Our project was to help animals with OCD. We wrote a brochure to spread awareness floor this disorder Over the course of this project we spread information about animal OCD. In the beginning of this project we sent out a survey and found that 70% of people didn't know about the disorder. After we put out brochures we resurveyed the windward community and 60% of people knew about it! We also 3D printed a puzzle toy to help dogs with OCD alleviate their own symptoms. During the project we went through multiple solutions and persevered through out the project.
As it says in our brochure, puzzle toys can help keep your dog engaged and not focused on their compulsive behaviors. Our group designed a toy that a dog owner can put treats in and then the dog can get them out. We currently have a prototype and a video of Leyth's dog playing with it. ( Two minutes of footage below ) Over the course of the week we handed out our brochures (which you can look at below). We handed out over 200 brochures at animal hospitals, veterinary clinics, pet stores, around Windward, at a dog park and at a pet daycare! On Tuesday we visited Dr. Carvalho-Faucher at the VCA in brentwood (see below clips). We are very thankful for her giving up her time to take our interview. Dr. Carvalho-Faucher discusses the incidence of OCD in pets. Dr. Carvalho-Faucher talks about common symptoms of OCD in pets. Dr. Carvalho-Faucher tells us about the awarness for OCD in animals.
This week we have come up with a whole new solution! We have realized that our old solution to use an MRI scan was not too practical and it was so expensive. We have made flyers shown on our "About" page. It will tell you all about OCD in dogs. A bonus is that there are adorable dogs on it! This week, on Tuesday, we interviewed a veterinarian all about everything she knows about this non-infectious disease. We've gained tons of information! Tune in tomorrow for everything the veterinarian said!
This week was one of our most productive weeks yet. We have improved the quality of our blog. We are also up to date on every blog post. We have been doing more research, and keeping track of it all in Noodle Tools, a site that is very good for taking notes, and keeping track of your sources. Also, we have been working on our poster a little bit. Luckily, we have pretty artistic people in our group. Some goals for our poster is to make it easy to read, neat, and informative. We are expecting our poster to be done in about one week. Until next week, goodbye!
This week we spent most of our time researching and developing more of a solution. Our solution, we have concluded, is going to be a MRI scan, or a magnetic resonance imaging. It is a kind of scan that can produce detailed pictures of parts of the body, including the brain. A MRI is mainly used in humans, but we were thinking that we should take advantage of our resources, and use them on dogs, by scanning them, to see if there is OCD in their brain. After we figured out that a MRI was our plan, we spent the rest of our time researching. Although, it wasn't always our idea. We were originally going to do a test about genetics, but realized that wasn't the most practical, and it wasn't taking any steps in science.
Starting out in week one we began light reassured on our topic, which we decided was animal OCD, or more specifically OCD in domesticated animals. We found out that OCD in animals was thought to just be traits of the species or breed of animal, such as over grooming cats, or overly active horses. Another fact we discovered was that it is harder to diagnose animals due to the facts that animals are unable to talk to humans, or express and feeling in a way similar to humans. So one problem we could tackle would be the lack of testing that is standardized across the breeds and species. Another problem is lack of knowing ion the subject and the general lack of knowledge among animal owners. We could spread awareness and make an impact that way, or we could partner, for lack of a better word, with a veterinary clinic or just a vet to work towards finding a treatment for all domestic animals (or most species) or we could narrow down our project to just one animal and work with them.
This week, we have been doing research on Dog OCD, though mostly researching awareness of dog OCD and the current diagnosis test for Dog OCD. Our problem was that there is lack of awareness and lack of efficient testing for Dog OCD. We have been brainstorming all week for a solution and we have finally decided on creating a new better and efficient test for dog OCD, while at the same time, spreading awareness to dog owners and non-dog owners that dogs can actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. We plan to contact veterinarians in our area that specialize in dog OCD or animal diseases, and talk to them and receive advice and guidance as to what should be in our new test. We have contacted one vet, but the receptionist said they have a limited number of doctors, and they are always busy. |
AuthorWe are 4 students who are interested in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in canines and wish to spread awareness and create a new test for diagnosing dog OCD. ArchivesCategories |