A BITE FROM THE BLUE – DOES YOUR DOG HAVE RAGE SYNDROME?
DOES MY DOG HAVE ‘RAGE SYNDROME’?
Probably not.
‘Rage syndrome’ is a label applied to dogs who are described as biting their humans out of the blue and with no warning. The attacks are often described as frenzied and the dog is often said to have been acting normally seconds before the attack. ‘Rage syndrome’ is most often described in solid coloured Cocker Spaniels, especially red ones, but has also been described in other spaniels and non-spaniel breeds.
There is little good scientific research on ‘Rage syndrome’ and what there is points to this most often being a problem behaviour related to rescource guarding rather than a mysterious tendancy to attack for no reason. In their 1996 paper Podberscek and Serpell (1) did find increased aggression in solid colour cockers, but attributed most of it to ‘social dominance’ and protection of territory and possessions. They suggested there was a genetic component to the behaviour, which is not surprising as we accept that many personality traits have a genetic basis. It may have been that by paying more attention to the colours of dogs than to temperament breeders were creating pups with traits unsuitable for familiy life.
In their book ‘EMRA Intelligence’ Falconer-Taylor, Neville, and Strong (2) describe a typical case presented to the behaviourist as ‘Cocker Rage’. What they found was not a dog with an incurable genetic predisposition to unpredictable aggression, but a rather bored and frustrated dog . He was trying to communicate to his people when he was unhappy through his body language, and if they ignored that by growling, but sometimes they just didn’t hear his communication and he was pushed to snap at them. By teaching his owners how to meet his needs and listen to him, Bracken the Cocker becaome a content and safe family pet.
When someone tells me that a dog has ‘rage syndrome’ there are three key questions I ask. Could the dog be in pain? Where was the dog when the aggression occured? Was there anything of value to the dog around when the aggression occured?
Pain affects sleep, mobility, can be chronic but with acute flare-ups, it can affect mood and we appreciate in humans that it will make us short-tempered, so why not dogs? If the aggression is related to grooming and handling a through vet check to look for pain is advisable. Even aggression related to being stroked can be because the person accidentally touched a sore area.
Often the aggression is related to objects such as a bed or sofa, toys, and found items or to food and treats. It can even be connected to a particular person. This is termed ‘resource guarding’ and is understandable when you thing that without shelter, food, and protection a dog could die! Puppies need to be taught early on that humans (and other pets) are not going to steal their food. They need to be taught good cues to get off beds and furniture for a reward, and they need to be taught to give up toys or found objects on cue for a reward. Sleeping dogs should be gently roused so they aren’t startled into biting and dogs should be controlled around flash points like the front door as this area causes a complicated mix of strong emptions in so many dogs!
THE BITE FROM THE BLUE
“Yes,” you say, “but the dog I’m talking about just bit out of the blue with no warning!”
This is rarely true, at least not to begin with. Dogs are very good at communicating how they feel, but humans are not very good at listening to dogs. I say ‘listening’ but I should say ‘watching’ as most dog communication is non verbal. Early signs that a dog is not comfortable can be trying to withdrawn from contact, stiffness, a slow stiff tail wag, showing the whites of the eyes, and pining the ears back. If we ignore those the dog might try showing their teeth, standing over an object, or growling. At this point people tend to notice and might punish the dog by shouting or even hitting the dog. This works to stop the dog snarling or growling, but it doesn’t stop the dog feeling very unhappy about the situation. The dog learns not to growl, because they get punished so goes straight from subtle body language into an air snap. If you watch dogs together they are veyr good at dodging warning air snaps… people less so, and we get bitten. At this point most dogs who have been taught that biting people is not acceptable retreat and ‘look guilty’, they don’t show the frenzied attack of the ‘rage’ dog. But, if their bite is met with screaming, shouting, or hitting the dog may be so afraid that they attack as a form of self-defence. Sadly this can result in severe injuries to anyone who is in the way and could even be fatal to a child.
SO ‘RAGE SYNDROME’ ISN’T A REAL THING?
I have encountered a very small number of dogs who I believe have something pathological behind their aggression which we might call ‘rage’. In The Behavioural Biology of Dogs, Hedhammar and Hultin-Jäderlund (3) note that abnormal EEGs have been found in some dogs displaying ‘rage’ which point towards the idea that it is a form of epilepsy. I know people who live with hallucinatory forms of epilepsy which can be frightening until they get a diagnosis. I can imagine that seeing a frightening or confusing image could cause the symptoms of my ‘rage’ cases, namely dilated pupils (described by owners as trhe eyes going red as they see the retina) suggesting their ‘flight or flight’ system is triggered, and growling at thin air. People get bitten when they try to comfort the dog, or move into the field of vision and the bites are deep and multiple as when dogs are in self-defence mode.
I have not had great success with these pathological cases. Other vets and behaviourists have found anti-epileptic drugs to help some dogs, but many are euthanased as their atacks cannot be predicted or managed.
WHAT DO I DO IF MY DOGS IS GROWLING AND BITING?
- Sit down and identify when your dog growls and snaps. Often ‘random’ aggression is not so random when you really think about it. This can give you and your behaviourist clues as to why your dog isn’t happy.
- Book a vet check. Your behaviourist will want this before engaging in anything other than an emergency management plan. Make sure your vet knows why you are asking and does a thorough examination including the mouth, eyes, ears, abdomen, and musculoskeletal system. If your dog is aggressive when handled this may require pre-visit medication and a muzzle. Your vet may want to do blood tests, especially in older animals where medical conditions can make them less tolerant.
- Engage with a behaviourist who understands the emotional basis of problem behaviours such as those with COAPE qualifications and/or CAPBT members.
References
I don’t usually do references, but here are two articles you can read, and a book you can buy or find in a library that I used in writing this piece.
- https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/41637557/Environmental_influences_on_the_expressi20160127-20205-l6aq70-libre.pdf?1453905122=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DEnvironmental_influences_on_the_expressi.pdf&Expires=1673962846&Signature=S3zRQ5gfuyA2ZVAkEY6z4ffUqm1CUJ~BF-sD7wcVYb~mN1-M2MV2Bi2R1mqh1UOAre3R4P3fjfoh5dp1RHQoU0eSCV~~ZoHdNpuBbIMfnlwswztX-stNovVjmwA~bUgQ813RkckoqetMjI0GoMPR673tdyD7AQmfeFnjS~DoFWmOyAdM4GUFwea8Mqq-Cq8-Cf8mhmGgn6CNxClUOowicr5zF~ygHv4hVs~SEmT8mV7PLTftb5wYp8A3RKxDEjCrh08nhmfaRffnFLBHYqrYq0VgJfATMmuj5GWRMHp9ekLQ6EupkwrkIPMWfxWxvQo-eTBTdW81-y9webjbCkbRqw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
- https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/author/robert-falconer-taylor-peter-neville-val-strong/
- http://sherekashmir.informaticspublishing.com/671/1/9781845931872.pdf#page=253
VETS IN CRISIS
There is a shortage of vets
I’m struggling.
Every visit I go on, every training class I take or attend, every dog event I go to I am hearing the same thing. Pet owners can’t get an appointment with their vet. It sucks.
It sucks to call up to book your dog’s vaccination in only to be told they can’t book a routine appointment until December. It sucks to call up hoping to book a consultation on Friday afternoon when you finish early for something that isn’t life threatening, but is worrying you only to be told you will have to ring at 8.30 on the morning to see if there is space. It sucks to have to drive to a clinic 20 miles away in an Emergency because your local emergency clinic has shut down. It sucks to be the receptionist telling you this stuff too.
So what’s going on?
Brexit? Brexit carries some blame. Some of our European vets went home and it has become more expensive to employ a European vet now.
Covid? Another possible factor. Some vets from Europe and further afield went home when they realised that at any point they could be trapped in the UK, unable to get home to visit family. Long covid has also forced some vets out of the job, and still others struggle to work full time.
The job? Some older vets are retiring because they feel left behind by new drugs and new technology, some just deserve a break after 40 odd years in practice. Young vets aren’t finding the job fits their expectations; some find the routine work of a GP vet unfulfilling, others are so scared of complaints that they won’t push themselves to try new surgeries or to treat more complex medical cases. The job should be less stressful than it was when I graduated over 20 years ago… most small animal clinics have less or no out of hours and there is a huge network of referral centres for the complicated stuff. And yet… clients expect more and more and a blame culture has crept in which has us all on edge.
Big bad corporates? Full disclosure; I work for one part time and have worked for others in the past. Maybe in some the focus is on vets making money for shareholders, but that hasn’t been my experience. These companies buy practices because nobody else will. They buy them because they are a safe investment and they accept that they are high turnover, yet low profit businesses.
Money? Vets are well paid, right? Yes and no. If you have a 15minute consultation and get a bill for £100 how much do you think the vet gets? About £5. Vet practices are expensive to run so a surprisingly small percentage of your bill goes to the vet. It isn’t a badly paid job, but there are easier ways to make a living!
More pets? I don’t know if there are more pets now than a few years ago. Certainly we were warned that pet ownership was in decline and vets would need to find ways to keep clients! Covid might have changed that with people getting dogs and cats instead of going on holidays. A concern is that we might not be seeing all these new pets to advise their owners on good healthcare and this may be storing up a problem for the future.
What’s going to happen?
Sadly being a holistic vet doesn’t give me the power to see the future. We can’t whip up new vets fast, and applications to the vet schools are dropping. Paying veterinary staff more might keep some people in their jobs, but that would mean rising prices for pet owners at a time when their living costs (and the cost of running a veterinary practice!) are climbing fast. And if the job is too stressful no amount of money makes it worth staying.
How can I help my vet?
Plan ahead for routine appointments like vaccinations and medication reviews. Allow at least 2 working days when putting in a repeat prescription request. Keep up your pet’s preventative healthcare. And try to be kind, even when we can’t give you the appointment you hoped for. We are doing our best.
TRAINING IS LIFE!
WHAT’S WITH ALL THE TRAINING? LET DOGS BE DOGS!
I follow lots of positive reinforcement and force free dog trainers and behaviourists on social media. Some of them produce the most amazing content which I share, and there are always new ideas to be picked up. But not everyone following them is a fan. On one post about a training exercises and owner commented, “why are you always training your dogs?” She said she hadn’t trained her dog at all and he was just naturally well behaved. “Why,” she asked, “should I tell my dog what to do all the time? We just love walks and hanging out. He chased a deer once so we keep him on the lead near them now.” On a gundog training group a new puppy owner asked, “When should I start training my puppy? He is 10 weeks old.” The first answer was, “I don’t train my puppies until they are 6months old.”
ALL DOGS NEED TRAINING!
Were these people lying? No. They just have a different definition of training to me. But the idea that they haven’t trained their dogs is just nuts!
Take the first lady. She definitely doesn’t just allow her dog to be a dog. Just being a dog would mean he slept where he wanted, took any food he found, toileted when and where he chose, and explored the world at will. She has taught her dog to walk on a lead without pulling, and to come back when called (unless there are deer about!). Indoors she has set out the ground rules about where the dog can go, toilet trained the dog, taught food manners, and a host of other things that make her dog nice to be around. She just doesn’t call setting some basic rules on good manners and teaching them to the dog ‘training’. But it is! Her dog can only ‘relax and be a dog’ because he has been taught the rules that allow that to happen.
Take our gundog guy. If the novice follows his advice to the letter he will be looking for someone like me to help him out when his 7 month old Cocker is a self-employed hunting machine and menace to all furred and feathered creatures. The gundog guy means that he doesn’t start formal training until 6 months. The gundog guy doesn’t call rolling socks along the floor for his puppy to fetch, using a whistle to call the pup in for his grub, waiting until the puppy sits before feeding him, or playing tennis ball hide-and-seek in the long grass training. But that is exactly what it is.
WHEN SHOULD I START PUPPY TRAINING?
Before your puppy comes home agree a list of ‘ground rules’ with the other people in your house. Agree the words you will use as cues for your puppy, and ask the breeder what cues they have already introduced (a puppy from a good breeder will come with some basic training already started!).
As soon as your puppy is home use food and toys and the comfort of being near you to start moulding their behaviour to fit your ground rules. But be flexible… you aim might be for your puppy to sleep in the kitchen on their own, but they might need you closer for their first few nights.
TRAINING IS LIFE, AND LIFE IS LEARNING.
From the minute your puppy opens their eyes, to the minute they fall asleep they are learning, so you are training! If you aren’t helping your puppy to learn the right behaviours by setting them up for success, you are making lie harer for both of you in the long run.
Training isn’t just sit, stay, come, give paw and roll over. The best owners help their puppies to learn self control and life-skills as well as following cues.
LIFE LONG LEARNING FOR DOGS- RESOURCES
We highly recommend enrolling in a puppy class either in person or online. Choose a trainer who uses positive methods (they may call themselves positive, fear free, force free or similar).
You might also enjoy the following books:
Mission Control – Jane Ardern: a book that uses fun games to help dogs learn self control.
Life Skills for Puppies – Helen Zulch and Daniel Mills: how to have a dog that fits into the modern world.
Easy Peasy Puppy Squeazy – Steve Mann: A very easy to read, and funny, guide to understanding and training your puppy
IS YOUR PET AFRAID OF FIREWORKS?
MY DOG HATES FIREWORKS – LET’S BAN THEM!
Urgh, it’s that time of year again. Firework petition season. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have serious reservations about people with no pyrotechnical training being able to buy industrial fireworks to let off in their backyard, but I think the focus of pet owner’s energy is in the wrong place.
I fully support calls for fireworks to be restricted to organised displays. The event can be advertised in advance, animal owners (and those with babies, PTSD, or who just hate fireworks) can make arrangements, and let’s be honest the displays are just a whole lot better and safer. But this still leaves a problem; what to do with the pets who are scared of fireworks.
HELPING YOUR PET COPE WITH FIREWORKS
It might seem tardy to post this after Bonfire Night…but 5th November is just the start of the fireworks season (unless you live in East Sussex where we have a big display somewhere every weekend from September to December in normal years!). Fireworks are an important part of Diwali, Christmas, and New Year events. And this year, with organised displays likely to be banned, there will be more unpredictable home displays.
HELPING YOU PET WITH FIREWORKS NOW
Walk dogs in the daylight and get cast indoors before dusk. Move outdoor caged pets inside.
Use curtains to muffle sounds and light and keep indoors well lit.
Mask noises with music or the TV.
Make your pet a secure snuggly den to hide in.
If your pet wants to snuggle up for a cuddle, let them. If they need to roam the house, let them do that instead.
Distract your pet with a game, tasty treats, or some training.
Contact your vet for calming pheremones, supplements, or medications.
HELPING YOUR PET WITH FIREWORKS FOR THE FUTURE
This is where I get frustrated. Every November there are hundreds of posts about pets being scared of fireworks. Yet how many of these pets get help from a behaviourist? I have only worked with one noise phobia case this year (he’s doing really well with a combination of more interesting walks, medication when required, and a new surround sound TV!). Whilst I don’t promise your dog will react like my spaniels (bang = where is the thing to fetch) it is possible to reduce the fear felt by most dogs through counter conditioning and desensitisation, and to come up with medication protocols for those who remain distressed.
PREVENTING FIREWORK FEAR IN YOUR NEXT PET
Look for a breeder who habituates their puppies or kittens to noise from an early age. I play my puppies CDs of fireworks, gunshot, traffic, babies….everything! This continues most days until they are at least 6 months old. I often play noises when they are eating or doing some training. As my pups get older I play the noise CDs less often, but often enough that they stay unconcerned. If they show any anxiety the volume goes down and I pair the noise with play or food. If a bang means sausage is coming it is much harder to stay worried about bangs!
Due to Covid-19 restrictions cancelling all our planned gundog work for November we now have extra appointments available. We are happy to do phone and WhatsApp consultations for noise phobias now which can be followed up with home visits next year.
Contact us at health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk for a referral form and prices.
PRACTICE CLOSURE 7th-28th October
CLOSED 7TH OCTOBER – 28TH OCTOBER!
Our vet Vicky has been invited to teach dog training and behaviour in the Falkland Islands!
The remoteness of this beautiful country and the time difference means that Vicky will be unable to respond to emails, phonecalls, or text messages.
It also means that we are unable to take on any new home visit clients until late October.
Vicky does have a few spaces left for existing clients, and at her clinics in Eastbourne on Mondays and Fridays.
WHAT NEXT IN DOGGY DIETS?
WHAT’S NEXT IN DOGGY DIETS?
Some of you may have noticed my brief appearance on The One Show earlier this year assessing the health of dogs on vegan or meat based diets. Environmental concerns are leading to more people investigating alternative diets for their pets, including feeding dogs vegan diets. Although the investigation by the show (in conjunction with Wanda McCormick at The University of Northampton) was on a very small scale, it found that homemade diets, both vegan and meat based were not providing everything the dogs needed for longer term health, but neither was the commercial vegan diet… you might also have read about grain free diets being linked to heart disease in dogs in America, raw meat diets being a health hazard to pets and their owners, and even insects being touted as the next big thing in pet foods…so…what’s going on?
GRAIN FREE DIETS AND DCM
At the time of writing the diet related dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) cases appear to be limited to North America. The affected dogs have been fed one of a range of grain free or exotic meat based diets. Although these diets contain adequate nutrition on paper, they seem not be support heart health in some dogs. The exact cause remains unclear but the use of legumes (peas and beans) as a significant part of the diet may be to blame.
Take home message: small pet food companies may not be doing any testing to ensure they meet minimum nutritional guidelines. Those that do may only do computer balancing. Larger manufacturers do feeding trials to ensure a food can maintain health in dogs over a period of time. Look for food from PFMA members, or ask if the food meets FEDIAF guidelines.
RAW RISKS
There have been a number of papers published in the last few years highlighting the potential risks of raw meat based diets. Major areas of concern include the risk to owners from handling raw meat, and the potential for raw fed pets to shed harmful bacteria into their environment. Contaminated meat could also make pets sick, and there are numerous case reports of dogs requiring treatment for broken teeth or intestinal obstruction after eating raw bones. Studies have also shown that homemade diets may not be nutritionally balanced.
But…most of the papers on the risks from bacteria highlight a possible risk, rather than actual cases. With good hygiene practices, a raw fed dog should present very little extra risk over a kibble fed dog. After all, most dogs will eat cat faeces or roadkill given half a chance! Both raw and kibble diets have suffered recalls due to contamination in recent years. That said, caution should be taken if the household contains babies, toddlers, the elderly, or immunocompromised members, and the recommendation that PAT dogs should not be raw fed seems very sensible. Broken teeth and intestinal obstruction risks are present with raw bones, but also with many toys and chews. As with toys and chews, supervision and choosing appropriately sized bones is the key to risk mitigation.
For a balanced raw diet choose a commercial diet from a PFMA member who is meeting FEDIAF guidelines. Honey’s recently did a version of a feeding trial which showed their foods keep real dogs healthy. Alternatively, seek out the advice of a vet with raw feeding experience who can help you devise a home prepared diet for your dog.
VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN?
If you are cutting back on meat to save the planet, or have gone fully vegetarian or vegan, can your dog do the same? Dogs can survive on vegetarian diets, but may require supplementation of certain vitamins and essential amino acids. Vegan diets present a much harder challenge, especially as synthetic versions of key trace elements are removed from the market. There are several commercial vegan diets available, but if you read the small print all are described as ‘complementary’ meaning they are not designed to be fed as the only food. FEDIAF compliant complete vegetarian diets are available however, and can be useful in diagnosing and treating adverse food reactions.
BUGS!
Is the future eating bugs? The first dogs treats and foods based on insect protein are hitting the shelves and are said to offer an alternative which is better for the planet than pets consuming large amounts of high carbon footprint meat. But, pet food is made from the by-products of human meat consumption. Despite the pretty illustrations on the packaging, your dog’s dinner is not made from prime cuts of meat, but from the parts people don’t want…tongue, tendons, fascia, skin, tripe, old animals, and meat recovered by mechanical means from the bones. If this ‘waste’ didn’t become pet food it would be truly wasted… if humans significantly reduce their meat intake perhaps there won’t be enough to go around for our pets, and then we may need to look at alternatives. Personally, I think I’ll get my protein from plants rather than bugs, but a kibble made of insects will look (and I presume taste!) very much the same as one made with meat so it could be a way forward for pets. However, the problems with grain free/ exotic meat diets in the US gives me cause for concern. More work is needed to ensure insect protein provides the nutrition dogs need when fed as well as on paper.
Where does this leave us as dog owners who just want to do the right thing by our pets, the planet, and our wallets? I think we should investigate new ideas in pet feeding with an open, but enquiring, mind and we should ask pet food manufacturers large and small how they are ensuring diets are safe and nutritious for our pets to eat.
At Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care we take an, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to pet diets and never ask a pet owner to change for the sake of it. However, diet can be used to treat a range of conditions and our vet Vicky will work with clients wanting to use commercial, homemade, or raw diets. Email health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk for more information.
PRICE RISES
PRICE RISES
Sorry folks, but it’s that time of year when we have to review our costs and our prices, so you will see a few of our headline prices have risen. Inmost cases this is after several years of static prices for our clients while out costs have risen.
We hope you agree we are still pretty good value for money!
FAT DOG SLIM
FAT DOG SLIM
Lose the puppy fat!
WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR OUR PUPS TO SHED THEIR PUPPY FAT?
Our vet Vicky recently went on a course about how dogs move, but the research teams had found out about more than just the mechanics of dog locomotion.
Dogs are incredibly good at trotting. Tracking their close relatives, wolves, in Germany showed that packs covered over 30miles a day! They hunt their prey by slowly wearing it down, only going in for the kill when the prey is exhausted. Wolves can do this because trotting is incredibly energy efficient, and because they have a type of muscle fiber that doesn’t tire in the way our does. Our dogs have inherited these traits, which is why most dogs won’t tire on a walk or run before you do!
The efficiency with which dogs move may have caused a problem though. An adult dog walking 5-7miles a day uses just 5-10% of his daily calories for that exercise! Over 70% of the calories he eats are used in maintaining a stable body temperature, and the rest for digestion, repair etc. This means it is easy to overestimate how much food our dogs need. If a 30kg Labrador who gets two 45minute walks a day needs 200g of a complete dry food, he would need less than 20g extra food if he started going for two 90minute walks! And it gets worse…an overweight dog has more fat to insulate the body so less calories are needed to maintain body temperature.
Obesity is a huge problem for pet dogs. Being overweight predisposes pets to joint and mobility problems, diabetes, even some cancers. Aim for your dog to have a body condition score of 4-5. If you think your dog is overweight consult your veterinary practice for advice.
At Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary care we can help support those who want to feed a raw or homemade diet, as well as those who choose prepared foods, and we can advise on safe and fun exercise plans. Contact us for more details.
Body Condition Chart from Royal Canin
DATA PROTECTION
NEW DATA PROTECTION RULES
(AND HOW WE ARE TRYING TO FOLLOW THEM…)
The new General Data Protection Regulations are probably A Good Thing. They are designed to reduce the risk of your personal details getting out, and give you control over the data that companies hold about you. Unfortunately they are written with tiny Holistic Veterinary Care practices in mind. But here is information on what data we hold on our clients, and how we do (and don’t) use it.
If you are current or past client and you are in any way concerned about data we hold, please email us on health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk bearing in mind that we are unable to amend clinical notes.
Client data including name, address, email address, and telephone numbers is held on a GDPR compliant cloud based network. This is password protected and can only be accessed by Vicky Payne BVetMed MRCVS
Animal Details and clinical records are held on the same network. You have a right to request your pet’s clinical history but we retain ownership of the records. Records must be kept for a reasonable length of time in case of claim or complaint. We will consider removal of clinical records on request 5 years after the death of a pet. Records made prior to our use of the secure cloud based system will be removed 5 years after the death of a pet, or 5 years after the average age of death for that species (12 years for dogs, 15 years for cats).
Clients may contact us to make appointments or to discuss cases by email, telephone, text message, or through Messenger. We will reply using one of these methods. We do not use your postal address, email, phone number, or messenger accounts for any reason other than to discuss your pet’s health care or for reasons associated with visits. We do not give your contact details to anyone else.
As we offer referral services, we do need to share information relating to your pet’s healthcare with your primary care vet, and sometimes with other vets or paraprofessionals involved in the case. If you do not give this permission we will not be willing to treat your pet. We must also provide a full clinical history when requested to your insurance company when making a claim. We may also be asked to supply clinical history in criminal cases or where an insurance claim is made against your pet.
Your data is kept on a secure cloud based system on a password locked home computer with up to data virus and malware protection software. The office is locked and access restricted. Paper records (microchip forms, consent forms, printed referral histories) are also kept in this locked office. Some data (phone numbers) is kept on a mobile phone used for personal and business use. This is locked when not in use and protected by relevant anti-virus software. The cloud based records are occasionally accessed by this mobile phone, or by a similarly secured tablet. Basic contact details are written in a paper day book to allow visits to take place.
Payments are usually by cheque or cash. We do not store client bank account numbers or credit card numbers.
Chip, Check, Change
MICROCHIPS! REUNITING LOST AND STOLEN PETS…OR ARE THEY?
One of our favourite jobs at Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care is microchipping litters of puppies. We strongly support UK law, which requires all puppies to be microchipped by 8 weeks of age (12weeks for legally docked puppies) and before they are sold.
Microchips can be implanted by Vets, Vet Nurses, and by other pet professionals who have received appropriate training (a practical course before 2015, and a LANTRA regulated course since 2015). We offer the additional benefit of a basic health check for all puppies we chip.
Microchips are a very safe and reliable way to permanently identify a dog, they also provide a way of identifying the keeper of that dog. Since April 2015 the first registered keeper must be the breeder of the puppy, and the breeder must provide the buyer with paperwork which allows the buyer to register themselves as the new keeper. If a dog is given away or sold the ‘old’ owner must get a transfer code from their microchip registration company and give this to the ‘new’ owner. It is easiest to think of the microchip registration scheme as being very similar to the car logbook system which we are all familiar with.
Just like a car log book, being named as the keeper of a dog with a microchip registration database is not considered proof of ownership. There is no single document which proves ownership of a dog, though in disputes a receipt from the purchase, evidence of paying the food and vet bills, and Kennel Club registration papers will all be considered.
When buying a puppy, or an adult dog, you should ask for a transfer code or paperwork which shows that the dog is chipped and to allow your to transfer the dog into your keepership.
WHY DON’T MICROCHIPS ALWAYS GET PETS HOME?
CHIP
Don’t assume your pet is chipped! Although all puppies should be chipped before sale we still see a lot of pups where this hasn’t been done. Visit your vet soon after buying any pet to check if it is microchipped.
CHECK
Pet microchips are very simple, and therefore very reliable. But a few do fail or move (especially after trauma to the implant area). Movement should not prevent a pet being returned to its owner as pet professionals scanning a stray pet should ensure they scan the whole animal all over, and should use two different types of scanner if a chip isn’t found. Failed chips are obviously a disaster in terms of reuniting lost or stolen pets. Microchip companies monitor reports of failed microchips and several years ago one company discovered a faulty batch had been implanted with a high risk of failure. Keepers were advised to have their pet’s chips checked and a new chip inserted if necessary. Although a chip could fail at any time, it is sensible to get it checked at least once a year (perhaps at your pet’s Annual Health Check).
Remember that your dog must still wear a collar and tag when out in public, which must have your surname and address on. A mobile phone number is also very useful for a quick reunification.
We also recommend ear tattooing as a back up to tags and microchips. Both puppies and adult dogs can be tattooed in a quick and only briefly painful procedure. Tattoos can become harder to read over time, but even a faded tattoo can help reunite a dog.
CHANGE
The main reason it can be difficult to reunite lost pets with their keepers is that the keeper registration details are not kept up to date. If you buy a pet, or if you move house, or change your telephone number one of the first things you should do is to change the contact details held by the chip registration company. You should be given a transfer code/form by the seller, if you move you will be able to change the details online or by post. Some databases make a small charge for changing details, in other cases it may be free.
VETS (AND RESCUES, AND DOG WARDENS, AND GROOMERS) GET SCANNING!
It can be hard for very invested dog owners to understand why lost and stolen dogs aren’t scanned and returned to their owners really quickly. Whilst we know that not all veterinary practices are as diligent about scanning new patients for chips as they should be, the sad truth is, that many dogs go for years without visiting a vet. Lots of people don’t take their dogs for Annual Health Checks and only visit the vet if their dog is ill. We have been involved in cases where dogs have been bought from homeless people, a man in a pub, or from classified adverts and many months or years (9 years in one case!) passed before the dogs were taken to a vet. In these cases vets scanned the dogs, found a microchip, and checked the database for registration details. This has been made much easier in recent years with the introduction of Scanner Angel for Halo scanners which alerts us to pets reported lost or stolen. Buyers should be asking to see chip registration paperwork, and should be suspicious if this is not available. It is our hope that compulsory microchipping will make more dog buyers ask about chips and make it harder for theives to move stolen dogs on (reducing their value and therefore reducing theft).
CAN REGISTRATION DETAILS BE CHANGED WITHOUT PERMISSION? CAN DOGS BE RECHIPPED? CAN DOGS BE REHOMED WITHOUT SCANNING? CAN CHIPS BE REMOVED?
The answer to all of these questions should be ‘No!’. But incidents do happen, and recently some distressing cases have been shared on social media.
Microchip databases won’t change the registered keeper details without the transfer code, or other proof of change of keepership. This can make changing keepership difficult if the transfer code wasn’t provided or for strays where the previous keeper can’t be traced. In these cases the microchip databases will consider other evidence, including whether the original keeper reported a pet as lost or stolen, and will ask that efforts are made to contact the previous keeper before changing keepership. If the original owner decides to contest ownership in the future it is important to keep as much evidence as possible of the efforts made to find them, or proof that they sold the pet.
Pets will not be implanted with a microchip by a Vet, Vet Nurse, or trained implanter without being checked for a pre-exisiting chip. In rare cases pets may have two chips if one has failed. Sometimes these failed chips ‘come back to life’ which means either number can come up on scanning. If a second chip is implanted where one is known to have failed the keeper details should be kept up to date on both numbers. As previously discussed, anyone scanning strays, new patients, or implanting microchips should scan very thoroughly to try and identify pre-existing chips. We sadly do know of stories where pets have not been scanned properly when picked up as strays or handed in to rescue, leading to complicated situations later on. Only robust and easy to follow protocols for rescuers and animal wardens can avoid these mistakes.
Microchips are not as easy to locate and remove as social media might suggest. We are only aware of one confirmed case of a dog having its chip removed by theives. A shaved dog and a scar, not to mention the requirement for anaesthetic mean removal is quite unlikely.
Ultimately, microchips DO work. They do identify dogs positively for breeding health checks, vaccinations, and competition. They do help reunite lost or stolen pets with their owners. But we advise our clients to CHIP, CHECK, and CHANGE!