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November 2017 Newsletter |
*** Exciting News! Our new website will launch on Tuesday 31st October! Members will be unable to access their accounts for 48 hours (from Monday 30th October) whilst the new website is launched. Please bear with us and accept our apologies for any inconvenience this causes. Our new site is tablet and smart phone friendly so we hope this will make it easier for you to update. Read about the new site here ***
Dogs and people living at high altitudes
It’s that time of year again for fireworks and bonfires and although they are great fun for most of us humans, they can cause our pets a lot of distress. Here at Dogslife we have put together our top tips for helping to keep your dog calm during all the bangs and flashes!
1. Try and plan your day so your dog can be walked in the daylight before any of the entertainment starts.
2. Make sure the windows and curtains are closed to help muffle any loud sounds. It can also be helpful to put the radio on quietly to further disguise the noise. This is especially helpful if your dog is already use to having the radio on whilst you are out.
3. Make sure your dog has a place they are able to hide inside should they need to. If they choose to go in here, do not attempt to coax them out, leave them undisturbed.
4. If your dog is becoming distressed, avoid shouting as this will only add to their worry. Instead, try to remain calm and praise good behaviour with stroking if this helps them to relax.
5. Make sure they are micro chipped. As much as you may try to keep your dog safe inside, if they are spooked and a door is left open they may escape (check the cat flap is locked too!). Ensure your dog can be safely returned by making sure they are microchipped and the details stored are correct.
For more information about keeping your pets safe during these events, see the links below.
RSPCA advice about fireworks
Blue Cross advice about fireworks
Dogs and people living at high altitudes
High altitude (>2,500m) environments present an extreme challenge for animals to live in, because of the lack of oxygen. Human populations living at these altitudes have evolved to adapt to these environments in different ways. For example, people from the Andes and Ethiopia living at altitude have elevated levels of haemoglobin (the molecule which carries oxygen in the blood) when compared to people living at lower populations, whereas people living at altitude in Tibet do not.
Researchers have explored whether dogs show similar adaptations, in their genes, to allow them to live at high altitudes by sequencing the whole genomes of dogs living in Tibet at high or low levels. Interestingly they identified two genes (EPAS1 and HBB) which appeared to be selected for in dogs living at altitude, and they did not find differences in the level of haemoglobin in the blood. EPAS1 is a gene involved in switching on genes which are regulated by oxygen, and is activated when oxygen levels fall. Interestingly associations between living at high altitude and EPAS gene changes had also been observed previously in populations of people in Tibet. The HBB gene is involved in oxygen transport form the lung to tissues, and the mutation identified was predicted to interfere with oxygen binding to haemoglobin.
The fascinating aspect to this study is not just that dogs have clear genetic changes which appear to be selected for in high altitude environments, but also that these changes are mirrored by similar changes in humans.. This is called “convergent evolution,” and appears to have occurred because of the extreme environment shared by dogs and people living at altitude. Again this demonstrates how we can learn more about ourselves from our dogs.
The Achilles tendon is the large structure you can feel at the back of the heel, which runs up to the calf muscles. Its name derives from the Greek mythological character, Achilles who was dipped in the River Styx as a baby by his mother, to render his body invulnerable to injury. As she held him by the heel, this area was not touched by the water, and became his vulnerable spot. This area was targetted by his enemies and eventually led to his downfall, and thus the expression "Achilles' heel" was born.
The Achilles tendon in dogs has a similar structure to that in people, although of course dogs walk on their paws, not their heels, so the tendon is normally positioned well above the ground when dogs ambulate. The “Achilles tendon” is actually a complex structure composed of three separate tendons, rather than a single tendon.
The Achilles tendon can become injured either through trauma (such as a laceration), or through degeneration (which is more common in some breeds of dog, including Labrador Retrievers). The typical signs of an Achilles tendon injury are swelling or a gap becoming palpable in the tendon, and of the ankle joint and heel sinking down to the floor as the dog walks (completely if the tendon is fully ruptured, partially if only one component of the tendon is injured). Lameness and a change in gait are the most obvious signs of an Achilles tendon injury. Depending on which parts of the tendon are injured, the digits may also curl over (because the tendon that results in this motion becomes under greater tension). Achilles tendon injuries are usually investigated and confirmed with X-rays, an ultrasound scan and/or a magnetic resonance imaging scan.
The treatment of the injury depends on the nature and duration of the injury. Tendons take a long time to heal, so even with a recent, clean laceration, the tendon will heal if sutured together but it requires a prolonged period of immobilisation (either with a cast, an external framework, or screws placed across the joint). Where the tendon injury is degenerative or chronic in its nature, the damaged tendon may require resection and re-attachment of the healthy tendon to itself or the bone which points out at the back of the ankle (called the calcaneus). Where the tendon cannot be salvaged successfully, then salvage of the joint can be considered, by fusion of the ankle (called a pantarsal arthrodesis), which allows the dog to weight-bear without the need for an Achilles tendon. The prognosis for Achilles tendon injuries are variable – some dogs will recover full function, whereas some dogs will remain lame, which usually reflects the duration and nature of the injury and how well the tendon can be repaired.
To celebrate the launch of our new website being compatible with smart phones and tablets, we are pleased to announce the Dogslife project has its very own Facebook page! We hope you will use the page to ask us project/ website queries, share photos of your Labrador as well as finding out about our latest news and research. We request however that our members do not use the site to discuss health/ lifestyle advice for their dog as this could bias our study.
To get us started, we would like to run a photo completion entitled “my Labrador doing what it does best!” just add your photo to the page and give us your boast about what your dog is good at (this could be sleeping, retrieving, playing!) The competition is running from 1st - 30th November and our favourite photos will win a ‘Kong’ retrieving toy! For terms and condition please see the page. Follow us now by clicking on this link https://www.facebook.com/DogslifeProject/ To get us started here’s a photo of our secretary’s dog Millie doing what she does best – out walking!
We love seeing photos of our members’ dogs so we look forward to seeing your posts!
Don't forget we have another prize draw in December so to be in with a chance of winning sign in to update your profile here http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/
