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All Outputs (96)

Lasting lockdown love? Problem behaviour and pandemic and non-pandemic related risk factors influencing the owner-dog relationship in a UK cohort of dogs reaching early adulthood (2025)
Journal Article
Merritt, B. L., O’Neill, D. G., Brand, C. L., Belshaw, Z., Dale, F. C., Pegram, C. L., & Packer, R. M. A. (in press). Lasting lockdown love? Problem behaviour and pandemic and non-pandemic related risk factors influencing the owner-dog relationship in a UK cohort of dogs reaching early adulthood. PLoS ONE, 20(2), e0316166. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316166

The owner-dog relationship is a critical component of sustained dog ownership. Increased understanding of risk factors for weak owner-dog relationships can identify owner-dog dyads at higher risk of poor welfare outcomes, including dog relinquishment... Read More about Lasting lockdown love? Problem behaviour and pandemic and non-pandemic related risk factors influencing the owner-dog relationship in a UK cohort of dogs reaching early adulthood.

Caregiver-reported increased food motivation and adiposity in dogs receiving antiseizure drugs (2024)
Journal Article
Morros-Nuevo, A., Packer, R., Regan, N., & Raffan, E. (2024). Caregiver-reported increased food motivation and adiposity in dogs receiving antiseizure drugs. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.4907

BackgroundIdiopathic epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs and requires lifelong administration of antiseizure drugs (ASD). A decreased level of energy and increased food intake and weight gain have been described as long-l... Read More about Caregiver-reported increased food motivation and adiposity in dogs receiving antiseizure drugs.

"Maybe we should think outside the box?" prioritisation of issues with UK not-for-profit canine health and welfare research funding using Delphi expert consensus and gap analysis (2024)
Journal Article
Skipper, A., Packer, R., & O'Neill, D. (2024). "Maybe we should think outside the box?" prioritisation of issues with UK not-for-profit canine health and welfare research funding using Delphi expert consensus and gap analysis. PLoS ONE, 19(12), https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313735

Over fifty participants, who together possessed broad research, veterinary and front-line expertise from across the canine health and welfare sector, contributed to a modified Delphi study to identify the highest priority research topics in UK canine... Read More about "Maybe we should think outside the box?" prioritisation of issues with UK not-for-profit canine health and welfare research funding using Delphi expert consensus and gap analysis.

Researcher, research thyself? Mapping the landscape of canine health and welfare research funding provided by UK not-for-profit organisations from 2012–2022 (2024)
Journal Article
O'Neill, D., Skipper, A. M., & Packer, R. M. . A. (2024). Researcher, research thyself? Mapping the landscape of canine health and welfare research funding provided by UK not-for-profit organisations from 2012–2022. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 19(5), e0303498. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0303498

Background Research into canine health and welfare is supported by Government, charitable and private UK funding organisations. However, there is no current overall visibility or coordination of these funding activities, potentially compromising opti... Read More about Researcher, research thyself? Mapping the landscape of canine health and welfare research funding provided by UK not-for-profit organisations from 2012–2022.

Re-evaluating the placebo response in recent canine dietary epilepsy trials (2024)
Journal Article
Schmidt, T., Meyerhoff, N., Meller, S., Twele, F., Charalambous, M., Berk, B., Law, T., Packer, R., Zanghi, B., Pan, Y., Fischer, A., & Volk, H. (2024). Re-evaluating the placebo response in recent canine dietary epilepsy trials. BMC Veterinary Research, 20(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-024-04066-z

The placebo response is a common phenomenon. Limited evidence is available about its magnitude in canine epilepsy trials, even though it can significantly influence the efficacy evaluation of new treatments. It was hypothesised that the placebo respo... Read More about Re-evaluating the placebo response in recent canine dietary epilepsy trials.

Impacts of Puppy Early Life Experiences, Puppy-Purchasing Practices, and Owner Characteristics on Owner-Reported Problem Behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies Cohort at 21 Months of Age (2024)
Journal Article
Brand, C., Brand, C., O'Neill, D., Belshaw, Z., Dale, F., Merritt, B., Clover, K., Tay, M., Pegram, C., & Packer, R. (2024). Impacts of Puppy Early Life Experiences, Puppy-Purchasing Practices, and Owner Characteristics on Owner-Reported Problem Behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies Cohort at 21 Months of Age. Animals, 14(2), 336. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020336

Problem behaviours are a leading cause of relinquishment and euthanasia of young dogs. Previous research has identified associations between owner-reported problem behaviours and risk factors, including how dogs were acquired as puppies, early social... Read More about Impacts of Puppy Early Life Experiences, Puppy-Purchasing Practices, and Owner Characteristics on Owner-Reported Problem Behaviours in a UK Pandemic Puppies Cohort at 21 Months of Age.

Is UK Puppy Purchasing Suffering a Long COVID Effect? Ongoing Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Puppy Purchase Motivations and Behaviours in 2021 (2023)
Journal Article
Brand, C., Packer, R., Brand, C., Belshaw, Z., Pegram, C., Dale, F., Stevens, K., & O'Neill, D. (2023). Is UK Puppy Purchasing Suffering a Long COVID Effect? Ongoing Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Puppy Purchase Motivations and Behaviours in 2021. Animals, 13(13), 2186. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13132186

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in acquisitions of puppies in the UK, dubbed the “Pandemic Puppy” phenomenon. In addition to an increased demand for puppies, widespread changes to both why and how puppies were purchased during this period compar... Read More about Is UK Puppy Purchasing Suffering a Long COVID Effect? Ongoing Negative Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Puppy Purchase Motivations and Behaviours in 2021.

A Review of Clinical Outcomes, Owner Understanding and Satisfaction following Medial Canthoplasty in Brachycephalic Dogs in a UK Referral Setting (2016–2021) (2023)
Journal Article
Andrews, A. L. M. M., Youngman, K. L., Packer, R. M. A., O’Neill, D. G., & Kafarnik, C. (in press). A Review of Clinical Outcomes, Owner Understanding and Satisfaction following Medial Canthoplasty in Brachycephalic Dogs in a UK Referral Setting (2016–2021). Animals, 13(12), 2032. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13122032

How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of UK owners acquiring designer crossbreed dogs (2019-2020) (2022)
Journal Article
Burnett, E., Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Pegram, C. L., Belshaw, Z., Stevens, K. B., & Packer, R. M. A. (2022). How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of UK owners acquiring designer crossbreed dogs (2019-2020). Canine Medicine and Genetics, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-022-00120-x

Demand for intentional crosses of purebred dog breeds, often labelled ‘designer crossbreeds’ (e.g., Labrador Retriever X Poodle, the ‘Labradoodle’), has recently increased in the UK. This study aimed to explore this phenomenon by comparing pre-purcha... Read More about How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of UK owners acquiring designer crossbreed dogs (2019-2020).

Who's Getting a Head Start? Mesocephalic Dogs in Still Images Are Attributed More Positively Valenced Emotions Than Dogs of Other Cephalic Index Groups (2022)
Journal Article
Brincat, B., McGreevy, P., Bowell, V., & Packer, R. (2022). Who's Getting a Head Start? Mesocephalic Dogs in Still Images Are Attributed More Positively Valenced Emotions Than Dogs of Other Cephalic Index Groups. Animals, 12(1), https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010049

Simple Summary Elements of a dog's appearance in still images affect how positively human observers interpret that individual's personality. Given that this may influence caregiving and other aspects of dog ownership, it is important to examine this... Read More about Who's Getting a Head Start? Mesocephalic Dogs in Still Images Are Attributed More Positively Valenced Emotions Than Dogs of Other Cephalic Index Groups.

Metabolic fingerprinting of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving a ketogenic medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil (2022)
Journal Article
Berk, B., Ottka, C., Law, T., Packer, R., Wessmann, A., Bathen-Nothen, A., Jokinen, T., Knebel, A., Tipold, A., Lohi, H., & Volk, H. (2022). Metabolic fingerprinting of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving a ketogenic medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 9, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.935430

Consumption of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) has been shown to improve seizure control, reduce behavioural comorbidities and improve cognitive function in epileptic dogs. However, the exact metabolic pathways affected by dietary MCT remain poorly... Read More about Metabolic fingerprinting of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy receiving a ketogenic medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil.

English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections (2022)
Journal Article
O’Neill, D. G., Skipper, A., Packer, R. M. A., Lacey, C., Church, D. B., Brodbelt, D. C., & Pegram, C. (2022). English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections. Canine Medicine and Genetics, 9(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-022-00118-5

Background
The English Bulldog has risen sharply in popularity over the past decade but its distinctive and extreme conformation is linked to several serious health conditions. Using multivariable analysis of anonymised veterinary clinical data from... Read More about English Bulldogs in the UK: a VetCompass study of their disorder predispositions and protections.