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All Outputs (59)

Pandemic Puppies: Characterising motivations and behaviours of UK owners who purchased puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic (2021)
Journal Article
Packer, R., Brand, C., Belshaw, Z., Pegram, C., Stevens, K., & O'Neill, D. (2021). Pandemic Puppies: Characterising motivations and behaviours of UK owners who purchased puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic. Animals, 11(9), 2500. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092500

Attempts to control the spread of coronavirus during the COVID-19 Pandemic included periods of ‘lockdown’ in the UK, where many households spent several months at home with limited external social contact. Data from diverse sources suggest unusually... Read More about Pandemic Puppies: Characterising motivations and behaviours of UK owners who purchased puppies during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.

Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases (2020)
Journal Article
Hobbs, S. L., Law, T. H., Volk, H. A., Younis, C., Casey, R. A., & Packer, R. M. A. (2020). Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 17719

Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological condition in dogs, characterised by recurrent seizure activity and associated with negative behavioural and cognitive changes. We hypothesised that IE would negatively impact putative a... Read More about Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases.

Investigating the potential for seizure predictions in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy: owner reported prodromal changes and seizure triggers (2020)
Journal Article
Finnegan, S., Volk, H. A., Asher, L., Daley, M., & Packer, R. M. A. (2020). Investigating the potential for seizure predictions in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy: owner reported prodromal changes and seizure triggers. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105307

Canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is characterised by recurrent seizure activity, which can appear unpredictable and uncontrollable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential for seizure prediction in dogs by exploring owner-perceived... Read More about Investigating the potential for seizure predictions in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy: owner reported prodromal changes and seizure triggers.

Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016 (2020)
Journal Article
O’Neill, D. G., Packer, R. M. A., Lobb, M., Church, D. B., Brodbelt, D. C., & Pegram, C. (2020). Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016. BMC Veterinary Research, 16(42), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-2258-1

The Chihuahua, the world’s smallest dog breed, is a popular breed in the UK today. The VetCompass™ Programme collates de-identified clinical records from primary-care veterinary practices in the UK for epidemiological research. This study aimed to ch... Read More about Demography and commonly recorded clinical conditions of Chihuahuas under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2016.

Comparison of signalment and computed tomography findings in French Bulldogs, Pugs, and English Bulldogs with and without clinical signs associated with thoracic hemivertebra (2019)
Journal Article
De Decker, S., Packer, R. M. A., Cappello, R., Harcourt-Brown, T. R., Rohdin, C., Gomes, S. A., …Gutierrez-Quintana, R. (2019). Comparison of signalment and computed tomography findings in French Bulldogs, Pugs, and English Bulldogs with and without clinical signs associated with thoracic hemivertebra. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15556

Great expectations, inconvenient truths, and the paradoxes of the dog-owner relationship for owners of brachycephalic dogs (2019)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., O'Neill, D. G., Fletcher, F., & Farnworth, M. J. (2019). Great expectations, inconvenient truths, and the paradoxes of the dog-owner relationship for owners of brachycephalic dogs. PLoS ONE, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219918

Popularity of brachycephalic (flat-faced) dog breeds is increasing internationally despite well-documented intrinsic health and welfare problems associated with their conformation. Given this apparent paradox, greater understanding of the expectation... Read More about Great expectations, inconvenient truths, and the paradoxes of the dog-owner relationship for owners of brachycephalic dogs.

Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013 (2019)
Journal Article
O'Neill, D. G., Skipper, A. M., Kadhim, J., Church, D. B., Brodbelt, D. C., & Packer, R. M. A. (2019). Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013. PLoS ONE, 14(6), e0217928. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217928

The Bulldog is a popular companion breed in the UK despite widely reported disease predispositions. This study aimed to characterise the demography, mortality and common disorders of Bulldogs under veterinary care in the UK during 2013. VetCompass co... Read More about Disorders of Bulldogs under primary veterinary care in the UK in 2013.

A double-blinded randomised dietary supplement crossover trial design to investigate the short-term influence of medium chain fatty acid (MCT) supplement on canine idiopathic epilepsy: study protocol (2019)
Journal Article
Berk, B. A., Packer, R. M. A., Law, T. H., Wessmann, A., Bathen-Nöthen, A., Jokinen, T. S., …Volk, H. A. (2019). A double-blinded randomised dietary supplement crossover trial design to investigate the short-term influence of medium chain fatty acid (MCT) supplement on canine idiopathic epilepsy: study protocol. BMC Veterinary Research, 15(181), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-019-1915-8

What can we learn from the hair of the dog? Complex effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on canine hair cortisol (2019)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., Davies, A. M., Volk, H. A., Puckett, H. L., Hobbs, S. L., & Fowkes, R. C. (2019). What can we learn from the hair of the dog? Complex effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on canine hair cortisol. PLoS ONE, 14(5), e0216000. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216000

Hair is an emerging biological matrix in which to measure chronic HPA axis activity, offering a longer term view into an animal’s life. We explored effects of exogenous (e.g. lifestyle, medications, social environment) and endogenous (e.g. disease, b... Read More about What can we learn from the hair of the dog? Complex effects of endogenous and exogenous stressors on canine hair cortisol.

Gait analysis in French bulldogs with and without vertebral kyphosis (2019)
Journal Article
Wyatt, S. E., Lafuente, M. P., Ter Haar, G., Packer, R. M. A., Smith, H., & De Decker, S. (2019). Gait analysis in French bulldogs with and without vertebral kyphosis. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.12.008

The study objective was to compare temporal-spatial and kinetic gait variables in neurologically normal French bulldogs with and without vertebral kyphosis. French bulldogs presented to a dedicated brachycephalic clinic were prospectively enrolled. A... Read More about Gait analysis in French bulldogs with and without vertebral kyphosis.

Health-related quality of life following surgical attenuation of congenital portosystemic shunts versus a healthy control population of dogs (2019)
Journal Article
Bristow, P. C., Lipscomb, V. J., Kummeling, A., Packer, R. M. A., Gerrits, H., Homan, K., …Tivers, M. S. (2019). Health-related quality of life following surgical attenuation of congenital portosystemic shunts versus a healthy control population of dogs. Journal of Small Animal Practice, 60(1), 21-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.12927

Investigating owner use of dietary supplements in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (2018)
Journal Article
Berk, B. A., Packer, R. M. A., Law, T. H., & Volk, H. A. (2018). Investigating owner use of dietary supplements in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. Research in Veterinary Science, 119, 276-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2018.07.004

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder in dogs. Some diets have been shown to have a positive impact upon the seizure activity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE), while other diets and dietary supplements (DS), although marketed... Read More about Investigating owner use of dietary supplements in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

A review of treatment options for behavioural manifestations of clinical anxiety as a comorbidity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (2018)
Journal Article
Watson, F., Rusbridge, C., Packer, R. M. A., Casey, R. A., Heath, S., & Volk, H. A. (2018). A review of treatment options for behavioural manifestations of clinical anxiety as a comorbidity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2018.06.001

Psychiatric comorbidities affect a large percentage of people with epilepsy and have a detrimental impact on their quality of life. Recently, behavioural comorbidities, with similar characteristics to human psychiatric diseases, have been identified... Read More about A review of treatment options for behavioural manifestations of clinical anxiety as a comorbidity in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy (2018)
Journal Article
Winter, J., Packer, R. M. A., & Volk, H. A. (2018). Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.104603

In humans, epilepsy can induce or accelerate cognitive impairment (CI). There is emerging evidence of CI in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) from recent epidemiological studies. The aim of our study was to assess CI in dogs with IE using two tests... Read More about Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy.

Cognitive dysfunction in naturally occurring canine idiopathic epilepsy (2018)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., McGreevy, P. D., Salvin, H. E., Valenzuela, M. J., Chaplin, C. M., & Volk, H. A. (2018). Cognitive dysfunction in naturally occurring canine idiopathic epilepsy. PLoS ONE, 13(2), e0192182. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192182

Globally, epilepsy is a common serious brain disorder. In addition to seizure activity, epilepsy is associated with cognitive impairments including static cognitive impairments present at onset, progressive seizure-induced impairments and co-morbid d... Read More about Cognitive dysfunction in naturally occurring canine idiopathic epilepsy.

Evaluation of the influence of kyphosis and scoliosis on intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs (2018)
Journal Article
De Souza, M. C. C. M. I., Ryan, R., Ter Haar, G., Packer, R. M. A., Volk, H. A., & De Decker, S. (2018). Evaluation of the influence of kyphosis and scoliosis on intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs. BMC Veterinary Research, 14, 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-017-1316-9

Although thoracic vertebral malformations with kyphosis and scoliosis are often considered incidental findings on diagnostic imaging studies of screw-tailed brachycephalic breeds, they have been suggested to interfere with spinal biomechanics and int... Read More about Evaluation of the influence of kyphosis and scoliosis on intervertebral disc extrusion in French bulldogs.

Negative effects of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs on the trainability of dogs with naturally occurring idiopathic epilepsy (2018)
Journal Article
Packer, R. M. A., McGreevy, P. D., Pergande, A., & Volk, H. A. (2018). Negative effects of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs on the trainability of dogs with naturally occurring idiopathic epilepsy. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 200, 106-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2017.11.008

Epilepsy and anti-epileptic drug (AED) treatment have been found to induce or exacerbate underlying cognitive impairments in people, affecting learning ability, attention and memory. Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological co... Read More about Negative effects of epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs on the trainability of dogs with naturally occurring idiopathic epilepsy.