INTRODUCTION Between February and October 2009 an increase in morbidity and mortality in dogs in a national kennel in Abuja, Nigeria, was observed with signs indicative of leptospirosis. Concurrent illness was observed in some kennel workers which had high titres of leptospira antibodies. METHODS An unmatched case-control study was conducted to identify associated factors. Fifteen cases and f...

We present the findings of an early requirements elicitation study for a smart kennel supporting canine welfare. We discuss unique challenges posed by the kennel environment in terms of design outcomes and research processes.

CANINE INFECTIOUS TRACHEOBRONCHITIS (KENNEL COUGH) Aetiology Kennel cough is an infectious disease where the pathogens can act on their own or in a group. The most commonly isolated agents are Bordetella bronchiseptica, Parainfluenza III, but also canine distemper, canine herpes virus, adenovirus II and reovirus. However more recently Mycoplasma spp. appear to be emerging (often associated with...

A recent article in Genetics looked at population structure, genetic diversity and inbreeding in purebred dogs, not least as dogs are being used increasingly as models of human diseases (Calboli et al., 2008). The authors accessed the UK Kennel Club’s extensive registration database and analysed the pedigrees of 10 breeds with relatively large numbers of dogs registered over about eight generat...

BACKGROUND Current estimates of the UK dog population vary, contain potential sources of bias and are based on expensive, large scale, public surveys. Here, we evaluate the potential of a variety of sources for estimation and monitoring of the companion dog population in the UK and associated demographic information. The sources considered were: a public survey; veterinary practices; pet insura...

For animals in confinement housing the housing structure has tremendous potential to impact well being. Dogs in animal shelters are often housed in one of two types of confinement housing - single kennels and rooms or double compartment kennels and rooms most often separated by a guillotine door. This study examines the effect of housing on the location of elimination behavior in dogs housed in...

Introduction For many dogs, time in a kennel often means a brief stay in a veterinary hospital or boarding facility. In breeding kennels and animal shelters, as well as sites where dogs are used for research, time is measured in weeks, even years. Upon entering a kennel environment, dogs may be confronted with stressful situations, such as new environmental events, sounds, or smells, separation...

Given appropriate representations of the semantic relations between carpenter and wood and between mason and stone (for example, vectors in a vector space model), a suitable algorithm should be able to recognize that these relations are highly similar (carpenter is to wood as mason is to stone; the relations are analogous). Likewise, with representations of dog, house, and kennel, an algorithm ...