Here's an interesting option for those of us who have aggressive dogs....posted today on Newf - L, the health site for newfs. Looks as though there may be a physiological cause!
DOES YOUR DOG SHOW AGGRESSION - GROWL, LIP LIFT, SNARL or BITE -
TOWARDS FAMILY MEMBERS, OR DO YOU KNOW OF A DOG THAT DOES?
Nick Dodman BVMS, MRCVS, Dipl ACVB, Jean Dodds, DVM and I are
running a double blind (placebo) study at Tufts Veterinary School to
assess the effect of thyroid replacement alone (in dogs with
suboptimal thyroid function) on aggressive behavior (and other
behaviors if they coexist with aggression).
We are trying to recruit dogs for this study, and are happy to work
with your veterinarian on this.
What you will get: Free thyroid panel, CBC and biochemistry profile
done by Antech and interpreted by Jean Dodds. Six weeks of
thyroxine, if your dog's thyroid levels qualify him/her for the
study. Behavioral advice.
What you will need to do: Keep a daily log (takes less than 5
minutes a
day) of aggressive incidents for 2 weeks before the medication
(thyroid or placebo) and 6 weeks during which the dog receives one
or the other. You will be asked not to change anything about the
way the dog is handled during this time.
We also ask that there be no elective surgeries or major changes in
the way the dog is kept. At the end of the 6 weeks, the pharmacy
will let us, (and we'll tell you and your vet) which treatment your
dog received. If placebo you will then be given 6 weeks of
thyroxine to try. If you notice an improvement we'd like to know,
but you will not have to maintain the log. If your dog got thyroid
and improved, you will be able to continue thyroid at your own
expense.
If thyroxine did not improve his aggression he can be weaned of
thyroxine, and we will give you behavioral advice (we'll answer
behavior questions anyway) and other ways to manage the problem.
If you have questions, or if you have a dog that you think would
be a good candidate for this study please contact Nicole Cottam
Behavior Service Coordinator at Tufts University's Cummings School
of Veterinary Medicine at
nicole.cottam@tufts.edu
Please cross post to other dog lists you may be a member of.
Linda
Linda Aronson, DVM
