Dogs – Effect of Management Flashcards
Introduction – Management and Preventative Health.
Management of all animals is central to their health and welfare.
Correct management, based on sound scientific principles, can help to maintain high health levels and good welfare throughout the whole of an animal’s life.
Conversely, poor management will lead to disease, suffering and poor welfare.
So, what are the key elements we need to consider regarding management of the dog.
Animal Health Plans.
Animal health plans can be useful guides to determine the details and timing of certain management protocols to help maintain health and welfare.
Plans such as these have traditionally been formulated for commercial animals, i.e. predominantly farm animals but also equines.
Companion animal whole of life health plans have always been conspicuously absent from the literature.
Many veterinary practices do offer “health plans”, i.e. regular health checks and financial budgeting plans for vaccination, worming and flea treatments.
However, there are certain areas of management, disease prevention and disease control techniques that we can define which will improve the health status and welfare of the individual.
The obvious areas we can consider are vaccination and internal and external parasite control but there are other, very important, aspects of management that we should consider.
Zoonotic diseases
disease that can be transmitted between humans and animals.
relatively common in companion species and so if we can devise a health plan for our canine companions not only will we benefit the animal but, potentially, humans also.
Breeding in the interest of health managmein pedigree dogsnt
Selective breeding/pedigree breeds.
If we breed an animal that has the potential for good health we can reduce the likelihood of problems later on.
So, an effective health plan starts before conception, i.e. selecting parents with an emphasis on health and utility rather than purely aesthetics.
Infectious disease prevention in pedigree dogs
Vaccination – key method of control of many, potentially life-threatening infectious diseases.
Vaccination schedules - Duration of immunity Non-responders Maternally derived antibodies Behaviour vs infectious disease protection
Isolation and quarantine –
Importing/exporting animals
PETS
Within rescue environments/veterinary practices
Hygiene – Cleaning and disinfection –
Many infectious disease agents can persist in the environment
Parasite control in pedigree dogs
There are a range of parasites that affect dogs that we can prevent through effective management.
Ectoparasites –
Very common in companion animals
Many treatments available
Zoonotic implications
Endoparasites –
Potentially very common
Range of treatments – careful selection necessary
Zoonotic implications
Fleas
Fleas are common in dogs and cats.
Two of the most common companion animal fleas are,
Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) - the cat flea is the most common in the UK and infests the cat, dog, rabbits, ferrets, small rodents and man.
Ctenocephalides canis (dog flea) found on some dogs in the UK and most common flea on dogs in Ireland.
Lice
Lice are small wingless insects which can occur in large numbers on many companion animal species including dogs, cats, guinea-pigs and rabbits.
Lice are generally host-specific so lice infestation of one host species does not pose a risk for other species of host.
A common louse of dogs is Trichodectes canis (canine biting (chewing) louse).
Ticks
Ticks are not insects but are related to the spider.
They have, as adults, eight legs and are flattened dorsoventrally with a hard shield on the back.
They have no wings.
Mites
There are a wide range of mange mites, some of which are species specific, others just show a strong species preference.
Examples in dogs include Otodectes cynotis, Cheyletiella yasguri, Sarcoptes scabiei, Demodex canis.
The entire life cycle of the mite takes place on the animal or within its skin, but many of the stages can remain infective for several days off the animal.
Certain mites seen in dogs are zoonotic
Control of Ectoparasites
There are a range of easy to use products that can be used to control against ectoparasites, many of which treat for several different types, e.g. fleas, lice and ticks.
Many products are of the “spot-on” type that are easily applied, by the owner, to the skin and have residual activity for a period of time
Routine application every 4 to 6 weeks or so, dependent on product, will prevent infestation.
For some ectoparasites, other techniques are also required, e.g. treating the environment for fleas.
Companion Animal Endoparasites
There are several endoparasites that affect the dog, some of which are zoonotic and can lead to serious disease in animals and humans.
Tapeworms
Dipylidium caninum
Taenia species
Echinococcus granulosus
Roundworms
Toxocara canis
Toxascaris leonina
Control of endoparasites
There are many products available for control of endoparasites in dogs that are easy to use for the owner.
Careful selection of particular products for use against particular endoparasites is very important.
Different presentations include tablets, granules and pastes.
Nutrition
The feeding of dogs and cats is guided by a different set of priorities to that of farm animals although the biochemical and physiological principles are similar.
Whereas farm animal nutrition is designed to encourage maximum production from the animal, companion animal nutrition is similar to human nutrition in that it is designed to achieve a long, active and healthy life for the animal and to minimize or avoid health problems such as skin disease, digestive and renal disorders.
As such we can consider companion animal nutrition to be “nutrition for life”.
Providing a Healthy Diet for health managment
A healthy diet is dependent on providing the animal with a balanced diet, i.e. optimum nutrient levels that allows no net gain or loss.
A balanced diet will supply the key nutrients needed to meet the requirements of the animal and a sufficient quantity of energy balanced with consideration of the life stage of the animal
