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‘Decision to own a dog ‘heavily influenced by genes’
"...these findings have major implications in several different fields related to understanding dog-human interaction throughout history and in modern times."
Twin study shows DNA plays a big part in dog ownership

Genetics may play a big role in our decision to get a dog, according to a recent twin study.

A team of researchers from the UK and Sweden looked at more than 35,000 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, suggest that genetic variation explains over half of the variations in dog ownership.

Concordance rates of dog ownership were also much higher in identical twins than non-identical.

Researchers said this suggests the decision to get a dog is heavily influenced by a person’s genetic make up.

Lead author Professor Tove Fall, from Uppsala University, commented: “As such, these findings have major implications in several different fields related to understanding dog-human interaction throughout history and in modern times.

“Although dogs and other pets are common household members across the globe, little is known how they impact our daily life and health. Perhaps some people have a higher innate propensity to care for a pet than others.”

Co-author Dr Carri Westgarth from the University of Liverpool added: “These findings are important as they suggest that supposed health benefits of owning a dog reported in some studies may be partly explained by different genetics of the people studied.”

Twin studies are a well-known method of determining the influence of genetics and the environment on our body and behaviour. Whilst the recent study cannot identify which genes are involved, researchers said it does show for the first time that genetics and environment play roughly equal roles in determining dog ownership.

Professor Patrik Magnusson, head of the Swedish Twin Registry, said the next logical step is to identify which genetic variants affect this choice and how they relate to personality traits and other factors.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.