Behavior – Dominance and Aggression in Male dogs
January 24th, 2012
Dear Yourownvet,
We have 2 dogs, a male English bulldog entire and a spayed English Staffordshire bull terrier bitch. Whenever the bulldog sees another dog smaller than him whether with or without the female staff being present, he behaves in a very odd manner. He makes strange noises but not what you would call aggressive. He is obviously very suspicious and mistrustful of the other dog and displays a kind of anxious attitude. He then smells the staffs behind as though he is fearful of her being covered by the other dog..! As I said this can happen with or without the Staffie being there.
We want to show the Bulldog as he a very fine specimen, but are very uncertain of his behaviour at a show. It has been suggested that we need to introduce another dog which is dominant over him. In this case I suppose larger, to get him used to being the underdog, sorry no pun intended…! What would your view be?
I should add that they are very close and lie next to each other all the time and hate being separated.
Hope you can help
Regards,
Mike
Male dogs that have not beeen sterilized can be very dominant
Hi Mike,
Your mail was forwarded to me by the vet, and thank you for contacting us about your problem with your Bulldog.
You do not say what age the Bulldog is, but you do mention that he is not neutered. This is one of the problem areas.
An un-neutered male will always have that extra rush of testosterone racing through his body and particularly when other dogs come near. I am also not sure if your dog has been to some sort of socialization and training classes where he would have met other dogs, and learnt the correct way to behave around them.
If he has not been socialized, then meeting other dogs as an entire male will cause a higher level of testosterone and stress within him. Even without socialization, he will become more heightened in the presence of other dogs, especially males.
Bulldogs have a very distinctive way of vocalizing, and it can become louder and more intense in the presence of other dogs. It is the excitement, testosterone and stress. Unfortunately, in many cases this is miss-read by the other dogs and can cause a problem and even a fight to occur, especially with two un-neutered males.
He needs to learn how to calm down in the presence of other dogs – however, this is going to be difficult with an entire male. You also mention that you want to show this dog, but certainly if he shows aggression you will be thrown out of the ring.
I DO NOT AGREE one bit that he needs a larger dog to dominate over him. This would be very dangerous as you will only raise his level of aggression when he tries to defend himself. Most male, entire Bulldogs will not stand down. I can only see a huge fight and expensive vet bills.
I would also not suggest that you add a third dog to your home – your two are very happy together and bringing in another dog will throw out the balance -if it is a male then the two males would fight, and if it is a female then the two females could fight.
It is very difficult to give more advice as I haven’t see your dog and the behaviour. I am not sure where you live, but I suggest that you contact an animal behaviourist who would be able to see the dog and assess this behaviour and give your more guidelines to work on.
Regards,
Kathy Clayton
Chairman of the ABC of SA (Animal Behaviour Consultants of SA)
Accredited Companion Animal Behaviourist &Professional Dog Trainer
www.yourownvet.com
011 783 3042 082 454 1750
kcdogs@global.co.za
www.kcdogschool.co.za
http://www.kcdogs.stemtechbiz.com
Hot Issue: Heatstroke – What to do in an Emergency
December 30th, 2011
WHAT IS HEATSTROKE?
Does my pet have Heatstroke?
Heatstroke is when the body’s core temperature rises above the normal to such an extent that it overpowers an animal’s ability to lose the heat from the body and damages the internal organs.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HEATSTROKE?
- Distressed animal
- Panting fast with open mouth
- Tongue appears blue or purple in bad cases
- Panting noisily
- In bad cases unable to move, pet just lies there heaving
- The body temperature is high – often over 40 degrees Celsius
- Foam round the mouth
- Front legs held away from body to open chest as wide as possible
- The chest wall heaves noticeably
Cortisone reduces swelling of the airways in heatstroke allowing dogs to breathe
WHICH ANIMALS ARE PRONE TO HEATSTROKE?
All animals can get heatstroke if they get hot enough but these are the breeds that are usually the worst affected by the heat
Bulldogs can easily get heatstroke
- BULLDOGS
- STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIERS
- BOXER DOGS
- PUGS
- PERSIAN CATS
- ANY SHORT NOSED BREED CAN GET HEATSTROKE MORE EASILY
Very active Boxers can suffer from heatstroke
The reason these breeds are worst affected is because animals can’t lose heat through their skin by sweating like humans can and rely on losing heat through their mouths by panting. We have bred certain dogs and cats with very short noses which severely affects their ability to lose even small amounts of heat.
I THINK MY PET HAS HEATSTROKE – WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP HIM?
It’s always better to get your pet to a vet as their airways can swell closed, and your vet can give them an injection to reduce the swelling which works almost immediately. However , emergency first aid for heatstroke is:
- Wet the whole animal with cold water – put them in the bath or shower and immerse them. Don’t leave them alone or they can drown in the bath.
- Put a fan on and blow it at the pet’s face
- if you have a syringe and you’re up to it, you can give your pet a cold water enema by squirting cold water into the rectum. Don’t used ice water for this as this may lead to shock as the temperature change is too drastic.
- On the way to the vet put the aircon on and blow it at your pet or have the window open in your car if you don’t have aircon.
HOW DO I PREVENT MY PET GETTING HEATSTROKE?
- Don’t leave your pet in a closed car even for a few minutes, ESPECIALLY in summer.
- Don’t take your short nosed pet for a run on a hot summer’s day between 10 am and 4 pm
- Make sure your pet has access to cool areas in the garden and the house. If you have a short nosed breed, and you live in a hot climate, keep them indoors in summer during the day.
- Animals that are frightened, stressed or very excited and hot can get heatstroke at lower temperatures than you would expect. If it is hot, keep them calm.
CAN MY PET DIE FROM HEATSTROKE AND WHY?
The answer is yes, animals die from heatstroke as the airways swell closed, and they cannot breathe. There fore it is important to seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.
Bulldogs
December 9th, 2011
BULLDOGS
Appearance
The Face of the Modern Day Bulldog
The Bulldog is instantly recognizable by his broad head, wide shoulders and undershot jaw, known technically as a mandibular prognathism. They have a thickly furrowed brow, a short muzzle, drooping jowls, and pointed teeth. The Bulldog can come in several different colors, including fawn, white, brindle. Their fur is short and sleek against the body. Male Boxers weigh around 55-60 pounds, and females around 45 pounds. Bulldogs have naturally short tails.
History
How Bulldogs used to look
The Bulldog is an historic breed which has been a great favourite in both the US and the UK. The “British Bulldog” is term applied to the fighting spirit of the British during wartime, whilst the US Marines Corps have the Bulldog as a mascot, with a bulldog housed at many Marine barracks. The reputation for tenaciousness and aggression of course comes from the barbaric custom of dog fighting that was so prevalent in less humane times (when pet insurance wasn’t a necessity as it is now).
In fact bulldogs were named after the customary sport of bull baiting, where the undershot jaw enabled the to grasp and hold onto the bull’s nose in an effort to bring it to the ground. Several dogs would be set on a bull for this sport, and the dogs gained a reputation for bravery and a refusal to give up on a fight, despite sustaining quite serious injuries. Thankfully the practice of bull baiting was outlawed in England in 1835, making the breed redundant in it’s fighting form. The aggression was slowly bred out of the dogs, which were adopted as pets and celebrated by the first breed club, which met at an inn on Oxford Street in London in 1878. It was here that the Bulldog Club drew up the breed standards for the English Bulldog.
Americans love the breed too, which may be because of their use by early settlers upon their arrival in the New World, where they were used as working dogs who would trap bulls by the nose, allowing them to be roped and captured. Their breed standards are slightly different to that of the English Bulldog.
Temperament
In spite of the slightly grumpy appearance, Bulldogs are loving and docile creatures. Despite having been bred as fighting dogs, prized for their courage and imperviousness to pain, they make superb, easily socialized pets. The don’t need a great deal of exercise, although they can run quite fast if minded to do so. They can be stubborn and strong-willed if not properly trained, so start early if you buy a Bulldog puppy.
White Bulldogs can get Skin Cancer in hot climates
The Bulldog is not the most intelligent breed of dog, and ranks near the bottom of dog breed intelligence tables. Many feel this is part of their charm, however, and what they lack in intelligence they make up for in personality. The breed specification from the American Kennel Club outlines the breed standard Bulldog’s “disposition should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific and dignified”. This is a good representation of the best of the breed, and over the years the aggression and fighting tendency of the Bulldog has been bred out of it. They are now considered to be good with children, other dogs and extremely sociable, enjoying the company of their families and not wanting to stray far from home. In fact, so gentle is the breed now that they are not considered to be particularly good guard-dogs.
Health problems
Bulldogs are prone to a number of health issues, and there has been pressure to make changes to the breed standard in the light of this. One condition that is common in Bulldogs is hip dysplasia, with a high incidence reported, which you should be aware of. It may be worth discussing this with your veterinary surgeon and making sure that your pet insurance covers it. The breed also has a tendency for cardiac, and respiratory problems. They may be prone to other minor aliments, such as cysts between the toes, which can be easily removed by a veterinary surgeon. So-called ‘cherry eye’, which is a protrusion of the inner eyelid can affect Bulldogs too, but again this is a relatively minor condition which is easily treated with minor surgery should it occur.
It is important to be aware of potential respiratory problems that can affect short-faced breeds like Bulldogs in hot weather. They can have difficulty with thermo-regulation, due to breathing difficulties, and must be kept cool and well hydrated. Most of their heat is actually lost from the pads on their paws, and they enjoy cool floors for this reason. The respiratory difficulties Bulldogs experience, due to their face shape, can potentially make them noisy companions. They might snort and breathe heavily, and may even snore in their sleep.
Breeding from your Bulldog is not recommended, as almost 80% of puppies have to be delivered by Cesaerian section, due to the size of their heads, which can cause problems for the mother during delivery. Bulldogs have a life expectancy of between 7-12 years.
Conclusion
If you take a little time to learn about the particular needs of this special and historic breed you will have a loyal and gentle companion, who will love your company and your family.
Olivia Lennox
Guest writer for www.yourownvet.com
REFERENCES
The London Bulldog Society
http://www.ldnbulldog-soc.org/
Bulldogs World (US site)
http://www.bulldogsworld.com/
Bulldog Breed Council
http://www.
The Kennel Club Breed Information
http://www.the-kennel-club.
Kitten won’t use Litter Tray
November 29th, 2011
Dear Your Own Vet,
I have a new kitten and although he’s getting on much better with my older cat than he was initially, he still refuses to use the litter tray and does his business on the carpet and on my bed. What can I do to get him to use the tray?
How to get your cats to use litter
Thanks,
Ross
Hi Ross and Cara,
It is always a problem when a kitten/cat doesn’t use the litter tray.
The first thing that you need to do is get another two litter trays! We behaviourists suggest that there should be one litter tray per cat/kitten and one extra. This way there can be no problems around using the tray.
In your case the older cat might be intimidating the kitten or doing something when it is in the tray.
You can also try changing the type of litter as cats can be fussy and not like the texture of the litter on their paws.
You might also like to consider getting a litter tray that has a cover as cats like privacy when doing their business – you tray might be in a busy area and this could be disturbing him.
Hope these suggestions help.
Regards,
Kathy Clayton
Chairman of the Animal Behaviour Consultants of South Africa
Accredited Companion Animal Behaviourist &Professional Dog Trainer
www.yourownvet.com
011 783 3042 082 454 1750
kcdogs@global.co.za
www.kcdogschool.co.za
http://www.kcdogs.stemtechbiz.com
Cruciate Ligament Injuries in Dogs
October 22nd, 2011
When a dog with a torn cruciate walks
The Cruciate ligaments are the most commonly injured ligaments in dogs, as they take a great deal of strain on a day to day basis. With modern dogs being either overweight, or bred to be extremely active, the ligaments can snap, resulting in a lameness that comes on suddenly and doesn’t go away on its own.
WHAT ARE THE CRUCIATE LIGAMENTS ?
The Cruciates lie between the femur and tibia and cross in an X shape.
The cruciate ligaments are found in the hind legs of dogs, cats and people. They are two ligaments that cross over, in an x shape, inside the knee or stifle joint. They lie between the underside of the femur (thigh bone) and the top of the tibia (calf bone). There are two per joint. The one lies in the front of the joint (cranial cruciate ligament), and the other at the back of the joint (caudal cruciate ligament.) As the leg flexes and extends as the dog is running or walking, the one will tense and the other relax. In this way they prevent the bottom bone wobbling as opposed to the top bone and stabilize the whole joint when weight is placed on the leg.
WHEN DO THESE LIGAMENTS GET INJURED?
There are two distinct groups of dogs that tend to tear or injure their cruciate ligaments. The first group is the large, very active, well muscled breeds such as Boxer Dogs and Staffordshire Bull Terriers. These extremely active dogs put a lot of strain on their cruciate ligaments as they charge up and down in their yards and can tear them fully or partially tear them (often seen in Staffies), leading to a sudden onset of lameness on the hind leg.
Well muscled, very active dogs like Boxers often injure their cruciates.
The second group is middle aged, overweight small to medium breed dogs, such as terriers, Shelties and Maltese Poodles. Years of stretching and overwork of these ligaments in overweight dogs, very often from putting their knees through a lot of strain by jumping on and off of furniture at home and not doing a lot of other exercise, weakens the ligaments over time until one day, they tear.
Overweight dogs are prone to cruciate rupture
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF AN INJURED OR TORN CRUCIATE LIGAMENT?
- Sudden onset of lameness of the back leg
- The dog puts very little weight on the leg
- It goes on for more than a week
- It seems to get better and worse but never 100% better
- Owners press the leg all over and can’t find pain easily
- Sometimes the knee joint is sore when flexed by a veterinarian
- Veterinarian picks up a “drawer” sign
- If both cruciate ligaments tear at the same time, the dog may appear to be paralyzed in the back legs.
- If left unattended, the joint gets thick and develops a ball of bone on the inside – this is arthritis from the body trying to stabilize the joint
- If left unattended, the dog will show lameness on and off for 6 months to a year and will eventually walk on the leg, but with a damaged, arthritic joint.
DIAGNOSIS OF A TORN CRUCIATE LIGAMENT
Your vet will examine your dog and lie your dog on it’s side. He/she will then flex and extend the knee joint to check for pain, excessive movement and arthritis or sandy feeling joints. He/she will then try to move the tibia back and forth as opposed to the femur. If the cruciates are intact, this will not happen, but if they are torn or partially torn, the bottom bone can move back and forth, which is abnormal. This is known as the “drawer sign.”
The “Drawer Sign” – when the tibia moves back and forth opposed to the femur
Your vet should recommend X rays (radiographs) of the leg. With these X rays, your vet will check for arthritic changes in the joints, increased joint space from accumulation of fluid and measure the angle of the femur as it sits on the top of the tibia. These will all help to determine if your dog needs surgery, and which type of surgery is best for your pet.
Fluid is seen in the joint, increasing the joint space between the bones
SURGERY TO REPAIR THE CRUCIATE LIGAMENTS
Surgery – does my dog need it?
WHEN DOES MY PET NEED SURGERY?
- If your pet is a large breed dog, surgery is recommended
- If there is a full tear of the ligaments with noticeable instability in any size of dog
- The dog shows very little improvement on anti inflammatories and/or rest. It isn’t recommended to wait too long (more than a month) before deciding on surgery as arthritis may develop from the instability in the joint
- Dogs with ruptured cruciates together with torn menisci (cartilage inside the joint)/luxating patellas (kneecaps that jump on and off either from trauma or genetic in smaller breed dogs)
If the meniscial cartilage is torn inside the joint, the torn piece must be removed surgically
WHICH PETS ARE NOT CANDIDATES FOR SURGERY?
- Dogs in which there is a large amount of arthritis already inside the joint – as the aim of surgery is to prevent arthritis forming, there would be little point to doing this
If there is severe arthritis of the knee (stifle) surgery can be pointless
WHAT TYPE OF SURGERY IS BEST FOR MY PET?
There are dozens of ways that cruciate ligaments have been repaired over the past couple of decades. Some work well, some don’t and some suit different sizes of pets better than others.
FASCIA LATA STRIP
Very popular in the eighties and nineties and one of the easier types of surgeries to do, a strip of muscle sheath (connective tissue) is taken from the side of the thigh, and brought down to the level of the knee joint. It is then either wrapped around or through the joint to stabilize it.
Upsides and Downsides
- It is quick, easy and cheap and can be performed by a general veterinarian
- There is no reaction to foreign material placed in the body (such as nylon, wire, or multifilament suture material)
- A strip of fascia from the outside of the thigh can never have the same strength as a cruciate ligament and if used, should only be used in very small pets. If used in medium to large breed dogs, especially if overweight, it simply doesn’t work very well.
- The joint should always be opened to check for meniscial tears and pieces removed, regardless of whether the joint is stabilized internally or externally.
NYLON, WIRE OR MULTIFILAMENT SUTURE
Nylon or multiflament suture material is placed behind the fabellae (small bones behind the knee joint on the femur) and tied down through a hole drilled into the top of the tibia. Wire is not as popular anymore as the newer implant materials available are superior.
Upsides and Downsides
- Not every vet has the facilities to do this type of surgery
- Foreign implants, especially multifilament suture material (multiple small pieces of thread woven together – very strong) have the potential to cause a reaction and if contamination of the wound has occurred, an infection can result
- Not suitable for dogs that are very large, fat and/or very active
- Can be used only if the joint is at a healthy, normal angle for the implant to work. Angles should be measured on X rays before undertaking this type of surgery only to find that the implant breaks because the joint lies at such an angle that excessive forces are operating on the implant.
The angle the femur and fabellae lie against the tibial plateau are measured
TIBIAL TUBEROSITY ADVANCEMENT (TTA) AND TIBIAL PLATEAU LEVELLING (TPLO)
Both the TPLO and TTA create stability within the dog stifle by altering the angle of the knee and using implants to hold the knee in place while the joint heals in its new position. (1) If the angle of the joint is very upright, the whole joint is changed by either surgically levelling the top of the tibia (top flat part) or moving the front of the tibia even further forward using plates and screws thereby making a joint that has far fewer stresses within the joint. The TTA is surgically less invasive than the TPLO. The amount of stifle angle shifting that takes place during a TTA is minimal when compared to that of a TPLO, where the tibia (the weight bearing part of the knee joint) is surgically cut and altered. In the TTA the osteotomy is made into the tibial tuberosity (not a weight bearing part of the knee joint), not the tibial plateau itself, giving dogs a greater ease in healing,recovery and overall success of the procedure.Ultimately the risk of complications is related to the surgeon performing the procedure, with the rates of complications for TTA being low, due to the simplicity of the surgery, whereas rates of complications from TPLO are higher because of the amount of skill required to perform such an invasive procedure – catastrophic failure can occur when an unskilled veterinarian performs a TPLO. (1)
Upsides and Downsides
- Specialist work with plates and screws – ordinary vets cannot do this
- Expensive – a couple of thousand is normal in any currency
- Dogs recover quickly and do well with this type of surgery
- Can be used for all sizes of dogs and cats with very good results
- Best for very large, active dogs with upright joint angles
- Any implant has the potential to cause a reaction or to fail although this is far less likely with this procedure than with the above mentioned procedures.
Tibial Plateau Leveling Operation (TPLO)
Tibial Tuberosity Advancement (TTA)
REFERENCES
1.http://dogkneeinjury.com/tplo-vs-tta-for-cranial-cruciate-ligament-repair/
