Dog behavior

The Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: rating scales

Luca Ciurli — 2024-07-25

“Aging” represents the broad spectrum of changes associated with the passage of time. Among domestic
animals, dogs have been extensively studied as a model for neurodegenerative human diseases due to their similarities,
especially in terms of pathological alterations. Canine Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS) is still under investigation
from diagnostic, clinical, anatomopathological, and therapeutic perspectives. Consequently, numerous authors have
developed and validated various rating scales to assess geriatric animals for early and non-invasive diagnosis of
CDS. The objective of this review is to offer a comprehensive overview of existing rating scales and to discuss their
strengths and limitations.

Analysis of the management of a shelter dog kennel

Valentina Gazzano — 2024-08-29

In Italy a law (n° 281/91) requires that stray and ownerless dogs can no longer be put down and mandates the creation of kennels, public or private, where these animals are housed while awaiting adoption.

Therefore, it is important to study the management of kennels and evaluate the different factors that can influence dog adoptions. For this research, the management of a medium-sized shelter kennel, located in Lucca (Italy), and managed by a social service cooperative, was evaluated. The years 2021, 2022 and 2023 were examined, and data were obtained from the kennel management registers. In 2022, a greater average number of dogs were present in the kennel (n° 58.00 ± 8.19 S.D.) than in 2021 (n° 63.58 ± 1.24 S.D.) and 2023 (n° 55.00 ± 3.27 S.D.). Regarding the animals adopted during these three years, there were 86 adoptions. The majority of adoptions involved young animals under 5 years of age (70% of total adoptions). In 2013, 63% of females housed in the kennels were adopted, compared to 33% of males; moreover, 14 black dogs were adopted (16% of the total), followed by dogs with black and tan coats and black and white coats. Finally, 60% of adopted dogs spent up to 75 days in the shelter.

Awareness of the MDR-1 mutation in owners of sheep herding breeds related to collie lineage

Elena Atzori — 2024-07-02

The research focuses on the MDR-1 gene mutation, predominantly found in Collies and other related breeds, which affects the functionality of P-glycoprotein, a crucial component of the blood-brain barrier in dogs. This mutation results in heightened sensitivity to certain drugs, most notably ivermectin, which can lead to severe neurotoxic effects if administered to affected animals. The mutation is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, and it is linked to the introduction of ivermectin in the 1980s. This study aims to assess the awareness among dog owners of purebred dogs concerning the MDR-1 mutation and its implications. The study was conducted by distributing a survey to dog owners, focusing on their knowledge about the mutation that could make drugs harmful to their dogs, as well as their choices regarding genetic testing.

The findings indicate that while a substantial number of owners are aware and tested their dogs, a considerable portion remains uninformed about the mutation and the associated risks.

The obtained results underscore the need for increase education on the MDR-1 mutation and advocate for routine genetic testing to manage and mitigate health risks effectively. This would not only safeguard the health of individual dogs but also guide breeding decisions to prevent the spread of this deleterious allele.

Stress and behavior assessment in police dogs due to challenging situations: Differences due to training objectives.

Ester Bartolome — 2024-05-15

Police dogs have been trained to maximize their search capabilities and are required to maintain levels of intense concentration during their working time. The main aim of this study was to evaluate stress and behavior differences in police dogs due to different scenarios and distractors according to type of training: detecting narcotics or explosives. A total of 18 dogs (14 males and 4 females) were measured. 8 were trained for narcotics detection and 10 for explosives detection. In order to test the stress reaction of dogs, 3 scenarios were developed for each type of training, being differentiated by the difficulty, Scenario 1 the easiest one, Scenario 2 an intermediate-difficulty test and Scenario 3 the most challenging one. Then, these scenarios were performed a second time, including an environmental distractor: an olfactory distractor for S1 (S1D1), an auditory distractor for S2 and a visual distractor for scenario 3. The animals’ stress levels were measured with eye temperature (ET), assessed with infrared thermography, and heart rate (HR). Behavior was recorded for each animal on each scenario. These parameters were then grouped in 3 behavior aggrupation’s counted in 4 scores each: Attention, Effectiveness and Fear. A descriptive analysis showed higher ET means in dogs trained for explosives’ detection for most of the scenarios. A General Linear Model and Tuckey post-hoc analysis for different environmental and behavioral effects, found that ET showed statistically significant differences for scenario effect with both narcotics’ and explosives’ trained dogs, with S2 showing the highest ET values and S1D1 the lowest, whereas, according to behavioral effects, statistically significant differences were found for attention in narcotics’ trained dogs and for effectiveness in explosives’ trained dogs, with score 4 showing the highest ET means for both behavioral aggrupation’s. On the other hand, Mann-Whitney U Test between behavioral means, showed that, explosives’ trained dogs showed higher Attention scores but lower Effectiveness scores than Narcotics’ trained dogs. Finally, ET showed medium and positive statistically significant correlations with Attention in narcotics’ trained dogs (0.34) and with Fear in explosives’ trained dogs (0.26), HR parameter showed a medium and negative statistically significant correlation with Attention in narcotics’ trained dogs (-0.31). Our results indicated that explosives’ detection dogs showed more excitability, and less effectiveness behavioral signs than narcotics’ detection dogs, with no differences found related to fear signs.

A clinical case of aggression in an elderly dog

Maria Bollani — 2024-07-25

A 14-year-old male mongrel dog was examined due to his aggressive behavior. Adopted as a puppy by his current family, he underwent surgery shortly after for bilateral hip dysplasia. At the age of 5 years, he underwent surgery for a thoracolumbar hernia, followed by a period of hospitalization and physical therapy. A diagnosis of pain aggression, exacerbated by cognitive dysfunction syndrome was formulated. For the treatment of pain related to osteoarthritis Librela® and Alevica® were used. Gabapentin (10 mg/kg BID) was chosen as pharmacological therapy. The behavioral therapy was focused on understanding the dog's needs. Physiotherapy sessions were conducted on a weekly basis. After the first three physiotherapy sessions, the dog appeared decidedly more at ease. The dog's problem was initially linked to severe physical pain, exacerbated by a gradual worsening of the cognitive dysfunction syndrome which made him very irritable and by a misunderstanding of his needs on the part of the owner. Once the pain problem was resolved, it became easier to work on building trust with the owner, who understood dog's real discomfort and tried to become a safe guide, providing him with the tools to deal with new situations such as physiotherapy.