You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Unacceptable behaviour is second only to age-related problems as a reason for the euthanasia of dogs, and aggression is the main problem

A study conducted in Denmark* and involving 2,493 case records has confirmed that behavioural problems were second only to age-related disorders as the main reason for euthanasia, and 56.5% of the behavioural problems were related to aggression without evidence of disease. A further 13% were euathanased because of a combination of other factors (eg disease) and aggression.

Aggression was most often shown towards one or more of the following  :

• the family - the most common reason
• strangers
• other dogs

According to the findings in this report males were most often the culprits and certain breeds of dog are more likely to undergo euthanasia because of behaviour problems including :

• Belgian Sheepdogs
• Cocker Spaniels
• Cross-breeds
• Chow-Chows
• Doberman Pinschers
• German Shepherd Dogs
• St Bernards

In this study very few (less than16%) of the dogs with aggression-related behaviour had been treated for their condition prior to euthanasia - which was surprising given the progress that has been made in this area of veterinary medicine over recent years. When treatment had been given it consisted of one or more of the following :

• Training
• Neutering
• Psychotropic drug therapy - eg progestogens

(*Dansk Veterinaertidsskrift (1999) 82 (11) 1-6)

Last updated : March 2013