Family Dog Research Articles

G97(P) Audit of safeguarding of children presenting with dog bites to the emergency department

Aims Recently there has been much media coverage of dog attacks on children. NICE guidelines for management of dog bites recommend that inadequate supervision should prompt consideration of child neglect. We aimed to retrospectively analyse emergency department records to examine the nature of paediatric dog bite incidences, demographics, management, and child safeguarding actions. Methods This was a retrospective case series review of routinely collected data, reviewing electronic notes of emergency departments attendances coded for animal bites, stings, or wounds, between 1st May 2013 and 31st of May 2014. The audit was registered with the audit department, ethics committee approval was not required. We obtained records for 193 patients between 0 and 17 years of age. 33 patients were excluded (17%), 7 due to insufficient documents, 19 due to bites from other animals, and 7 re-attendances. Results 160 patients were analysed, the mean age was 9.4 years of age, with 66 female (41%) and 94 male (59%). There were 105 injuries to the limbs and 50 facial injuries. Most injuries occurred within the family home (n = 43) or in a public place (n = 43). The commonest culprit was the family’s own dog (n = 47), the next commonest being a relative’s dog (n = 22). 135 patients received antibiotics, and 17 required referral to other specialities. There were 3 safeguarding referrals to social services within the department, and 4 referrals to health visitors by clinicians. However the trust employs paediatric liaison nurses who retrospectively review notes and take further actions if there are child protection issues. The paediatric liaison team made 32 referrals to school nurses and 21 referrals to health visitors, though no social services safeguarding referrals. Conclusion Our study suggests children attending emergency departments with dog bites are commonly attacked by the family dog within the family home. There was a low overall rate of child safeguarding actions taken though the trust paediatric liason team made more referrals than clinicians. As a result of this audit we will update our online emergency department guidelines for clinicians. Moreover, we will distributea patient information leaflet including advice regarding supervision of children around dogs.

Influence of owners' attachment style and personality on their dogs' (Canis familiaris) separation-related disorder.

Previous research has suggested that owners’ attitude to their family dogs may contribute to a variety of behaviour problems in the dog, and authors assume that dogs with separation-related disorder (SRD) attach differently to the owner than typical dogs do. Our previous research suggested that these dogs may have an insecure attachment style. In the present study we have investigated whether owners’ attachment style, personality traits and the personality of the dog influence the occurrence of SRD in the dog. In an internet-based survey 1508 (1185 German and 323 Hungarian) dog-owners filled in five questionnaires: Demographic questions, Separation Behaviour Questionnaire (to determine SRD), Human and Dog Big Five Inventory and Adult Attachment Scale. We found that with owners’ higher score on attachment avoidance the occurrence of SRD in the dog increases. Dogs scoring higher on the neuroticism scale were more prone to develop SRD. Our results suggest that owners’ attachment avoidance may facilitate the development of SRD in dogs. We assume that avoidant owners are less responsive to the dog’s needs and do not provide a secure base for the dog when needed. As a result dogs form an insecure attachment and may develop SRD. However, there may be alternative explanations of our findings that we also discuss.

Barriers and facilitators to dog walking in New England

Dog walking may increase physical activity among dogs and their owners. Understanding barriers and facilitators to walking the dog is critical to developing interventions to increase dog walking. This study aimed to confirm previously identified barriers and facilitators of dog walking, and to identify unique factors that may be relevant to dog walking in cities with variable weather. This mixed methods study used focus groups to identify barriers and facilitators associated with dog walking and a survey to examine which factors were associated with dog walking. Focus group participants described barriers, such as lack of time, weather, lack of places to walk and the dog's bad behaviour. Facilitators included enjoyment, dog walking norms (defined as the participant's perception of how much the veterinarian, other dog owners, and their family think they should walk the dog), and socialisation opportunities. A hierarchical regression analysis of survey data revealed that the participant's perception of dog walking norms was associated with increased frequency and duration of dog walking, while weather, work and family commitment barriers were associated with a reduced frequency and duration of dog walking. Family, community and veterinarian dog walking norms, inclement weather, and lack of time due to work obligations emerged as important correlates of dog walking. Interventions that aim to increase physical activity by encouraging dog walking may benefit from incorporating strategies that address facilitators (family support) and barriers (time and weather) to walking the dog.

Measuring fear in dogs by questionnaires: An exploratory study toward a standardized inventory

Several types of questionnaires are in use to measure fear-related behaviour in family dogs. Our aim was to develop a general questionnaire based on relevant previous studies in order to facilitate the standardization of measurements of fear-related behaviour in dogs (social fear, non-social fear, separation problems, anxiety/destructiveness and neuroticism). We investigated which aspects of fear do emerge as distinct factors when measuring fear in dogs with our consensus questionnaire.We developed the questionnaire by piercing together seven discrete fear-related factors from six previous studies representing different aspects of fear. Our final questionnaire consisted of 56 items and was filled out by 833 Hungarian pet dog owners.Principal component analysis was applied to explore the factorial structure of the questionnaire scores. The original seven factors used in developing the questionnaire did not emerged as discrete factors. Instead, we found four factors (33 questionnaire items) labeled as neuroticism (CRA=0.87), dog-directed fear (CRA=0.84), human-directed fear (CRA=0.90) and separation-related behavior (CRA=0.83).The effects of demographic and dog keeping characteristics on these factors were also tested by generalized linear models (GLMs). For example, toy dogs had a higher risk to show neuroticism and dog-directed fear. Female owners were more frequently reporting human-directed fear in their dogs. Female dogs showed higher level of dog-directed fear. Older dogs score was higher on neuroticism and neuroticism correlated with the time of acquisition.The standardization of specific trait measures provides an advantage to the researchers in constructing further, more specific tools and offers a greater comparability of research across dog and human populations.

Ninja by Arree Chung (review)

Reviewed by: Ninja by Arree Chung Thaddeus Andracki Chung, Arree Ninja!; written and illus. by Arree Chung. Holt, 2014 32p ISBN 978-0-8050-9911-9 $16.99 Ad 5-8 yrs A ninja’s full array of skills—stealth, surprise, agility—are on display in this picture book; our nameless hero cunningly uses a paddleball to fend off the family dog as he launches a sneak attack on his napping dad and employs a jump rope to scale his way to the kitchen island for cookies and milk. His younger sister watches him gleefully, and when her attempt to imitate the impressive acrobatics falls flat (literally), our ninja earns a (wordless) scolding … but is inspired to train the young one in his learned art. Spreads include geometric backgrounds that experiment with perspective, providing a manga-like reading experience and breaking up the text into short, choppy chunks that evoke the tightness associated with ninja films. That choppiness, however, carries over into the narrative, with disparate scenes cobbled together and an ending that, though heartwarming, doesn’t satisfactorily complete the story. Digitally assembled acrylic and found paper manifests a modern home with Japanese touches—sliding doors that look like they could be rice paper and ikebana arrangements—while our ninja has a exaggerated roundedness [End Page 15] with precisely circular eyes and a button nose that, though comical, clashes with the more sophisticated tone. The grandeur of the glowing dragon that activates in the background when ninja powers are being used is breathtaking, though, and a mostly black spread with our narrator’s head hung perfectly captures the shame of a dishonored kid/warrior. Despite its flaws, this could have some rambunctious draw, perhaps for a clad-in-black storytime when paired with Phillipps’ Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed (BCCB 6/09). Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Social behaviours in dog-owner interactions can serve as a model for designing social robots

It is essential for social robots to fit in the human society. In order to facilitate this process we propose to use the family dog’s social behaviour shown towards humans as an inspiration. In this study we explored dogs’ low level social monitoring in dog-human interactions and extracted individually consistent and context dependent behaviours in simple everyday social scenarios. We found that proximity seeking and tail wagging were most individually distinctive in dogs, while activity, orientation towards the owner, and exploration were dependent on the context and/or the activity of the owner. The functional analogues of these dog behaviours can be implemented in social robots of different embodiments in order to make them acceptable and more believable for humans. Keywords: dog-owner interaction; social robotics; low-level social monitoring; greeting behaviour; individually distinctive behaviours

Dog walking is associated with more outdoor play and independent mobility for children

ObjectiveDog ownership is positively associated with children's physical activity. It is plausible that dog-facilitated activity rather than dog ownership per se encourages children's physical activity behaviors. We examined relationships between dog walking and children's physical activity, and outdoor play and independent mobility. MethodCross-sectional survey data from the 2007 Perth (Western Australia) TRavel, Environment, and Kids (TREK) project were analyzed for 727 10–12year olds with a family dog. Weekly minutes of overall physical activity and walking, local walking and outdoor play were collected from children and parents. Children's weekly pedometer steps were measured. Independent mobility was determined by active independent travel to 15 local destinations. ResultsOverall, 55% of children walked their dog. After adjustment, more dog walkers than non-dog walkers walked in the neighborhood (75% vs. 47%), played in the street (60% vs. 45%) and played in the yard (91% vs. 84%) (all p≤0.05). Dog walkers were more independently mobile than non-dog walkers (p≤0.001). Dog walking status was not associated with overall physical activity, walking, or pedometer steps (p>0.05). ConclusionsDog-facilitated play and physical activity can be an effective strategy for increasing children's physical activity. Dog walking may provide a readily accessible and safe option for improving levels of independent mobility.

The Deaf House by Joanne Weber (review)

Reviewed by: The Deaf House by Joanne Weber Kristin Snoddon (bio) The Deaf House, by Joanne Weber (Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press, 2013, 326 pp., paperback, $18.95, ISBN: 978-1-927068-48-9) From the opening to the closing lines of Joanne Weber’s literary memoir, The Deaf House, the reader is reminded of George Eliot’s assertion in Middlemarch that “If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence” (162). Weber’s book, structured around the same symmetry with which she seeks a literal and metaphorical house for “my Deaf body” (324), is a reminder of the tragedy that Eliot described as underpinning human existence. Like the tinnitus that rings in Weber’s ears throughout her life, this tragedy is a constant presence in the book. The Deaf House tells several stories, including that of the Saskatchewan Deaf community following the 1991 closure of the R. J. Williams School for the Deaf, the only Canadian provincial school for Deaf students to be named for a Deaf person (Carbin 1996). These stories are seamlessly woven together in a nonlinear juxtaposition of episodes. In the opening pages, Weber describes her solitary bus journey as an eleven-year-old to the capital city of Regina, where she was presented to a church basement gathering of parents of other Deaf children. For these parents, Weber was an example of a so-called oral success. As one parent asked her, “ ‘Your spee perect. Are you reaee pro unn deee eaf?’ ” For Weber presents a Deaf life from the inside. The form of the back-and-forth dialogue that takes place later in the book is reminiscent of role shifting in sign languages: [End Page 543] PLEASED MOTHER: “Joanne, you will receive an award for being the Saskatchewan Junior Citizen of the Year.” SULLEN JOANNE: “Why on earth would they give me an award?” INSISTING MOTHER: “They, Joanne, is the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association. You’ve accomplished so much with your deafness. All the volunteer work you’ve done, sports, and your marks.” DEFIANT JOANNE: “Well, I’m not going. I don’t want to receive an award for being able to endure boredom.” (120) This literary device is surprisingly effective. The boredom that Weber describes is a product of her existence as a mainstreamed student in public school and then at a university. As she writes of her years of graduate study at the University of Alberta, “I sat in the classes, unable to comprehend: any of it . . . I sat in a river of voices, bubbling, racing, rushing past my nothingness” (152). Following her completion of a second master’s degree in Deaf education at Gallaudet University—where Weber learned ASL and initially opposed the Deaf President Now protest then taking place—she became a teacher of Deaf students. Weber taught first at the doomed R. J. Williams School and then, fifteen years later, for a pull-out classroom at a mainstream high school in Regina. The Deaf First Nations students who filed into her mainstream classroom without intelligible speech, literacy, or ASL skills provided Weber with the bulk of her training as a bilingual/bicultural educator. She began using ASL with her students: “I drop the initials in my signing—those stupid, tight little handshapes I’ve been struggling to remember. Instead my lips blow, chuff, and tighten into a flat line” (67). In an especially powerful episode, Weber describes Nolan, a seventeen-year-old, six-foot-tall aboriginal student who is repeating grade ten for the third time. A talented artist and an emergent writer of screenplays and stories, Nolan is briefly introduced by Weber to Deaf View/Image Art in the form of Susan Dupor’s Family Dog. In turn, Nolan is inspired to produce a self-portrait of his head inside a fishbowl: “ ‘People are always watching me . . . I can’t see those people. They don’t exist. They don’t have any colour to them. I can only see myself ’ ” (80). However, Nolan’s artistic...

Development of a non-invasive polysomnography technique for dogs (Canis familiaris)

Recently dogs (Canis familiaris) have been demonstrated to be a promising model species for studying human behavior as they have adapted to the human niche and developed human-like socio-cognitive skills. Research on dog behavior, however, has so far almost exclusively focused on awake functioning.Here we present a self-developed non-invasive canine polysomnography method that can easily be applied to naive pet dogs. N=22 adult pet dogs (with their owners present) and N=12 adult humans participated in Study I. From these subjects, N=7 dogs returned on two more occasions for Study II.In Study I, we give a descriptive analysis of the sleep electroencephalogram of the dog and compare it to human data. In order to validate our canine polysomnography method in Study II, we compare the sleep macrostructure and the EEG spectrum of dogs after a behaviorally active day without sleep versus passive day with sleep.In Study I, we found that dogs' sleep EEG resembled that of human subjects and was generally in accordance with previous literature using invasive technology. In Study II, we show that similarly to previous results on humans daytime load of novel experiences and sleep deprivation affects the macrostructural and spectral aspects of subsequent sleep.Our results validate the family dog as a model species for studying the effects of pre-sleep activities on the EEG pattern under natural conditions and, thus, broaden the perspectives of the rapidly growing fields of canine cognition and sleep research.

The influence of external and internal factors on the quality of semen collection and qualitative indicators of semen in the dog (Canis familiaris)

The influence of external and internal factors on the course of semen collection and quality of ejaculate has been evaluated in this work. This observation included 30 dogs of various breeds, each of which we collected 3 ejaculates from within one week (first, third and fifth day). The internal factors included the weight of the dog, order of semen collection and the age of the dog. The external factors included type of housing, utilization of the dog, point of the collection and type of nutrition. Average length of preparation of a dog for a collection and onset of sexual reflex was 95.7 sec. The observations showed that none of the evaluated internal factors had any influence on the length of preparation for the semen collection. The largest volume of ejaculate was collected from the first collection (10.5cm3), at the second collection it was 8.9 cm3 and the third one the volume was the smallest – with only 6.6 cm3. The average volume of 8.7 cm3 was found in the whole set of observed dogs. No statistically conclusive difference was found among groups. The average activity of sperm in the observed set was 68.8%. Activity declined from the first to the third collection from 73% to 65.5%. The difference in sperm activity was not statistically conclusive in any indicator. Sperm concentration in whole set of dogs was 143.6 103.mm−3 and was not significantly affected by any monitored internal factors.The longest preparation for the collection was found in dogs housed in pens (134.4 sec), dogs living in households (84.7 sec) and the shortest preparation was needed in dogs with freedom of movement. The longest onset of sexual reflexes was found in Police forces dogs, then family dogs and sport dogs (130.0 sec, 97.8 sec and 68.3 sec). In dogs collected in laboratory, the emergence of sexual reflex was longer (110.7 sec) than in dogs collected in their own natural environment (80.7 sec). The average length of the whole ejaculation was 396.0 sec in the whole set of dogs. The longest ejaculation was found in dogs held home (468.0 sec), the shortest in dogs with freedom of movement (290.0 sec). Family dogs had the longest ejaculation time, Police forces dogs had the shortest. The highest volume of semen was found in dogs kept in households (11.0 cm3), the smallest volume was in dogs with freedom of movement (4.2 cm3). Dogs used in sport, family dogs and Police forces dogs had the volume of semen 12.7 cm3, 6.3 cm3 and 5.7 cm3. Statistically highly significant differences in the activity of sperm was found between dogs with freedom of movement (35.0%) and dogs kept in pens and household of the breeder (77.8%, respectively 77.0%), between Police dogs (49.4%) and sport dogs (76.7%) and family dog (77.8%), as well as in the place of collection (P ≤ 0.01). The lowest sperm concentration was found in dogs kept in households (124.103.mm−3), in dogs kept in pens (152.103.mm−3), the highest sperm concentration was in dogs with freedom of movement (180.103.mm−3). Police, sport and family dogs had the concentration of 175.103.mm−3, 126,5.103.mm−3, respectively 135,0.103.mm−3. Dogs collected in household had the average sperm concentration 102.7.103.mm−3, compared to the sperm concentration of dogs collected in the laboratory (184.5.103.mm−3).

Lack of Detectable Serum Levels Following Topical Fluoxetine Administration in a Child

[Author Affiliation]Dean Elbe. 1 Children's & Women's Mental Health Programs, BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2 Department of Pharmacy, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.Leslie Wicholas. 1 Children's & Women's Mental Health Programs, BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Vancouver, British Columbia. 3 Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.Address correspondence to: Dean Elbe, PharmD, BCPP, Mental Health Building, P2-229, Children's & Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Box 141-4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6H 3N1, E-mail: delbe@cw.bc.caTo the Editor:An 8-year-old boy with a history of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) combined subtype, complex partial epilepsy, pediatric migraine, nonverbal learning disorder, and anxiety disorder not otherwise specified was admitted to the inpatient child psychiatry unit of British Columbia's Children's Hospital in September 2012 for assessment and treatment. Admission medications included valproic acid (liquid) 250 mg twice daily, lisdexamfetamine 20 mg daily (dispersed in liquid), melatonin (sublingual) 5 mg at bedtime as needed, and fluoxetine 20 mg daily administered via topical application to alternating wrists every morning. The patient was extremely fearful of taking oral medications. This aversion developed after the family dog was euthanized. The patient feared that he would also die if he took oral medications. His parents had been restraining him and forcing him to take medically necessary oral medications, such as valproic acid for seizure prophylaxis.Upon learning of the topical fluoxetine prescription, the clinical pharmacist contacted the dispensing community pharmacy for details of the product. Topical fluoxetine had been dispensed since February 2012 for ∼7 months prior to admission. The product was compounded to contain fluoxetine 100 mg/mL in Lipoderm® , a proprietary permeation enhancer produced by the Pharmaceutical Compounding Centers of America.A literature search for data regarding topical absorption of fluoxetine in humans did not reveal any relevant articles. Data obtained from veterinary literature indicated that transdermal fluoxetine absorption was likely to be low (Ciribassi et al. 2003; Trepanier 2011). The patient's mother described a pattern of response consistent with what may be typically expected following administration of oral fluoxetine for treatment of anxiety, including a reduction in symptoms that was delayed in onset by 3-4 weeks following the start of topical fluoxetine administration. No adverse effects were reported. The clinical pharmacist recommended checking a serum fluoxetine level to assess whether any of the fluoxetine was reaching the systemic circulation. The patient was also very fearful of needles, and the family initially refused to consent to having bloodwork drawn. The patient's family did not want to stop topical fluoxetine administration, even following a conversation with the treating psychiatrist and clinical pharmacist about the likely low rate of transdermal absorption. Continued use of this product was considered to likely be ineffective for treatment of the patient's anxiety disorder, but very unlikely to be directly harmful to the patient.During the 1 month admission he was switched from liquid valproic acid to a divalproex sprinkle formulation (obtained via the Health Canada Special Access Program) which was consistently administered in hospital. With teaching and a rewards program implemented by unit staff, the patient became more amenable to taking medications orally. He no longer had to be restrained by his parents for medication administration. His parents consented to bloodwork to assess serum valproate and fluoxetine levels. …

Leadership and path characteristics during walks are linked to dominance order and individual traits in dogs.

Movement interactions and the underlying social structure in groups have relevance across many social-living species. Collective motion of groups could be based on an “egalitarian” decision system, but in practice it is often influenced by underlying social network structures and by individual characteristics. We investigated whether dominance rank and personality traits are linked to leader and follower roles during joint motion of family dogs. We obtained high-resolution spatio-temporal GPS trajectory data (823,148 data points) from six dogs belonging to the same household and their owner during 14 30–40 min unleashed walks. We identified several features of the dogs' paths (e.g., running speed or distance from the owner) which are characteristic of a given dog. A directional correlation analysis quantifies interactions between pairs of dogs that run loops jointly. We found that dogs play the role of the leader about 50–85% of the time, i.e. the leader and follower roles in a given pair are dynamically interchangable. However, on a longer timescale tendencies to lead differ consistently. The network constructed from these loose leader–follower relations is hierarchical, and the dogs' positions in the network correlates with the age, dominance rank, trainability, controllability, and aggression measures derived from personality questionnaires. We demonstrated the possibility of determining dominance rank and personality traits of an individual based only on its logged movement data. The collective motion of dogs is influenced by underlying social network structures and by characteristics such as personality differences. Our findings could pave the way for automated animal personality and human social interaction measurements.

Kontakto su šunimis panaudojimas vykstant socialinės pagalbos procesui

There is currently no research on the use of contact with a dog in the process of social support in Lithuania. So, the aim of this research is to reveal the wide variety of possibilities to apply human-dog bond in professional social work interventions. To reach this goal analysis of scientific literature and qualitative research was made. There were 6 informants interviewed: two experts from United States, two pioneers of dog assisted interventions in Lithuania, and two social workers, who are interested in dog assisted activities and apply them in their voluntary or work practice. Data analysis has been conducted using principles of grounded theory method. Results of research have shown that dogs are highly reliable and predictable therapy animals that almost every group of clients can benefit from. From the perspective of Humanistic theory we can state that integration dogs in the process of social support helps to create preconditions for relationship with client (enhance congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathy). The use of contact with a dog as a social support professional might be twofold: (1) interventions with assistance of therapy dog (presence of dogs, petting, playing, training, congruence, etc.) and use of family dogs (for evaluation of family dynamics or for psychosocial support). Appropriate training is needed to achieve the best results in practice of dog assisted social work. There are only initial private initiatives appearing in Lithuania that aim to provide social support using human – dog bond. Thus we recommend that academic community work together with practitioners towards development of dog assisted interventions in Lithuania, enriching social work students’ curriculum, and academic acknowledgment of this method.

Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite–related fatalities in the United States (2000–2009)

To examine potentially preventable factors in human dog bite-related fatalities (DBRFs) on the basis of data from sources that were more complete, verifiable, and accurate than media reports used in previous studies. Prospective case series. 56 DBRFs occurring in the United States from 2000 to 2009. DBRFs were identified from media reports and detailed histories were compiled on the basis of reports from homicide detectives, animal control reports, and interviews with investigators for coding and descriptive analysis. Major co-occurrent factors for the 256 DBRFs included absence of an able-bodied person to intervene (n = 223 [87.1%]), incidental or no familiar relationship of victims with dogs (218 [85.2%]), owner failure to neuter dogs (216 [84.4%]), compromised ability of victims to interact appropriately with dogs (198 [77.4%]), dogs kept isolated from regular positive human interactions versus family dogs (195 [76.2%]), owners' prior mismanagement of dogs (96 [37.5%]), and owners' history of abuse or neglect of dogs (54 [21.1%]). Four or more of these factors co-occurred in 206 (80.5%) deaths. For 401 dogs described in various media accounts, reported breed differed for 124 (30.9%); for 346 dogs with both media and animal control breed reports, breed differed for 139 (40.2%). Valid breed determination was possible for only 45 (17.6%) DBRFs; 20 breeds, including 2 known mixes, were identified. Most DBRFs were characterized by coincident, preventable factors; breed was not one of these. Study results supported previous recommendations for multifactorial approaches, instead of single-factor solutions such as breed-specific legislation, for dog bite prevention.

Molecular Epidemiology in Neonatal Pasteurellosis

To the Editors: P asteurella multocida is a nonmotile, facultative anaerobic, bipolar staining, gram-negative coccobacillus. Humans can become asymptomatic carriers from animal contact and a source of transmission. Few studies have characterized P. multocida strains and confirmed animal and/or human exposure as the direct source of neonatal infection. A 25-day-old infant was admitted with P. multocida (Vitek, bioMérieux, Durham, NC) sepsis and meningitis with positive blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures. He received a 21-day course of ampicillin (minimal inhibitory concentration < 0.12 μg/mL; Vitek, bioMérieux, Durham, NC) with complete resolution of symptoms during the first week of therapy. On follow-up appointment at 8 months of age, neurologic and developmental assessments were appropriate for his age. Surveillance investigation of close human and animal contacts was performed during the infant’s hospitalization. Throat cultures from the parents and vaginal cultures from the mother were negative for P. multocida. Mouth swabs obtained from both family dogs grew Pasteurella haemolytica. Mouth cultures from an outside cat grew P. multocida. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and ribotyping analysis were performed at the Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, Christiana Health Care System. DNAs of the isolates recovered from the patient’s CSF and the oral specimens from household pets were digested with SmaI and examined by PFGE. Ribotyping analysis (RiboPrinter System, DuPont Qualicon, Wilmington, DE) of P. multocida strains isolated from the patient and the household cat demonstrated that the strain recovered from the cat was unrelated to the strain isolated from the patients’ cerebrospinal fluid. P. multocida neonatal sepsis and meningitis, although rare, are potentially preventable infections that remain associated with a significant morbidity and mortality in this age group. Most neonatal pasteurellosis cases reported in the English language literature are associated with animal exposure. Nonetheless, only 4 publications used genetic analysis to confirm that the recovered strains from animal contacts were in fact the same P. multocida strains responsible for the neonatal infections.1–4 One study used restriction fragment length polymorphism banding patterns derived from southern blotting and hybridization.3 The other studies used ribotying and/or PFGE to compare 16sRNA gene sequences from reference database with the isolates.1,2,4 Studies that used genetic techniques demonstrated identical strains in the household contacts and the affected infants. In our experience, detailed epidemiologic tracing of his parents and animal contacts failed to recover P. multocida, but in the household cat. DNA analysis by ribotyping and PFGE confirmed that the neonatal infection was caused by a different P. multocida strain, the 1 recovered from the animal. Holst et al5 characterized the clinical manifestations and epidemiology of P. multocida subspecies. In their series of 146 cases, P. multocida subspecies multocida was recovered from the 5 patients presenting with septicemia with or without known animal exposure. Of the 2 isolates recovered from CSF in patients with meningitis, 1 belonged to subspecies multocida and the other to subspecies septica. Animal studies suggest that P. multocida subspecies septica strains might have a greater affinity to cause central nervous system infections.6 Whether certain strains are more likely than others to cause sepsis and meningitis in newborns is unknown. Genetic analysis could assist to characterize the epidemiology and to better understand mechanisms of spread for this infection in neonates. This report emphasizes that DNA fingerprinting of recovered P. multocida isolates must be a requisite to confirm the link between exposure and infection. Andrew S. Wood, MD Department of Pediatrics Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr, PA Elyse E. Foraker, BS MT (ASCP) Christiana Care Health Services Wilmington, DE Cecilia Di Pentima, MD, MPH Infectious Diseases Division Department of Pediatrics Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN

Attention to social and non-social stimuli in family dogs

s / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 8 (2013) e27ee46 e41 Pooling of data frommultiple shelters will allow initial estimates of prevalence of common behavioral responses to various sub-tests, thereby allowing shelters to plan appropriate resources for their canine populations. Moreover, these findings will help shelters identify and manage problematic behaviors of individual dogs before and after adoption thereby preventing unneeded euthanasia.

Psychosocial and environmental factors associated with dog-walking

Dog walking is associated with higher levels of physical activity (PA). However, not all dog owners walk their dog(s) at a level sufficient for health benefits. Therefore, identifying correlates of dog-walking may help to inform the design of more effective interventions to promote this specific form of PA. The purpose of this study was to examine psychosocial and environmental correlates of dog-walking and relationships of dog-walking with overall PA. In 2010, 391 dog owners (mean age = 43.6 ± 12.3 years) completed a survey. Multiple logistic regression and structural equation modeling were used to examine psychosocial and environmental correlates of dog-walking status, weekly minutes of dog-walking, and relationships of dog-walking with overall PA. Self-efficacy for dog-walking, dog-related outcome expectancies, family social support, dog social support, and neighborhood walking environment were associated with a 1.3–5.6 greater odds of being a dog walker. Self-efficacy mediated relationships between family support, dog support, and presence of a yard and dog-walking. Neighborhood environment, including the presence of greenery and trails, was also positively associated with duration of dog-walking (β = 0.17; p < 0.05). Every 30-minute increase in dog-walking was associated with a 23% greater odds of meeting PA guidelines by walking. Individual, social, and environmental factors consistent with a social–ecological framework were positively associated with dog-walking. Individuals were more likely to meet PA guidelines if they walked their dog(s) and engaged in dog-walking for longer duration.

Developing a simple behavior test battery for family dogs (FIDO)

Developing a simple behavior test battery for family dogs (FIDO)

A puzzling domestic infestation of the storage mite Tyrophagus longior

Most UK records of the storage mite Tyrophagus longior are from stored and growing agricultural crops. It has rarely been found in human residences. A case is reported of an unexplained recurrent domestic infestation in a semi-rural dwelling in Staffordshire, England. The mite source was eventually identified as a hoard of dog biscuits found under floorboards within the house. The biscuits were evidently accumulated by mice infesting the house some 10 years previously. The authors hypothesise the mites were brought into the residence from local arable farmland by mice and/or the family dog and its owner.

“We will work for you” – Social influence may suppress individual food preferences in a communicative situation in dogs

The level of motivation (i.e. incentive power) is thought to be one of the most important factors affecting performance and learning in various tasks. We investigated whether reward quality has an effect on the performance of family dogs in a two-way object choice test in which they can find the hidden food by relying on distal momentary human pointing cues. In three experiments we varied (1) the type of food reward according to the subjects’ own preference; (2) the quality of the reward offered at the same time in the indicated and not-indicated locations; and (3) the order of the high or low quality rewards in consecutive sessions. In Experiment 1, we first tested whether dogs prefer one kind of reward over another. Then one group was tested with the ‘preferred’ food as reward in the indicated bowl, while dogs in the other group received the ‘non-preferred’ food as reward. We did not find any difference between the performance and choice latencies of the two groups. In Experiment 2 for the first group, the indicated bowl contained a piece of carrot and the not-indicated bowl was empty. In the second group the indicated bowl contained carrot, but the not-indicated bowl contained sausage. According to a preliminary preference test, most dogs prefer sausage over carrot invariably. After 20 trials, the two groups performed surprisingly similarly. There was no difference found between groups in the number of correct choices, incorrect choices and non-choices. However, the comparison between the first and last five trials revealed that subjects who found sausage when they chose the not-indicated bowl (did not follow the pointing) chose the non-indicated bowl significantly more often toward the end of their test session. In Experiment 3, each dog received two sessions with 12 pointing trials in each. For the first session, one group was rewarded with sausage and the other with carrot upon choosing the indicated bowl. In the second session, the indicated bowl contained dry dog food for both groups. We found that correct choices and response latencies did not change over two sessions in the ‘sausage’ group. In the ‘carrot’ group, the dogs chose faster in the second session, but their performance did not improve; in fact, they chose the not-indicated bowl more often than the indicated bowl. As a conclusion, we can say that reward quality had some effect on dogs’ choice behavior in these experiments. The drop in their performance was not drastic, taking into account the general refusal to eat one of the ‘rewards’ (carrot) during the preference tests and also during the test trials. It seems that incentive contrast may play a relatively minor role in dog-human social interactions. Appropriate reward quality can be very important in asocial problem solving tasks, but, when interacting with humans, following human signals may override the effect of changed incentive power.