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 problem with being Pure

There are those in the dog world that want a dog because of her personality, his handsome features and their doting companionship. Then there are others who want this, but in a much more specific form; a purebred. While the numbers of dogs (including purebreds!) in shelters climbs and climbs, there is still high demand for dogs “with papers”. While I agree it’s certainly better than buying a puppy from your mate’s cousin who allowed his undesexed female to roam the neighborhood, there are still some important points to consider when you think about buying particular purebred dogs.

A history of genetic selection

Every dog breed in the world is the result of a genetic split from an ancestor which is common to the gray wolf. I know when you look at a chihuahua, a teacup poodle or a cavalier king charles that can be hard to believe. That’s the amazing power of selective breeding for you; the same additive power that has allowed us to grow huge cobs of corn and dairy cows that produce 30L a day. Genetics are almost like magic; check out this example.

A few decades of selective breeding and voila! A few extra inches of spine, disproportionate legs and a longer neck.

This photo comes from an excellent blog, highlighting how selective breeding has essentially caused extreme, and often damaging, changes to certain breeds. While some people view the differences between this 1915 and 2012 dachshund as “adorable”, they mean that up to 25% of modern sausage dogs will experience intervertebral disc disease during their lifetime (Rosenblatt et al, 2014). There are no benefits to having a disproportionate body, other than what people perceive to be enhanced aesthetic value.

The once majestic St Bernard has gone from working dog to overheating, blood disorders, bone cancer, skin problems and a typical life span of around 8 years.

I urge you, if you are considering buying a dog of a particular breed, head to the LIDA dogs website, which lists inherited and high risk diseases for pretty much all dog breeds. I did this when I was first looking at what kind of dog I wanted; I ended up pursuing greyhound adoption when I found out they are a notably healthy breed because they have been bred for performance over looks.

The holy bible of pure breeding

The Australian National Kennel Council is the body for all things pure breeding in Australia, including the dictation of breed standards. A breed standard is essentially a manifesto for a particular breed. Now the real kicker is that breed standards are not written by geneticists, anatomists, physiologists, reproductive biologists or anyone else with a formal qualification. They were typically written by breeders when the breed was first formed, and have been updated along the way at the behest of modern breeders.

Meanwhile, the greyhound remains much the same as it has been for centuries, consistently being bred for speed.

Take a minute to check out the breed standard for your favourite breed of dog on the ANKC website. Notice anything? First off, the devil is in the detail. For our friend the dachshund above, the breed standard seems relatively mild. But look at the language; it instructs that the body should be “moderately long”. Ah yes, moderate. I am moderately tall. I own a moderate amount of shoes. Not a very descriptive unit is it? My interpretation of moderate may be perfectly fine, while yours may lead to a high incidence of dogs with back problems. This kind of fluffy language litters breed standards, particularly when it comes to very important things like the size and shape of the skull and length of appendages and the body.

Secondly, breed standards demand a lot without any explanation. Stating that block colours, patchy colours, brown eyes or a curled tail are totally unacceptable is a bit much, no? At no point is there any evidence given for why such strict breed standards are important; is it for health or temperament reasons? Are dogs with these characteristics more likely to be deaf? Or is it all just because a breeder in 1943 hated always having to wear black to cover up the dog hair on their clothes? There should be a very clear classification of breed standards into those which are purely aesthetic and any (if they exist) which are related to health or other important concerns.

They may be cute, but these puppies required a C-section to join the world.

The real problem with breed standards is that in many cases, they design dogs to be unhealthy. While the ANKC has addressed this, they continue to promote standards like this for the British Bulldog (the epitome of a dog bred into disease):

“The skull should be very large – the larger the better….The chest should be very wide…very broad at the shoulders, and comparatively narrow at the loins.”

What they are asking for here is a dog basically shaped like a triangle, with a HUGE front end, and a tiny itty bitty waist by comparison. There’s not really an issue with this until a bulldog bitch tries to have puppies. While the puppies may be cute, their heinously large melons are big from birth, making a natural birth almost unheard of. If a dog is bred in such a way that it can no longer have puppies without a C-section, do breed standards still make sense? Not really, no.

What makes a breeder a breeder?

The problem with a purebred dog is that most people can’t tell on sight whether or not it is, whether it’s genetically sound or what kind of conditions it was whelped in. If you’ve got your heart absolutely set on having a purebred dog, you need to arm yourself with the knowledge to pick a breeder worth supporting. Unfortunately high demand for purebred dogs draws the attention of scummy people, who are more interested in the thousands of dollars to be made than the well being of any animals they breed. This kind of “breeder” is unlikely to actually be breeding pure bred dogs in any sense of the word, and certainly not healthy ones at that.

Is this where your puppy came from? Did it have adequate access to clean bedding, food, water and appropriate socialisation?

Any breeder worth their salt should be well aware of potential heritable problems with the breed (like brachycephaly (squishy face) causing breathing problems in the pug, or excessive skin folds in the shar pei causing skin issues). Not only that, they should be working hard to improve these traits using techniques such as outbreeding, crossbreeding and careful selection. In addition, application of available technologies such as screening for heritable diseases is a must for any responsible breeder.

It’s now an affordable option to screen a dog’s genes for the particular alleles responsible for known heritable conditions.

There are other things you can do to filter out the bad eggs too. Make sure you see where the puppy was whelped; are you happy with the conditions? Make sure you meet the mum (and dad if possible); look at their temperament and physical condition. Ask about how many litters mummy dog has had (6 tops!) and what happens when her breeding days are done. If there’s even a hint of something dodgy going on, walk away – the absolute last thing you want to do is support an operation that doesn’t care about the dog’s welfare first and foremost. For more tips on finding a breeder that’s trustworthy, check out the RSPCA smart puppy buyer’s guide.

We hope that you can find it in your heart to adopt, not shop, but if you do choose to buy a purebred, find out everything there is to know before you make any decisions.

With love,

References

Alana J. Rosenblatt, Cynthia D.K. Bottema, Peter B. Hill, Radiographic scoring for intervertebral disc calcification in the Dachshund, The Veterinary Journal, Volume 200, Issue 3, June 2014, Pages 355-36

The time has come; Desex your dog

July is National Desexing Month in Australia, so what better a time to try and convince readers everywhere that desexing is a crucial part of being a responsible pet owner. To me, there are very few legitimate reasons for people to own entire (un-desexed) pet dogs, and if you have one, I hope I can convince you to take action this month.

What’s the problem? It’s natural

What’s natural is population control via mechanisms such as predation, disease and rivalry. Since being domesticated, Canis lupus familiaris is no longer subject to these things to a large extent. When was the last time you heard of a friend’s dog being killed by a predator, or dying due to lack of access to natural resources? That’s what I thought. Because we have (thankfully) done away with the leading causes of death that our doggy friends’ ancestors faced, there is nothing to keep the population in check if all dogs are allowed to breed.

Wolves and dogs may share DNA, but their environments are wildly different.

The plain and simple fact is that if every dog on the planet got desexed today, it would probably still take several years for animal shelters and pounds to be emptied. That’s because supply of dogs far outweighs demand – in the 2013/14 financial year, the RSPCA alone received 45, 954 dogs and while 73% were reclaimed or rehomed, 12, 259 dogs remained at shelters or were euthanised. We need to make sure that pets are desexed prior to reaching sexual maturity to help prevent any more unwanted animals.

The pros and cons

Do you want your children to experience the miracle of life? Have more of them. Do you want your dog to explore and enjoy its own parenting instincts? Adopt a younger dog for them to nurture. Do you want more pets? Take home one of the thousands sitting in a shelter. There is really no valid argument against desexing your pets, apart from some important medical exceptions. It’s best to desex mature females outside of oestrus (“heat”), so you may want to wait until they move onto a ‘quiet’ part of their cycle. Some animals, particularly very young and older dogs, may be very sensitive to anesthetics, making a surgical procedure risky. In the case of older dogs, chemical castration is always an option.

The number one reason to desex your pets.

Some common arguments against desexing include changes to the physical stature of the dog and a perceived higher risk of obesity. Research suggests that desexing causes no change in growth rate and while bone growth plate closure may be delayed, it ultimately will not affect mature bone length to any great extent and does not make fractures more likely (Howe, 2006). While desexing is believed to be a risk factor for obesity in cats, dogs are a different story – the majority of studies have found no differences in obesity due to desexing, with many other factors such as diet and exercise being the real culprits (Root Kustritz, 2012).

Everything about this picture is wrong. And just like people, that dog didn’t get fat over night (or due to slight metabolism changes resulting from different reproductive hormone levels).

Research has shown that advantages of desexing include decreases in reproductive tract and pregnancy/birth related diseases, increased life span and reduction or elimination of sexual behaviours (Root Kustritz, 2012). While ‘natural’, sexually driven behaviour may include male-male aggression, forceful mounting, urine spraying and escaping the yard to roam – all undesirable for family pets.

What’s the deal?

Dogs can be desexed as early as 6-7 weeks old (pre-puberty), but most desexing is carried out at 5-7 months (around puberty onset). That being said, dogs can be desexed after sexual maturity (although older dogs can face complications as discussed above). While for some people this is the only option (e.g. if adopting an older dog), if you have a dog from a puppy, it can be better to desex before sexual maturity. This is because becoming sexually mature still carries the risks described above (e.g. reproductive tract diseases), so preventing development can be the best option. In addition, many people are unaware that dogs can become pregnant from just 5 months old (although this varies with breed/size); so why risk it?

16 and pregnant? Try 6 months and pregnant.

Pretty much any vet you walk in to will have performed a spay or neuter that day; it’s the most common surgery performed. That being said, it’s important that the vet you visit is still a professional and practices proper and sterile surgical procedures. The cost of desexing varies depending on the vet, but typically costs around $200-500 depending on the sex and age of your dog. If this cost is too much (which it shouldn’t really be – if you can’t afford this, you can’t afford pets), many councils, animal adoption groups, the National Desexing Network and the RSPCA offer low cost desexing for people in genuine need.

If you have any questions, advice for other fur parents or stories about desexing, leave a comment.

Here’s to lots of desexing this July! With love,

References

Howe, LM, 2006. Surgical methods of contraception and sterilization. Theriogenology, 66(3); 500-509
Root Kustritz, MV, 2012. Effects of Surgical Sterilization on Canine and Feline Health and on Society. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 47; 1439-0531

Vax To the Future?

Do you get a flu shot every year? I certainly don’t. So what about your pup? Historically people have tended to see vaccinating pets as a money making scheme by vets, and for a while there it probably was (and in some cases still is). Recently, the AVA (Australian Veterinary Association), backed by changes stemming from the global advisory on vaccination, announced a change in recommendations to vaccinating adult dogs against core pathogens (disease causing organisms) every 3 years, instead of annually. Non-core vaccines on the other hand are mostly still required annually, but their being given at all depends on your dog’s lifestyle and environment, and should be at the discretion of you and your vet.

One size fits all?

Before we get into the various vaccinations and what they cover, it’s important to understand that not all dogs will need the same vaccines, but most dogs should at least be getting vaccinated every 3 years against something. There are particular cases where vaccination is not appropriate (e.g. due to previous exposure to the pathogen, pregnancy, etc) and in other cases, vaccination against a particular pathogen may be strongly advised due to something like the immune system being compromised (e.g. dogs undergoing chemotherapy).

Many of the non-core vaccines are only relevant to dogs which are commonly in close contact with many different, unfamiliar dogs (e.g. dogs involved in breeding and showing, high volume kennels such as rescue groups and dogs regularly involved in competitive sports). It can be difficult to decide whether vaccination is right for your dog, but to keep it simple; take into account your dog’s previous and current health, their normal activity, the severity of disease without vaccination and the expense and possibility of adverse side effects (note – I think that in most cases the expense is worth it and adverse side effects tend to be minor in vaccines approved for general use).

Core vaccines (Canine Distemper Virus, Canine Adenovirus and Canine Parvovirus)

These vaccines are called “core” for a good reason – they protect your dog against diseases which have a nasty habit of turning fatal. Whether or not you think your dog is likely to pick up these viruses, vaccination is strongly encouraged in most circumstances, and especially in puppies, because the protection they afford is priceless, effective and long lived [Mitchell et al, 2012].

Distemper affects pups 3-6 months, due to waning of maternal immunity. If dogs are not able to mount an appropriate immune response, the distemper virus attacks the skin, mucous membranes and central nervous system, leading to destruction of the insulation around nerves and death within 2-4 weeks. The vaccine against distemper is not perfect – it provides long lasting immunity, but can actually cause the disease if administered to animals who are immunocompromised or currently sick [Martella et al, 2008]. That’s why it’s important to go to an experienced and trustworthy vet for assessment of dogs prior to vaccination.

Liver cells being invaded and broken down by canine adenovirus.

Canine adenovirus is responsible for infectious hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), which can easily lead to death without an appropriate immune response, helped along by vaccination. Vaccination is effective; however co-infection with other pathogens is far more likely to be lethal. While vaccination keeps infectious hepatitis largely under control, outbreaks do still happen, particularly in close contact environments such as shelters and dog daycare [Decaro et al, 2007].

Parvo is a deadly virus, with a 91% mortality rate for puppies. Infection leads to haemorrhagic enteritis (blood loss due to destruction of the gut lining), as well as serious heart complications [Nandi & Kumar, 2010]. Parvo is another tricky pathogen, because while the vaccine is effective, there is a window of suseptibility for puppies, even when following proper vaccination schedules. This means using other disease control strategies in combo with vaccinating, like keeping pups away from other dogs from a short time around vaccinating, disinfecting puppy’s sleeping and toileting areas and ensuring adequate nutrition for growing dogs.

Non-core vaccines (Canine Parainfluenza Virus, Bordetella bronchiseptica and Leptospira interrogans)

Bordetella, a bacterium, and canine parainfluenza virus are two of many pathogens causing canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) syndrome, or kennel cough. Vaccines can be given orally, intranasally or injected, and all vaccines ‘work’ to some extent (e.g. reduced incidence of symptoms by 60% in this paper [Jacobs et al, 2005]), however peak vaccine performance has been under optimal lab conditions which are not typical of the average dog [Ellis, 2015]. Vaccination is likely to reduce the incidence, but not totally annihalite any chance of your dog developing kennel cough. CIRD is usually self limiting (like the common cold), however severe cases where multiple pathogens are involved can lead to worsening of symptoms (coughing, nasal discharge, anorexia and fever), as well as the development of pneumonia. While fatalities from pneumonia are rare, they certainly do happen [Priestnall et al, 2014].

Leptospira bacteria – named for their appearance (Latin spira meaning coil)

Leptospira interrogans cause the imaginatively named disease leptospirosis, which is basically just an infection of bacteria from this family. Severity varies but is usually mild if your dog is perfectly healthy; persistent infection of the liver or kidney spells serious trouble, causing significant damage to these vital organs. Dogs are most at risk of picking up Leptospira if you live near rivers or creeks, and particularly marshy and frequently flooded areas. Because wildlife and farm animals are also carriers of this bacteria, rural and even semi-rural dogs are at much higher risk [Raghavan et al, 2012]. Laboratory trials have shown that vaccination can be highly effective at preventing infection and at least reducing the severity of infection.

Decision Time

In the end, it’s up to the owner to decide whether or not to vaccinate. Vets recommend it, not to make money, but to ensure your dog stays healthy. The cost of a vaccine should not be too much for any dog owner – if you can afford to feed your dog, buy it toys, coats, beds and treats, you can certainly afford the cost of vaccination, which amounts to a cup of coffee a week (or less) each year. For more detailed information, and to determine what vaccinations are relevant for your dog, ask your vet – many are happy to discuss this over the phone.

Hope this advice makes a difference for you and your dog. With love,

References

Decaro N, Campolo M, Elia G, Buonavoglia D, Colaianni ML, Lorusso A, Mari V, Buonavoglia C (2007). Infectious canine hepatitis: An “old” disease reemerging in Italy. Research in Veterinary Science, 83 (2):269-273
Ellis JA (2015). How well do vaccines for Bordetella bronchiseptica work in dogs? A critical review of the literature 1977–2014. The Veterinary Journal, 204(1):5-16
Jacobs AAC, Theelen RPH, Jaspers R, Horspool LJI, Sutton D,  Bergman JGHE, Paul G (2005). Protection of dogs for 13 months against Bordetella bronchiseptica and canine parainfluenza virus with a modified live vaccine. Veterinary Record, 157(1):19-23
Martella V, Elia G, Buonavoglia C (2008). Canine Distemper Virus, Veterinary Clinics of North America. Small Animal Practice, 38(4):787-797
Mitchell S, Zwijnenberg RJ, Huang J, Hodge A, Day MJ (2012). Duration of serological response to canine parvovirus-type 2, canine distemper virus, canine adenovirus type 1 and canine parainfluenza virus in client-owned dogs in Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal, 90(12):468-73.
Nandi S, Kumar M (2010). Canine Parvovirus: Current Perspective. Indian journal of virology, 21(1):31-44
Priestnall SL, Mitchell JA, Walker CA, Erles K, Brownlie J (2014). New and Emerging Pathogens in Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease. Vet Pathology, 51:492-504
Raghavan RK, Brenner KM, Higgins JJ, Shawn Hutchinson JM, Harkin KR (2012). Evaluations of hydrologic risk factors for canine leptospirosis: 94 cases (2002–2009). Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 107(1–2):105-109