings.
The most regularly quoted studies comparing the frequency of animal bites with the lunar phases were published in the British Medical Journal in December 2000. The first study carried out in the Bradford Royal Infirmary in Bradford, England reviewed 1621 patients that had been bitten by animals during the period 1997-1999. The results of this study showed that the chances of being bitten on or around a full-moon were twice as high as at other times.
The second study carried out at the University of Sydney, Australia, examined 1671 dog bite victims who entered into the public hospitals during a one year period. The results of this study showed no correlation between the incidents of dog bites and the phases of the moon.
Most recently the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published the results of a study completed by the Colorado State University Medical Centre. This study, carried out over an 11 year period, set out to determine the frequency of emergency room visits for dogs and cats with respect to the lunar cycle. Having studied 11,940 cases it was found that the risk of needing to take a pet to an emergency clinic (for incidents ranging from cardiac arrest to trauma) was 28% higher for dogs and 23% higher for cats on nights that fell on or near to a full moon.
Living deep in farm country with four dogs and two cats, I am a believer in the lunar effect on animals, both domestic and wild. As the moon waxes fuller each month the coyotes become steadily more fearless until the night of the full moon when they sit on the hill just beyond the garden and howl at the dogs. The dogs, safe and warm inside, are happy to join in with the general party atmosphere and howl until the walls shake with the collective cacophony of sound. The cats are affected too, although in a more restrained manner, sitting quietly on the windowsill watching and listening to the nighttime scurrying and scampering of the animals outside.Am I alone in this belief? Let us know what you think about this topic by participating in our instant poll!
