Mortality Resulting from Undesirable Behaviours in Dogs Aged Three Years and under Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in Australia
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. VetCompass Australia Recruitment Criteria
2.2. Data Curation
2.3. Variables
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. UB-Related Demographic Data
3.2. Non-UB Related Demographic Data
3.3. Types of Undesirable Behaviours Exhibited
3.4. Treatment Prescribed for UB
3.5. Statistical Method
3.6. Results from Statistical Evalation
4. Discussion
4.1. UB Demographic Data
4.2. Variables with a Genetic Basis
4.3. The Effect of Neutering
4.4. Types of UB and Interventions Offered
4.5. Limitations
4.6. Implications for the Future
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Variable | Category | UB Number (%) | Non-UB Number (%) | Odds Ratio | 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bodyweight (kg) | <10.0 | 196 (16.9) | 797 (25.1) | Base | ||
10.0–19.9 | 144 (12.4) | 356 (11.2) | 1.64 | 1.28–2.11 | <0.001 | |
20.0–29.9 | 147 (12.7) | 341 (10.7) | 1.75 | 1.37–2.25 | <0.001 | |
30.0–39.9 | 60 (5.2) | 169 (5.3) | 1.44 | 1.03–2.01 | 0.031 | |
≥40.0 | 38 (3.3) | 81 (2.5) | 1.91 | 1.25–2.87 | 0.002 | |
Not recorded | 575 (49.6) | 1437 (45.2) | 1.63 | 1.36–1.96 | <0.001 | |
Age at death (years) | <1.0 | 365 (31.5) | 1853 (58.3) | Base | ||
1.0– < 2.0 | 390 (33.6) | 610 (19.2) | 3.25 | 2.74–3.85 | <0.001 | |
2.0– ≤ 3.0 | 405 (34.9) | 718 (22.6) | 2.86 | 2.43–3.38 | <0.001 | |
Sex | Female | 526 (45.3) | 1654 (52.0) | Base | ||
Male | 633 (54.6) | 1498 (47.1) | 1.09 | 0.95–1.25 | 0.212 | |
Not recorded | 1 (0.1) | 29 (0.9) | 0.10 | 0.01–0.46 | 0.023 | |
Neuter Status | Entire | 671 (57.8) | 2380 (74.8) | Base | ||
Neutered | 489 (42.2) | 801 (25.2) | 2.17 | 1.88–2.49 | <0.001 |
Variable | Category | UB Number (%) | Non-UB Number (%) | OR | 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Purebred Status | Purebred | 537 (46.3) | 1672 (52.6) | Base | ||
Crossbred | 623 (53.7) | 1509 (47.4) | 1.29 | 1.12–1.47 | <0.001 | |
KC Breed Group | Not KC-registered | 646 (55.7) | 1560 (49.0) | Base | ||
Terriers | 165 (14.2) | 339 (10.7) | 1.18 | 0.95–1.44 | 0.127 | |
Working | 119 (10.3) | 307 (9.7) | 0.94 | 0.74–1.18 | 0.574 | |
Toys | 60 (5.2) | 171 (5.4) | 0.85 | 0.62–1.15 | 0.292 | |
Hounds | 45 (3.9) | 153 (4.8) | 0.71 | 0.50–0.99 | 0.052 | |
Non Sporting | 54 (4.7) | 268 (8.4) | 0.49 | 0.35–0.66 | <0.001 | |
Utility | 43 (3.7) | 223 (7.0) | 0.47 | 0.27–0.63 | <0.001 | |
Gun Dogs | 28 (2.4) | 160 (5.0) | 0.42 | 0.27–0.63 | <0.001 | |
Breed | Labrador retriever | 14 (1.2) | 92 (2.9) | Base | ||
American Staffordshire terrier | 40 (3.4) | 58 (1.8) | 4.53 | 2.32–9.31 | <0.001 | |
Miniature fox terrier | 10 (0.9) | 15 (0.5) | 4.38 | 1.63–11.72 | 0.003 | |
Australian cattle dog | 40 (3.4) | 62 (1.9) | 4.24 | 2.17–8.68 | <0.001 | |
Beagle | 13 (1.1) | 26 (0.8) | 3.29 | 1.37–7.92 | 0.007 | |
Bull terrier | 11 (0.9) | 22 (0.7) | 3.29 | 1.30–8.25 | 0.011 | |
Maltese | 13 (1.1) | 26 (0.8) | 3.29 | 1.37–7.92 | 0.007 | |
Fox terrier | 7 (0.6) | 15 (0.5) | 3.07 | 1.02–8.73 | 0.038 | |
Jack Russell terrier | 20 (1.7) | 43 (1.4) | 3.06 | 1.42–6.74 | 0.005 | |
Cavalier King Charles spaniel | 13 (1.1) | 28 (0.9) | 3.05 | 1.28–7.30 | 0.012 | |
Dachshund | 10 (0.9) | 22 (0.7) | 2.99 | 1.15–7.61 | 0.022 | |
Staffordshire bull terrier | 69 (5.9) | 161 (5.1) | 2.82 | 1.54–5.47 | 0.001 | |
Shar-pei | 8 (0.7) | 19 (0.6) | 2.77 | 0.99–7.45 | 0.046 | |
Crossbred | 623 (53.7) | 1509 (47.4) | 2.71 | 1.59–5.01 | 0.001 | |
Australian kelpie | 20 (1.7) | 50 (1.6) | 2.63 | 1.23–5.75 | 0.013 | |
Chihuahua | 19 (1.6) | 48 (1.5) | 2.60 | 1.21–5.73 | 0.015 | |
Border collie | 25 (2.2) | 64 (2.0) | 2.57 | 1.26–5.43 | 0.011 | |
Other purebred | 83 (7.2) | 227 (7.1) | 2.40 | 1.33–4.61 | 0.005 | |
Boxer | 8 (0.7) | 27 (0.8) | 1.95 | 0.71–5.06 | 0.178 | |
Great Dane | 7 (0.6) | 24 (0.8) | 1.92 | 0.66–5.17 | 0.208 | |
Bull mastiff | 7 (0.6) | 25 (0.8) | 1.84 | 0.64–4.94 | 0.236 | |
Bull Arab | 8 (0.7) | 34 (1.1) | 1.55 | 0.57–3.95 | 0.370 | |
Neapolitan mastiff | 3 (0.3) | 13 (0.4) | 1.52 | 0.32–5.47 | 0.553 | |
Cocker spaniel | 3 (0.3) | 14 (0.4) | 1.41 | 0.30–5.02 | 0.624 | |
German shepherd dog | 22 (1.9) | 107 (3.4) | 1.35 | 0.66–2.85 | 0.416 | |
Toy/miniature poodle | 7 (0.6) | 35 (1.1) | 1.31 | 0.47–3.44 | 0.587 | |
Siberian husky | 5 (0.4) | 26 (0.8) | 1.26 | 0.38–3.65 | 0.679 | |
American bulldog | 6 (0.5) | 32 (1.0) | 1.23 | 0.41–3.36 | 0.693 | |
Rottweiler | 14 (1.2) | 85 (2.7) | 1.08 | 0.48–2.42 | 0.846 | |
Greyhound | 13 (1.1) | 84 (2.6) | 1.02 | 0.45–2.30 | 0.967 | |
Australian bulldog | 4 (0.3) | 28 (0.9) | 0.94 | 0.25–2.87 | 0.917 | |
Pomeranian | 3 (0.3) | 23 (0.7) | 0.86 | 0.19–2.90 | 0.820 | |
Dogue de Bordeaux | 3 (0.3) | 25 (0.8) | 0.79 | 0.17–2.65 | 0.725 | |
French bulldog | 4 (0.3) | 38 (1.2) | 0.69 | 0.19–2.07 | 0.538 | |
Pug | 3 (0.3) | 30 (0.9) | 0.66 | 0.14–2.18 | 0.531 | |
British bulldog | 1 (0.1) | 17 (0.5) | 0.39 | 0.02–2.13 | 0.374 | |
Golden retriever | 1 (0.1) | 27 (0.8) | 0.24 | 0.01–1.30 | 0.181 |
Undesirable Behaviour | N (%) | 95% CI |
---|---|---|
Aggression | 609 (52.5) | 49.9–55.8 |
Road Traffic Accident (RTA) | 480 (41.4) | 38.0–43.8 |
Dog Attack | 195 (16.8) | 14.7–19.1 |
Anxious/Nervous | 135 (11.6) | 9.8–13.5 |
Inter-pet conflict | 90 (7.8) | 6.3–9.5 |
Limited examination | 42 (3.6) | 2.6–4.9 |
Excessive vocalisation | 30 (2.6) | 1.8–3.7 |
Inter-family conflict | 27 (2.3) | 1.5–3.3 |
Destructive | 17 (1.5) | 0.9–2.3 |
Hyper-excitability | 12 (1.0) | 0.5–1.7 |
Inappropriate elimination | 9 (0.9) | 0.4–1.5 |
Owner can’t cope | 7 (0.6) | 0.2–1.2 |
Limited training | 2 (0.2) | 0.0–0.6 |
Hyper-sexuality | 1 (0.1) | 0.0–0.5 |
Other behaviours | 96 (8.3) | 6.8–1.0 |
Variable | Category | Odds Ratio | 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Purebred Status | Purebred | Base | ||
Crossbred | 1.43 | 1.24–1.65 | <0.001 | |
KC Breed Group | Not KC-registered | Base | ||
Terriers | 1.07 | 0.86–1.34 | 0.540 | |
Working | 0.83 | 0.65–1.06 | 0.128 | |
Toys | 0.77 | 0.56–1.06 | 0.108 | |
Hounds | 0.54 | 0.37–0.78 | 0.001 | |
Non Sporting | 0.45 | 0.32–0.65 | <0.001 | |
Utility | 0.44 | 0.32–0.60 | <0.001 | |
Gun Dogs | 0.37 | 0.24–0.56 | <0.001 | |
Bodyweight (kg) | <10.0 | Base | ||
10.0–19.9 | 1.28 | 0.99–1.67 | 0.062 | |
20.0–29.9 | 1.01 | 0.77–1.31 | 0.950 | |
30.0–39.9 | 0.79 | 0.56–1.13 | 0.197 | |
≥40.0 | 0.9 | 0.58–1.39 | 0.639 | |
Not recorded | 1.59 | 1.30–1.93 | <0.001 |
Variable | Category | OR | 95% CI | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Sex | Female | Base | ||
Male | 1.05 | 0.91–1.22 | 0.466 | |
Age at death (years) | <1.0 | Base | ||
1.0– < 2.0 | 3.71 | 2.98–4.64 | <0.001 | |
2.0– ≤ 3.0 | 3.19 | 2.54–4.00 | <0.001 | |
Neuter Status | Entire | Base | ||
Neutered | 2.5 | 1.86–3.36 | <0.001 | |
Combined | Neutered/Age < 1.0 | Base | ||
Neutered/Age1.0– < 2.0 | 0.44 | 0.30–0.65 | <0.001 | |
Neutered/Age2.0– ≤ 3.0 | 0.49 | 0.34–0.73 | <0.001 | |
Breed | Labrador retreiver | Base | ||
Australian cattle dog | 4.77 | 2.33–9.77 | <0.001 | |
American Staffordshire terrier | 4.69 | 2.28–9.63 | <0.001 | |
Miniature fox terrier | 4.08 | 1.47–11.31 | 0.007 | |
Bull terrier | 3.18 | 1.22–8.28 | 0.018 | |
Dachshund | 3.17 | 1.19–8.44 | 0.021 | |
Shar-pei | 3.01 | 1.05–8.58 | 0.040 | |
Cavalier King Charles spaniel | 3.00 | 1.22–7.39 | 0.017 | |
Crossbred | 2.86 | 1.59–5.13 | <0.001 | |
Maltese | 2.83 | 1.15–6.98 | 0.024 | |
Jack Russell terrier | 2.78 | 1.25–6.17 | 0.012 | |
Fox terrier | 2.71 | 0.90–8.17 | 0.076 | |
Staffordshire bull terrier | 2.68 | 1.40–5.12 | 0.003 | |
Beagle | 2.65 | 1.06–6.63 | 0.038 | |
Chihuahua | 2.64 | 1.18–5.87 | 0.018 | |
Border collie | 2.56 | 1.20–5.43 | 0.015 | |
Australian kelpie | 2.30 | 1.04–5.08 | 0.039 | |
Other purebred | 2.20 | 1.17–4.14 | 0.015 | |
Boxer | 1.90 | 0.70–5.21 | 0.210 | |
Bull mastiff | 1.72 | 0.61–4.90 | 0.307 | |
Bull Arab | 1.68 | 0.62–4.51 | 0.306 | |
Great Dane | 1.39 | 0.49–3.94 | 0.532 | |
Neapolitan mastiff | 1.35 | 0.33–5.53 | 0.677 | |
Toy/minature poodle | 1.30 | 0.47–3.61 | 0.611 | |
Rottweiler | 1.20 | 0.53–2.73 | 0.663 | |
Siberian husky | 1.19 | 0.38–3.75 | 0.766 | |
Australian bulldog | 1.16 | 0.34–3.98 | 0.810 | |
American bulldog | 1.14 | 0.39–3.31 | 0.809 | |
German shepherd | 1.10 | 0.52–2.31 | 0.811 | |
Cocker spaniel | 0.98 | 0.24–3.96 | 0.976 | |
French bulldog | 0.79 | 0.24–2.63 | 0.699 | |
Pomeranian | 0.76 | 0.20–2.93 | 0.686 | |
Pug | 0.75 | 0.20–2.89 | 0.680 | |
Dogue de Bordeaux | 0.72 | 0.18–2.78 | 0.630 | |
Greyhound | 0.69 | 0.30–1.60 | 0.387 | |
British bulldog | 0.31 | 0.04–2.59 | 0.280 | |
Golden retriever | 0.23 | 0.03–1.86 | 0.168 |
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Yu, Y.; Wilson, B.; Masters, S.; van Rooy, D.; McGreevy, P.D. Mortality Resulting from Undesirable Behaviours in Dogs Aged Three Years and under Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in Australia. Animals 2021, 11, 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020493
Yu Y, Wilson B, Masters S, van Rooy D, McGreevy PD. Mortality Resulting from Undesirable Behaviours in Dogs Aged Three Years and under Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in Australia. Animals. 2021; 11(2):493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020493
Chicago/Turabian StyleYu, Yan, Bethany Wilson, Sophie Masters, Diane van Rooy, and Paul D. McGreevy. 2021. "Mortality Resulting from Undesirable Behaviours in Dogs Aged Three Years and under Attending Primary-Care Veterinary Practices in Australia" Animals 11, no. 2: 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020493