[nagdu] Results of Morris Animal Foundation Survey of guide-doghealth

[sblanjones11]

VERY COMPREHENSIVE!
Thanks for sharing the results.
Susan & Rhoda
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Angie Matney
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 11:48 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: [nagdu] Results of Morris Animal Foundation Survey of
guide-doghealth

Guide Dog Health Survey
Morris Animal Foundation
November 2008
Background: In 2008, Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) received a grant from
the Laura J.
Niles Foundation to address health and injury issues that lead to early
retirement of a guide dog team or prevent the team from performing
optimally. Although guide dog schools in the United States have considerable
information on health issues that affect dogs under the age of 2, less
information is available on those issues that affect working guide dogs
later in life. To obtain information, MAF surveyed U.S. guide dog handlers
(guide dog handler: an individual who is blind or visually impaired,
partnered with a dog specially trained to safely guide), asking for
information on diseases and injuries, reasons for retirement and issues that
were of concern to them. Based on data received, the foundation will be
developing a request for proposal
(RFP) to
address issues requiring additional research. In addition, some issues were
identified that could have immediate intervention strategies.
MAF, established in 1948, has a 60-year history of addressing health issues
that affect dogs, including guide dogs. MAF was initially called the Buddy
Foundation, named for a guide dog owned by Morris Frank, who was the first
guide dog user in the United States. Dr.
Mark L.
Morris Sr., a visionary veterinarian, researched and developed a nutritional
diet to control the kidney disease that was affecting Buddy. Thus began a
partnership between a veterinarian and a client that resulted in better
health for a guide dog. Since our beginning, MAF has funded more than 1,600
research studies benefiting animals around the world.
Methodology: An online survey was created using Survey Monkey. The Internet
surveying tool was first tested with visually impaired handlers to ensure
accessibility and accuracy. U.S.
Guide dog schools and advocacy groups were sent a letter or e-mail
requesting their support to notify constituents, and a Web link to the
survey was provided. The survey did not ask constituents to name the school
that trained their dog, but it did ask for ZIP codes to assess whether any
health issues were more prevalent in certain geographic locations.
Demographic information was obtained on handlers, including age, gender and
number of years that a person had been a guide dog handler. Demographic
information was also obtained on current and previous guide dogs, including
breed, gender and age at retirement. Respondents were asked to rate their
current and previous guide dogs for guide work, enthusiasm, personality,
stress and behavior. They were also asked to provide health diagnoses for
their current or previous guide dog, captured into the following categories:
orthopedic,
skin, ear,
cancer/tumors, gastrointestinal, eye, endocrinologic, neurologic, kidney,
heart, respiratory, blood/lymph and liver disorders. Information was also
obtained on injuries the guide dog may have sustained. Overall, the survey
consisted of 72 multiple-part questions.
The
survey was
online from July 14, 2008, through August 14, 2008.
Results: More than 1,000 respondents answered the survey. The survey had a
margin of error of ±3 percent. Respondents were not required to answer every
question, which resulted in lower sample size for some questions.
Demographics of respondents:

Sixty-seven percent of the handlers answering the survey were women

Fifty-two percent of all handlers answering the survey were over the age of
50

Thirty percent of the handlers had been guide dog users for more than 20
years

Forty-five percent of the handlers reported that they had had four or more
guide dogs

Most respondents indicated that they paid for their dogs veterinary care,
24 percent
reported that veterinary care was supported by the both handler and the
guide dog school and 5 percent indicated that the guide dog school provided
all support for veterinary care

Respondents represented more than 1,500 guide dogs Demographics of guide
dogs:

The breed representing the highest percentage of both current and previous
guide dogs was the Labrador retriever (59 percent for both categories)

Although not statistically significant, German shepherd use among
respondents tended to decrease slightly from the previous to current dog
categories (17 percent to 12 percent), and the use of crossbreeds tended to
increase (7 to 15 percent)

Male and female dogs were nearly equal in distribution, and nearly all were
neutered

A majority of current guide dog users (89 percent) indicated that their dog
slept in the handlers bedroom Health issues reported by respondents:

No difference in health issues was identified in the survey between male and
female dogs

Orthopedic problems were reported as the top issue affecting previous guide
dogs
(42
percent).

Arthritis was the most commonly reported orthopedic disorder (10 percent of
current guide dogs and 36 percent of previous guide dogs)

Orthopedic diseases were higher in the South than in the West

Skin problems occurred in 30 percent of current guide dogs and 40 percent of
previous guide dogs

Golden retrievers were reported to have more skin conditions than Labrador
retrievers

Overall, skin disease for current guide dogs was reported to be higher in
the South than in other regions (95 percent confidence level) ??
Allergies for current guide dogs also tended to be higher in the South (90
percent confidence level)

Ear-related health issues were reported in 21 percent of current guide dogs
and 35 percent of previous guide dogs

Cancer and/or tumors affected 28 percent of previous guide dogs

Lymphoma was the most common diagnosis; 6 percent of handlers named this
cancer as a health issue for a previous guide dog

Gastrointestinal disease was reported to have occurred in 14 percent of
current guide dogs and 19 percent of previous guide dogs

Parasites were reported for 8 percent of current guide dogs and 7 percent of
previous guide dogs

Inflammatory bowel disease was reported for 5 percent of current guide dogs
and 8 percent of previous guide dogs

Bloat was experienced by 3 percent of previous guide dogs, whereas 5 percent
of previous guide dogs had experienced colitis

Cataracts were reported to have occurred in 15 percent of previous guide
dogs

Eye diseases for current guide dogs were higher in the Northeast United
States than in the West and Midwest (95 percent confidence level)

Kidney disease for current guide dogs was higher for those living in the
South than in the Midwest (95 percent confidence level)

Guide dog handlers ranked cancer as their top health concern followed by
arthritis Guide work, enthusiasm, personality, stress and behavior reported
by
respondents:

Current guide dogs received higher ratings compared with previous guide dogs
for guide work, enthusiasm, personality and stress

Male guide dogs were rated highest in their enthusiasm and were also rated
to be less stressed

Golden retrievers were rated highest for outgoing personality and were
reported to be less stressed

Twenty-nine percent of handlers gave their current guide dog a low rating
for ability to deal with stress

Nearly one-third of current guide dogs and slightly more than 20 percent of
previous guide dogs were rated by handlers as being easily distracted

Food scrounging was reported as an issue for 28 percent of current guide
dogs and
24
percent of previous guide dogs

By breed, the lowest percentage of food scrounging behavior was reported for
German shepherd dogs (8 percent) compared with Labrador retrievers (31
percent), golden retrievers (29 percent) and crossbreeds (29 percent)

Thunderstorm phobia was reported in 21 percent of current and 16 percent of
previous guide dogs

Handlers reported more thunderstorm and noise phobias for female guide dogs
than for male guide dogs Injuries reported by respondents:

Eight percent of current and 12 percent of previous guide dogs had been
attacked by another dog

Three percent of previous guide dogs and 1 percent of current guide dogs had
been hit by cars (some while working) Age at retirement:

The average age at time of retirement was highest for German shepherd dogs
(n=115
dogs) at 96 months compared with 86 months for Labrador retrievers (n=313
dogs) and
88 months for golden retrievers (n=47 dogs) (99 percent confidence level for
German shepherd dogs versus Labrador retrievers; 95 percent confidence level
for German shepherd dogs versus golden retrievers)
Discussion: Guide dog wellness is the result of a complex interaction of
genetics, environment, training, nutrition, care, socialization and
exercise. Although the current survey was not intended to address risk
factors for health, obtaining information from those constituents who live
and work with guide dogs was deemed a critical step toward developing future
research priorities. In some cases, immediate intervention strategies can be
implemented whereby the guide dog team can have a longer and healthier life
together.
For example, further control of intestinal parasites might reduce the
incidence of dogs suffering from gastrointestinal disease and thereby
enhance work. Similarly, schools and advocacy groups could use information
about dog attacks to address the injuries associated with dog bites. The
survey suggests that attacks of teams by off-leash or uncontrolled dogs are
a serious issue. In addition to the immediate harm from an attack, the guide
dog often becomes fearful and unable to perform its critical work.
One handler wrote, 
[My dog] suffered mental trauma after being attacked
three times.
 Another respondent commented that the dog was retired (due to
stress) after an unprovoked attack. And yet another person explained, 
[It]
happened within [the] first year of placement & [my guide dog] was jumped by
an off-leash golden retriever on our way to work one day. [He] was unable to
defend himself. A construction worker was nearby and was able to pull the
other dog off my guide. [He] had no physical injury from this attack, but he
did become fearful of going past that house. We had to change our route to
work &.
 The information presented in this report is MAFs first attempt to
collect information on the overall population of working guides, age 2 years
and older. The U.S.
population
of guide dog
handlers has been estimated at 10,000 to 12,000. If this estimate is
accurate, then approximately 8 to 10 percent of the entire U.S. guide dog
handler population was included in the survey.
The respondents (n=1,003) represented more than 1,500 guide dogs working
between
1985
and 2008. In addition to the three traditional breeds (Labrador retrievers,
golden retrievers, and German shepherd dogs), respondents also reported that
other purebreds were used as
guides: Akita, smooth coated collie, Australian shepherd, boxer, vizsla,
Airedale terrier, Belgian sheepdog, collie, Weimaraner, Doberman pinscher,
border collie, Bouvier, Newfoundland dog and poodle. In addition to purebred
dogs, several dogs were listed as crossbreeds
(n=185
crossbreeds).
Based on 612 responses, the average age of death for a guide dog in the
survey was 10 years 7 months. A few dogs lived to be as old as 16 years. For
dogs dying under the age of 9, three- fourths died from cancer. This could
be the reason most guide dog handlers listed cancer as their top health
concern, rather than skin disease, arthritis or ear-related issues, which
may be debilitating but are generally not fatal. Respondents comments
suggest that it is particularly devastating when a dog retires prematurely
due to a fatal disease.
One handler wrote, 
He developed a brain tumor. He was confused and [after]
collapsing for five days, I [had him] euthanized. It was 11 years ago and
Im still distressed about it.
 Another respondent wrote, 
Cancer [was]
first diagnosed when he was 4. [He was] treated, recovered and worked
another few years. The original kind of cancer and another came back very
aggressively. [I] put him to sleep and still cry about it.
 Management
decisions at any guide dog school should be made on the overall assessment
of multiple factors and variables for teams, not solely on information from
this or any other survey. Nevertheless, the survey does suggest the need to
obtain complete metrics on a guide dogfrom birth to death. Obtaining
information on the health and training success during the first two years is
not a complete picture of team health and longevity. For example, the
working life of a German shepherd was longer in our survey than for Labrador
retrievers or golden retrievers. However, this information must be
considered along with many other factors, such as trainability.
In addition to specific information, respondents gave more than 11,500
open-ended comments.
No attempt was made to analyze these comments, but unedited remarks might be
of interest to the professional training staff at U.S. guide dog schools.
Guide dog teams have been referred to as the gold standard for a bond
between a person and his or her dog. Handlers provide love and care to their
dogs; the dogs provide independence and loyalty to their handler. The
overwhelming response to the survey made it abundantly clear just how much
guide dog handlers appreciate and love their dogs.
Any work that allows these wonderful teams to enjoy even better health and
wellness is very important to MAF. After all, it was important in our past
to help Buddy and remains important in our future to give all guide dogs
better health.
Acknowledgments
MAF would like to sincerely thank the Laura J. Niles Foundation for funding
this survey and subsequent research that will address issues of high
significance. We would also like to thank the incredible work of volunteers
who helped make this survey possible: Jane Brackman, Ph.D.; Sharon Brandt;
Jim Kutsch, Ph.D.; Elizabeth Lund, DVM, Ph.D.; and Sheila Styron.
MAF is extremely grateful to all guide dog handlers who shared their
personal perspectives and experiences.
Patricia Olson, DVM, Ph.D.
President/CEO







_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/sblanjones11%40sbcglo
bal.net