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Happy New Year! We hope your dog has been happy and healthy over the festive season, but if they have had any illnesses or ailments, you can tell us about them 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.
Do dogs make you more active?
Dogs in the snow
Laryngeal paralysis
Prize winners!
Do dogs make you more active?
We are all aware that physical activity is really important to maintain out health, but just how much effect does owning a dog have on our own activity? Scientists recently tried to answer this question by reviewing the scientific literature that has been published on the differences dog ownership makes on people’s activity.
They found that owning a dog is indeed associated with increased walking activity of the owner (as you might have expected). Unsurprisingly, this was primarily due to a sense of obligation to walk the dog, and the support and motivation a dog provides for undertaking walking activity. As the nights draw in and the weather deteriorates, most of us would concur with these findings!
As a sedentary and inactive lifestyle is a cause for concern in population health, the reviewers suggested some ways in which dog walking activity could be increased. Firstly, the perceived exercise requirements of the dog could be used to encourage more dog walking activity. That is to say the exercise requirement which was believed to be necessary to maintain the health of the dog could be used as the motivation for increased walking of the owner. Secondly, the provision of and access to areas suitable for dog walking (including off-lead exercise), and areas which might also encourage social interaction of their owners might also be an incentive. However, the authors of the study concluded that there was a need for more research into the factors which affect what motivates walking behaviour beyond the more obvious conclusions they drew.
If you would like to read more about this study and its results, please visit http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/11/1/83.
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Dogs in the snow
Most of us will experience some cold and snowy conditions this winter, indeed many of us already have! Our landscape can change into a winter wonderland overnight which makes for an enticing environment to go out and enjoy with our dogs. The snow unfortunately also brings with it some perils for dogs and their owners so a little attention and care is required.
Different dogs have varying tolerance to the cold and snow. Labradors are fairly well equipped with their dense, thick and relatively water-resistant coats but they still need to be protected from chilly conditions. In particular, puppies and older dogs are more sensitive to cooler temperatures and dogs with arthritic joints may become more stiff and tender. Dogs with a short coat or thin skin (e.g. Greyhounds), are closer to the ground (e.g. Dachshunds) or have been clipped, are also more likely to feel the cold. One way of providing extra warmth for your dog is to use a dog coat.
Dogs kept outside will most likely need extra insulation, bedding and potentially extra feeding to keep warm in colder conditions. Water bowls need to be checked regularly for ice and placed where they are least likely to freeze over. Dogs kept indoors could get cold on tiled or uncarpeted flooring, or areas where there might be a draught. A well positioned bed with blankets will offer them more warmth. If your dog has access to any heat sources such as an open fire or portable heater, make sure that they are not left unattended and an appropriate screen or guard is in place to prevent any sparks that could injure your dog.
Whilst it is important to give your dog exercise, take extra care in icy snowy conditions as it is easy for you and your dog to slip, which could prove painful for both of you! A covering of snow may not only hide a patch of black ice but also objects that your dog could run over and get caught or cut on. If you are walking near any frozen water (e.g. ponds or lakes), it is safer to keep your dog on the lead as they may bound off over the ice and are at risk of sliding and hurting themselves, or falling in if the ice gives way. Snow can affect a dog’s sense of smell and direction; they can easily become disorientated and panicked. Dogs should always wear an identity tag with up to date details in case they get lost. Reflective clothing for you and your dog will help in times of poor visibility.
Although less likely in Labradors (due to their webbed toes), snow can become impacted between the pads of dogs’ paws. These ice balls are uncomfortable but trimming a little of the hair around the pads will help prevent them from forming. Chemicals and salt used on roads and pavements to melt the ice and snow can also irritate dog’s skin, as well as the pads of their paws. On returning from exercising your dog, it is a good idea to rinse off their paws, legs and belly with warm water. This will remove any salt or chemicals that could be licked off making them poorly, as well as melting any ice balls stuck to their fur or in their paws. It is important to dry your dog off properly so that they do not become cold, and check them over for any cracks or cuts in the skin or on the pads of their paws.
During the icy winter months, many of us will use antifreeze on our cars. This has a sweet taste that may attract your dog, but keep any antifreeze products out of reach as the substance contains ethylene glycol which is poisonous. If your dog begins to show signs of ingesting it (such as vomiting, staggering, becoming tired or dehydrated), contact your vet immediately.
If you are travelling by road with your dog during periods of bitter weather, you may wish to keep extra blankets, food and water in your car in case of road delays or if you are caught in hazardous conditions. The temperature inside vehicles becomes cold very quickly once the engine has been switched off. It is best not to leave your dog in the car, so where possible, take them with you if you leave the vehicle.
Dogs, like humans, are at risk of hypothermia and frostbite if they are overexposed to an extreme environment (e.g. being out in freezing conditions for too long or falling though ice). Hypothermia is where the dog’s temperature falls below normal as a result of the body loosing heat more quickly than it can replace it. Symptoms include shivering, lethargy, stiff muscles, altered heart rate and breathing, and unresponsiveness. Frostbite occurs when areas of tissue are damaged due to cold temperatures. It usually affects the fringes of the body such as the ear tips and tail but can be difficult to spot under their fur. Areas affected by frostbite feel cold and are pale in colour. If you think your dog has hypothermia or frostbite, wrap them in a warm blanket and contact your vet immediately.
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Laryngeal paralysis
The larynx, colloquially called the voice box, is an organ at the back of the airway, which directs airflow into the trachea towards the lungs. It is positioned at the top of the airway, and also functions to prevent food going down the airway (rather than the food pipe) by closing the airway during swallowing, and is also responsible for sound (or rather bark) production.
Laryngeal paralysis is a disease which dogs and people develop where the larynx becomes unable to open as widely as it should, which obstructs the normal flow of air through it. The condition has different causes; primarily it is seen in middle to late age large-breed dogs as the result of degeneration of the function of the nerves which supply the muscles controlling the vocal cords. Consequently, the vocal cords can’t be moved properly to open the airway to allow air to pass through. Occasionally laryngeal paralysis can occur as the result of a congenital disease, trauma (such as a bite wound to the neck) or tumours developing in the vicinity of the larynx.
Dogs affected by laryngeal paralysis may develop a subtle cough and/or a reduction in the amount of exercise they can do (also called “exercise intolerance”). Dog also develop an unusual noise when breathing in (called “inspiratory stridor”) which is characteristic of the condition. Many dogs show few obvious signs until they are exercised or stressed, particularly in hot weather. In these instances the condition can be life threatening as the affected dog may not be able to breathe properly.
Veterinarians may suspect the condition on the basis of the clinical signs (in particular, the identification of inspiratory stridor). Further evaluation of the laryngeal function is required to definitively diagnose the condition, which is usually performed by visualising the vocal folds when the dog is lightly anaesthetised to see if they move properly or not. Treatment requires a surgical procedure to permanently “open” the larynx by moving one of the vocal folds to a different position. For experienced and skilled surgeons this has a high success rate. There is a risk that dogs can develop pneumonia because their vocal cord cannot move to close the larynx to prevent food going down the airway, but this can be reduced by altering the way they are fed after their surgery.
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Prize winners!
Congratulations to our December prize winners! The following Dogslife members have each won £10 of Pets at Home vouchers: Mrs N from Wiltshire, Mrs V from the Isle of Wight, Mrs A from Fife, Ms J from Hertfordshire, Mr H from Kent, Mrs P from Essex, Miss B from the Scottish Highlands, Mrs P from Somerset, Mrs R from the Scottish Borders, Mrs D from North Yorkshire. We hope you enjoy spending the vouchers!
If you haven’t won a prize this time, don’t worry! By logging in at www.dogslife.ac.uk and keeping your dog’s record up to date, you will automatically be entered into the next prize draw which will take place in March.
We are very grateful to everyone who continues to support the Dogslife project. Thank you for all your help and best wishes for 2016!
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Don't forget to come back to www.dogslife.ac.uk to update your dog's record!
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