|
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.
What influences how often you walk your dog?
Labradors across the World…are quite similar!
Uterine infections
How does activity change in Dogslife dogs as they grow up?
What influences how often you walk your dog?
Exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle for both people and pets. Unfortunately, many people do not undertake the recommended amounts of exercise per week, so would walking the dog more often encourage people to take more exercise? A recent study has looked at what influences dog owners to walk their dog. Variables relating to the dog and owner, and their physical and social environment were investigated.
The research found that dogs that are walked regularly showed fewer behavioural problems than dogs that are walked less often. One possible explanation for this difference is that owners of dogs with behavioural problems (such as behaving in an aggressive way, or pulling on the lead) find it difficult and stressful to take them out, so if these problems are resolved, owners may walk their dogs more. Alternatively, perhaps walking the dog regularly encompasses beneficial socialising and training. The relationship owners have with their dog is an influencing factor; owners who have a strong emotional attachment to their dog, and feel they have social support and motivation, are more likely to walk their dog regularly. The breed, size and age of the dog also influences how often they are walked.
Factors within the social environment which influence how frequently dogs are walked include whether or not dogs’ mess is picked up, how safe the owners feel within the neighbourhood, and if they fear losing their dog. Factors within the physical environment which were found to encourage dog walking include access to open spaces, clear signage, off lead areas which are fenced around the perimeter, separation from play areas for children, parks away from busy roads, dog waste bins, water sources, and dog agility equipment.
From the findings of the study, two main approaches were suggested to encourage an increase in dog walking. Firstly, the dog-owner relationship should be addressed, so that owners feel obligated to walk their dog and derive pleasure from the activity, and also feel that the dog can provide emotional support to the owner, and secondly, physical environments that are supportive to dog walkers need to be provided.
Since a large proportion of the population own a dog, promoting this form of exercise could positively affect the health of a large number of people. To find out more about this study, please click here.
As our Dogslife members are aware, each time we ask about the exercise their dog receives, we ask why they have been given that amount. Our findings so far show that most owners give their dog as much exercise as they think their dog should have (53.5%), or that they limit the amout of exercise as recommended by their breeder or from their own experience (29.0%). Rarely did owners restrict their dog's exercise due to their own time constraints (11.2%), because their dog had a problem (3.2%), their own exercise ability (2.6%), or because of where they live (0.6%).
To find out more about activity in Dogslife dogs, go to the last article in this newsletter (click here).
Back to top
Labradors across the World…are quite similar!
In a recent scientific paper published by two members of the Dogslife study team (Professor Kim Summers and Dr Dylan Clements) in the journal Veterinary Record, the genetic diversity of Labrador Retrievers (and two other breeds of dog; German Shepherd Dogs and Jack Russell Terriers) was assessed in two widely-separate geographical areas. The study team collected DNA samples from dogs in the UK and South Africa and measured genetic diversity by characterising variations present at fifteen different genetic markers in each dog, and then compared the spread of the variations between the populations of dogs in each country.
As you might expect, the markers could differentiate between breeds regardless as to which country the DNA samples came from. There was more genetic variation in the Jack Russell Terriers than in the other breeds, which you might expect as the Jack Russell Terrier is not a breed registered by the UK Kennel Club. The breed specifications of the Kennel Club of the UK (KCUK) and its South African equivalent (the Kennel Union of South Africa, KUSA) are the same for Labrador Retrievers, and in contrast to the UK, the Jack Russell Terrier is a breed registered by the KUSA (and which therefore has breed standards).
The relative geographical isolation of the two counties did not appear to lead to a separation (in genetic terms, called “genetic divergence”) of the breeds studied, suggesting that these populations are not “reproductively” isolated; i.e. that the import and movement of dogs and the exchange of semen is maintaining the genetic variation in these populations. Even the registration of Jack Russell Terriers as a breed in South Africa has not reduced their genetic diversity to date. The importance of this work is that it suggests that genetic diseases (and their solutions) are likely to be found in both countries, so research in one country could benefit dogs in the other. To read more about the study, you can view the article by clicking here.
Back to top
Uterine infections
Uterine infection, also called ”pyometra”, is an illness which is sometimes observed in female dogs in later life. It is also seen in other species such as cats, humans, rabbits and ferrets. If left untreated the condition can become life threatening. A few dogs taking part in the Dogslife project have been reported to have developed pyometra.
Usually, affected dogs will have had a history of having had a season weeks to months before the development of the infection. The clinical signs are all related to the presence of an infection in the uterus; for example a purulent vaginal discharge may be evident in some affected dogs, although if the cervix is “closed” then there may not be any discharge. Other signs affected dogs may show include an increase in drinking and urination, vomiting, general malaise and a temperature. The condition is usually suspected by vets because of the timing with which clinical signs develop in relation to a recent season. The infected uterus may be so large that it can be felt in the abdomen by the vet, and this can be confirmed with X-rays or an ultrasound scan (see below).
The treatment of pyometra usually requires the surgical removal of the infected uterus and ovaries, to minimise the risk of the uterus rupturing and causing peritonitis, or the infection becoming so overwhelming to the body that it results in the failure of multiple organs (called “septic shock”). Rarely, if the condition is not very severe it can be managed medically, but there is a high risk of failure or recurrence.
Back to top
How does activity change in Dogslife dogs as they grow up?
Well in short, you can see how it changes by looking at the graph below, which shows the amount of time spent doing different activities each day, in participants less than 6 months of age, 6-12 months of age, and older than 12 months of age. The middle thick horizontal bar shows the average for all dogs in the age range, and the larger “box” shows the range of the “middle” 50% of dogs (i.e. the dogs which are up to 25% more or 25% less active than the average). The lines show the spread of the rest of the activity levels.
Perhaps the first observation is the massive spread of the types and amounts of activities undertaken by Dogslife dogs - there is no “normal” amount of activity which a dog does. This is not unexpected- within populations people do widely varying levels of exercise. The spread of time spent doing different activities also changes as dogs age; unsurprisingly, on average dogs spend more time doing off lead activity than puppies, and puppies spend more time doing obedience training than dogs. What is also interesting, is that the amounts of time spent doing moderate or high (vigorous) levels of activity each day are broadly similar to those times we measured using accelerometers (please see our previous article; http://www.dogslife.ac.uk/newsletter/view/41#movement).
Of course it is important to remember that we don’t know how much activity is good (or bad) for a dog, so if your dog does more or less than the values listed in the graph, it doesn’t mean that they should be doing less or more! Having such a spread of activity is particularly useful to the researchers in the project, as it makes it easier to test whether activity plays a role in the development of particular diseases, such as obesity or lameness.
Once again, thanks to all the members who have filled in the questionnaire and those who have also measured their dog’s activity with an accelerometer.
Back to top
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk to update your dog's record!
|