Dogs

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: 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

1) Utility: herding and hunting 2) Human tendency to adopt wild orphaned animals’ pets

There are approximately 700-800 breeds of dogs world-wide.

• Sporting group • Hound group • Working group • Terrier group • Toy group • Non-sporting group • Herding group • Miscellaneous group

Hunting game birds and waterfowl: Different specializations: - Spaniels: flushing - Pointers: locating game - Weimaraners: multipurpose

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

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

Used to hunt and dig vermin - Usually brave dogs and can vary in size - Make fun pets: lots of energy

Bred as lap dogs and pampered pets - Often favored by royalty and nobility - Good pets for elderly and infirmed: less exercise is needed

Diverse group of sturdy animals - Can be long and short hair, good and poor temperaments Includes: - Poodles - Chow-chows

• 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

The “whatever’s left” group that encompasses any dogs that don’t fit into the other 7 AKC groups

• 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 • 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

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. 1 million times more greater capacity to detect smells over people

• 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

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

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.

• 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 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 replacement

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

• 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 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)

weak slow heart beats and contractions