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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Lucy Asher
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
This study aimed to use retirement data from working guide dogs to investigate healthy ageing in dogs and the demographic factors that influence ageing. Using a dataset of 7686 dogs spanning 20 years, dogs withdrawn for health reasons before they reached retirement were identified. Cases of retirement for old age, rather than for health reasons, were also recorded, as was the length of working life for all dogs. Specific health reasons were grouped into 14 different health categories. The influence of purebred or crossbreed, breed, and sex on the incidence of these health categories and the length of working life within each health category was considered.The majority (n = 6465/7686; 84%) of working guide dogs were able to function as guide dogs until they had worked for 8.5 years, when they retired. This working life might constitute a reference for the different breeds considered, with the exception of the German shepherd dog, which had a shorter working life. The most common reason for health withdrawals was musculoskeletal conditions (n = 387/1362; 28%), mostly arthritis. Skin conditions (mostly comprised of cases of atopic dermatitis) reduced working life most commonly (mean, approximately 5 years). Nervous sensory conditions (35% of which were cases of epilepsy) reduced working life by 3 years. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Author(s): Caron-Lormier G, England GCW, Green MJ, Asher L
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Veterinary Journal
Year: 2016
Volume: 207
Pages: 124-130
Print publication date: 01/01/2016
Online publication date: 11/11/2015
Acceptance date: 20/10/2015
Date deposited: 06/05/2016
ISSN (print): 1090-0233
ISSN (electronic): 1532-2971
Publisher: Elsevier
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.10.046
DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.10.046
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