|
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.
Puppy walking for Guide Dogs
The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
Tapeworms: free with fleas!
Prize winners!
Puppy walking for Guide Dogs
Some of the Labradors taking part in the Dogslife project are training to become guide dogs. Doreen Sim is a puppy walker for Guide Dogs and has kindly told Dogslife more about her most recent guide dog puppy, Lexy, and the training and socialisation that Lexy and other guide dogs are given during their first year (at around one year of age dogs leave their puppy walker to begin their specialist training at a Guide Dogs training centre).
Our latest pup, Lexy, has arrived and like all the other pups that go to puppy walkers, she is just seven weeks old. After a couple of days settling in with us, some basic training will begin. Each week, as the puppy grows, our days will change. The pups have to learn to do their toilets on command and for this we use the word ‘busy’. This is so that when they are with their new Guide Dog Owner they will ‘spend’ before they go out and not in the streets. This means that there is a lot of standing out in all weathers on the patio getting them use to going to toilet when we ask them. Pups are also trained to sit and wait for their food and then only eat it on a whistle command.
In the early weeks, we carry our pups outside and only put them down in shops and areas that other dogs have not been, and will do this until they get their last vaccination at 12 weeks. When they are allowed to go on the ground, it is much easier to proceed with their training.
As the pups grow our days change but grooming and basic obedience is always part of our day. We have certain words that we must use like ‘busy’, ‘steady’ and ‘hup up’. ‘Steady’ is to stop them pulling on the lead and ‘hup up’ means that they need to walk faster. These basic obedience words are the same words we would use for our own pet dogs.
Outings may include a bus ride or a trip to the local train station. In the early days of training, the staff let us work on a train that is not being used so we can practice getting on and off the trains safely. While we are out we may go into a café for a coffee so the pup can get used to sitting nice and quietly while we are in there. The pups are allowed to go into places that other dogs are not allowed to so if we are off to the theatre the pup comes too. This is to get them socialised with the general public and the noises that surround them.
During our time out we may practice going up and down stairs in the correct way, and turning away from escalators in order to get the pup to know the difference between them. Lexy will also have to learn to ‘find’ the door and go through it in the correct manner. We also walk down the centre of the pavement as this is the ‘safest’ place for the Guide Dog Owner, and walk in a straight line. The general public do not know this and zig zag across the pavement which makes it more difficult for us to do that, so Lexy will be trained to just stop and ‘wait’ till they have gone. Lexy will also know her lefts from her rights and how to go forward.
The best parts of the day are when we have our ‘fun’ times. This is when we play and have lots of cuddles.
Many thanks to Doreen Sim and Guide Dogs for the article and photo of Lexy
To find out more about puppy walking for Guide Dogs, please click here.
Back to top
The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study
In the USA a study similar to Dogslife is following the health of a cohort of dogs over their lifetime. The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS) has an outline which is broadly akin to Dogslife, but it is different in its end goals and in the way it has been set up to collect data.
The GRLS was launched in 2011, and is funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, with the aim of learning how to prevent cancer and other diseases in dogs. The study hopes to enrol up to 3,000 Golden Retrievers aged two years or younger, and then follow them through their lifetime for 10 to 14 years. Over half of Golden Retrievers die from cancer, and it is the leading cause of death in all breeds of dog over the age of two. In particular the study hopes to identify the genetic, environmental and dietary risks for cancer, as well as how to better prevent, diagnose and treat cancer and other canine diseases.
The study is restricted to Golden Retriever owners living in the United States, and recruits information on dogs using online questionnaires (similar to Dogslife). However the study differs from Dogslife in that participating dogs require annual veterinary examinations to collect samples of blood, urine, faeces, hair, and toenails, and owners need to be willing to allow collection of tumour samples for evaluation (if they occur), and to consider a post mortem examination when their dog's life ends. We hope that the two studies will collaborate and complement each other in time, to maximise the benefit which can be gained from both studies and help reduce the risk of dogs developing disease in the future.
Back to top
Tapeworms: free with fleas!
Tapeworms are not uncommon in dogs, but did you know they rely on fleas to pass from dog to dog? They are called tapeworms because of their flat, segmented appearance. The adult worms attach themselves to the inner walls of the intestine and usually do not cause any obvious clinical signs in the affected dog. Occasionally tapeworm infections can cause gastrointestinal upsets, and severe infestations may cause weight loss if left untreated. Humans can be infected with canine tapeworms, although it is extremely rare.
When tapeworms mature they shed segments (which look like rice grains - see the photo adjacent) filled with eggs. The segments are passed in the dog’s faeces and may be observed around the dog’s bottom, on the dog’s coat, or in their bedding. Once outside the body, the tapeworm eggs are eaten by immature fleas (“flea larvae”) present in the same area. When the egg enters the flea larvae, it grows into an immature tapeworm, but remains there as the larva matures into an adult flea. As you would expect, the adult flea irritates the dog and the dog chews or licks the irritated area in order to alleviate the irritation. In doing this the dog will swallow some of the infected fleas…thereby also consuming the tapeworm larvae (within the flea). Once in the dog’s intestines the tapeworms mature into new adult worms, which attach themselves to the intestinal lining and start the lifecycle again. It can take as little as 2-3 weeks between the ingestion of the infected flea to produce the new tapeworm eggs.
Tapeworms are easily treated with “wormers” but critically, the lifecycle of the tapeworm must also be broken by regularly treating the dog for fleas. Other types of tapeworm which can infect dogs are found in species such as rodents and rabbits. Also, it is important to observe good hygiene procedures to prevent re-infection. If you have any questions about tapeworms or fleas in relation to your dog you should consult your veterinarian for recommendations and more information.
Back to top
Prize winners!
Congratulations to our latest prize winners! The following members have all won £10 of Pets at Home vouchers: Mrs B from Essex, Mr W from Norfolk, Mrs L from Derbyshire, Mr C from Lancashire, Mr H from Cleveland, Mr R from Cambridgeshire, Mrs K from Northamptonshire, Mrs R from North Yorkshire, Mr M from Oxfordshire, and Mr T from Cheshire. We hope you enjoy spending the vouchers on your pet!
Don’t worry if you have not won a prize this time; by keeping your dog’s record up to date, you will be automatically entered into the next prize draw which will take place in June. Good luck for next time and thanks to everyone who supports the study and helps us to find out what keeps dogs healthy!
Back to top
On completing their dog’s record, some members may have been asked when their dog’s puppies are due even if they have not mated their dog or their dog has been spayed. Dogslife apologise for this error and can confirm that it has now been fixed (so the question will no longer appear) and reassure members that we have the correct data for their dogs.
Don't forget to come back to Dogslife to update your dog's record www.dogslife.ac.uk
|