|
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.
Canine blood donation
Differences in Labrador Retriever Personalities
Dog bites dog
Dogslife at Crufts
Canine blood donation
We are often encouraged to make a blood donation since in the UK only 4% of people give blood (please visit http://www.blood.co.uk/ to find out more). Blood donations are essential to ensure there is an adequate supply for use in hospitals to carry out critical treatments. Sick dogs may also require a blood transfusion for the same reason as people, such as if they lose blood through accident, injury or disease. Canine blood donations are therefore vitally important to try and help save the lives of dogs.
Pet Blood Bank UK (PBBuk) is a charity that was set up in 2007 with the support of Vets Now. PBBuk collects, processes and stores canine blood products for distribution to veterinary practices and veterinary hospitals all over the UK. Since 2007, PBBuk have provided over 10,000 units of blood products to the veterinary profession.
For dogs, the process of giving blood is similar to that in people. Firstly, dogs are given a veterinary health check to make sure they are well enough to donate. They need to be in good condition, free from any parasites or infections and fully vaccinated (although not vaccinated within 2 weeks before donating). Also, they must not have travelled abroad. Furthermore they need to be over 25 kilos in weight and between 1 and 8 years of age. A well behaved dog is also desirable to facilitate the procedure of giving blood.
Dogs are usually taken to a veterinary practice to donate blood, which does not take long. After their health check, an area of is hair clipped, cleaned and local anaesthetic cream rubbed in to ease any discomfort before a needle is inserted into the jugular vein in the neck to take the blood. The donation takes between 5 – 10 minutes and the whole visit takes around 30 minutes. Most dogs do not mind the procedure at all!
Dogs have blood “types”, just like people. All dogs in the UK are either DEA 1.1 +ve or –ve. Dogs of around 25 kilos can typically donate around 450ml of blood (1 unit). Just one blood donation can help save the lives of up to four dogs. Dogs usually donate blood approximately every three months. Giving blood regularly helps support the charity and has the advantage of frequent health checks for the donors. A full blood screen is undertaken at the first donation and then annually after that. All donors are microchipped so if dogs are not microchipped already, PBBuk will microchip new donors at their first donation free of charge.
The charity gathers donations from ‘collection sessions’ hosted at veterinary practices in various parts of the UK. PBBuk arrange three sessions per week with up to 20 donors attending each session. Approximately 1500 – 2000 canine blood donations are made each year. Blood is taken to the PBBuk laboratory and separated into its different parts; fresh plasma (the fluid) and the blood cells. These are then stored ready to send out as required. Veterinary practices needing blood urgently can request it to be sent at short notice, for the cost of the collection and transport. For more information, please visit http://petbloodbankuk.org/.
Back to top
Differences in Labrador Retriever Personalities
In an extension to the Labrador Retriever Hip and Elbow Dysplasia study, this group of dogs have also been studied to look at the differences in personalities within the breed, and the factors which might be associated with them. Nearly 2,000 dogs participating in the study were surveyed using a behavioural questionnaire completed by the dogs’ owners. The results were published recently in the scientific journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science (please click here to view: http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(14)00109-9/abstract)
The working status of dogs was most commonly associated with differences in personality. For example, and as you might expect, Labrador Retrievers which were gundogs were found to have higher fetching tendencies and trainability when compared to show dogs or pet dogs.
Anecdotally, it is often reported that chocolate Labrador Retrievers are more difficult to train than yellow or black Labradors, and this was confirmed by the study; chocolate dogs were reported to be more excitable, more agitated when ignored, and less trainable than yellow and black dogs.
Increasing exercise appeared to reduce aggression, fear of people or objects, and reduce separation anxiety compared to those dogs that were less active. Whether these effects are the cause (the amount of exercise performed directly affects the behaviour) or the effect (dogs are less likely to be exercised because they have these behaviour traits) of the personality differences is unknown.
The study raises interesting questions as to precisely what causes the differences in personality between different dogs of one breed. Some aspects, such as aggression, have been shown to be heritable (i.e. they have a genetic influence), but of course the environment (such as behaviours which are learned) could also have an affect, and the interaction of these two factors is likely to be complex. Studies which follow dogs for long periods of time, like Dogslife, are likely to provide the answers to these questions.
Back to top
Dog bites dog
Unfortunately, whilst dogs often enjoy each other’s company, there are times when they do not interact in a friendly manner. Aggression between dogs, particularly those who are unfamiliar with each other, is not uncommon. Sadly the outcome of such events can sometimes be serious and result in one or both dogs being bitten by the other. We have had a number of cases of Dogslife dogs being bitten by other dogs recently.
Whilst dog bites are always better avoided, when they do occur, they need to be treated seriously. There are a number of factors which make them a concern. Firstly, the superficial appearance of the bite wound may look relatively innocuous (such as one or more puncture wounds where the teeth have penetrated the skin), but there may be significant damage to the tissues or organs below the skin. The damage may not be obvious, particularly if the dog bite occurs on a limb, the abdomen or chest. This is compounded by the fact that dogs have extremely powerful jaw muscles, so are able to exert very high forces when they bite, which in turn causes a lot of trauma to the soft tissues and bones below.
The second problem is that dogs’ mouths are full of bacteria, so if the bite wound penetrates the skin, there is a significant risk of an infection occurring. This is further heightened if the tissues are damaged.
If your dog has been bitten by another dog it is advisable to seek veterinary attention for your dog’s wounds, even if they appear very small. Further investigations, such as X-rays or an ultrasound scan may be required. In some instances, surgical exploration may be necessary to remove any foreign material, take samples to identify the bacteria which could be present in the wound, and to lavage (flush) the wound with sterile fluid to reduce the risks of an infection taking hold. Depending on the severity of the bite wound, antibiotic treatment may be required.
Back to top
Dogslife at Crufts
In March the Dogslife team, along with others from the Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, went to the World’s Largest Dog Show, Crufts. We had displays about Dogslife, our work on Border Collie goniodysgenesis (a congenital eye condition), studies on the genetics of dog head shape, and research on hip and elbow dysplasia. We had more than 300 visitors over the four days of the show.
A wide variety of people stopped by to chat with us: people taking part in Dogslife, breeders, owners, members of the public and their families, college students, people from breeding associations, assistance dog trainers, flyball and agility trainers and many others. We also met many dogs, including Labrador Retrievers, Ridgebacks, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, cross breeds and lots more, both big and small. It was great to meet all the Dogslife members who introduced themselves (many thanks to those who dropped by!). The most popular member of our team was our black plush Labrador Retriever toy which attracted the interest of dogs and children.
We also enjoyed the many fascinating conversations with the people who visited us. Indeed the level of interest and understanding of genetic problems of the people we met was impressive. People were aware of the common challenges for different breeds, including small population size and how this can be made worse by excluding animals from breeding on the basis of a genetic test.
Thanks again to everybody who came to say hello.
Back to top
Dogslife would like to apologise to owners using Internet Explorer to view their dog’s profile page, as currently their dog’s graphs cannot be viewed using this browser. We are working to fix this as quickly as possible. The graphs can be viewed in other browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, and Mozzila Firefox.
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk to update your dog's record!
|