[Nyagdu] Results of Morris Foundation survey

[Margo and Elmo]

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