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October 2016 Newsletter |
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.
Why stray dog mothers can be selfish
Dogs at work - Ecology Dogs
We are used to seeing dogs enjoying themselves in the countryside on walks with their owners, so seeing search dogs working within conservation is something many people may find a difficult concept to grasp. Search dogs are more commonly used by the emergency services for an array of different jobs. However, their highly sensitive noses are proving to be very useful when it comes to surveying for protected and elusive species.
Ecology Dogs are a UK based company working worldwide within the wildlife conservation sector assisting with species and habitat surveys with a focus on protected species. Predominantly working within water vole conservation in the UK and pangolin conservation in South East Asia, they have the world’s first water vole detection dogs and are working with Singapore Zoo on a ground-breaking project training the first dogs to detect pangolin in the wild.
Their dogs are all trained using similar methods to police dogs and other search dogs; they are trained to detect the faeces of the species. This identifies a presence of the species with no disturbance to that species. The dogs are trained using play as a reward with the majority favouring a tennis ball. Two spaniels work in the UK with water vole detection, a springer spaniel and a sprocker (working cocker spaniel X springer spaniel), shown in the picture above, and Labrador Retrievers will be used in South East Asia to detect pangolin.
You can find out more about the work at www.ecologydogs.co.uk and keep up to date with it via Twitter @ecologydogs.
Why stray dog mothers can be selfish
A study of stray dogs in India has found some interesting behaviours in mothers of stray dog families. These behaviours could give reason to dogs forming relationships with humans. And, perhaps not surprisingly, it’s all to do with food…
The study observed the behaviour of Indian street dogs as they begged and searched for food. The study found that when the mother of a litter was fed some biscuits or scraps of bread, she would usually share them with her puppies. However, if the mother was fed some meat, she was likely to keep it for herself, rather than share it with her puppies.
The scientists carrying out the study revealed that the mothers are employing an evolutionary strategy whereby their chances of producing lots of puppies are increased by eating lots of meat which keeps them healthy. The mothers share enough food with their puppies to make sure they survive, but then it is up to the puppies themselves to scavenge for extra food.
The study hypothesised that as the mother was not sharing all of her food, her puppies had to find it somewhere else, and thus this may have encouraged them to form relationships with humans as a way of getting more nutrient rich food than their mother gives them. Although this is only a theory, it could be one of the factors involved in the domestication of the dogs we have as pets today.
To find out more about the study, please click here: http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/2/12/150580
Cryptorchidism in dogs
As discussed is last month’s article on the declining fertility of dogs (http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/newsletter/view/76#fertility), male dogs can develop a condition called cryptorchidism where one or both testicles (testes) fail to descend properly into the scrotum. Normally the testes develop in the abdomen in the young puppy, but by two to four months of age they descend into the scrotum in most dogs.
Cryptorchidism occurs in all breeds of dogs, although certain breeds such as toy breeds are more commonly affected. It has also been identified that cryptorchidism occurs more commonly in certain families of dogs, which suggests that there is a genetic basis to the condition. This is further supported by the observation that dogs with cryptorchidism often have other congenital abnormalities associated with their condition.
In most cases the “retained” testis is located in the abdominal cavity or in the groin. The veterinarian may be able to identify the location of the abnormal testicle by palpation in the groin area, or by using an ultrasound scanner to identify it in the abdomen. Whilst the retained testicle may not be immediately painful or problematic in the affected male puppy, it can cause problems later in life. The testicle may twist (called a “testicular torsion”) which causes it to swell and become very painful and result in a life threatening problem within the abdomen. Cryptorchid testis also develop cancer ten times more frequently than normal testis. Hence it is recommended that cryptorchid dogs are neutered. Given the likely contribution of the dogs’ genetics to the problem, it is also important that cryptorchid dogs are not bred from. If you are concerned that that your dog might be cryptorchid, please ask your vet for further advice.
Prize winners!
Congratulations to September’s prize winners! The following Dogslife members have each won £10 of Pets at Home vouchers: Mrs C from Lancashire, Mrs F from Cheshire, Mr D from London, Mrs R from Stirlingshire, Mrs P from Mid Glamorgan, Mr W from Nottinghamshire, Mr J from Cheshire, Mrs F from Essex, Mrs F from Berkshire, Ms Y from Lancashire. We hope you enjoy spending the vouchers on your pet!
Don’t worry if you haven’t won a prize this time; the next time you login at www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog’s record, you will automatically be entered into the next prize draw. This will take place in December.
Huge thanks to everyone who continues to support the Dogslife project. We are very grateful for all your help with the study. To find out more about Dogslife’s findings so far, please click here: http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/research.
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog's record!
