I Hate Dogs and I Am Not a Horrible Human Being

Dog Expert Issues Urgent Warning Over Common & Dangerous Plant For Dogs To Even Touch – & It Cost Her £620 In Vet Bills

A DOG expert has issued an urgent warning over a super "common" and "dangerous" dog plant that can be found on field walks.

The professional dog trainer explained that while letting your dog off leash to run an open field is extremely fun and a great way to get energy out, there's a specific plant that all dog owners should be careful with.

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A dog expert has issued an urgent warning for dog ownersCredit: TikTok/@toppawk9s

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The professional dog trainer shared a "common" and "dangerous" plant found on field walksCredit: TikTok/@toppawk9s

In a clip shared to TikTok, the woman, who regularly shares her expert advice under the acronym @toppawk9s, begins: "These are called fox tails, and they can be detrimental to your dog.

"They have two different looks, depending on the season.

"And these are what you need to be careful of.

"These little things right here, they have barbs on them, and they get embedded everywhere into your dog."

And it's something the dog pro knows only too well.

Sharing a snap of her beloved pooch, she continued: "My girl right here got them embedded inside her eardrums, and we had to spend £620 at the ER vet to get them out.

"They can get in their teeth and their gums and get in their eyes.

"They can get all over their fur and inbetween their toes and their paw pads."

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She then went on to give another example.

"Here's a puppy that walked into a patch of these to go potty, and it came out with these embedded everywhere," she warns.

"This puppy was in that patch of fox cell for less than one minute, and we spent 45 minutes getting everything out of his fur.

"They're painful, and if they go unnoticed, they can cause a lot of health problems for your dog."

The post has since gone viral, garnering a whopping 655k views and several comments from dog owners across the globe.

"Twice our girl had them in the back of her mouth /throat," recalled one.

A second wrote: "Mine had it in her toes."

A third commented: "Thank you became I am getting a puppy in 8 days and me and my brother played baseball in a park and I end up with those on my sock and if I didn't see."

Meanwhile, a fourth noted: "My grandmas dog Boris got one on his paw pads and even when they got out his paw was swollen."

Another added: "I remember my dog had gotten one in her nose and it was horrifying to see her sneezing up blood."

Why Are Dog Breeds With Innate Diseases Popular?

image: Flat-faced dogs, such as French and English Bulldogs, are extremely popular despite suffering from severe innate diseases view more 

Credit: Photo: Zsofia Bognar / ELTE

Flat-faced dogs, such as French and English Bulldogs, are extremely popular despite suffering from severe innate diseases. Hungarian researchers have attempted to uncover the explanation for this paradox. In the end, they concluded that although enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs are aware of the health issues and strive to provide the best for their dogs, they are likely to normalize health problems.

The French and English Bulldogs are among the most popular breeds in both the United States and Europe, but Pugs and Boston Terriers also have a significant fan base. This is surprising considering the several innate health problems these breeds face. At least half of them struggle with breathing difficulties, they frequently have eye problems, and over eighty percent of them require C-sections during delivery. Due to their health issues, flat-faced dogs typically live three to four years less than what would be expected based on their body size. The life expectancy of French Bulldogs is only around four and a half years.

If these breeds have so many problems, what could be causing their popularity?

"Previously, we observed that flat-faced breeds are more inclined to form eye contact with humans. We assumed that this trait is appealing to owners. We also considered the possibility that the enthusiasts of these dogs might not be aware of the innate health issues," - said Zsófia Bognár, PhD student at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), and the lead author of the study published in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

The researchers presented 25 pairs of photos of dogs looking into the camera and looking away, in an online survey. Furthermore, they assessed the respondents' personality traits, whether they liked flat-faced dogs, and whether they were aware of their health problems. A total of 1156 participants took part in the survey. Some results contradicted the researchers' expectations. It turned out that those who had a positive attitude towards flat-faced breeds randomly selected among the images. This finding suggests that despite the inclination of these dogs to form eye contact, it likely does not play a role in their popularity. On the other hand, those who preferred the photos of dogs looking into the camera were those who were sociable, easily made friends, and were capable of putting themselves in the position and perspective of others.

Interestingly, the respondents who liked flat-faced dogs were the most aware of the health problems. Overall, 99 percent of the respondents associated flat-faced breeds with breathing difficulties, 90 percent with dystocia, 61 percent with corneal ulceration, and only a few respondents associated them with fewer than four health problems. So, the health issues associated with flat-face are very much in public awareness.

In addition, it was also revealed that compared to the group who were neutral towards or disliked flat-faced breeds, enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs tend to be younger, have lower levels of education, and typically have no professional experience with dogs. In comparison to the neutral group, the enthusiasts are more likely to be women and have children. Compared to those who disliked flat-faced breeds, enthusiasts have higher emotional empathy, meaning they are more inclined to feel for the suffering of another living being.

"We expected that one of the main attractiveness of flat-faced dogs lies in their large eyes and that their owners would be delighted when the dogs look at them," said Eniko Kubinyi, head of the MTA-ELTE "Momentum" Companion Animal Research Group at ELTE. "However, we did not find this to be true, at least not from the photographs. It is also not true that enthusiasts of flat-faced breeds are unaware of the dogs' health problems or are insensitive to their emotions. On the other hand, it has been revealed that they are relatively inexperienced dog owners. Thus, it is most likely that they are unaware of the dogs' communication signals, may not necessarily recognize signs of pain, and likely consider health problems as normal breed characteristics.

For example, a snoring and grunting Bulldog appears cute to them, rather than sick and struggling for breath."

According to the results, therefore, even though enthusiasts of flat-faced dogs are aware of the innate health problems of these breeds, it does not discourage them from continuing to love these dogs.

"In many countries, there are awareness campaigns about the health issues of flat-faced breeds. However, the growing popularity of flat-faced dogs suggests that these campaigns are not very effective. It is clear that simply listing the health problems does not deter people from purchasing these dogs. Instead, the emphasis should be on highlighting that health issues should not be considered normal or acceptable characteristics because they often cause pain and suffering for the dogs. Dog owners need to be made aware that their choices play a significant role in shaping the health of dog breeds," said Zsófia Bognár.

Journal

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Article Title

The brachycephalic paradox: The relationship between attitudes, demography, personality, health awareness, and dog-human eye contact

Article Publication Date

12-May-2023

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! Are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! By contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Dog Follows Vet's Treatment Plan For His Painful Paw In Adorable Clip

A South African mastiff called Blade has gone viral on the internet after a video of him patiently following his vet's advice went viral on social media.

In the viral clip, shared on TikTok on Saturday by the dog's owner, under the username Boerboelblade2, Blade can be seen soaking his paws in a liquid that the veterinarian gave him, as his owner explains that he needs to be doing this for at least two minutes.

The poster, Kevin, told Newsweek that the medication in the video was hibiscrub, which was given to him by the vet just to keep the paw clean of infections as Blade heals from an interdigital cyst, which is a common issue in big dogs.

On the left Blaze and his owner Aria training, on the right a close-up of Blaze. A dog patiently following a vet's advice has gone viral on social media. Getty Images

According to VCA Animal Hospitals, interdigital cysts, also known as follicular cysts or furuncles, are inflamed bumps or nodules located between the toes, or interdigital area. These bumps can crack and leak clear or blood-tinged fluid, and if they become infected can also leak cream-colored fluid.

The most common reason for interdigital cysts is allergy-induced paw inflammation which can be triggered by pollen, mites, molds, fleas, and dietary proteins, among other things.

"In severe cases that don't respond to recommended therapies, laser surgery may be required to offer comfort. Rarely, a surgery called fusion podoplasty may be recommended as a last resort, fusing the affected toes together," the website said.

Kevin said that Blade is three years old now and he lives in Scotland with him and his daughter Aria who has taken over the duties of training the pup.

"Aria has trained Blade on and off since she was 9 years old, she is currently 12 so to see a young girl training a 156 pound South African mastiff is impressive. Blade is walked OFF LEASH every day, he is an off-lead dog as the TikTok channel shows. He was purchased from elite Boerboels in Portugal, his dad is Tarzan who can be seen on youtube," he added.

The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 236,700 views and almost 4,000 likes on the platform.

One user, Jackie Hardy, commented: "How good is he standing there with his paw soaking, he's such a good boy. My dog would have water everywhere and probably have the plastic tub in bits!" And Leelee said: "That's class how he just stands there." Bobby the Westie added: "Had so many problems with my boy and these."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.Com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

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