If your dog has had any illnesses or ailments, you can tell us about them at any time without having to complete the rest of the questionnaire. Simply login to your dog's profile by visiting www.dogslife.ac.uk and click on the link underneath your dog's graph.
Studying playtime!
Does your dog get stressed at the vet?
The limber tail results are in…
Surgical wound care
Have you told us what you think about Dogslife?
Studying playtime!
A recent study has evaluated the most common words we use when playing with our canine companions. It also looked at the difference between how men, women and dog-professionals play with dogs, and the different types of play carried out.
The scientists asked members of the public to send in videos of them playing with their dogs. Videos were received from 187 dog owners (aged between 8 and 75 years old) in 19 different countries. Typical types of dog play such as tug-of-war, fetch and chasing were found in the videos, as well as some more novel play, such as using a laser pointer.
The words used by the dog owners in the videos were transliterated, and the researchers found that the most popular words spoken to dogs were as follows:
The scientists also studied the interaction between owners and their dogs, and found that half of men were completely “hands-off” compared to one third of women; i.e. women were more likely to touch their dogs when they played with them compared to men.
Around a quarter of the videos that were received for this study were from professionals who worked with dogs for a living (e.g. vets, breeders, trainers etc.). On analysing the videos, the researchers found that the professionals spent more time face-to-face with their dog, and remained nearer to their dogs when playing, than those who did not work with dogs for a living.
When looking at the mood of dogs and their owners, the effect on dogs was unwaveringly positive. Owners that seemed to be having the most enjoyable time were those that were staying close to their dog, moving around with them and touching them more.
This research is useful because it helps to understand more about how dogs and their owners interact, with a view to helping to train dogs to become assistance dogs. To find out more about this study, please click here.
Does your dog get stressed at the vet?
It is a common problem for animals to become anxious when they are visiting the vet. Recent research by Mariti and colleagues at the University of Pisa has discovered that 58% of dogs are said to know that they are going to the vet’s before they get there, and 30% of dogs are very stressed whilst in the waiting room.
There are many signs that a dog is stressed, some of which are more obvious than others. The study showed that not all owners pick up on all these different signs. Signs that dogs are stressed include: lip licking, panting, trembling, yawning, lowered ears, eyes and tail, grooming, crying, hiding and trying to leave.
Providing lots of treats that your dog loves, and comforting them, is a great way of helping them to have a positive experience. This includes giving treats and pats when you introduce them to car journeys and the cage or harness that they may be in whilst travelling. It’s a good idea to travel by car with your dog to different places (e.g. for fun walks), not just when you go to the vet, so your dog doesn’t just associate the car with a veterinary visit.
Some vet practices may be happy for you to visit their surgery just to sit in the waiting room for a while, and for you and the staff to give them affection and treats, before returning home. This ensures that the vet visit is a positive one for your dog, rather than only going to the vet when something is wrong.
It helps if your dog is well socialised and is used to being touched so they do not over-react when the vet looks them over. Regular grooming and looking in your dog’s ears and mouth at home can help with this.
For more information, tips and advice on reducing your dog’s stress at the vet’s, please click here and here.
The limber tail results are in…
… and it's more common than we thought. A lot more common. In a paper published by Dr Carys Pugh and the Dogslife Team, we found that nearly 10% of all Labrador Retrievers taking part in Dogslife have an unexplained tail flaccidity (which we call limber tail). Thanks to those of you who filled in extra questionnaires about limber tail and whom sent DNA samples to us, Carys found that swimming was a risk for dogs developing limber tail (i.e. dogs which developed limber tail were more likely to go swimming), although it was not the only factor (as a quarter of dogs did not go swimming before they developed the first episode). Dogs which were affected tended to live further north, supporting previous anecdotal suggestions that cold weather might be a factor in dogs developing the condition.
Furthermore, dogs which were affected by limber tail were more likely to be related to each other, which suggests that there is a genetic component to the condition, which we are currently investigating. Owners generally described the condition as painful, and as having a moderate effect on their dog’s quality of life. Interestingly, the condition rarely resulted in presentation to veterinary surgeon, or indeed documentation in their records, which explains why it has been overlooked in the scientific and veterinary medical literature to date.
The search for a genetic risk for limber tail is ongoing at The Roslin Institute. You can read more about Carys’ paper here: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/early/2016/06/27/vr.103729.full.pdf, or if you want to read more about the condition please see our previous newsletter article on it here:http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/newsletter/view/17#tail. Thanks again to all the owners who provided additional information and a sample to help with this study.
Most dogs will undergo some form of surgical procedure during their lifetime. This may be for an elective procedure, such as neutering, or it may be to treat an illness or injury. In most cases, where the surgical wound is of any significant length it is likely to have been closed during surgery with sutures (stitches), metal staples or tissue glue, and needs to be appropriately cared for to ensure it heals without a complication developing.
No two wounds are alike, and as such veterinary surgeons will often provide written or verbal instructions for the care of surgical wounds in the postoperative period; so if your dog has a surgical wound, it is best to ask for the specific instructions as to how you should look after it. However, some general principles apply to most surgical wounds which will minimise the chances of a complication (such as the wound separating, becoming inflamed or developing an infection).
It is usually recommended that owners check the surgical wound daily for a week or two post operatively. If you notice any swelling or redness, if pain develops at the surgical site, or if you notice any discharge from the wound, then it is sensible to contact your veterinarian for advice. The surgical wound should be kept dry at all times. Never put creams on or wash the incision unless specifically instructed to do so by your vet. If your pet starts to lick at the wound, then this should be prevented, as the bacteria in your dog's mouth might be harmless in the oral cavity but can cause infections at a surgical incision. An “Elizabethan” collar or some other form of prevention should be used to stop the dog being able to lick at their wound. If the dog pays a lot of attention to their surgical wound it is sensible to contact your vet for advice.
In most instances the surgical wound will be healed within one to two weeks after the surgical procedure, although it can be longer depending on the underlying disease process the dog has been treated for, and their general health. Non-dissolvable sutures and staples require removal, which is usually performed at the veterinary practice at a defined time after surgery. Where dissolvable stiches (particularly where they have been placed under the skin) or tissue glue has been used to close the wound, the veterinary practice may still want to check the surgical wound to ensure it has healed appropriately. Depending on where the surgical wound is and the procedure undertaken, instructions may also be given to restrict exercise during the postoperative recovery period to minimise the likelihood of the surgical wound breaking down. The vast majority of surgical wounds heal without any complications, but if your dog has a surgical wound and you have any queries or concerns then seek advice from your vet.
Have you told us what you think about Dogslife?
Thank you to everyone who has already completed our short survey telling us what they think of Dogslife. If you haven’t completed it yet, Dogslife would really appreciate feedback from members as your (participant) views are very important to us. The short survey can be accessed by clicking here:https://edinburgh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/dogslife-participant-views-2. We are extremely grateful for a few moments of your time to complete it; your views will help the Dogslife project enormously going forward. The participant view survey will close at the end of August so we would love to hear your views before then if you have the chance to complete it. Thanks again for your participation in the biggest ever study of dog health!
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog's record!