Why Do Dogs Chase Their Own Tails?
Amit Chowdhry | Tuesday March 31, 2009 | 2,978 views| 1 Comment
If you own a dog, sometimes you will notice that they chase their own tails and run around in circles. Several veterinarians may have discovered the reason why. There is a link between tail-chasing dogs and high cholesterol. This is according to a study that was published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice.
Studies in humans have shown that those with high cholesterol are vulnerable to panic attacks and obsessive compulsive disorder. This is a common trait with dogs too. If a dog has too much cholesterol, they may have panic attacks and become obsessive with chasing their tail around. Sometimes dogs have a tendency to chase their tail around if they have a traumatic experience, surgery, or recent illness.
Bull terriers and German shepherds have a tendency to chase around their own tail more than other breeds of dogs. The researchers at the Turkey University of Uluda? took the blood samples of 15 tail-chasing dogs and 15 dogs that rarely chase their own tails. The dogs that chased around their tails the most had high cholesterol, both HDL and LDL than the other dogs.
[via Discovery]
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