dogs

Pain sensitivity in dogs

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In an interesting study conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University showed that pain sensitivity is related to the breed and a dog’s temperament.  

The researchers studied both male and female dogs from ten breeds. They picked the breeds based on how veterinarians rated the breed for pain sensitivity or tolerance. The breeds were: Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Maltese, Siberian Husky, Border Collie, Boston Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Golden Retriever, Pitbull, and Labrador Retriever. A total of 149 dogs were tested.

Surprisingly the breeds did not respond as the veterinarians expected. They also found that temperament played a role in the dog’s tolerance for pain. The important fact that was learned from the study is that pain tolerance has a biological basis.

Sue’s Note: When anything such as pain tolerance is common in a breed, it means that selective breeding may, in part, correct the sensitivity. This is important because it makes the dog’s life more tolerable. Also, temperament is another genetic aspect that can be improved with selective breeding. It is also important to realize how pain sensitivity can make a dog dislike training. This is why harsh training methods are never a good idea.

Slow walking in older dogs could mean they have dementia

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Because we cannot talk to dogs or give them the same type of cognitive tests that we give people, the latest research that shows how slow a dog walks could mean that he is suffering from dementia is a step in the right direction.

“Walking speed in people is strongly associated with cognitive decline,” says Natasha Olby, Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at NC State and corresponding author of the study. “We hypothesized that the same might be true in dogs.”

The researchers tested 46 adult dogs (control group) and 49 senior dogs to determine if the speed that they walked corresponded with dementia. They had the dog’s owners fill out a questionnaire and in addition, the researchers did cognitive testing as well. They considered all factors that could influence the test results such as the size of the dog, possible joint pain, and the difference if the dog walked on leash or off leash.

They came to the conclusion that a senior dogs walking speed does correspond with dementia. 

Sue’s note: Since we cannot accurately give dogs mental tests, any other way to help owners recognize that their dog may be in mental decline is good. However, if you see signs of mental decline in your dog, do not assume that it is due to old age. Have your dog examined by your veterinarian since physical issues may be the culprit, not dementia or old age.

The work appears in Frontiers in Veterinary Science and was supported by the Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology. Alejandra Mondino, postdoctoral researcher at NC State, is lead author of the study.

Journal Reference:

  1. Alejandra Mondino, Michael Khan, Beth Case, Gilad Fefer, Wojciech K. Panek, Margaret E. Gruen, Natasha J. Olby. Winning the race with aging: age-related changes in gait speed and its association with cognitive performance in dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2023; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1150590

Cite This Page:

North Carolina State University. (2023, June 27). Slow walking could be sign of dementia in older dogs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 29, 2023 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230627123033.htm

A worthy product to promote health

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I do not often post articles about products but I feel this is important. So please forgive the departure from purely animal topics. Years ago, I purchased an Ecoquest air purifier. I ran it 24/7 for about 15 years before it quit, so no complaints on that part. When I told a few people about the difference it made in my house, I was surprised to learn that most of the people I talked to had no idea what this type of air purifier was.

It is not an air filter, this product does so much more. It kills germs, bacteria and odors in the house. It takes care of dust, dust mites, mold, mildew, and pollen, just to name a few things. No one has ever walked into my house and smelled what I had cooked, or that I had dogs, cats and birds. My husband and I rarely catch colds or other airborne illnesses and the house smells springtime fresh all of the time. Since I suffered for years with allergies and now asthma (I am even allergic to my cat) I find that this air purifier lessens my symptoms and often eliminates them. I feel that this product will also help animals that have airborne allergies and help to keep birds healthy.

You can google the air purifier but I highly recommend that you contact Don Coon, who can help you select the right model and save you quite a bit of money from the on-line prices. His contact information is: adcoon99@gmail.com or phone in the U.S. 406-360-0956. I do not get any credit for recommending him but offer this because it is a great product and he is a great guy.

Most wild dingos are pure, not hybrids

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In a University of New South Wales study led by Dr. Kylie Cairns, a conservation biologist, they discovered that most of the dingo population is pure and not crossed with dogs as previously thought. This is important because dingo’s and dingo crosses were considered “wild dogs” an invasive species, and were allowed to be hunted.

What is interesting is that Dingoes are genetically distinct from domestic dogs but they can interbreed.

Dingo – Google free image

According to Dr. Cairns, the old method of determining the purity of dingoes only used a small number of genetic markers (only 23) which overestimated the amount of dog ancestry, being inaccurate by over 30 percent. The new test allows them to look at 195,000 points across the genome.

Dr. Cairns feels that the dingo should be protected and not subjected to lethal control measures. If the dingo is removed the area can become overrun by kangaroos, foxes and feral cats which threaten other native animals and alter the vegetation. While dingoes are a threat to some livestock, they do play a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem and biodiversity.

Sue’s note: This sounds very similar to past issues that we have had in the United States with wolves. This study also shows that because two species can interbreed, it does not mean that they are descended one from another. Many species that are not related are interbred, such as in the feline, equine and canine families.

  1. Kylie M. Cairns, Mathew S. Crowther, Heidi G. Parker, Elaine A. Ostrander, Mike Letnic. Genome‐wide variant analyses reveal new patterns of admixture and population structure in Australian dingoes. Molecular Ecology, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/mec.16998

University of New South Wales. “New DNA testing technology shows majority of wild dingoes are pure, not hybrids.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 May 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230530125449.htm>.

How old is your dog, really?

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The old rule that one dog year equals seven in human years is not true. What the researchers found was that dogs age differently than humans. For example, Trey Ideker of the University of California, San Diego pointed out that a nine-month-old dog can have puppies. If you do the math, it is obvious that the 1 year equals seven does not work out. They studied Labrador Retrievers to see how they age on a molecular level by comparing changes in the methylation pattern. They discovered that dogs age rapidly at first and then slow down later in life.    

According to the article “The comparison revealed a new formula that better matches the canine-human life stages: human age = 16 ln (dog age) + 31. Based on the new function, an 8-week-old dog is approximately the age of a 9-month-old baby, both being in the infant stage where puppies and babies develop teeth. The average 12-year lifespan of Labrador retrievers also corresponds to the worldwide life expectancy of humans, 70 years.”

The researchers noted that they need to do more studies because different breeds age at different rates. Having a more accurate way to measure a dog’s age will help both dog owners and veterinarians better appreciate and care for dogs.

Journal Reference:

  1. Tina Wang, Jianzhu Ma, Andrew N. Hogan, Samson Fong, Katherine Licon, Brian Tsui, Jason F. Kreisberg, Peter D. Adams, Anne-Ruxandra Carvunis, Danika L. Bannasch, Elaine A. Ostrander, Trey Ideker. Quantitative Translation of Dog-to-Human Aging by Conserved Remodeling of the DNA Methylome. Cell Systems, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.06.006

Cite This Page:

Cell Press. “How old is your dog in human years? New method better than ‘multiply by 7’.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200702113649.htm>.

Do animals have beliefs?

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Based on the research by Dr. Tobias Starzak and Professor Albert Newen from the Institute of Philosophy II at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, yes, they do. Although it is not easy to prove, the research shows that chimpanzees, dogs, and some birds have beliefs. It stands to reason that if these animals do, others do as well.

According to the study for an animal to illustrate that they have beliefs, they must meet certain criteria. They must have information about the world; the animal must be able to use the information in a flexible manner; then that information is then internally structured into a belief with different aspects of that information being processed separately; and they must be able to recombine the components of the information in unique ways.

According to Albert Newen, flexible behavior which can be interpreted as caused by beliefs has been observed in chimpanzees, rats and Border collies.

Journal Reference:

  1. Albert Newen, Tobias Starzak. How to ascribe beliefs to animals. Mind & Language, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/mila.12302

Cite This Page:

Ruhr-University Bochum. “What it means when animals have beliefs: Chimpanzees, some dog species and even scrub jay and crows have beliefs..” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 17 June 2020. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/06/200617145957.htm

Pets can reduce food allergies in children

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Previous research has shown that living with animals can reduce allergies in children such as airborne and food allergies. Now a recent study has confirmed and strengthened this finding.

Researcher Hisao Okabe from the Fukushima regional Center for the Japan Environment and Children’s Study and colleagues studied over 65,000 young children who lived with dogs and cats and found that they had less food allergies than children who do not live with pets.

About 22% were exposed to indoor dogs and cats during their fetal stage and showed a significant reduction in food allergies. It is interesting that the study showed that children exposed to outdoor dogs had no significant reduction in food allergies.

The children who were exposed to indoor dogs were less likely to be allergic to eggs, milk and nuts. The children who were exposed to indoor cats had a lower instance of allergies to eggs, wheat and soybeans. Yet those children who were exposed to hamsters had a higher rate of allergies to nuts.

This study did not go into detail about why this occurred but it is interesting that it did.

Journal Reference:

  1. Hisao Okabe, Koichi Hashimoto, Mika Yamada, Takashi Ono, Kazufumi Yaginuma, Yohei Kume, Mina Chishiki, Akiko Sato, Yuka Ogata, Karin Imaizumi, Tsuyoshi Murata, Hyo Kyozuka, Kosei Shinoki, Seiji Yasumura, Hidekazu Nishigori, Keiya Fujimori, Mitsuaki Hosoya. Associations between fetal or infancy pet exposure and food allergies: The Japan Environment and Children’s Study. PLOS ONE, 2023; 18 (3): e0282725 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282725

Death, Decomposition, and Detection Dogs

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Death, Decomposition, and Detection Dogs: From Science to SceneBy Susan M. Stejskal, LVT, PhD. Published by CRC Press, Second Edition, 2023, $54.95, 259 pgs.

I love this book. It is very well written; the quality of the cover and pages are excellent. It has informative diagrams and color photos. The book thoroughly researched and covers the topic extremely well. Because the author explains in easy-to-understand terms all of the technical aspects of body decomposition, this book is easy to read. There are nine chapters covering a variety of topics which include forensic tools, a dog’s nose, how a body decomposes, the role that bugs play in forensics, how the environment impacts decomposition, electronic detection devices and what is very interesting, actual case studies.

This book is a must have for canine search and rescue handlers, police, fire fighters, those who study forensics, and authors who write murder mysteries or include a death in their stories.

Swamp cancer (pythiosis) in animals

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Swamp cancer has been around for a long time worldwide. It was first reported in 1884 and is typically limited to tropical and subtropical areas that include, Thailand, India, Brazil and states in the U.S. that border the Gulf of Mexico. Although recently it has been reported in northern area of the U.S.

Pythiosis causes either non-healing sores on the skin or lesions internally. Dogs that contract Pythiosis and are not treated, typically live less than one month. Horses and other animals can also contract pythiosis.

Pythiosis is caused by organisms that are similar to fungus but are related to algae, often called water molds. As the name suggests, they need water to survive. They are found in stagnant water including ponds, swamps and bayous but they are also found in moist soil, grasses and aquatic vegetation. The mold is attracted to human and horse hair as well as the skin of animals.

An animal can contract it by rubbing against or eating vegetation, wading or swimming in contaminated water or drinking or getting the water in their mouth. Hunting dogs are a prime candidate and studies have shown that for an unknown reason, German Shepherd Dogs also have a higher instance of Pythiosis.

In the skin form of the disease a dog will have non-healing wounds that will not respond to antibiotics. The wound will grow, drain pus and the tissue will die. In the internal form of the disease the dog may vomit, have diarrhea which will be watery and bloody. The dog may lose his appetite and thus weight. Masses may form on various organs in the body.

There are tests that a veterinarian can use to help determine if the dog has pythiosis and veterinarians at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine are working to find a cure. If your dog has pythiosis you can contact them to partake of a pilot study for treatment of this disease.

Contact the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital at (352) 392-2235 or complete the study interest form at https://research.vetmed.ufl.edu/clinical-trials/contact-us/

 to see if their dog qualifies.

Help Your Dog Live Longer with These Fitness Techniques

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By guest blogger Cindy Aldridge

Dogs of every age need proper exercise and nutrition in order to maintain good health. With the right balance, you can help your pup live a long and happy life. The key is to keep everything in moderation because even exercise can be detrimental if your dog overdoes it.

Ready to create a new fitness routine for your furry friend? Certified Animal Behavior Consultant Susan Bulanda shares some tips to get you started.

Make Quality Food a Priority

The foundation of any pet’s health is a great diet. The right food can make a big difference for everything from his coat to his joints. Look for high-quality food with natural ingredients that provide the nutrients they need. If you want to take it a step further, consider air-dried beef dog food, which has all the protein-packed benefits of raw food without the mess or hassle of preparing it yourself. Not only that, your dog will love the flavors.

Exercise, But Don’t Overdo It

Dogs need regular exercise for both physical and mental stimulation, but it’s crucial not to overdo it, especially as your pet gets a little older. He may want to run and play the way he did as a puppy, but certain types of exercise are better than others, depending on your dog’s breed and size. To avoid injury and keep his joints healthy, consider taking your dog for a swim, which is gentle enough for most ages.

Keep His Mind Sharp

In addition to getting enough exercise, it’s also important to provide your pup with plenty of mental stimulation throughout the day, even when you’re not around. You can introduce different smells and sounds to keep his senses engaged or provide interactive toys such as tug ropes or treat-dispensing balls that encourage thinking and playing. Training games are also great for mentally stimulating your dog, teaching him new tricks, or honing existing skills. You can also try playing hide-and-seek with his favorite toy.

Keep His Coat Healthy

Brushing and grooming your dog regularly and removing dirt, debris, dead skin cells, and excess fur from their skin helps keep their coat healthy. Invest in a high-quality brush for daily brushing sessions at home or visit a professional groomer for more extensive grooming services such as nail trimming or hair styling. Additionally, make sure you check for fleas or ticks regularly, too, especially during warmer months when these parasites are more active.

Spend Quality Time Together

No matter how old your pup is, spending quality time together is an essential part of keeping him happy and healthy. Take some time out of each day to cuddle up with your pup on the couch or take him on an adventure around town. Go for a drive if your pet enjoys car rides. Giving your dog this time is important for his mental health.

Invest in the Right Gear

As you and your dog spend time together, invest in quality gear like a durable leash and harness to ensure his safety. Look for products made from materials like leather, which are strong enough to withstand wear and tear but still comfortable enough for long periods of use without causing irritation. Lastly, make sure you have a good collar complete with ID tags so you’ll have peace of mind.

Keeping your pet healthy and active will ensure his continued mental and physical fitness, which can, in turn, lengthen his life. By feeding him quality dog food and providing lots of opportunities for exercise and bonding time, you can help your dog make the most of his years. Don’t forget to talk to your vet about any concerns right away.