|
March 2017 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 might your dog be misbehaving?
New licencing rules for dog breeders
Have your household or contact details changed?
Why might your dog be misbehaving?
Dogs’ hearing is almost twice as sensitive as ours and they can pick up noises at lower volumes and at higher pitches than we can. They can also hear things four times further away than we can. Dogs can therefore become stressed or frightened with all the various noises they can hear that we might not be aware of. This stress or fear can cause dogs to misbehave, especially if they are in an environment they don’t like, such as your vet’s waiting room.
A study was set up to find out how dogs reacted to two different types of noises: inanimate noises (from household appliances, for example), and social noises (from a person or animal such as raised voices or barking). Fifty-eight different noises were used in the study.
The results from studying dogs’ reactions to inanimate noises showed that dogs found fireworks the scariest, followed by thunder, vacuum cleaners and gunshots. Construction noises and loud traffic also caused fear amongst dogs. When studying dogs’ reactions to social noises, the researchers found that dogs reacted more fearfully to angry voices, as opposed to just loud voices from people, and to barking and yelping from other dogs, showing that dogs are sensitive to the emotion within the noise.
Since dogs are inevitably going to encounter noises they may find distressing during their lifetime, their tolerance to different sounds can start to be built up when they are puppies by deliberately exposing them to different types of noises and environments.
For dogs that clearly get upset and behave badly in certain environments through noise related fear, steps can be taken to help them. For example, if they get stressed during a spirited social gathering providing a quiet place for them to retreat to or time out from the environment could prevent them reacting badly to the situation. To help dogs cope with loud noises such as fireworks, you can read our previous newsletter article by clicking here.
In being aware of the environment you are in, and the noises that your dog may be picking up on (as well as the risk of there being any sudden noises), it may be possible to protect your dog from these noises, and therefore reduce the risk of them behaving badly through the stress and fear caused by what they are hearing.
For more details of this study, please click here.
New licencing rules for dog breeders
Last month, the Environment Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, announced plans to introduce new rules making it illegal to sell puppies which are younger than eight weeks of age, and breeders of three or more litters of puppies in a year are required to apply for a formal licence.
The new licensing rules are amongst a number of improvements aimed at protecting the welfare of the UK’s pets. These new rules regarding breeding and selling dogs compel both large commercial breeders and smaller breeders to meet stringent welfare criteria to obtain a licence. Breeders selling puppies online will also need to have a licence.
Councils will be given the power they need to crack down on irresponsible breeders that are breeding dogs in poor conditions and not providing the health care that the dogs need. The penalties for breeders that do not adhere to the new rules include an unlimited fine and/or a prison sentence of up to six months.
It is hoped that with the new rules in place, buyers of puppies will be able to purchase their pets knowing that they have had a good start in life, reducing the risk of their dog having health problems.
For more information on the new licencing rules for dog breeders, please click here.
Dogs can develop tumours arising from cells in the brain (primary tumours) or from tumours elsewhere in the body which spread to the brain. Although the cause of primary brain tumours is unknown, certain breeds of dog - particularly those with short-noses (brachycephalics dogs) - appear to be more prone to particular types of brain tumour than other breeds, which suggests that there is a genetic predisposition to developing them. Tumours also usually affect older dogs.
Dogs with brain tumours will show clinical signs which relate to where they are in the brain, rather than the type of tumour which is present. For example, signs which you might commonly associate with a problem in the brain, such as seizures, change in mentation (their level/quality of consciousness) and/or behaviour, and unsteadiness might be seen, but they are not diagnostic for a brain tumour (for example, the most common cause of seizures in dogs is epilepsy).
The definitive diagnosis of brain tumours can be challenging, as often the initial clinical signs and physical changes may be subtle, and of course the tumour itself is within the skull so cannot be readily identified. A magnetic resonance imaging scan or computed tomography scan can identify the mass in the brain (see the image). However the definitive diagnosis may require a biopsy of the mass for a pathologist to confirm the type of tumour, as many tumours have the same appearance on the scans but behave differently and require different treatments.
The precise treatment for any brain tumour depends on the tumour type; some types may be best treated with surgery, others with radiation therapy or chemotherapy, although often a combination of treatments is required. In some circumstances treatment may not be appropriate, and palliation (care to make them feel better, but not to treat the disease) may be recommended instead. Although the majority of tumours cannot be cured, many can be treated to extend both the quality and length of life of the affected dog.
Have your household or contact details changed?
Dogslife would really like to know if there have been any changes in your household, for example, if you have moved house, or if any adults, children or other pets have joined or left your household. This is so that we have the correct information about your dog’s environment; where they live and with how many other people and/or pets.
We would also like to know if any of your contact details have changed so that we can be sure to contact you on your preferred telephone number and/or email address. All contact and household information is confidential and is not passed on to any other party.
To make any alterations to your contact or household details, simply login at www.dogslife.ac.uk and click on the ‘Edit’ or ‘edit your profile’ links (circled in red in the image to the right). Here you can check/amend your details, clicking ‘Save & Continue’ to scroll through the pages.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email us at info@dogslife.ac.uk. Thank you for keeping your details up to date, and for all your help with the project.
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk and update your dog's record!
