Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Do small animal ER visits change during New England Patriots games
By Rozanski, Elizabeth A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2009·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of National Football League games on small animal emergency room caseload.
Plain-English summary
During the 2007 football season, emergency rooms for pets saw an increase in cases on Sunday evenings when the New England Patriots played, with 25% of pets admitted during these times compared to 18% during non-game days. However, the outcome for pets—whether they were hospitalized, euthanized, or died—did not change based on whether it was a game day or not. This suggests that while more pets may be brought in during big games, their chances of recovery remain the same.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether games of popular professional football teams have an effect on small animal emergency room caseload and percentage of dogs and cats that subsequently are hospitalized, are euthanatized, or die following admission to veterinary emergency rooms located within a dedicated fan base. DESIGN: Prospective study. ANIMALS: 818 dogs and cats admitted to the emergency room. PROCEDURES: During the 2007 New England Patriots (NEP) football season, small animal emergency room caseload was recorded for Sunday (4-hour blocks, 8:00 AM until 12:00 midnight) and Monday night (7:00 PM to 11:00 PM). Number of dogs and cats that subsequently were hospitalized, died, or were euthanatized was recorded. Mean game importance rating (GIR) was determined for NEP games (scale, 1 [mild] to 3 [great]). RESULTS: Percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 1.7) versus non-NEP games was not different. Mean +/- SD percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 2.4) versus non-NEP games was significantly different (18 +/- 5% and 25 +/- 7% of daily caseload, respectively). Percentage of dogs and cats admitted from 8:00 PM to 12:00 midnight on Sundays during NEP games (mean GIR, 2.1) versus non-NEP games was not different. Game type (NEP vs non-NEP) during emergency room admission did not influence whether dogs and cats subsequently were hospitalized, died, or were euthanatized. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Professional sporting events may influence veterinary emergency room caseloads.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19566455/