Investigation of risk factors for mortality in aged guide dogs: A retrospective cohort study

Hoummady, Sara; Hua, J.; Pouchelon, J. L.; Blondot, Marc; Gilbert, Caroline; Desquilbet, Loïc

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.09.002

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…This study revealed a similar result, in which the prevalence of heart disease was significantly different, according to age ( p < 0.05). Additionally, heart disease is a high-risk factor in terms of mortality in dogs ( Bonnett & Egenvall, 2010 ; Egenvall et al, 2005 ; Hoummady et al, 2016 ). Age-related changes of cardiovascular function in dog affect the prevalences of not only hypotension, blood velocity, arterial compliance, and dispensability ( Haidet et al, 1996 ; Miller, Nealeigh & Crowder, 1976 ), but also increased ventricular systolic and diastolic stiffness associated with prolonged duration of myocardial contractility ( Templeton et al, 1976 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major medical causes by breed and life stage for dogs presented at veterinary clinics in the Republic of Korea: a survey of electronic medical records

Kim¹,

Choe²,

Yoo³

et al. 2018

PeerJ

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BackgroundAge and breed are considered the greatest risk factors for disease prevalence and mortality in companion dogs. Understanding the prevalence of diseases, in relation to age and breed, would support appropriate guidance for future health care strategies and provide useful information for the early diagnosis of diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the major medical causes for dogs visiting primary-care veterinary clinics in the Republic of Korea, stratified by age and breed.MethodsA total of 15,531 medical records of canine patients were analyzed from 11 veterinary clinics who shared data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. An electronic medical record (EMR) system was used for data collection, which included the animal identification number, age, breed, gender, neuter status, clinical information, and diagnosis. EMR data were classified using the International Classification of Disease system from the World Health Organization; presenting signs or diagnoses were identified according to breed and life stage.ResultsWithin the age groups, preventive medicine (16.7% confidence intervals (CI) [15.9–17.5]) was the most common cause for clinic visits for the <1 year and 1–3 year groups. Additionally, neutering surgery (6.6% CI [6.0–7.1]) and patella luxation (1.4% CI [1.8–2.7]) were frequently performed in these age groups. In the 4–6 year group, otitis externa (8.8% CI [7.8–10.0]) and dermatitis or eczema (8.5% CI [7.5–9.6]) were common medical problems. In older dogs (>10 year), the prevalences of heart disease, kidney disease, Cushing’s disease, and mammary tumors were higher than in the other age groups. Small and toy breed dogs comprised 67.7% of all dogs in this analysis. For all breeds, otitis externa, dermatitis or eczema, vomiting, and diarrhea were common medical problems.DiscussionThis study identified the most common medical disorders and differences in prevalences of diseases, according to age and breeds. The information from EMRs for dogs visiting primary-care veterinary clinics can provide background knowledge that is required to enable a better understanding of disease patterns and occurrence by age and breeds. The information from this study could enable the creation of strategies for preventing diseases and enable the identification of health problems for more effective disease management in companion dogs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Major medical causes by breed and life stage for dogs presented at veterinary clinics in the Republic of Korea: a survey of electronic medical records

Kim¹,

Choe²,

Yoo³

et al. 2018

PeerJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Because these breeds of dogs have a typical life expectancy of 12–14 years, retirement at 10 years is consistent with the understanding that an animal should retire when it reaches 3/4 of its lifespan. Another study demonstrated that factors associated with early death in guide dogs were an elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT, a liver-associated enzyme measured on routine bloodwork) and evidence of skin nodules (50). Therefore, veterinarians should routinely assess bloodwork and closely examine the skin in assistance dogs to properly assess their health statuses.…”

Section: When To Retire An Assistance Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paving the Path Toward Retirement for Assistance Animals: Transitioning Lives

Fine

2019

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Assistance animals play significant roles in human therapy and well-being and represent a rapidly growing demographic of animals in society. Most research in the field of assistance animals has been focused on the effect of these animals on people. Only recently has there been a growing interest in the welfare and well-being of these animals and the effect of the work on the animals themselves. The concept of retirement, or withdrawing the animal from its working life, is an important welfare consideration that has received minimal discussion in the scientific literature. The notion of retirement is typically regarded as a reward earned after a lifetime of work, but this inevitable phase of an animal's working life has positive and negative implications for both animal and handler. Some of these implications include recognizing the emotional impact of this life-altering event on both animal and handler. The decisions of when and how to appropriately retire an animal are typically made at the discretion of the assistance animal agencies and handlers, but standard evidence-based guidelines for the proper retirement of assistance animals are currently unavailable. This review will provide considerations and recommendations for the retirement that assistance animals deserve.

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“…This decision should be based on careful assessment by the handler in conjunction with a veterinarian and/or behaviorist familiar with the animal and the duties, working conditions, and potential stressors of that particular type of therapy work. Similar to assistance and working dogs, consideration for retirement may be advised based on age, physical health, and behavior [54][55][56][57][58]. As discussed, the animal, handler, and participant are each impacted by this significant change in different ways, but the welfare of the animal should be the highest priority when deciding to retire the animal.…”

Section: When To Retire a Therapy Animalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considerations for the Retirement of Therapy Animals

Fine

2019

Animals

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With the growth of animal-assisted interventions, the number of animals designated to work as therapy animals continues to increase. These animals participate in this work in varying capacities during life, but there will be a point in time when the animal can no longer engage in these activities. The concept of retirement, or withdrawing the animal from its working life, is an important phase of life that every therapy animal will inevitably face. Retirement is typically regarded as a well-deserved reward earned after a lifetime of work, but this termination of an animal’s career has potential positive and negative implications for animal, handler, and human participants in these interventions. The question of precisely when and how to appropriately retire an animal is usually answered at the discretion of the handler; however, the validity of this question remains largely unanswered without scientific evidence. The purpose of this review is to describe the implications of therapy animal retirement for the handler, participant, and animal and to discuss the challenges in determining when to retire a therapy animal.

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Investigation of risk factors for mortality in aged guide dogs: A retrospective cohort study

Cited by 9 publications

References 28 publications

Major medical causes by breed and life stage for dogs presented at veterinary clinics in the Republic of Korea: a survey of electronic medical records

Major medical causes by breed and life stage for dogs presented at veterinary clinics in the Republic of Korea: a survey of electronic medical records

Paving the Path Toward Retirement for Assistance Animals: Transitioning Lives

Considerations for the Retirement of Therapy Animals

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