Tail Chasing Linked to High Cholesterol

What is usually thought to be a funny quirk in some dogs — chasing their own tail — is now being thought to have a more serious link.

Researchers are discovering that tail chasing might be a sign of high cholesterol, which adds one more symptom to a list of behavioral issues that they already feel can be attributed to high cholesterol in humans, such as panic attacks and OCD.

They tested 30 dogs — 15 who chased their tails and 15 who didn’t — to come up with their data. The tail chasers had higher HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers. As for why it happens, the researchers say:

“The reason could be that high cholesterol levels glob up cell membranes at the microscopic level, affecting the flow of brain hormones such as serotonin that are involved in mood and behavior.”

Physical trauma to the dog is also thought to contribute to the quirk, and bull terrier and German shepherd breeds are more likely to do it.

[source; image: flickr]