|
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.
The Human-Dog Bond
Do you have a “Dudley”?
Canine Lymphoma
More Findings from the Dogslife study (so far)
The Human-Dog Bond
Research has shown that the bonding process which takes place between a mother and her child, can also be generated between humans and dogs.
Oxytocin is released in a mother’s brain when there is eye contact between her and her baby, which incites nurturing and strengthens the emotional bond between them. Studies have revealed that eye contact with (or stroking) a dog, can also activate the release of oxytocin in the human brain.
Scientists in Japan have found that when dogs and their owners look into each other’s eyes, a bond can be made, similar to the bond between mother and child. The study demonstrates that humans feel the same kind of affection for their dog that they do for members of their family. The bonding process between humans and dogs is suggested to have evolved as dogs became domesticated, as wolves don’t exhibit the same responses.
The first part of the study was carried out by observing dogs with their owners in a room for half an hour. After examining the amount of time that dogs made eye contact with their owners, the findings showed that oxytocin levels increased in dogs that gazed at their owners the most (and oxytocin levels also increased for those owners).
In the second part of the study, dogs were put into a room for half an hour with their owners and two strangers, none of whom interacted with the dog. Eye contact from a dog to its owner was shown to stimulate oxytocin release in the human brain making the owner want to further interact with their dog. The dog’s level of oxytocin then increased as a result. Other findings from this part of the study noticed that female dogs looked at their owners for longer, and in turn the owners of these female dogs released more oxytocin. The scientists suggested that the lesser impression made on male dogs may be down to the differences in the function of oxytocin between the sexes.
The findings of the study indicate that there is continuous bonding between dogs and humans which is powered by oxytocin. Next time you look at your dog or stroke them, you may well be releasing oxytocin (as may your dog!) and strengthening the bond between you.
For more on this study, please click here.
Back to top
Do you have a “Dudley”?
Yellow Labrador Retrievers have two copies of a genetic change that blocks the production of dark pigment (called eumelanin) in the hair. Their fur will be a shade of cream, yellow or red (from pigment called phaeomelanin). Most yellow Labrador Retrievers have a black nose (although this may fade as they get older), black pigment at the base of the whiskers, black foot pads, black gum tissue and black around their eyes. This is because the block on eumelanin production only affects the hair, so pigment production in the skin is still dark. So most yellow Labrador Retrievers would be black, if only they could get past that block.
So what about the yellow Labrador Retrievers who would have been chocolate if they were not carrying the yellow mutations (i.e. who also carry the genetic variants that would lead to them having chocolate pigment in the fur)? These dogs have pale noses, no colour around the eyes or whiskers, and pale foot pads. These dogs are sometimes called “Dudleys”, although some people use the term Dudley to describe a dog who has no pigment at all in these regions (so they look very pink).
We are interested in looking at characteristics that associate with different coat colours. We know whether your Labrador Retriever is yellow, chocolate or black (and whether it has different coat colour features such as the fox red, hailstone and black-and-tan coats). But we don’t know whether your dog has a pink, brown or black nose, eye rims and so on. In the article below describing some of our findings, we report that chocolate Labrador Retrievers are heavier on average than yellow or black dogs. So one question we would like to investigate is whether Dudleys are heavier than black-nosed yellows, because this will give us some insight into whether the chocolate mutation itself is associated with the heavier weight.
If you think you have a Dudley, a yellow Lab with no black eye liner, or any other interesting coat or skin colour, we would be very grateful if you could send a photo of your Labrador to info@dogslife.ac.uk. We would love to include your dog in a genetic study we are undertaking to look at the factors that are related to pigment formation, so please let us know when you email us a photo if you would be happy to help!
To view our previous article on coat colour, please click here.
Back to top
Canine Lymphoma
As dogs participating in the Dogslife project are gradually get older we are starting to receive reports of dogs being diagnosed with cancers. One of the cancers reported is lymphoma (also termed lymphosarcoma), which is a cancer of a particular type of white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are part of the immune system, and they can be further separated into three different sub-types, each of which have slightly different immune functions. They normally function to protect our health, for example by identifying and responding to an abnormal stimulus, such as an infection, to help fight it off. In dogs affected by lymphoma, the normal mechanisms which stop cells replicating after they have done their job are not working properly, and so they can proliferate in an unrestricted manner, which results in the development of the cancer.
As lymphocytes are blood cells, lymphoma can affect many different organs, such as the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow and intestines. The clinical signs of the disease can be general (such as lethargy and weight loss), or specific (such as the development of enlarged lymph nodes, skin nodules or a mass in the intestines, or seizures if the mass is in the brain), depending on which organ(s) is/are primarily affected.
The diagnosis of the disease requires the identification of the abnormal cells, which have a particular microscopic appearance which allows them to be differentiated from normal lymphocytes. Blood tests and further characterisation of markers on the abnormal cells can allow a more precise diagnosis of which sub-type of lymphocytes are causing this disease, which can alter the treatment recommendations and prognosis. The number of lymph nodes and/or organs affected by the disease also influences the treatment and prognosis.
Treatment of lymphoma is most commonly performed with some form of chemotherapy, with the combination of drugs being determined by the type of lymphoma and the degree of its spread. Radiotherapy and stem-cell transplantations have also been used to treat certain types of lymphoma. The prognosis is tremendously variable, again depending on the type of lymphoma, its spread, and the treatment used, but for some forms they may be the possibility of a cure.
Back to top
More Findings from the Dogslife study (so far)
We have recently published a scientific paper about the height, weight and lifestyle of dogs participating in Dogslife, up to their fourth year of age. We were surprised to find that, on average, adult male Dogslife dogs were 59cm or 23.3 inches in height, which is 2-3cm (about 1 inch) taller than the Kennel Club breed standard (which is 56-57cm or 22-22.4 inches). Only 13% of dogs whose height was reported to the study after they reached one year of age actually met the Kennel Club breed standard. The female Dogslife dogs were, on average, 55.1cm or 21.7 inches tall which meets their breed standard (55-56cm or 21.6-22 inches). Again, there was a lot of variation between dogs, and only one fifth of individual female heights after one year fell within the breed standard range.
In terms of weight, Labrador Retrievers are one of the dog breeds that are thought to be more at risk of developing obesity. We found that at two years of age, on average, female dogs weighed 26.8kg and males weighed 31.6kg. We also found that dogs kept putting on weight at nearly 0.9kg per year between one and four years of age. Working dogs weighed more than 2kg less than pet dogs, and having another dog in the household was associated with dogs being lighter (0.48kg) when compared to households which had no other dogs. The big surprise was finding that chocolate Labrador Retrievers weighed nearly 1.4kg more than yellow or black dogs (on average). We hope to find out whether there is something about being chocolate makes the dogs heavier, or whether it is simply that in breeding for chocolate Labrador Retrievers, we have intentionally or unintentionally selected for heavier dogs.
There were a lot of interesting findings about the lifestyle data and, in particular, there were some geographic differences. For instance, Dogslife dogs that live in Northern Ireland had over four times the odds of having slept outside at least once when compared to dogs in the rest of the UK. We also found that dogs in Scotland and Wales spent more time each day being exercised than dogs in England. Overall, the dogs were exercised for an average of over two hours each day.
More detail about where Dogslife dogs sleep, their diets, and how many owners choose to neuter their dogs can be found in the full version of the paper. If you would like to read it, please click here.
Many thanks to all our members for measuring their dogs and for all the other important data they provide to the study. Next month’s newsletter will tell you more about our findings so far!
Back to top
Is your dog special? Why not put them forward to become a Featured Dog? Lookout for the link next time you login!
Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk to update your dog's record!
|