Dogs Flashcards
What are the 6 general qualities needed to be suitable for domestication
Flexible diet: variety of food sources and are not dependent on eating cultivated foods
Fast growth rate: faster maturity rate than people (allows for easier intervention- breeding)
Breed in captivity
Good disposition: if not tractable, animals can be dangerous
Mild temperament: less prone to panic and escape
Modifiable social hierarchy: a defined and adjustable social structure allows people to become the dominate member (i.e. alpha-leader)
Domestication vs. Taming
Domestication: selection changes the genotype and phenotype of animals to make them more desirable to people
- ‘Genetic changes’
Taming: animals simply become acclimatized (accustomed) to human presence
What are the two theories of the reasons why dogs were domesticated
1) Utility: herding and hunting
2) Human tendency to adopt wild
orphaned animals’ pets
How many dog breeds are there?
There are approximately 700-800 breeds of dogs world-wide.
What are the 8 types of dogs according to the American Kennel Club
- Sporting group
- Hound group
- Working group
- Terrier group
- Toy group
- Non-sporting group
- Herding group
- Miscellaneous group
Sporting group dogs
Hunting game birds and waterfowl:
Different specializations:
- Spaniels: flushing
- Pointers: locating game
- Weimaraners: multipurpose
Hound Group dogs
Hunting and tracking
- Excellent stamina and smell
- Has the greatest range in size
- Sight hounds: fast (hunt by sight)
- Scent hounds: hunt by sent and stamina for long pursuit
Working group (Dogs)
Bred for protection, pulling sleds, draft workers and rescue
- These are intelligent adaptable dogs with a strong drive for protection.
- The size indicates animals need to suitably trained
Terrier Group (Dog breeds)
Used to hunt and dig vermin
- Usually brave dogs and can vary in size
- Make fun pets: lots of energy
Toy Group (Dog breeds)
Bred as lap dogs and pampered pets
- Often favored by royalty and nobility
- Good pets for elderly and infirmed: less exercise is needed
Non-Sporting Group (Dog Breeds)
Diverse group of sturdy animals
- Can be long and short
hair, good and poor temperaments
Includes:
- Poodles
- Chow-chows
Herding Groups (Dog breeds)
- Created in 1983 by AKC
- These animals control movement of other animals (livestock)
- Although many are pets: will try and herd/ move children owners
- Will chase bicycles and cars
Miscellaneous Group (Dog Breeds)
The “whatever’s left” group that encompasses any dogs that don’t fit into the other 7 AKC groups
Dog Hearing
- People hear 64- 20 000 Hz, dogs 40-60 000 Hz, cats 45-80 000 Hz
- A dog can hear 4 octaves higher than the highest piano key
- The external ear (pinna) for dogs and cats can rotate to locate sound without changing head positions…is this an
advantage? - External and middle ear: collect sound and conduct sound energy to the internal ear (inner ear)
- Inner ear (sensory receptors); converts sound energy
into electrical impulses which is processed by the brain
How do dogs track via smell
Scent receptors; people 5 million, cats 200 million and dogs 220 million
- Sniffing (different from breathing): improves scent detection.
- Short rapid inhalations bring air into the nasal pocket (many olfactory scent receptors) and not into lungs.
- Tracking dogs can detect: can detect 10-12M concentration. 1millions times more greater
capacity to detect smells over people
What are the structure in the nose that help with smell (dogs)
- Olfactory cells: span thickness of
epithelium and have cilia that (10-23/cell) - These cilia have odorant-binding proteins that are ‘smell’ receptors
- Smells are solubilized in mucosa and interact with receptors and send message to the brain via Cranial nerve I (olfactory nerve)
- Vameronasal orga
Vomeronasal organ (Jacobson’s organ)
Sacs behind upper teeth that at junction of nasal and oral cavities. Its important in smelling/detecting pheromones
- Used mostly for mating
- Can also find males that are not supposed to be there
Canine Hip Dysplasia
Malformation of dog hips (hip dysplasia) is a developmental problem of dogs that has multiple inter-related associations (etiologies)
- Hereditary component
Growth patterns: Over nutrition (i.e. high energy diets) that induce rapid growth of the dog will induce the onset of hip dysplasia earlier and cause clinical signs
to worsen. Some researches suggest that
it closes the growth plates in the
acetabulum too early.
Diagnosing Canine Hip Dysplasia
- Can not be diagnosed in puppies
- Radiographs: at 5-9 months of age (most frequent 6-months of age)
- sometimes radiographs at 10-12 weeks of age may indicate disease
- At 1-year: 70-80% of dogs will show disease
Treatment of Canine Hip Dysplasia
Treatment can be and should be directed at both conservative (initially) and surgical treatment (final)
- Conservative (non-surgical): usually immature dogs: balance diet, NSAIDS (meloxicam ketoprofen), reduced concussive exercise (i.e. running), swimming is better (improves muscle mass). Glycosaminoglycans -also known as GAG (commercial product-Adequan)
- Surgical: older dogs or dogs with extensive discomfort. Femoral head osteotomy, total hip
0
replacement
Hypothyroidism (dogs)
Loss in adequate production of thyroid hormone (T4/T3)
- Usually occurs in mature dogs
- Main cause: acquired irreversible destruction of thyroid gland
- Less common causes: dietary imbalances (iodine deficiency), congenital (i.e. present
at birth) and hypothalamus and pituitary
problems
Clinical Signs of Hypothyroidism in Dogs
- Skin: alopecia, dry scaling skin, poor wound healing, increased pigmentation, wet ear wax foul smelling ears, myxedema
- Weight: obese, listless, dull, exercise and cold intolerant. (lots of lipid [fat] in blood)
- Reproduction: Female: increased estrus
intervals or failing to cycle, small litters, weak stillborn or aborted puppies - Male: low libido, testicular atrophy, low sperm
count
Neurological effects of Hypothyroidism in dogs
Neurological Peripheral nervous system: peripheral neuropathy – weakness, gait deficit (proprioceptive problems), paraparesis to tetraparesis (2-8 weeks of clinical signs prior to paralysis). Drug treatment L-thyroxine (T4) will reverse symptom in 1-2 months
Central nervous system (Cranial nerves, 5, 7 8) dysfunction. Rare cerebral dysfunction.
myxedema coma (profound mental dullness and
stupor, with weakness)
Cardiovascular changes from Hypothyroidism
weak slow heart beats and contractions
Eye changes from hypothyroidism
lipid in cornea, glaucoma, retinal detachment, uveitis (caused by hyperlipidemia, too much ‘fat’ in blood)
Congenital Hypothyroidism (Dogs)
Defect in thyroid-stimulating hormone, or
thyroid gland development
- Often not observed with goiter
Susceptible breeds: Boxer, Giant Schnauzer, Scottish Deerhound
What are the 2 types of acquired irreversible destruction of the thyroid gland
Lymphocytic thyroiditis: inflammatory cells (i.e. lymphocytes) destroy thyroid tissue
- Caused by lymphocytes
Idiopathic thyroid degeneration (idiopathic thyroid atrophy): cells the produce are getting smaller (atrophic)
- Basically its saying we don’t know why its there
Usually occurs: 1:1 ratio
