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    Canine Arthritis and Emotion Study

    Welcome to our website! 
    Please scroll down for more information about the project, and to find out how you and your dog can get involved

  • What's it all about?

    The Canine Arthritis and Emotion Study is a project being carried out at the University of Bristol Vet School by a team of behaviour researchers and vets. We aim to find out more about how dogs are affected by osteoarthritis (OA). It is known that OA can have an emotional impact on human patients, and we want to find out if this is the case in dogs.

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    We are looking for two types of dog:

     
    A) Dogs showing signs of osteoarthritis in their hind limbs (e.g. reduced mobility, difficulty jumping/getting up after a long rest etc.) that are not receiving daily pain medication and are otherwise fit and well
     

    OR

     

    B) Dogs that are fit and well

     

    We are looking for dogs that are over 6 years of age and weigh more than 12kg.
     
    We are looking for dogs in Bristol and surrounding areas- if you are unsure whether you and your dog live close enough please get in touch and ask!
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    What does the study involve?
     

    We will be training dogs to perform a simple behavioural task and using this to see how motivated they are to search for  treats. The task involves teaching dogs to flip a cardboard lid off a bowl using their nose to find treats hidden inside. The training will  be carried out in your home by two researchers, and usually takes 1.5-2 hours.

     

    We will also ask you to bring your dog to the vet school for a full clinical examination by a vet– this will include the use of a specialised pressure sensor to measure joint sensitivity; you will need to leave your dog with us for ~ 1hour. 

     

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    Thank you!
     

    To say thank you for your time, you will be given a £10 John Lewis voucher. If we have to come to your home a second time in order to finish training your dog then we will give you a second £10 voucher. 

  • Contact us

    If you would like to take part in the study, or would just like some more information, then please email lauren.harris@bristol.ac.uk or telephone 07840 602 154
     
    The study is running until the end of December 2015