Animal Rescue Product System
Politecnico di Milano Scuola del Design Design & Engineering AA 2017/2018 Elaborato di Tesi Laureando: Belén Corradi Relatore: Silvia Ferraris
ABSTRACT
This thesis delves into the evacuation pro-tocols applied in major disasters, more spe-cifically in the retrieval and medical atten-tion of companion animals left behind. It’s intent is to assist rescuers and veterinary ex-perts by developing a product that would serve save domestic animals.
For this reason the research deepens in the protocols and actions that take place during a catastrophe, the contingency of disease spread and the concept of One Health, the characteristics of pets and their demographics, intensive care therapies and existing systems of medical aid.
The main goal of this project was to design a product system that fills the needs in each step of the rescue, from the recovery to the
medical support, and finally to the release. This was achieved by generating a cage that allows the secure contention of the rescued animal, that in addition could transform into a medical intensive care unit with an oxygen supply, as the state of the patient progresses and becomes more complex.
Questa tesi approfondisce i protocolli di evacuazione applicati durante le maggiori catastrofi, più specificamente nel recupero e nell’assistenza medica degli animali do-mestici dispersi. L’obiettivo è assistere i soc-corritori e i veterinari esperti, sviluppando un prodotto in grado di salvare gli animali da compagnia.
Per questo motivo, la ricerca si concentra sui protocolli e le azioni che vengono messe in atto durante una catastrofe, il controllo della diffusione di malattie e il concetto di One Health (Salute Unica). Vengono ap-profondite le caratteristiche degli animali e le loro demografiche, le terapie intensive e i sistemi di assistenza medica già praticati. L’obiettivo principale di questo lavoro è
progettare un sistema di prodotti che sod-disfi le necessità dei soccorsi in ogni fase: dal ritrovamento all’assistenza medica e, infine, alla dimissione.
Il risultato è una gabbia che permette il contenimento dell’animale salvato in condizioni di sicurezza e che inoltre può essere trasformata in un’unità di terapia medica intensiva con una fornitura di os-sigeno, nel caso lo stato del paziente peg-giorasse in una condizione più complessa da gestire.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART 1
0. INTRODUCTION
1.0 NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS 1.1 Disasters Consequences
1.2 Diseases Propagation in Disasters
1.2.1 Prevention of Diseases After Disasters 1.2.2 Veterinary Care and Vector Control 2. ANIMAL DISASTER RESPONSE PROTOCOLS
2.1 Wild Life and Companion Animals in Disasters 2.2 Five Protocol Phases for Animal Rescue 2.2.1 Response
2.3 Veterinary Medical Care in Emergencies 2.4 Rescue Organizations and their Work 2.5 Significance of Rescue
2.6 Considerations
3. ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND PREVENTION 3.1 Causes
3.2 Prevention Protocols 4. PETS
4.1 World’s Largest Populations of Pet 4.2 Pet distribution
4.3 Pet Ownership Statistics 4.4 Most Popular Dog Breeds 4.5 Height
4.6 Weight 4.7 Temperature
5. ICU & OXYGEN THERAPY CAGES 5.1 Prevailing Treatments in ICU
5.3 Existing Oxygen Therapy for Animals 5.3.2 On the field treatment
5.3.3 Improvised treatment 5.4 Oxygen Cages for Animals 5.4.1 Applications
5.4.2 Properties of Cages on the Market 6. OXYGEN SYSTEMS
6.1 Oxygen Tanks and Lines 6.2 Nebulizer & Compressor 6.3 Products Life Cycle
PART 2
1. Brief
1.1 Product Involvement in Rescue 1.2 Requirements
1.3 Constraints
1.4 Product’s Life Cycle Analysis 1.5 Concept 2. Project 3. Base 3.1 General Dimensions 3.2 Components 3.3 Use on its own 3.4 Aids to Facilitate use 3.5 Production Process 3.6 Material Selection 4. Rescue Cage 4.1 General Dimensions 4.2 Components 4.3 Cage in Use
4.4 Aids to facilitate use 4.5 Production Process 4.6 Material Selection 4.6.1 Plastic Parts 4.6.2 Textiles
5. Intensive Care Unit 5.1 General Dimensions 5.2 Components 5.3 Use
5.4 Aids to facilitate use 5.5 Production Process 5.6 Material Selection 5.6.1 Plastic Selection 5.6.2 Textiles 6. Sequence of use 6.1 Use
6.1.1 Product system arrival to location 6.1.2 Set up of cages
6.1.3 Rescue
6.1.4 Set up of medical tents 6.1.5 Veterinary care 6.1.6 Demobilization 6.1.7 Repair 6.2 Assembly 7. System Expansion 8. List of Figures 9. References
PART 1
0.
INTRODUCTION
The ONU reports an average of 335 natural disasters each year and 4.000 million hu-mans affected by them (1). But it’s not only men that suffer the consequences of this catastrophes, animals do too.
Animals have had an important role in hu-man life all through our history. We have been dependant on them for food, trans-portation, clothing and even for religious worship. However, for the last few centuries our reliance on animals has been
trans-fered to other aspects of our lives; com-panionship.
And when emergencies happen compan-ion animals have an inability to provide for themselves, relaying heavily on their hu-mans for aid.
In the past few years, several nations have included pets in their rescuing and evac-uation programs, generating a change in the established protocols.
(1) “Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT)” Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) [1988].
It is important to mention the “One Health” approach, which recognizes that the health of humans is inextricably linked to the health of animals and their ecosystems. It’s strategy is based on the collaboration of multiple specialists and their disciplines, such physicians, veterinarians and ecolo-gists (2). By acting towards the safety of the animals in emergency situations helps the human population.
(2) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Centre for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
1.
NATURAL AND MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Natural disasters are catastrophic eventswith atmospheric, geologic and hydrologic origins. They include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, floods and drought. Natural disasters can have rap-id or slow onset, and serious health, social and economic consequences (3).
When the disasters are due to carelessness of human or mishandling of dangerous equipment’s they are called man-made disasters. They include chemical spills and groundwater contamination, explosion and civil unrest, between others. Mostly such disasters cause injuries, diseases and casualties where they occur (4).
(3) “Epidemics after Natural Disasters. Emerging Infectious Diseases” Watson, J. T., Gayer, M., & Connolly, M. A. [2007].
(4) “Natural and Man-Made Disaster and their Impact on Environment” by Nikita for biologydiscussion.com [2017].
1.1 Disasters Consequences
During the past two decades, natural dis-asters have killed millions of people, ad-versely affecting the lives of at least one billion more people and resulting in sub-stantial economic damage (5).
Other than causing deaths and severe in-juries they can potentially Increased risk of communicable diseases, damage to the health facilities, damage to the water
systems, food shortage and population movements (6).
Developing countries are more affected as a result of their lack of resources, infrastruc-ture and disaster preparedness systems. Every year there are about 600 important, according to human standards, natural disasters worldwide in areas inhabited by humans.
(5) “Communicable diseases following natural disasters: Risk assessment and priority interventions” World Health Organization [2006].
(6) “Disasters and their consequences for public health” Giorgadze T, Maisuradze I, Japaridze A, Utiashvili Z, Abesadze G. [2011].
The potential impact of transmissible dis-eases is consider to be highly possible in the turmoil that follows natural disasters. The spread of endemic diseases and the risk of outbreaks are dependent upon many factors that should be evaluated and risk assessed for each case.
The risk of outbreaks is in direct association with the size, health status and living con-ditions of the population that has been
af-fected by the natural disaster. Crowding, inadequate water and sanitation, and poor access to health services increase the risk of communicable disease transmission. Although the overall risk of communicable disease outbreaks is lower than often per-ceived, the risk of transmission of certain endemic and epidemic-prone diseases can increase following natural disasters (7).
1.2 Diseases Propagation in Disasters
(7) “Epidemics after Natural Disasters. Emerging Infectious Diseases” Watson, J. T., Gayer, M., & Connolly, M. A. [2007].
An important aspect to lower the adverse health effects brought by natural disasters is a multidisciplinary approach and an im-mediate treatment of communicable dis-eases.
The establishment, implementation, and continuous monitoring of minimum stand-ards for water safety security, sanitation, shelter, and hygiene is critical for health promotion after disasters. Establishing a sur-veillance and monitoring system of disease
and the threat of outbreaks should be put into effect.
The emergency response for controlling communicable disease includes: Emer-gency medical care, provision of shelter and site planning, water and sanitation, safe food preparation, nutrition, case man-agement, medical supplies, veterinary
care and vector control. Moreover, health
education and providing the health of hu-manitarian workers is a critical point (8).
1.2.1 Prevention of Diseases After Disasters
(8) “Prevention of communicable diseases after disaster: A review”. Jafari, N., Shahsanai, A., Memarzadeh, M., & Loghmani, A. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences : The Official Journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences [2011].
1.2.2 Veterinary Care and Vector Control
Natural disasters, particularly meteorolog-ical events such as cyclones, hurricanes and flooding, can affect vector breeding sites and vector-borne disease transmis-sion.The crowding of infected and susceptible
hosts such as animals, a weakened pub-lic health infrastructure and interruptions of ongoing control programmes are all risk factors for contact, airborne and vec-tor-borne disease transmission. Having a veterinary control is fundamental for the well-being of the human population (9).
(9) “Epidemics after Natural Disasters. Emerging Infectious Diseases” Watson, J. T., Gayer, M., & Connolly, M. A. [2007].
Fig. 6
2.
ANIMAL DISASTER RESPONSE PROTOCOLS
The sheltering of animals is a fundamentalcomponent during the response to natural disasters.
Though animal rescue organizations have often work through out this catastrophes, it wasn’t till 2005 hurricane Katrina that it was brought into attention the needs of families with animals, as it was captured via media outlets the dilemma of families not allowed to evacuate with their pets.
According to a Fritz Institute survey, ap-proximately 44% of the people who did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina stayed
be-cause they did not want to leave their pets behind (10). Subsequently, national emer-gency management officials worldwide have incorporated an evacuation and sheltering protocol for animals.
This protocols vary according to the coun-try or organization that leads them, but they often involve aspect portrait next.
The negative impact of a natural disas-ter on wildlife is usually brought on by the harm to their habitat rather than the ani-mals themselves. However, there are times when animals are unable to escape the scope of the disaster due to its size or na-ture. Floods and wild fires are two of the most difficult occurrences for wild animals to survive (11) (12).
Some cases wild life rescues after natural disasters have been documented. A large number of animals were retrieved in the
massive floods of 2011 and 2013 in Austral-ia.
On the other hand pets and other domes-ticated animals are incredibly vulnerable during a natural disaster since they rely gravely on their guardians.
Animals who are used by humans for food, labour, or other purposes are usually left behind, leaving populations that economi-cally relay on them in serious disadvantag-es.
Major Causes Of Decline In Wildlife Populations Worldwide
2.1 Wild Life and Companion Animals in Disasters
(11) “Animals in natural disasters” Animal Ethics [Retrived 2017].
(12) “Primary Causes Of Wildlife Population Declines Worldwide” Amber Pariona [2016].
The following are some examples of cases in which a large number of animals have died due to abandonment or neglect af-ter a natural disasaf-ter:
.Hurricane Katrina: the government pro-hibited the evacuation of animals and de-nied them access to shelters. It has been estimated that about 600,000 companion animals died.
.Volcano eruption in Chaitén, Chile: An-imal evacuation was initially prohibited. The governments in Chile and Argentina eventually succumbed to popular pressure and allowed animal evacuation. 10,310 animals were evacuated.
.Earthquake in Lima, Peru: Resulted in the deaths of thousands of animals, who were not taken into account in the govern-ment’s contingency plans.
The national alliance defines the five step protocol as follows:
1- Preparation: The Preparation phase should occur prior to a disaster event. The intent of the preparation phase is to plan coordinated animal relief efforts with area stakeholders and emergency responders 2- Alert: During the Alert phase, a disaster is imminent. The intent of this phase is to ensure that contacts among agencies are made and plans are put into place to pre-pare for impending disaster.
3- Response: The intent of the Response
phase is to coordinate evacuation and res-cue, housing and care of animals immedi-ately after a disaster.
4- Recovery: The intent of the recovery phase is to ‘return to normal’ by re-uniting owners and pets, collecting stray animals in affected communities, disposing of dead animals, and closing temporary shelters. 5- Demobilization: Demobilization occurs after the disaster response. The intent of the Demobilization phase is to stand down equipment and personnel and determine lessons learned that can contribute to the plan improvement.
Fig. 11
2.2 Five Protocol Phases for Animal Rescue
(13)2.2.1 Response
(13) “Emergency Animal Sheltering Best Practices” National Alliance of State Animal and Agricultural cy Programs [2012].
Fig. 12
During the response there are a series of steps to be followed:
1- Inter-agency Communication and Com-municating with the Public.
2- Evacuation and Sheltering: .Shelter.
.Animal Intake.
.Temporary Animal Housings.
3- Veterinary Public Health:
.Risk to Human Health and Preventive Measures.
.Vaccination Practices for Emergency Shelters.
4- Veterinary Medical Care:
.Temporary Clinics: Veterinary and Animal isolation areas, Medical and Drug storage (keep locked at all times), General stor-age, Kennel areas.
2.3 Veterinary Medical Care in
Emergencies
For Dogs:
Upon arrival, each animal should be eval-uated by a veterinarian/vet tech and tri-aged according to a system of priorities. Depending on the unique circumstances of individual disasters or emergency re-sponses, the care provided for these ani-mals may include:
.A physical exam .Basic vaccinations .De-worming .Flea treatment .Treatment for injuries .Minimal grooming .Microchipping
Animals in a disaster or emergency situ-ation are expected to be under a lot of stress. The goal is to minimize their stress, while providing them the best possible care under the circumstances. Use caution and be aware of surroundings at all times.
For Cats:
Cats in an emergency are generally very stressed. They have been removed from their natural environment. Even if they are sheltered with their human companion, cats will react with more stress than dogs when taken from their home and “comfort zone.” Often, even a cat that appears to be fractious or “feral” when first brought in to an emergency shelter will calm down within 24-48 hours if allowed peace and quiet, with time to adjust to its new sur-roundings.
They will need to be housed separate-ly from dogs and other species. Cats will need a crate large enough to hold a litter box, food and water bowls, and ideally a place to “hide.” The usual rule should be “one cat per enclosure”, unless it is a moth-er with kittens; a littmoth-er of orphaned kittens; or at owner’s request for bonded pairs.
Veterinaries and animal protection ad-vocates have are important in the disas-ter preparedness and response activities regarding animals. They work under the direction of emergency management officials as part of an integrated system. They may be asked to prepare their com-munities or respond to disasters that affect animals outside their areas. Part of the task may be to prepare for, and operate, an
emergency animal shelter, translocate to the disaster area for the retrieval of left hind animals, care for injured animals, be-tween others. The planning for this should always be integrated into the larger com-munity planning matrix. Recognizing this, and working within the emergency man-agement system, is crucial to the success of the emergency animal sheltering pro-cess.
2.4 Rescue Organizations and their Work
International Fund for Animal Welfare: Is one of the largest animal welfare and conservation charities in the world. IFAW dispatches emergency response teams to any area around the world where ani-mals are in distress due to natural disasters, human-caused catastrophes and cruelty cases all over the world. Their efforts aim
to help both companion animals and wild-life, get the care they need so they can be returned to their homes or natural hab-itats. Through their Emergency Relief Net-works, they’ve established global partner-ships to ensure no animals are left behind. Fig. 15
World Vets:
They develops, implement and manage international veterinary and disaster relief programs to help animals and educate people.
They give direct animal care,
capaci-ty building for long term impact, estab-lishing and providing training for specific treatment protocols for veterinary cas-es unique to disaster. Herd health and public health issues, zoonotic disease prevention as well as direct animal care.
Global Alliance for Animals and People: Their mission is to “improve the quality of life of underprivileged animals and people”. Their disaster relief division was developed after recognizing a dire need for organized rescue efforts in Latin America. The lack of any kind of protective legislation for an-imals, leaves the post-disaster chaos no room for the provisioning and care of
in-jured or homeless pets, livestock and wild-life. They provide medical care and tem-porary shelter for displaced animals, with an end goal of reuniting them with their families. They also work with local govern-ment agencies to develop disaster prepar-edness plans for people with animals.
Fig. 17
2.5 Significance of Rescue
Populations with pets have increased in the past decades, meaning more people may stay behind if not allowed to evacu-ate with their animal companions. Giving the population in crisis the certainty that their companion animals are going to be well cared for is essential for their own safe-ty and evacuation.
Human health is tightly linked to animal health. Hence, the propagation of animal diseases after disasters can seriously affect the well being of human populations. Vet-erinary assistance is fundamental.
Wild animals are components of ecosys-tems, this means that the decrease in pop-ulations of species during the aftermaths of a disaster can cause changes in that envi-ronment.
The loss of farm and labour animals after disasters can cause serious economical trouble to human populations that are de-pendant to them.
Multidisciplinary work-teams in humani-tarian actions are more successful and achieve better and faster results.
2.6 Considerations
Generally, in a disaster all animals in an emergency shelter are considered “dis-placed, owned animals (or property)” – not strays. This may limit what treatment, vaccinations or other care can be given to the animals without the owner’s permis-sion, as well as whether the animal can be relocated.
Facilities dedicated for sheltering may be in bad conditions after the disaster, with-out access to water, electricity and basic
sanitary conditions. In some cases this lo-cations can be only tents mounted on the ground.
Human safety always comes first. Animals that should be quarantined should be kept isolated from people and other animals to prevent the spread of diseases (15).
Animals that arrive to the shelters are usu-ally stressed and should be cared carefully, as they can react aggressively even with there owners present (15).
(14) “Animals in public evacuation centres: Emergency Preparedness and Response” Centre for Disease Con-trol and Prevention [2014].
(15) “Animal Health Hazards of Concern During Natural Disasters” United States Department of Agriculture, An-imal and Planet Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Service [February 2002].
3.
ZOONOTIC DISEASES AND PREVENTION
A zoonotic disease or zoonosis (plural iszo-onoses) is any disease of animals that can be transmitted to people.
Diseases such as the Ebola virus or sal-monellosis are zoonoses. HIV was once a zoonotic disease transmitted to humans, though it has evolved to a separate hu-man-only disease (16).
Zoonoses are caused by different disease pathogens, for instance viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. Of 1,415 pathogens that are known to infect humans, 61% were zo-onotic.
Most human diseases originated in animals.
Nevertheless, only diseases that involve an-imal to human transmission are considered direct zoonosis.
Direct zoonosis means the transmission of a diseases from an animal to a human by the course of action of ways such as air, as in the case of influenza, or bites, for rabies. When humans infect animals, it is called re-verse zoonosis or anthroponosis (17).
(16) “AIDS as a zoonosis? Confusion over the origin of the virus and the origin of the epidemics”. Marx PA, Ape-trei C, Drucker E. Journal of medical primatology [2004].
(17) “Reverse zoonotic disease transmission (zooanthroponosis): a systematic review of seldom-documented human biological threats to animals” Messenger AM, Barnes AN, Gray GC [2014[.
3.1 Causes
Zoonotic transmission can happen in any context in which there is contact with or
consumption of an animal, animal prod-uct, or animal derivative such as vaccines.
Some of the most usual causes are the fol-lowing:
.Pets: They can transmit a number of
dis-eases. Dogs and cats are routinely vacci-nated against diseases that also humans can contract, as in the case of Rabies. .Contamination of food or water supply: Many food outbreaks can be linked to zo-onotic pathogens. Many different types of
food can be contaminated that have an animal origin.
.Farming: Contact with farm animals can lead to disease in farmers or others that come into contact with infected animals. .Insect vectors: Transmission can happen through an intermediate species which carry the disease without getting infected. Fig. 21
3.2 Prevention Protocols
Preventing the transmission of zoonotic dis-eases from animals to veterinary person-nel is the first component of a safety and health program.
For its prevention the 3 major routes of pathogen transmission should be identified and controlled.
Contact Transmission: Many zoonotic path-ogens are transmitted from animals to a human host by contact, either directly from animals or indirectly through the environ-ment. Direct transmission may occur during examination, treatment, and handling of animals. Indirect transmission involves con tact with a contaminated intermediate
objects such as cages, equipment, work-place surfaces, and soiled laundry.
Airborne transmission: It occurs when small droplets or particles that are created re-main suspended in the air for extended periods and are inhaled. These small drop-lets or particles can be disseminated by air currents in a room or through a facility. Vector Bourne Transmission: Vector-borne transmission occurs when vectors such as mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks transmit patho-gens. Animals may bring flea and tick vec-tors into contact with veterinary personnel. Working in outdoor settings may increase the risk of exposure to arthropods.
(18) “Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention in Veterinary Person-nel” National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Veterinary Infection Control Committee [2015].
Fig. 23
3.2.1 Vaccination
Vaccines are an effective method to pro-tect animals and people against many infectious diseases. There are more than 100 vaccines for animals diseases that help protect many animal species.
They stimulate an animal’s immune system against a specific disease, so if the animal is later exposed to the disease it has al-ready the defences against it.
4.
PETS
A pet or companion animal is an animal kept primarily for a person’s company, pro-tection or entertainment, instead of as a working animal (19).
While humans have kept a large variety of animal species in captivity over the course of history, only a few have been kept long enough to be considered domesticated. Other animals, like monkeys, have never been domesticated but are still commonly sold and kept as pets.
A domesticated animal is any animal that has been tamed and made fit for a human environment. They have been kept in
cap-tivity long enough that they exhibit marked differences in behaviour and appearance from their wild relatives.
Wild animals are often kept as pets. This means any species of animal which has not undergone a fundamental change in behaviour to facilitate a close co-exist-ence with humans.
As human populations have grown, so too have pet populations. The demographic
spread of pets change drastically depend-ing on each country and culture but it’s no surprise that dogs are the most loved household pet, followed closely by cats (20).
(19) Pet (n.d.). In Wikipedia [Retrieved September, 2017]
4.1 World’s Largest Populations of Pet
4.2 Dog distribution in Europe
.Italy: According to a survey promoted by Italian family associations in 2009, it is esti-mated that there are approximately 45 mil-lion pets in Italy. This includes 7 milmil-lion dogs, 7.5 million cats, 16 million fish, 12 million birds, 10 million snakes plus 3,000 wild ani-mals held as “pets”, mainly lions, panthers and cheetahs.
.UK: A 2007 survey by the University of Bris-tol found that 26% of UK households owned cats and 31% owned dogs, estimating to-tal domestic populations of approximate-ly 10.3 million cats and 10.5 million dogs in 2006. The survey also found that 47.2% of households with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, com-pared with 38.4% of homes with dogs.
4.3 Pet Ownership Statistics in US
Fig. 28
Fig. 29
4.4 Most Popular Dog Breeds in US
4.5 Height
4.6 Weight
1.4 Kg 80 Kg
Ideal Weight Ranges of 2009 Top 10 AKC Breeds
4.6.1 Pet Transportation
Commonly cages come in three sizes: Small, Medium and Large. For cats one size fits all, Small.
Cages in the market can vary depending on the brand, but they usually follow this measurements:
Small 45 x 35 x 35 cm Medium 60 x 45 x 45 cm Large 110 x 65 x 65 cm
Most airlines allow pets on board that weight less than 8 kgs and have a maxi-mum hight of 20 cms to be carried in cag-es smaller than 46 (length) x 28 (width) x 24 (height) cm. Bigger animals up to 75 kgs should be checked with baggage.
Snub-nosed animals such as pugs, boxers, bulldogs and Persian cats can have trou-ble breathing during the flight. To ensure their well-being, most snub-nosed animals may therefore only be transported in the cabin or as cargo.
Fig. 33
Fig. 34
4.7 Temperature
Short list of normal rectal temperature ranges for a few animals commonly treat-ed by veterinarians (21):
In veterinary hospitals the average tem-perature considered for dogs and cats is of 38.5 C. Though as animals are in a stressful situation their temperatures can rise, so a temperature of 39 C is also considered nor-mal.
Animals in high stress situations might have a rise in their temperature, for those cases is recommended cooling pads.
Chicken Rabbit Sheep Pig Goat Dog Dairy Cow Cat Beef Cow Horse
40.6–43.0 C 38.6–40.1 C 38.3–39.9 C 38.7–39.8 C 38.5–39.7 C 37.9–39.9 C 38.0–39.3 C 38.1–39.2 C 36.7–39.1 C 37.3–38.2 C
(21) “Temperature Regulation and Thermal Environment“ Dukes’ Physiology of Domestic Animals, Adapted from Robertshaw. D. Reece W.O. Cornell University [2004].
4.7.1 Temperature Control for Stressed Animals
After trauma, it’s often the shock that kills. The term “shock” is often used incorrectly, it is actually a medical term for a loss of circulation. This means that the animal’s blood pressure becomes critically low and the brain and other vital organs aren’t get-ting enough blood. It manifest in different manners, but one of the most evident on isthat the rectal temperature can drops crit-ically low (22).
Conserving the body heat it’s crucial for the survival of the animal. Heating pads and refractory blankets are often used for this.
On the other hand stress and agitation will often increase an animal’s body temper-ature, as those situation increase the pet’s levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine, thy-roxine and muscle activity, all of which in-crease heat production.
Animals in high stress situations might have a rise in their temperature, for those cases is recommended cooling pads as the one depicted above (23).
(22) “Psychogenic fever: how psychological stress affects body temperature in the clinical population” Takakazu Oka [2015].
(23) “Stress and Animal Welfare” By D.M. Broom, K.G. Johnson. Kluwer Academic Publishing [1993].
Fig. 36
5.
ICU & OXYGEN THERAPY CAGES
ICU stands for intensive care unit, it is also known as an intensive therapy unit or inten-sive treatment unit. It’s a special depart-ment of a hospital or health facility that provides intensive treatment medicine (24). Intensive care units serve patients with severe and life-threatening illnesses or in-juries, which require constant monitoring and support from medical equipment and medications.
Oxygen therapy refers to supplemental oxygen given to patients who, largely due to breathing disorders, aren’t able to get enough naturally. It is used for low blood oxygen, carbon monoxide toxicity, cluster headaches, and to maintain enough oxy-gen while inhaled anaesthetics are given. Oxygen can be given in a number of ways including nasal cannula, face mask, and inside a hyperbaric chamber (25).
(24) Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition [2003].
(25) Oxygen Therapy. Heaven Stubblefield and Ana Gotter, Medically Reviewed by Dr. Deborah Weatherspoon [2016].
5.1 Prevailing Treatments in ICU
.Oxygen therapy .Nebulization therapy .Blood gas values .Pulse oximetry
.Blood and plasma transfusions.
.Feeding tube placement and nutritional support.
.Chest tube placement. .Intravenous nutrition (IV fluids). .24 hour medical and nursing care. .Pain management
.Cardiovascular monitoring
Oxygen therapy works on the principle that high oxygen concentration raises plas-ma-oxygen concentration, allowing oxy-gen to diffuse into tissues at distances three to four times further than usual to promote healing. Oxygen therapy provides oxy-gen for diseased, oedematous and poorly vascularized areas. Many scientific publi-cations report on the beneficial effects of oxygen therapy for both for humans and animals (26).
Breathing highly oxygenated air re-duces swelling, speeds wound
heal-ing, controls infections more effective-ly, and reduces the pressure caused by in-juries to the head or spinal cord. Oxygen therapy for pets is most often used for issues such us :
.Swelling—post-operative, crush injuries, snake bite, burns
.Trauma—internal, head, spinal cord .Non-healing wounds
.Post surgery recovery .Smoke inhalation
.Carbon monoxide toxicity .Pancreatitis
5.2 How Oxygen Therapy Works for Animals
(26) “Healing with Oxygen” Susan Tasaki. The Bark [Retrived October 2017].
Fig. 39
5.3 Existing Oxygen Therapy for Animals
5.3.1 In hospital treatment
Oxygen therapy is indicated for any pa-tient who presents respiratory distress. Even patients with mild-to-moderate respiratory distress should receive supplemental oxy-gen.
Various manners can be used to adminis-trate oxygen to animals depending on: The severity of respiratory distress, the need to handle the patient while providing oxygen,
the duration supplementation is needed, and the available equipment (27).
In most cases, the oxygen will first pass through a pressure regulator, used to con-trol the high pressure of oxygen delivered. Patients may only need a small rise in oxy-gen levels, rather than pure oxyoxy-gen.
It can be administered through nasal can-nula, oxygen masks, hoods, flow-by
induc-tion and through containment cages.
(27) “Oxygen Therapy” Lori S. Waddell, DVM, DACVECC. University of Pennsylvania [2016].
Fig. 41 Fig. 42 Fig. 43
Fig. 44 Fig. 45 Fig. 46
The oxygen administration devices used for field treatment are reduced as the condi-tions are not always optimal and time is of the essence.
Invisible Fence estimates that between 40,000 to 150,000 pets die each year in fires, most succumbing to smoke inhalation. Emergency responders in some states of US are equipped with oxygen masks specifi-cally designed for animals. However, this is not a common practise in most countries (28).
Oxygen tents are seldom used on the field, as they are more laborious to assemble.
5.3.2 On the field treatment
(28) Project Breathe™ Program: Pet Oxygen Mask. Invisible Fence Brand [Retrieved September 2017].
5.3.3 Improvised treatment
When there is a lack of access to the previews examples, im-provised elements help to fill the vacancy. This can be often seen in developing countries as the reach for more special-ized product is many times not possible.
Fig. 48 Fig. 49 Fig. 50
Fig. 51
Fig. 52
Fig. 53
Fig. 57
Fig. 59 Fig. 60 Fig. 61 Fig. 62
Fig. 58
5.4 Oxygen Cages for Animals
They are sealed kennels that allow for a low stress, non invasive introduction of oxygen or aerosol medications. They are among the easiest methods of oxygen adminis-tration; however, they isolate the patient, which sometimes can makes it difficult to examine and treat the individual.
They can accommodates one or more animals that may require extraordinary life support for clinical assistance. For some patients. For example stressed cats, isola-tion from a strange environment and hu-mans may be beneficial.
The patient compartment is oxygen en-riched and humidity in the air can be
in-creased according to the needs. Initial cri-sis management of animals in respiratory distress may require high oxygen concen-trations (up to 90%) until the patient has been stabilized (29).
If the oxygen is being provided for more than a few hours, it should be humidified to prevent the desiccation of the airways. Humidification can be accomplished by bubbling the oxygen through a chamber of distilled water.
This are not to be confused with hyerbar-ic chambers whhyerbar-ich maintains an oxygen pressure higher than the sea level atmos-pheric pressure.
(29) “Oxygen Therapy” Lori S. Waddell, DVM, DACVECC. University of Pennsylvania [2016].
5.4.1 Applications
.Administer Oxygen Safely. .Nebulize and/or Medicate.
.Administer Antibiotics via a Nebulized aer-osol mist of 1-3 micron size particles.
.Anaesthetize without trauma. .Control Humidity.
.Temperature adjustment.
.Pain management or complex fluid or drug therapy.
.Transport and/or Isolate.
.Incubate eggs (a secondary use).
5.4.2 Properties of Cages on the Market
.Oxygen Sensor..Relative Humidity Display, Monitoring. .Audible and Visual Alarm.
.Temperature Display, Monitoring, Control. Audible and Visual Alarm.
.Cooling System.
.Oxygen Induction System. .CO2 Scrubbing.
.Easy lift removable door. .Auxiliary Access Ports.
.IV Tube Access with Integrated Adjusta-ble Bag Holder.
.Nebulizer System. .Removable Floor.
6.
OXYGEN SYSTEMS
Mass casualty events and disasters, both natural and human-made can cause nu-merous victims in need of medical assis-tance. Of the available medical supplies, oxygen is still a critical limited resource in disaster management.
Strategic management of oxygen supplies during disasters remains a priority. Hospitals have large supplies of liquid oxygen and a supply of compressed gas oxygen cylinders that allow several days of reserve, but a
large flow of patients caused by a disaster can exhort these resources.
Suppliers can deliver oxygen to alternative care facilities in disaster areas, in the form of concentrators, compressed gas cylin-ders, and liquid oxygen.
“Planning for oxygen needs following a dis-aster still presents a substantial challenge” (30), but provisional care facilities are valu-able in alleviating the mass flux of patients.
(30) “Oxygen Supplies in Disaster Management” Thomas C Blakeman & Richard D Branson. Respiratory Care [2013].
Oxygen tanks are a type of storage sys-tem that holds oxygen or liquid oxygen in a pressurized container. There are two types: .Compressed Oxygen: Is essentially an alu-minium cylinder that contains oxygen in its gaseous form.
.Liquid Oxygen: When oxygen is in a cold state, it turns to liquid. This liquid allows for a
greater amount of oxygen to be placed in a tank and weigh less than a compressed oxygen tank.
Oxygen Compressor or Concentrator is a device which concentrates the oxygen from a gas supply, normally air, to supply an oxygen-enriched gas stream. Though more efficient, it needs a constant power supply (31).
6.1 Oxygen Tanks and Lines
(31) Oxygen Delivery System (n.d) For Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition [2003] [Retrieved October 2017]
An oxygen humidifier is made to deliver mist moisture in prescribed medical oxy-gen. This oxygen device is widely used to prevent exsiccation of the airways.
Tubings or lines come in different thickness, though typically their ends have a stand-ard size that fits the nozzles.
Venturi oxygen delivery nozzles are the feed connectors that allow the entering of atmospheric air into the oxygen. Each col-our coded nozzle lets a percentage air mix with the oxygen (32).
(32) “Oxygen Therapy for Acute Adult Inpatients” Learning Module for Allied Health Staff. Allied Health Services [2016].
Fig. 65
Fig. 66 Fig. 67
6.2 Nebulizer & Compressor
Nebulizers are used in order to change the liquid into a fine mist which allows it to reach deep into the lungs where it can be most effective. The nebulizer, sometimes called a medication cup, is the part of the system that changes the medication into a fine mist.
The compressor provides a flow of air to the nebulizer, enabling it to create the mist. A compressor is electrically powered, if it is a portable compressor, it may also have a separate battery or a AC/DC charger.
To travel deep into the lungs, the particles that are breathed in need to be within the size range of 1 and 5 microns (33).
The nebulizer should be replaced regular-ly to ensure that a good fast treatment is achieved. If the nebulizer is not replaced as required, the nebulizer will stop working efficiently. This will mean that the medicine cup may wear and produce larger aerosol particles that may not reach the lungs.
(33) “Clinical Medical Assisting: A Professional, Field Smart Approach to the Workplace” Michelle Heller [2009].
Compressor Nebulizer Kit
A connecting t-piece will unite the mist coming from the nebulizer with the oxy-gen line. This would be useful as the ICU won’t need two separate enterings to host the two therapies.
Fig. 69
Fig. 70
Fig. 72
6.3 Products Life Cycle
The constant rotation of patients in the emergency rooms signifies also a constant circulation of medical instruments. The sterilization of the before mentioned com-prise extra work to be done. For this reason many of this supplies are disposable or par-tially disposable.
A report from the Ontario Hospital Associa-tion estimates hospitals are responsible for
at least 1% of non-residential landfill waste. And of the total amount of waste generat-ed by health-care activities, about 85% is general, non-hazardous waste (34).
Health-care waste in some circumstances is incinerated, and dioxins, furans and oth-er toxic air pollutants may be produced as emissions.
Completely Disposable Completely Reusable Partly reusable. Partly dis-posable
(34) “Medical waste-management practices vary across Canada” Erin Walkinshaw [2011].
6.4 Humidity Control
Wounds may take longer to heal when unfavourable conditions persist. A suitable environment must be provided for an effi-cient wound healing.
Desiccation of the wound surface means the removal of physiological fluids that sup-port wound healing. Dry wounds are more painful, itchy, and produce scab material
in an attempt to reduce fluid loss. Epithe-lialization, meaning the regrowth of skin over a wound, is drastically slowed when there is scab tissue.
Maceration resulting from prolonged expo-sure to moisture can lead to enlargement of the wound and infection.
Silica Gel it is used to control local humidi-ty. It is used to dry the air in industrial com-pressed air systems. Air from the compres-sor discharge flows through a bed of silica gel beads. The silica gel adsorbs moisture from the air, preventing damage at the point of use of the compressed air due to condensation or moisture. Other applica-tions include inhalation devices, syringes,
drug test kits and hospital sanitation kits. Sil-ica gel is also used as cat litter, by itself or in combination with more traditional mate-rials, such as clays including bentonite (35). Silica gel is non-toxic and stable with ordi-nary usage. The gel can be reuse by drying over a stove or microwave.
(35) “Worldwide Wound Management, Forecast to 2024” MedMarket Diligence report [2015].
Fig. 73 Fig. 74 Fig. 75
1.
BRIEF
Design an ICU cage with Oxygen Therapy that will be used by veterinaries, vet techs and rescuers during the aftermath of a nat-ural or man-caused disaster.
The product should be a system of objects that will serve through most of the rescuing sequence. From the contentment, to the veterinarians hands, to the healing and fi-nally to the release.
The cage itself will serve as a contention space that will transform as the state of the animal becomes clearer and more com-plex.
Medical instruments will be added as the needs increase. As an example: heat can be added if the animal needs it, same with oxygen or nebulized medication.
1.1 Product Involvement in Rescue
1.2 Product Requirements
1- Adaptable in case of no electricity. Basic functions should work without it. 2- Adapt to different animal sizes.
3- Easy transportation and assembly in location. 4- Temperature control for stressed animals.
5- Dehumidifier.
6- Easy and quick access to the animal.
7- Resistant to rough weather conditions and to mistreatment by the animals. 8- Easy to clean and disinfect.
9- Aids to facilitate use.
1.3 Product Constraints
1- Aimed at animals of human company.
2- Three cage sizes: Small (45 x 35 x 35 cm), Medium (60 x 45 x 45 cm) and Large (110 x 65 x 65 cm).
3- Animals no heavier than 100 kg.
4- Used by qualified personal such as rescuers and veterinaries.
5- For use in temperatures within -10 °C and 40 °C.
6- Include a Thermometer & Hygrometer
1.5 Concept
The concept of this product relies on the basic requirements the veterinaries and rescuers have for the safe handling and better healing of animals during catastro-phes.
For this reason the product can be discom-posed in three items: The base, the rescu-er’s cage and the healing tent.
The Base serves as the crate for the animal in both situations, the rescue and the heal-ing. The other two items are attached to it as the animal’s condition changes. It can also be used independently as a bed.
The rescuers cage is a strong kennel that fastens over the base and is used during the retrieve.
On the other hand, the healing tent serves a medical function. Once the animal has been salvaged and it’s state of well-being is clear he can be transfer into this item. Here it can have the veterinary care that it needs with the aid of oxygen, warming or cooling, intravenous medication, etc.
2.
PROJECT
The previous research has established a path for the project to follow, setting the requirements and constraints that the sys-tem will need to serve it’s purpose. The final product results of a solid compliance with the brief.
The materials and manufacturing
process-es have been chosen to fulfil the objective of a sturdy product that should withstands the roughness of weather and animal use, and to be as economic as possible.
As before mentioned the project is a sys-tem of products that interact with them-selves.
Large
Medium
3.
BASE
The base is the core of the system. It serves as the foundation to which the other items will attach. And it can also function on it’s
own as a bed inside kennels or as a gurney to move injured animals.
3.1 General Dimensions
S: 450 M: 700 L: 1100
S: 350 M: 450 L: 660
S: 50 M: 80 L: 100
3.2 Components
Four latches, two at each side help in main-taining the two covers in place.
The rotomolded base has embedded me-tallic inserts to facilitate the attachment of the latches.
The screws used are M4 x 10 mm with cross recessed countersunk head.
3.3 Use on its own
This part of the product can stand alone and serve as a dog bed.
It can be gifted to the owner of the ani-mal when the rescue teams take down the refuge. Therefore when the organizations
remove themselves from the catastrophe areas they can leave some items behind, without the need to carry them back. It may also be helpful to the people that have lost their properties during the disas-ter.
3.4 Aids to facilitate use
The surface of the bed is flat and non po-rous to make the cleaning more efficient and rapid.
The cushion have a nylon textile cover to allow the user to wash them or replace them if required.
3.5 Production Process
The technology chosen for producing the base is Rotational Moulding. This process consists in introducing a polymer into a closed mold, that would then be heated to melt the material and rotated. Once the mold is cooled down the hollow piece can be extracted.
The tooling costs of this method is lower than injection molding and it requires a lower batch size to be competitive.
It also allows the production of very large parts and the application of inserts in the molds.
(36) “The Introductory Guide to Designing Rotationally Molded Plastic Parts” Association of Rotational Molders International [1982, 2010] Glen Ellyn, Illinois U.S.A.
The draft angles recommended for roto-molding vary depending on the thermo-plastic, but as a standard they oscillate be-tween 1° to 3° (36).
The piece has been designed bearing this in mind and can be observed through a draft angle analysis done in PTC Creo. The base arrives to location stalked and can be kept just as it is till they are needed.
3.6 Material Selection
The material has been determined for this product through an analysis of constraints and objectives in the CES 2017 software. Function of the Base: Self carrying, self sup-porting foundation that will hold the ele-ments attached to it as well as the weight of an animal.
Constraints:
-Rotational molded. -Thermoplastic material.
-Stiff enough → to support itself.
-Resist fresh and salty water. -Resist organic solvents Objectives:
-Tough enough (high K1c) → To resist man-handling.
-Stiff enough (high young modulus) → To resist the pressure produced by the weight of an animal.
-Lower price. Free Variable: Recyclable
The final result indicates that a good ma-terial choice would be a Polypropylene,
homopolymer, with 40% of added talc as
it has a lower price per density and a high Young’s Modulus.
It’s typical uses of this material include medical components, containers, bottle crates, toys, between others.
1- Durable
2- Excellent resistance to solvents, acids and alkalis that can be found in cleaning and disinfecting products.
3- Excellent resistance to fresh and salty water. 4- Recyclable.
5- High resistance to deformation. 6- High resistance to breaking.
7- Excellent resistance to environmental stress cracking 8- Non toxic.
4.
RESCUE CAGE
The rescue cage is easily mounted on top of the base when it’s needed. It works as a potable kennel for rescuers to utilize during
retrieving campaigns and afterwards to hold animals while in the refuge.
4.1 General Dimensions
S: 450 M: 700 L: 1100 S: 350 M: 450 L: 660 S: 350 M: 500 L: 7104.2 Components
Net FabricHandle for Assembly Fabric Reinforcements
Push-Pins
Door with Zipper
Handle
Tag Holder Latches
Buckles Straps
4.4 Aids that facilitate use
The smallest size comes with top handles to facilitate the transportation.
It has been excluded from sizes Medium and Large due to the size of the item and the weight of the animal carried inside.
Triage is the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatments based on the severity of their condition (37). It deter-mines the order and priority of emergency treatment. In larger scale emergencies this procedure is done by tagging the patients
with colours and a brief description of their condition. The Cage includes a tag hold-er whhold-ere the assistants can add the colour code, the name of the animal and where he was found.
(37) Triage (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
The frontal door to the cage allows for a fast access to the animal. It has a zipper
The cover has two straps and buckles to keep the cage secure.
The fabric cover is riveted to the
rotomold-ed parts with push pins. This plastic riv-ets can be removed if the fabric rips and needs to be replaced, this way extending the life of the product.
The larger sizes can be carried by two per-sons, each at one side and lifting it by the handles. Or, as shown in the images above, it can travel on top of a trolley.
As the context of a disaster is hectic and the resources of aid are not always the same, the transportation cage can be car-ried by any type of trolley and fixed to it if necessary with the straps at the bottom.
The textile cover is open on the top, in such a way that the user can access the
assem-bly handle that locks the hinge so that it doesn’t collapse back to close position.
Two latches at each side of the cage allow a secure and quick fix of the cage and the base.
The reinforcement fabric is places where the product is most likely to rub against oth-er object. This protects the lowoth-er layoth-er of fabric to rip and brake.
4.5 Production Process
All structural parts of the cage are produce in rotational molding as the base. The top handle to lock the mechanism and the tag holders on the other hand are produced with injection molding.
Following are each of this plastic pieces with a draft analysis that verifies the feasi-bility of production (3° for rotomolding - 1° for injection molding).
4.6 Material Selection
For the rotomolded parts the material se-lected is the same as the base:
Polypro-pylene, homopolymer, with 40% of added talc.
The selection for the injection molded parts is better detailed later during the material selection of the ICU cage. The chosen ma-terial is Polypropylene (PP) Homopolymer,
20% talc.
4.6.2 Textiles
The body of the cage is fashioned with Cordura Ballistics fabric, made out of Nylon 6.6 threads. A textile that it’s used for foot-wear, scuba gear, military equipment, and even for product in contact with animals.
It is waterproof, and abrasion, tear and puncture resistance.
It has a bound seam at each cut to give it strength, avoid unravelling of the fabric and to give it a more pleasant aesthetics.
A net fabric allows for the very needed ventilation. The textile is a 100% nylon knit mesh with resin finish fabric. This fabric is employed for tents and outdoor wear, car-go bags, between others.
The end finishes of the fabric have a bound seam like the Cordura Ballistics to avoid un-ravel and to facilitate the sewing with oth-er fabrics.
The union between the fabrics it’s done by a double reinforced seam to avoid stitch-ing.
The thread used is a 100% nylon thread for a more durable bond.
A rat tail trim coil has been used to strength-en the edges that are more likely to rub and rip.
The interior edge also has a bound seam finish to give it a neater termination.
3.7 Production Assembly
The latches are attached to the rotomold-ed part by M4 x 10 mm screws with cross recessed countersunk head. They twine
with the metallic pressfit inserts embedded in the part.
The fabric cover is attached to the main frame by plastic rivet push pin retainers, with a screw head for an easier
detach-ment. The fabric is already riveted with rings to expedite the assembly.
5.
INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
The ICU cage is a medical airtight enclo-sure for animals. Injured pets can rest inside while they are under observation by the veterinary specialists.
Aids to facilitate the use can be added as the condition of the animal becomes clearer and when the vet assign it.
5.1 General Dimensions
S: 450 M: 700 L: 1100 S: 350 M: 450 L: 660 S: 350 M: 500 L: 7105.2 Components
HandleClear Plastic Fabric
Fabric Reinforcements Reinforced Base IV Holder Stopper Side Door Thermometer Venturi Nozzle Pocket Oxygen Nozzle
5.4 Aids that facilitate use
The cover is airtight, which allows the veter-inarian to induce oxygen to the animal in a non invasive manner.
The transparent material is crucial for the constant monitoring of the pet.
It has an inlet where a line can be secured to provide oxygen to the interior of the tent. The size of the hose is standard and permits the use of venturi nozzles to provide
differ-ent percdiffer-entages of oxygen in air.
It also has a elastic pocket to safe keep the venturi nozzles and have them at a quick and easy access.
As depicted in the research the tempera-ture and humidity control are vital in ICU care. For this reason the tent has a stand-ard digital, battery powered, thermometer and hygrometer embedded in it.
The hygrometer has a humidity measure-ment range of 10% to 99%, with an accu-racy of ± 3%.
The thermometer’s temperature measure-ment range is of -50 to 70 degrees Celsius, with an accuracy of 1 degree.
Silica bags can be introduced to the en-closure to absorb extra humidity. Silica is often used for this purpose and is non toxic.
To control the temperature the cushion on the base has a pocket where the vet tech can place cooling or warming pads
on demand. This pads function with phase changing materials that heat up or chill down without the need of electricity.
Cooling: TheraCool Gel Cell Cooling Pad with Tricore Charcoal-Infused Memory Foam.
Heating: Achy Paws™ Bamboo Charcoal, Self-Warming Pet Mat.
On the opposing side of the oxygen intake there is double armed IV holder.
It also features tu rubber stops so that when not in use they can remain closed and the oxygen won’t filter out
There are two doors at each side with a large aperture that expedites the admit-tance of the animal and the free manoeu-vre of the doctor.
Two parallel zippers make the opening and closing of the door fast and simple.
Two top handles, one at each side grants the user the possibility of moving the prod-uct freely.
The handle has a grip to protect the hands of the user from chafe.
The reinforcement fabric is placed where the product is most likely to rub against oth-er objects. In the angles of the sides or at
the base the product is more likely to wear. This extra layer of textile protects the plastic fabric from puncture or tear.
PTC Creo Parametrics determines that both parts are designed with draft angles
above 1° necessary for the removal from the mold in injection molding.
130 131
5.6 Material Selection
5.6.1 Plastic Selection
Rotomolded parts are the same as the cage.
The injected parts are produced in
Poly-propylene (PP) Homopolymer, 20% talc.
The selection of this material was done with CES database by restricting the search with constraints and objectives.
Function of the Parts: Self carrying, self sup-porting holder that will carry the elements attached to it.
Constraints: -Injection molded.
-Thermoplastic material.
-Stiff enough → to support itself. -Resist fresh and salty water. -Resist organic solvents Objectives:
-Tough enough (high K1c) → To resist man-handling.
-Stiff enough (high young modulus) → To resist the weight of the attached parts. -Lower price.
Free Variable: Recyclable
Stage 3: Young's modulus (GPa) vs. Price * Density
Price * Density 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Youn g' s m odul us (G Pa ) 1 2 5
PA66 (40-45% mineral filled) SMMA (clarity, stiffness)
PP (homopolymer, 20% talc) PS (high impact)
ABS (medium-impact, injection molding) PS (heat resistant)
As seen in the graphic the result of the da-tabase search is broad. For this reason one more constraint was added:
Resistance to fresh and salty water. Resistance to Organic Solvents.
By adding this parameters the result is a lo reduced, with only 8 candidates.
PP, 20% talc has a hight Young’s moduls in relation with the price per density.
Stage 3: Young's modulus (GPa) vs. Price * Density
CES EduPack 2017 (C) Granta Design Ltd Price * Density 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 Youn g' s m odul us (G Pa ) 1 2 5
PA66 (40-45% mineral filled) PP (homopolymer, 20% talc)
5.6.2 Textiles
The body of the tent is build out of PVC transparent fabric, 0.3 mm thick. This tex-tile is widely employed, from the fashion industry to construction. It is water proof, completely see through, and considerably
difficult to rip or tear.
The cut is finished off with a bound seam to make it stronger and easier to stitch to other fabrics.
To maintain the air tightness and also pro-tect the areas of the cover that are prone to tearing two layers of fabrics are used. The outer layer is Cordura Ballistics to rein-force, and the inner layer is the PVC fabric.
To reinforce the seams a rat tail trim coil has been used.
And for a neater finish the interior seam covered with bound seam.
The openings of the doors are facilitated by the use of a durable YKK-MZF Injection
zipper, that are usually used for outdoor wear and luggages.
The bound seam used in the PCV fabric where the Oxygen and IV holders will be placed is made out of rubber. When the holders are screwed to the lateral wall the
PCV fabric and its rubber strip are com-pressed leaving less room for air to filter out.
6.
SEQUENCE OF USE
As mentioned before this products system has been designed in order to accompany each step of the rescuing, from the retriev-al of the animretriev-al, to the heretriev-aling, and finretriev-ally to the release.
The various items adapt to the necessities of the different actors involve. Like wise It has extra accessories that help overcome the complications that may arise.
6.2 Use
6.2.1 Product system arrival to location
6.2.2 Set up of cages
Each item arrives to the disaster zone separately, either stacked as in the case of the base, or folded as the
intensive care unit and the kennel. They are light weight and can be transported on pallets.
Once the situation on the catastro-phe area is assessed and the quantity of cages required is approximated, the rescue crew can put them to-gether by unfolding and latching the top part to the base.
6.2.3 Rescue
The cage aids in the retrieval of the animals left behind during and after the disaster has stricken.
The larger sizes can be carried by two people.
Once the animal’s well-being has been appraised and the number of animals in need of urgent care is es-timated, volunteers can mount the intensive care units by unfolding the tents and latching them to the base, just like the kennels.
6.2.4 Set up of medical tents
The animals reclaimed can wait in-side the kennels till a veterinarian technician can examine it. For scared
animals this can serve as a safe ref-uge to lower their stress and it’s con-sequences.
Veterinaries can examine the urgent cases and give medical care to them
inside the ICU. Heat or cold can be applied according to the need.
6.2.5 Veterinary care
If the veterinary indicates it, an oxy-gen line can be attached. Medicine and anaesthetics can be introduced as well through this line.
Two IVs can be hanged and allowed inside the tent. While not in use the rubber stops block the exit of oxygen.
Once the situation returns to normal, owners are reunited with their pets, stray animals are given away, demo-bilization starts. This means the closing
of temporary shelters. The tents and cages can be folded back again to be transported back to the point of origin.
6.2.6 Demobilization
Bases that can act as dog or cat beds can be gifted to the affected
and save costs in demobilization.
6.2.7 Repair
The product system has been de-signed so that every part can be re-placed in case of rupture.
In this way the life cycle of the prod-ucts are prolonged and can be re-used in other emergency situations. Replacement of this parts can be done with simple daily used tools.
7.
SYSTEM EXPANSION
This system grants the possibility of expan-sion. Other helpful items could be added to it to simplify the tasks of the rescuers and veterinaries.
A foldable trolley that fits the pattern on the bottom of the base permits an swifter move of the bigger cage sizes.
During the healing and during the waiting in the kennels a opaque layer of fabric could serve as a hideout for scared cats.
