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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., …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., …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

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.

Pandemic Puppies: Demographic characteristics, health and early life experiences of puppies acquired during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK (2022)
Journal Article
Brand, C. L., O’Neill, D. G., Belshaw, Z., Pegram, C. L., Stevens, K. B., & Packer, R. M. (2022). Pandemic Puppies: Demographic characteristics, health and early life experiences of puppies acquired during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. Animals, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12050629

The UK recorded sharp rises in puppy purchasing during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pan-demic, with many first-time dog owners purchasing puppies to improve their mental health dur-ing this challenging period. Government restrictions to movement an... Read More about Pandemic Puppies: Demographic characteristics, health and early life experiences of puppies acquired during the 2020 phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK.

How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of owners acquiring a designer crossbreed dog in the UK 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. How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of owners acquiring a designer crossbreed dog in the UK 2019-2020. Manuscript submitted for publication

Background 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 comparin... Read More about How much is that doodle in the window? Exploring motivations and behaviours of owners acquiring a designer crossbreed dog in the UK 2019-2020.

Owner Reported Management Of Interictal Anxiety Behaviours In Canine Epilepsy (2022)
Journal Article
Hobbs, S., Blackwell, E., Wetz, K., & Packer, R. (2022). Owner Reported Management Of Interictal Anxiety Behaviours In Canine Epilepsy. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.1321

Background Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological condition in dogs, that can be associated with inter-ictal (between seizure) anxiety (IIA). It is unclear how owners manage their pet’s IIA, including how much veterinary su... Read More about Owner Reported Management Of Interictal Anxiety Behaviours In Canine Epilepsy.

Veterinary drug therapies used for undesirable behaviours in UK dogs under primary veterinary care (2022)
Journal Article
Pegram, C., Craven, A., Packer, R., Jarvis, S., McGreevy, P., Warnes, C., …O'Neill, D. (in press). Veterinary drug therapies used for undesirable behaviours in UK dogs under primary veterinary care. PLoS ONE, 17, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261139

Undesirable behaviours (UBs) in dogs are common and important issues with serious potential welfare consequences for both the dogs and their owners. This study aimed to investigate the usage of drug therapy for UBs in dogs and assess demographic risk... Read More about Veterinary drug therapies used for undesirable behaviours in UK dogs under primary veterinary care.

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.

Future research priorities in canine epilepsy: viewpoints of owners, general practice veterinarians and neurology specialists (2021)
Journal Article
Jones, G., Volk, H., & Packer, R. (in press). Future research priorities in canine epilepsy: viewpoints of owners, general practice veterinarians and neurology specialists. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16144

Background: Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs that impacts the quality of life (QoL) of affected dogs and their owners. Canine epilepsy research is expanding internationally, but where best to focus limited research tim... Read More about Future research priorities in canine epilepsy: viewpoints of owners, general practice veterinarians and neurology specialists.

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