Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using pig hair extensions to help blind dogs sense obstacles better
By de Sampaio, Manuella Oliveira Borges et al.·Published in Veterinary research communications·2024·Veterinary Medicine Department, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Supplemental vibrissal extensions as an alternative to improve the tactile sensitivity of blind dogs - a preliminary approach investigation.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Fourteen blind dogs had special hairs attached to their whiskers to help them navigate better and avoid bumping into things. After the extensions were added, the dogs had fewer collisions and moved more quickly through a maze compared to before the extensions were applied. Even after the extensions fell off, the dogs still performed better than they did initially. This suggests that enhancing their whiskers could help blind dogs sense their surroundings more effectively and improve their quality of life.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This preliminary study suggests a way to artificially extend vibrissae of blind dogs to assist ambulation and avoiding facial contact with obstacles. PROCEDURES: Fourteen irreversibly blind dogs had 5-6 mystacial vibrissae on each side of the face supplementally extended by attaching carefully chosen adult pig hairs to them and were subjected to a maze test before and after the procedure. In three of these dogs the test was repeated one more time after all the extensions had fallen off. Collision counts and course times with and without extensions were analyzed and compared. A p-value > 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Median number of collisions was significantly higher post-extensions (5 IQR 2.25) and after extensions had fallen off (4 IQR 7.50) compared to pre-extensions (1 IQR 1), p = 0.021. Median times were significantly higher pre-extension (25.6 IQR 8.98) and after the extensions had fallen off, compared to the post-extension performance (22.8 IQR 8.55), p = 0.04. CONCLUSION: Vibrissae play an important role in the tactile perception of blind dogs, and our preliminary results suggest that extending this sensory organ possibly improves obstacle location and their quality of life.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38427268/