Welcome to the first print issue of Companion Animal of 2024. I hope your year is treating you well so far – with the number of storms and unpleasant weather that the UK has had, I'm just glad my cats are all indoors and not running four sets of muddy, wet paws through my flat!
We open this edition with the third part of Claire Hargrave's series on separation-related behaviours in dogs (page 6). In this part, she discusses the emotional component of these problem behaviours, which may be occurring for a number of reasons including anxiety and fear. Separation-related behaviours are a common behavioural issue in dogs (Lenkei et al, 2021), and this article provides suggestions of how these dogs can be trained to be more able to cope with separation, improving both canine and owner wellbeing.
Many companion animals develop appendicular osteoarthritis as they age. A study in cats found that up to 90% of cats had osteoarthritis on radiographic imaging (Kerwin, 2010), and Anderson et al (2018) found that of 50% of dogs diagnosed with osteoarthritis were between 8 and 13 years old. Martha Cannon highlights how this chronic condition affects cats – it has only recently been recognised as a cause of pain in a significant number of pet cats. This article provides information on how to successfully identify whether a cat has osteoarthritis, as well as methods of treatment and environmental modifications which owners can provide to make their cat more comfortable and able to maintain a pain-free life (page 22).
Rabbits can also develop osteoarthritis – however, as a prey species, they show very few clinical signs, so it is often not caught early. Fatima Bagha and Emma Keeble undertook a study investigating incidental osteoarthritis in domestic rabbits (page 29) and discovered that a variety of factors can indicate an increased risk of appendicular osteoarthritis in rabbits. Veterinarians can use this information when faced with an unwell rabbit to determine whether osteoarthritis could be the problem.
This issue sees a hugely informative article on parasites in companion animals (page 12). It is well-known that resistance to anthelmintics is a problem in companion animals (Nezami et al, 2023); Grace Mulcahy discusses current practices in anti-parasitics and how this should change to limit further resistance, as well as limit any environmental impact of companion animal anti-parasitics.
Finally, Alex Gough provides a review of three recent papers on the topic of ageing and life expectancy in dogs and cats (page 42). It can be very difficult to determine the age of these species, and research into life expectancy between breeds is ongoing.
This issue covers a huge range of topics, and is an excellent read for a rainy day, of which I'm sure there will be many in the coming weeks! Please feel free to email me with your thoughts at gillian.davies@markallengroup.com – I'd love to hear from you!