A survey of owners' perceptions of fear of fireworks in a sample of dogs and cats in New Zealand

AIMS: To establish reliable information regarding the behavioural responses of dogs and cats to fireworks in New Zealand; record interventions used by owners, and their perceived efficacies; and establish the prevalence of firework-related injury, and quantify owners' attitudes towards fireworks. METHODS: A questionnaire targeting dog and cat owners was distributed via the Auckland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Animals Voice magazine and 25 veterinary clinics. The questionnaire covered demographics of animals, fear of fireworks, severity of the fear, and behaviours exhibited. Also included were treatments tried, source and perceived efficacy, prevalence of injury, and owners' attitudes towards the sale of fireworks for private use. RESULTS: From a total of 8,966 questionnaires distributed, 1,007 valid questionnaires were returned, representing 3,527 animals. Of these 1,635 (46%) animals displayed a level of fear of fireworks recognisable to their owners. Owners of dogs identified a significantly higher fear response than owners of cats but the duration of these fear responses did not differ between species. Fear of fireworks frequently resulted in dogs exhibiting active fear behaviours, whereas cats were more likely to exhibit hiding and cowering behaviours. A significantly increased severity and duration of fear response over time in dogs and cats was associated with owners who comforted them when they displayed a fearful response. Only 141/890 (15.8%) of owners sought professional treatment from a veterinarian, animal behaviourist or animal trainer for their animals, with variable efficacy. Six percent (51/923) of animals had received physical injuries from fireworks. The majority (837/1,007; 83%) of respondents, regardless of whether they owned a fearful animal or not, supported a ban on the sale of fireworks for private use. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide valuable information that is, as yet, unsubstantiated in New Zealand, although potential biases exist due to the non-random selection of respondents. Differences between dogs and cats were likely due to differing responses to fear-provoking stimuli between the species. Owner-reported increase in fearful response over time for comforted animals may indicate a negative impact on the longer-term psychological welfare of their animal. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The greater the awareness of effective treatment plans for animals that suffer from a fear of fireworks, the greater the possibility that this fear can be reduced. Wider dissemination of effective owner behaviour and treatment programmes for firework fears is needed to improve levels of professional treatment for dogs and cats

T9-T10 Intervertebral Disc Herniation in Three Dogs

SummaryThree middle-aged (6-8 years), intact male Dachshunds were admitted to the University of Tennessee Veterinary Teaching Hospital (UTVTH) with acute onset of back pain and pelvic limb paralysis.Physical examination of dog #1 revealed hyperaesthesia of the thoracolumbar spine. Superficial pain sensation was absent in the pelvic limbs, while deep pain sensation was intact. The cutaneous trunci (panniculus) reflex was absent caudal to the thoraco-lumbar region. Reflexes to the pelvic limbs were exaggerated.A myelogram showed dorsal deviation of the ventral contrast column and attenuation of the ventral and dorsal contrast columns at the T9-T10 disc space. A hemilaminectomy was performed from T9 to T10, and mineralized disc material was retrieved from the vertebral canal at T9-T10. The T9- T10 to L3-L4 disc spaces were fenestrated. Two weeks after surgery, superficial and deep pain sensation of the rearlimbs were present, but paralysis persisted. The animal was euthanatised at the owners’ request. A postmortem examination was not performed.Dog #2 displayed absent superficial pain sensation, and intact deep pain sensation of the pelvic limbs. Hyperaesthesia of the thoracolumbar region and hyperreflexia of the rear limbs were noted. Examination of the cutaneous trunci reflex was not performed. A myelogram revealed ventral extradural compression of the spinal cord at T9- T10. A T9-T10 hemilaminectomy revealed a large amount of extruded disc material, which was removed. The Tll- T12 to L4-L5 intervertebral discs were fenestrated. Forty-eight hours postoperatively, the patient regained voluntary motor function, and recovery was uneventful.Neurologic examination of dog #3 revealed absence of deep pain sensation in the pelvic limbs; duration of which was not known. Spinal radiographs and myelography revealed ventral extradural spinal cord compression at T9-T10 (Fig.). A right-sided hemilaminectomy at T9-T10 revealed a large amount of calcified disc material, ventral to the spinal cord. The T11-T12 through Ll- L2 intervertebral discs were fenestrated. Sixty days postoperatively, paralysis persisted and the dog was euthanatised. No postmortem examination was performed.Herniation of the T9-T10 intervertebral disc was diagnosed in three Dachshunds with acute paraplegia. The clinical diagnosis and surgical management of T9-T10 disc herniation are similar to that in the more common sites of disc herniation.</jats:p

Autogenous Tensor Fascia Lata Graft Replacement of the Patellar Ligament in a Dog

SummaryThis report documents a complicated trauma case in a dog that was successfully managed by substitution of a missing patellar ligament with an autogenous tensor fascia lata free graft. Important to the success of the case was the use of a careful postoperative regime of progressive controlled mobilization with the aid of the hinged transarticular external skeletal fixator. Because of the advantages provided by use of the autogenous tensor fascia lata graft and the hinged transarticular external skeletal fixator, patient morbidity was low and the end result was good.An autogenous tensor fascia lata free graft was successfully used to completely substitute for a missing patellar ligament in a dog. Postoperative rehabilitation was facilitated by the use of the hinged transarticular external skeletal fixator. The technique is described along with the results. Complete substitution of the patellar ligament with a graft has not been reported in the dog.</jats:p