The top nasty k9 killers

You commonly see statistics reported on the leading causes of death in humans – things like cancer, obesity and heart disease. It serves as a good reminder of what you should look out for. But what about your dog? Let’s look at likely causes of mortality among the canine population, so you have a better idea about potential problems.

Unfortunately there’s nowhere near as much research into leading causes of mortality in dogs as there is for humans. But in the last decade or so there have been a few retrospective studies in the US and Europe, largely based on veterinary databases or surverys of owners, looking at the how, when and why of dog deaths.

The big three

The 3 killers reported consistently across most studies are cancer, cardiac disease and believe it or not, “old age”. So really, dogs are not all that unlike humans in their end of days. Of course while the first two are manageable, unfortunately none of us yet know how to prevent or treat old age…

The key to cancer is catching it early – if you do, treatment is available for your 4 legged friend. Surgical removal of tumors and chemo and radiotherapy are all options for treatment, and while they do come at a great expense, they can be extremely effective. Cardiac disease on the other hand comes down to both lifestyle and genetic predisposition. Annual vet checks will help to pick up any issues with your pup’s heart and a good diet and regular exercise will go a long way in ensuring good heart health.

TL;DR – keep your eyes peeled for signs of cancer or heart disease and act quickly to treat them

Young vs Old dogs

A US study out of the University of Georgia by Fleming et al (2011) has suggested that the leading causes of death are very different for old vs young dogs. They found that illness related to the gut (15%) and infections (25%) were common killers of young dogs, whereas these shifted to issues with the brain and nervous system (10%) and cancer (30%) in older dogs. An English paper from O’Neill et al (2013) came to a similar conclusion, with 15% of dogs under 3 years dying from gastrointestinal problems and 18% of dogs older than 3 dying from cancer.

TL;DR – watch out for tummy issues and infections in young dogs and cancerous growths in older dogs

A breed thing

Unfortunately, all dogs were not made equal thanks to many years of selective breeding in some pretty terrible directions. Thankfully, many breeders are now trying to rectify these mistakes and perform genetic testing on all breeding animals to ensure they don’t carry genes which predispose pups to conditions like cancer, skin disease and joint problems.

Here are common causes of death for some common breeds:

BEAGLE
Cancer (23-33%), infections (11%), heart disease (5%)
BOXER
Cancer (38-45%), old age (21%), spinal disease (9%)
DACHSHUND
Spinal disease (19%), cancer (9-17%), heart disease (14%)
GERMAN SHEPHERD
Cancer (11-28%), hip dysplasia (15%), trauma (11%)
GOLDEN RETRIEVER
Cancer (20-50%), old age (19%), trauma (8%)
GREYHOUND
Cancer (22%), trauma (17%), infections (16%)
LABRADOR
Cancer (31-34%), old age (23%), hip dysplasia (10%)
POODLE (STANDARD)
Cancer (27-30%), trauma (10%), heart disease (6%)
STAFFY
Cancer (44%), old age (20%), heart disease (7%)
MIXED BREED DOGS
Cancer (13-28%), trauma (7-16%), infections (10%)

If you want to know what conditions  various breeds commonly suffer (whether an inherited condition, or something the breed is just more disposed to developing), check out this awesome resource.

TL;DR – different breeds are more susceptible to different causes of death – learn more about the breed you own or when you are considering getting a dog

He’s gonna live forever

Thinking about your dog dying is a really hard thing and for most of us, it’s something we try our absolute hardest to not think about. But unfortunately, valar morghulis applies to dogs as well. The most important things to keep in mind is that some causes of death are preventable or treatable to a certain extent, so make sure you do your best to keep your dog healthy and give them as much time here as you can. Just as important is knowing when the time is right to let go – when their quality of life is declining, you need to forget about your own wants and needs and do what’s best for your furry pal.

With love,

References
Adams, V. J., Evans, K. M., Sampson, J. and Wood, J. L. N. (2010), Methods and mortality results of a health survey of purebred dogs in the UK. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 51: 512–524

Fleming, J.M., Creevy, K.E. and Promislow, D.E.L. (2011), Mortality in North American Dogs from 1984 to 2004: An Investigation into Age-, Size-, and Breed-Related Causes of Death. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 25: 187–198.

O’Neill, D.G., Church, D.B., McGreevy, P.D.,  Thomson, P.C., Brodbelt, D.C. (2013), Longevity and mortality of owned dogs in England. The Veterinary Journal,  198 (3): 638-643

Proschowsky, H.F., Rugbjerg, H., Ersbøll,  A.K.(2003), Mortality of purebred and mixed-breed dogs in Denmark. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 58 (1–2): 63-74

The Dog Commandments – “WAIT”

Welcome to a new blog series – the dog commandments. I’m going to talk about the ultimate commands for a happy and safe life with your dog. They’re easy to teach your dog and should form the basis for ongoing training. We are going to start with something simple and wonderfully adaptable – “wait”.

Why it’s useful

I think this is one of the most useful commands a dog can know because it gives you (aka the almighty dog master) control over precious, precious resources. And resources in the dog world are pretty basic; things like food, water, going for a walk and being allowed to get on the couch. By teaching wait, you can teach your dog that he needs your permission to use or keep using any of said resources. When linked with a “release” word, it allows you to tell your dog “don’t do anything until I say the special word” and “special word!”.

Examples of how to use it

This is easily Atlas’s most well followed command because we use it 10-20 times on a daily basis. There are food related waits (before being served dinner, before being allowed to accept a treat), which are great because the reward for waiting is getting the food! There are also walking waits – we ask him to wait at the kerb, as well as the front door before leaving the house. We have also trained him to respond to wait even if we aren’t stopping at a particular place – he will stop mid stride and stand there if we call “wait”. It’s also useful for things like grooming, vet visits, standing on scales and accepting pats from inquisitive kids (I use it like the more traditional “stand” command taught in most obedience schools).

How to teach it

Believe it or not, “wait” is incredibly easy to teach – your dog can pick it up across all the above examples in a matter of days. If you want your dog to wait to tuck into their food or a treat:

1. Put their bowl or treat on the floor in front of them
2. Stand in front of them and hold their collar
3. Raise a hand with your palm flat in front of their face and say “wait” (or whatever command word you want)
4. When they are calm and not moving, release their collar and say “ok” (or whatever release word you want)

Each time you do this, try and have less and less hold on their collar – you can progress to a finger just resting on the collar, with the final goal being no hand on their collar at all. To take it further, have your dog “wait” several seconds before saying your release word.

To teach your dog to wait at the kerb or stand still even with an open door/gate in front of them, try this:

1. With your dog on lead, approach a kerb or a door
2. When you stop, say “wait” and move your hand in a swiping motion above your dog’s eyes
3. When they are calm and not moving, reward profusely
4. When you want to keep moving, say “ok” so they know they are allowed to continue with you

Don’t worry if your dog pulls on the leash, crazily trying to keep moving while you are standing still. Be firm and consistent and don’t budge an inch. They will soon learn that a) the fastest way to get moving is to stop when you ask and b) that they get treats just for standing still!

Once your dog is nicely waiting at landmarks like kerbs, ask them to wait at a random spot (e.g. when you need to bag a poop they just lovingly produced for you) and reward them when they do.

Here’s a short vid of Atlas demonstrating expert level waiting!

 

Practice every day and you’ll have it mastered in no time!

Happy training and much love,

 

Benefits of the Wolf Pack

Far from being (just) a garbage disposal and source of incredible stinkiness, research shows that dog ownership is beneficial both physically and mentally.

The Physical

Before we got Atlas, we were pretty big couch potatoes (and of course some times we still are). As a dog owner you’re statistically more likely to be an active person – in particular, you’re far more likely to take part in recreational walking and the time of any walks you take is likely to be longer. Some research suggests that women especially could be as much as 30% less likely to go for a walk if they have no human or dog companion (Cutt et al, 2007). This increase in physical activity is likely linked to pet owners’ lowered risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease (Knight & Edwards, 2008), so you can see how it’s a win-win!

Of course, Atlas can only be so active himself before he needs an 8 hour nap to recover

Apart from acting as furry disease prevention units, some research suggests that dogs can also be beneficial for recovery from serious illness. Dog owners were almost 9 times more likely to still be alive 1 year after a heart attack, compared to non-dog owners (Wells, 2007). The mechanisms are far from understood, but research does point in the direction that dogs are beneficial for both preventing and recovering from ill health.

The Psychological

Ever stopped while you’re walking to pass the time with a stranger? Having a dog makes this much more likely! A study showed that 70% of dog walks involve some sort of social interaction, because let’s face it, everyone wants to pat your adorable dog (see Cutt et al, 2007 for review). Of course your cute fluff ball makes you more interesting and approachable – take note single men. There’s a lot of scientific support for the theory that dogs act as “social catalysts” (Knight & Edwards, 2008), and hence keep you in touch with others, removing feelings of isolation and helping create a balanced mental state.

A dog will become part of your family and help spread the love and joy – here’s Atlas celebrating xmas with us (although he was just as spoiled as every other day of the year).

Apart from enhancing your social life, dogs have been shown to have considerable impact on your personal life too (in a good way!). Surveys carried out by Knight & Edwards (2008) showed that people believe that owning a dog enhances quality of life, as they provide companionship, comfort, therapy and unconditional love. For single females, dog ownership is even positively associated with a lower rate of depression (Clark Cline, 2010). Even brief but regular contact with dogs is beneficial – this much is made obvious by the fact that therapy dog organisations like Delta Dogs exist.

An improved mental state is great, but it also ties back in with physical advantages. With more frequent positive moods, part of your central nervous system becomes less active meaning you are less likely to be affected by stressors (like work) and may also explain lowered blood pressure in pet owners (Arhant-Sudhir et al, 2011). All of this feeds into a lowering of your risk for cardiovascular disease, the single leading cause of death in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013).

“Daddy, let me fix your heart! You just need to give me one million pats.”

We hope that we’ve helped to show you the light when it comes to the health benefits of dog ownership. Apart from, of course, all the wet noses to wake you up, the sniffs in your ear, the adoring looks, the head in your lap and the waggly tails.

With love,

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013). Causes of Death, Australia, 2013. <www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/3303.0~2013~Main%20Features~Leading%20Causes%20of%20Death~10001>
K. Arhant-Sudhir, R. Arhant-Sudhir, K. Sudhir (2011). Pet ownership and cardiovascular risk reduction: Supporting evidence, conflicting data and underlying mechanisms. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, 38 (11); 734-738
K.M. Clark Cline (2010). Psychological Effects of Dog Ownership: Role Strain, Role Enhancement, and Depression. The Journal of Social Psychology, 150 (2); 117-131
H. Cutt, B. Giles-Corti, M. Knuiman, V. Burke (2007). Dog ownership, health and physical activity: A critical review of the literature. Health & Place, 13 (1); 261-272
S. Knight & V. Edwards (2008). In the Company of Wolves: The Physical, Social, and Psychological Benefits of Dog Ownership. Journal of Aging Health, 20; 437-455
D.L. Wells (2007). Domestic dogs and human health: An overview. British Journal of Health Psychology, 12; 145-156