Yu Yan, Wilson Bethany, Masters Sophie, van Rooy Diane, McGreevy Paul D
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 13;11(2):493. doi: 10.3390/ani11020493.
There is increasing evidence that undesirable behaviours (UBs) in dogs can compromise the welfare of both canine companions and their carers. Veterinarians are regularly consulted about affected animals and may be asked to euthanase the more severely affected individuals. A recent study of veterinary records showed that UBs were the predominant cause of mortality in young dogs in the UK. This companion study from Australia reports the proportion of mortality due to UBs among dogs aged three years and under that attended veterinary practices from 2013 to 2018. Deidentified patient records were extracted from the VetCompass Australia database and manually assessed to reveal the prevalence and type of UBs reported. The results reveal that 29.7% of the 4341 dogs that died at three years of age or under had deaths ascribed to at least one UB, and that the most commonly reported UB was aggression. Neutered dogs had 2.5× the odds of death due to an UB compared to intact dogs, and crossbred dogs were found to have 1.43× the odds of a UB related death compared to purebred dogs. The breeds at highest risk were Australian cattle dogs (odds ratio (OR) 4.77) and American Staffordshire terriers (OR 4.69). The attending veterinarian referred behaviour cases to a behaviourist or dog trainer in 11.0% of all UB cases, and attempted pharmacological therapy in 5.9% of cases. The results reveal how often UBs affect dogs and their owners in Australia, and infer the beneficial impact that educating dog owners and veterinary professionals in modifying and managing UBs may have.
越来越多的证据表明，犬类的不良行为（UBs）会损害犬类同伴及其照顾者的福利。兽医经常会就受影响的动物接受咨询，甚至可能会被要求对病情较重的个体实施安乐死。最近一项对兽医记录的研究表明，不良行为是英国幼犬死亡的主要原因。这项来自澳大利亚的配套研究报告了2013年至2018年期间到兽医诊所就诊的三岁及以下犬类中因不良行为导致的死亡率。从澳大利亚兽医综合数据库中提取经过身份识别处理的患者记录，并进行人工评估，以揭示所报告的不良行为的发生率和类型。结果显示，在4341只三岁及以下死亡的犬类中，有29.7%的死亡原因被归结为至少一种不良行为，其中最常报告的不良行为是攻击性。绝育犬因不良行为导致死亡的几率是未绝育犬的2.5倍，杂交犬因不良行为导致死亡的几率是纯种犬的1.43倍。风险最高的品种是澳大利亚牧牛犬（优势比（OR）4.77）和美国斯塔福郡梗犬（OR 4.69）。在所有不良行为案例中，主治兽医将行为问题转介给行为专家或训犬师的比例为11.0%，尝试药物治疗的比例为5.9%。结果揭示了在澳大利亚不良行为对犬类及其主人的影响频率，并推断出教育犬主和兽医专业人员如何改变和管理不良行为可能产生的有益影响。
