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December 2017 Newsletter |
There will be another prize draw at the end of December so don't forget to come back to Dogslife (www.dogslife.ac.uk) and update your dog's record to be in with the best chance of winning!
Dog ownership and the risk of heart disease
Treating your dog this christmas
Dog ownership and the risk of heart disease
A recent study has looked at the relationship between owning a dog and the risk of the owner developing, or dying from, heart disease. The study looked at dog ownership and medical health records of over 3 million people in Sweden, over a period of up to twelve years.
In the large cohort, around 13% of households owned a dog. The researchers found that both the risk of dying and the risk of dying of heart disease was lower in people who owned a dog. Furthermore the “effect” of owning a dog was greater in people who lived on their own, when compared to those who lived in a household with other people. The ownership of hunting breeds (such as terriers, retrievers and scent hounds) was also associated with a lowest risk of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers tried to verify these results by testing the associations against the records of 34,000 registered twins but the findings of the large cohort study could not be replicated. No obvious reasons were observed why they might be wrong so the most likely explanation for the differences between the two studies was that the twin study was too small to find these effects.
The findings of this study are very exciting (particularly for dog owners), as it is by far the largest population which has ever been analysed to look at the effects of dog ownership. However, it is important to be clear that this study does not find that owning a dog will reduce your risk of developing heart disease; the findings are an “association”. This does not confirm causality as there may be other features about the genetics or lifestyle of people who own dogs that makes them less likely to develop heart disease. However, it does provide the strongest evidence that there is a link between dog ownership and owner health. If you want to read the scientific paper, you can view it here https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-16118-6
Dogslife has written over 90 newsletters since we first started in 2010 and as you will have noticed in every issue we try and include a ‘vet article’ which discusses conditions and diseases that can affect our dogs. Since July 2010, we have covered a range of topics from hip dysplasia to dental health, blood donation to epilepsy. Now we’d like you to send in some requests for what you would like covered next.
Perhaps your dog has recently been diagnosed with a condition, or you would like a disease further explained. Please let us know what you'd like to read more about. The majority of our newsletters can be viewed at our website here if you want to have a look at what we have written about in the past.
Send us an email with your topic choice to info@dogslife.ac.uk or just post on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DogslifeProject/
No topic is too big or small. Just let us know!
It’s Christmas day, you’ve had a delicious meal and there’s your Labrador giving you the eye to say they will help you with the leftovers. If you are going to allow your pooch to tuck into a little, just be sure to check it for any cooked bones or bone pieces.
Whilst some people choose to feed their dog a raw food diet, cooked bones pose a particular threat to our dogs as they are more likely to splinter and these sharp pieces can cut your dog damaging their teeth, gums and intestinal tract. Not only can cooked bones injure, but pieces of bone can also be a choking hazard or an obstruction further down in the gut. Often these problems need veterinary intervention to sort them out.
Even if you have taken great care to remove any bones from your dog’s meal, be sure to dispose of any meat carcasses securely especially if your dog is prone to going through the bin when no one is looking! When preparing your meal, ensure the meat and bones are kept out of reach and that carcasses are taken to the bin outside, making sure it cannot be tampered with!
If you believe your dog has eaten something they shouldn’t then consult your local vets, do not wait for your dog to become unwell. For more information about foods that are not suitable for dogs see below.
With 2018 fast approaching, it might be a good idea to let us know if anything has changed since you last updated us or registered with the project. This may be a change of name, telephone number or postcode. You can make all these changes by logging in to you profile and selecting 'edit your profile' on the left hand side of the screen (picture 1) then scroll through pages using 'next page' and 'previous page' navigation buttons to edit as applicable (picture 2). Don't forgot to save at the end!
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Christmas presents for your dog!
Sending and receiving presents is always fun and you may even include your dog in the gift giving, after all for some of us they are another member of our family but as tempting as it can be to buy them food treats, with us all watching our waistlines – including our dogs (with estimates that nearly half of all dogs in the UK are overweight) – we have had a look at presents you can give that don’t need to be eaten!
Some ‘gift ideas’ can include:
Stroking: Been in a rush lately? Why not give your dog some attention with lots of strokes and a tummy rub!
Walking: Walk off the festive food with a long walk with your dog. Maybe they have a favourite place to go, with a river or lots of hills to run up. Why not treat them (and you) to some fresh air.
Retrieving: Labradors are retrievers by nature, why not treat them to a new dummy or retrieval toy and spend some time working on their skills. Don’t forget that good retrieves can be rewarded with lots of praise too!
Grooming: Does your dog love to be pampered? If so why not book them in for a nice relaxing session at your groomers. They will come home smelling lovely too so its win-win for the whole family!
From us all at Dogslife we wish you a very Merry Christmas! Don’t forget to keep an eye on Facebook for our photo competition winners at https://www.facebook.com/DogslifeProject/
