Undocked working dogs at greatest risk of tail injuries in Scotland

Sufficient evidence to lift current docking ban on certain breeds, say authors

2014-04-05

(Press-News.org) Undocked working dogs in Scotland are at greatest risk of tail injuries, indicates a survey of their owners, published in this week's Veterinary Record.

Of 2860 working dogs, 13.5% sustained at least one tail injury during the 2010/11 shooting season. But undocked spaniels (56.6%) and hunt point retrievers (38.5%) were at greatest risk. To ward off one tail injury during one shooting season would require between two and 18 spaniels or hunt point retrievers to be docked as puppies, say the authors, who conclude that docking the tails of these breeds by one-third would significantly decrease the risk of tail injuries.

In a second study, the same authors assessed the prevalence of tail injuries in different breeds of dog seen in 16 veterinary practices across Scotland between 2002 and early 2012.

The overall prevalence of tail injuries was 0.59%. But the prevalence of tail injuries in dogs of working breeds was estimated to be 0.90%. Working dog breeds were at a significantly greater risk of sustaining a tail injury than non-working breeds. To prevent one such tail injury in these working breeds around 232 dogs would need to be docked as puppies, calculate the authors. And to prevent one tail amputation in spaniels, 320 spaniel puppies would need to be docked.

Spaniels taken to vets after January 2009 were more than twice as likely to have a tail injury as those taken to a vet before April 29 2007 - the date when legislation banning tail docking came into force in Scotland.

"Given the results of this and the accompanying paper it may be appropriate to consider changes to the current legislation for specific breeds of working dogs," conclude the authors.

INFORMATION: [Survey of tail injuries sustained by working gundogs and terriers in Scotland Online First doi 10.1136/vr.102041]

[The prevalence of tail injuries in working and non-working breed dogs visiting veterinary practices in Scotland doi 10.1136/vr.102042]

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Brachytherapy helps maintain erectile function in prostate cancer patients without compromising treatment outcomes

2014-04-05

Vienna, Austria: The use of permanent brachytherapy, a procedure where radioactive sources are placed inside the prostate, into or near to the tumour, preserves erectile function in approximately 50% of patients with prostate cancer, a researcher will tell the ESTRO 33 congress today (Saturday). Brachytherapy works by giving a high dose of radiotherapy directly to the tumour, but only a very low dose to the surrounding normal tissues. Since erectile dysfunction (ED) can occur in up to 68% of patients who receive external beam radiotherapy for the condition, this is a ...

Loneliness impacts DNA repair

2014-04-05

In captivity, grey parrots are often kept in social isolation, which can have detrimental effects on their health and wellbeing. So far there have not been any studies on the effects of long term social isolation from conspecifics on cellular aging. Telomeres shorten with each cell division, and once a critical length is reached, cells are unable to divide further (a stage known as 'replicative senescence'). Although cellular senescence is a useful mechanism to eliminate worn-out cells, it appears to contribute to aging and mortality. Several studies suggest that telomere ...

Major genetic study links liver disease gene to bladder cancer

2014-04-04

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in Journal of the National Cancer Institute (with related research being presented this weekend at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Conference 2014) details the discovery of a new genetic driver of bladder cancer: silencing of the gene AGL. "We tend to think of cancer resulting from mutations that let genes make things they shouldn't or turn on when they should be quiet. But cancer can also result from loss of gene function. Some genes suppress cancer. When you turn off these suppressors, ...

Scientists generate 3D structure for the malaria parasite genome

2014-04-04

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A research team led by a cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside has generated a 3D model of the human malaria parasite genome at three different stages in the parasite's life cycle — the first time such 3D architecture has been generated during the progression of the life cycle of a parasite. The parasite that causes malaria in humans is Plasmodium falciparum. The female Anopheles mosquito transmits P. falciparum from an infected human to healthy individuals, spreading malaria in the process. According to the World Health Organization, ...

Analysis finds less research attention given to diseases of the poor

2014-04-04

Death is not distributed equally around the world. In high-income countries, people typically die in old age of chronic diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular problems. In low-income countries, death comes primarily from infectious and perinatal diseases, and strikes at a young age. But despite massive international efforts to improve global health, a new analysis of nearly 4 million scientific articles finds that research is disproportionately focused on diseases that primarily afflict wealthy countries. Correspondingly, less research attention is given to diseases ...

Nowhere to hide: Kids, once protected, now influenced by tobacco marketing

2014-04-04

(Lebanon, NH, 04/04/14) — More than 15 years ago, many states and tobacco manufacturers established restrictions to prevent youth exposure to the marketing of nicotine products. This follows regulations imposed 50 years ago that banned cigarette ads from TV. Despite these continued efforts, a new study by Dartmouth researchers reveals that not only are young people exposed to tobacco marketing, they are influenced by it. According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, exposure to "direct marketing" is associated with increased use of tobacco. "For ...

Does a junk food diet make you lazy? UCLA psychology study offers answer

2014-04-04

A new UCLA psychology study provides evidence that being overweight makes people tired and sedentary — not the other way around. Life scientists led by UCLA's Aaron Blaisdell placed 32 female rats on one of two diets for six months. The first, a standard rat's diet, consisted of relatively unprocessed foods like ground corn and fish meal. The ingredients in the second were highly processed, of lower quality and included substantially more sugar — a proxy for a junk food diet. After just three months, the researchers observed a significant difference in the amount ...

Higher social class linked to fewer bone fractures among non-white women

2014-04-04

If you are a middle-aged African-American or Asian woman, your social class may play a significant role in how likely you are to suffer bone fractures, a UCLA-led study suggests. The study, published in the current issue of Osteoporosis International, is unique in that it followed Asian, African-American and white women for a period of nine years during mid-life; most previous studies on socioeconomic status and osteoporosis risk had focused solely on older white women and often had not collected information on fractures over time. The new findings help shed ...

EAGeR medical trial: Low-dose aspirin won't prevent pregnancy loss

2014-04-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Effects of Aspirin in Gestation and Reproduction (EAGeR) medical trial has found that, in general, low-dose aspirin is not beneficial for future pregnancy outcomes in women with prior pregnancy loss. However, in women with one pregnancy loss within the previous 12 months, there did appear to be a benefit. Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo, is a principal investigator of the Buffalo EAGeR trial and co-author ...

In mice, obese dads produce heavier daughters with epigenetically altered breast tissue

2014-04-04

SAN DIEGO — Obese male mice and normal weight female mice produce female pups that are overweight at birth and in childhood, and have increased number of "terminal end buds" in their breast tissue — the site where cancer often develops in rodents. The findings, presented by a Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher at the AACR Annual Meeting 2014, come from one of the first animal studies to examine the impact of paternal obesity on future generations' cancer risk. In addition, the researchers say they've found evidence that obesity could change the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Invasive mosquito vector species detected in surveillance traps in United Kingdom

Could bacteria help fix the smoky taste of wildfire-tainted wine?

People with self-diagnosed ADHD report more negative self-image and more internalized stigma than clinically diagnosed individuals, and are more likely to seek social validation, per analysis of 450,0