dog behavior

Stress causes overeating in pets

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Researcher Sora Shin, an assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech has discovered a molecule that triggers the need to eat high fat foods in mice 24 hours after being exposed stress in the form of the scent of cats.

This molecule is found in the hypothalamus section of the brain which is the part of the brain that is connected to changes in the brain that lead to emotional overeating.

 The same molecule is found in people as well as animals. This discovery may lead to treatment methods that can help people who react to the emotionally driven need to overeat, even when they are not hungry.

Sue’s Note: There are many animals, particularly dogs and cats that tend to overeat which result in them becoming obese. Pet owners who have pets that have this problem should consider stress as a factor that causes their pets to overeat. First be sure that the family or friends are not over feeding the pets. If this is not the case the pet owner should evaluate the possibility that stress may be a cause. Since the study showed that the effects of stress can cause overeating 24 hours later, the pet owner should consider events that happened in the last 24 hours. An example would be someone or something that passes the pet’s home when the owner is not home that causes high stress in the pet. In situations where stress is a factor, reducing the amount of food that the pet has access to may cause a greater amount of stress. In this case over the counter calming remedies may help the pet. If not a visit to your veterinarian would be in order explaining to the veterinarian that you suspect stress is a cause of the overeating. Print a copy of the article in the link below to show your veterinarian if necessary.

Journal Reference:

  1. In-Jee You, Yeeun Bae, Alec R. Beck, Sora Shin. Lateral hypothalamic proenkephalin neurons drive threat-induced overeating associated with a negative emotional state. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42623-6

Cite This Page:

Virginia Tech. “Scientist discovers potential brain link between stress, emotional eating.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 27 November 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231127180702.htm>.

Nurture Your Senior Pet with These Essential Care Strategies

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by guest blogger Cindy Aldridge

As your furry companion advances into their senior years, adapting your care approach becomes crucial for their well-being. This stage in their life calls for special attention to health, comfort, and happiness. This detailed guide, courtesy of Susan Bulanda, covers essential strategies to ensure your aging pet enjoys their later years to the fullest.  

Maximize Health with Regular Veterinary Check-Ups

Regular veterinary visits are crucial for senior pets. These appointments allow for early detection of common age-related issues such as arthritis, kidney problems, and vision loss. Timely intervention can significantly improve your pet’s quality of life. Additionally, veterinarians can offer advice on diet and exercise tailored to your senior pet’s specific needs, ensuring they remain healthy and active.

Safeguard Your Pet in the Great Outdoors

Creating a safe outdoor environment is essential for the well-being of senior pets. Installing a robust fence prevents your pet from wandering off and keeps unwanted animals out. Also, consider adding ramps for easy access, which are especially beneficial for pets with mobility issues. 

It’s also wise to document any improvements made to your outdoor space. If you plan to sell your home, taking before-and-after photos and retaining receipts can help demonstrate the added value these enhancements bring to your property. Keeping a close eye on your pet when they are outdoors is crucial too, as older pets may not be as alert to potential dangers, heightening their risk of accidents or getting lost.

Prioritize Dental Health

Effective dental care is a cornerstone of senior pet health. In addition to brushing and dental treats, regular professional cleanings can prevent serious dental issues. Neglecting dental health can lead to complications like heart disease or infections. Integrating dental care into your routine demonstrates your commitment to their overall health.

Maintain Grooming and Hygiene

Grooming is crucial for aesthetics and maintaining your senior pet’s health. Regular grooming sessions allow for the early detection of lumps, bumps, or skin conditions, which are more prevalent in older pets. It also serves as a bonding activity, offering comfort and reassurance. 

Further, these sessions are essential for ensuring your pet’s coat remains free from parasites and matting, which can cause discomfort and skin issues. Grooming is also a great time to check the flexibility and condition of your pet’s skin, which can indicate their overall health.

Ensure Adequate Hydration

Maintaining proper hydration is crucial in supporting kidney function and preventing urinary tract issues in senior pets. Placing multiple water bowls around your home encourages them to drink regularly. Regularly checking these bowls ensures they always have access to fresh water. 

A pet fountain can further encourage drinking by providing a continuous flow of fresh water, making it more appealing. Additionally, monitoring your pet’s water intake can indicate their overall health and alert you to potential issues.

Image via Freepik 

Stimulate Their Minds

Cognitive health is as crucial as physical health in senior pets. Engaging them in regular mental exercises can help delay the onset of cognitive dysfunction, similar to dementia in humans. Training sessions, learning new tricks, or engaging in scent games help keep their minds active and alert. 

These activities stimulate their brains and strengthen their bond with them. Consistent mental stimulation can also help maintain their senses and reflexes, which are vital for their overall well-being and quality of life.

Create a Comfortable Environment

Adapting your home to suit your senior pet’s needs is vital to their comfort. This includes providing orthopedic bedding to support their joints, ensuring easy access to their favorite spots, and maintaining a consistent indoor temperature. Remember that their tolerance for extreme weather conditions diminishes with age, so keeping them comfortable shows your deep understanding and care.

Wrapping Up

Caring for a senior pet means adapting to their changing needs with empathy and understanding. By focusing on these essential care strategies, you can ensure that your beloved companion enjoys their golden years in comfort and happiness. 

Your commitment to their well-being reflects the depth of your bond, making every moment you share even more precious. Remember that the love and care you provide during these years are invaluable, creating a nurturing environment for your senior pet to thrive.

Early spay and neutering in dogs

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A study conducted at the University of California – Davis researched the data of 35 breeds of dogs collected over fifteen years from thousands of dogs to determine if neutering, the age of neutering, the differences in the sex of the dog had any relationship to certain cancers and joint disorders such as hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tears, elbow dysplasia, lymphoma, cancer of the blood vessel walls, mast cell tumors and bone cancer.

They found that the occurrence of joint disorders was related to body size. Smaller breeds have less issues while the majority of larger breeds did. The surprising exception to this were Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds which showed no problem regardless of what age they were neutered.

Small dogs had a low rate of cancer regardless of what age they were neutered or not. The exceptions were Boston Terries and Shih Tzu’s who had a significant increase of cancers if neutered.

They also found that the sex of the dog sometimes made a difference in health risks. For example, female Boston Terriers who were neutered at six months had no risk of joint disorders or cancer, yet male Boston Terriers neutered before a year of age had significantly more risks.

Another finding was that neutering or spaying female Golden Retrievers at any age increased the risk of one or more of the cancers from five to fifteen percent.

Sue’s Note: Many working dog people, especially in the herding breeds, claim that neutering a dog before full physical and mental maturity hinders the mental and working ability of the dog.

Journal Reference:

  1. Benjamin L. Hart, Lynette A. Hart, Abigail P. Thigpen, Neil H. Willits. Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2020; 7 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00388

Cite This Page:

University of California – Davis. “When should you neuter your dog to avoid health risks? Comprehensive study lays out guidelines for 35 dog breeds.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200715160008.htm>.

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

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

Will your dog rescue you if you need to be saved?

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Researchers Joshua Van Bourg and Clive Wynne, Arizona State University professor of psychology and director of the Canine Science Collaboratory wanted to find the answer to this question. They evaluated 60 dogs who had no specific training to rescue people, by having the dog’s owners hidden in a box with a movable door. The owners were taught how to sound distressed and called out “Help” or “Help me.” As one control they had the owners sit in the box and read from a magazine and as another control drop food in the box. Out of the three tests, 84% of the dogs rescued their owners, more than the control tests.

“What’s fascinating about this study,” Wynne said, “is that it shows that dogs really care about their people. Even without training, many dogs will try and rescue people who appear to be in distress — and when they fail, we can still see how upset they are. The results from the control tests indicate that dogs who fail to rescue their people are unable to understand what to do — it’s not that they don’t care about their people.

Hearing loss in dogs

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People often think that if a dog is not born deaf, the dog will be OK. Certain breeds of dogs, those with the merle, piebald and harlequin coat colors, such as Dalmatians, Shetland Sheepdogs, Australian Cattle Dogs and Great Danes for example, have a high instance being born deaf. The Baer test on puppies born in these breeds can determine if a dog is deaf or not. However, dogs can suffer from hearing loss, much the same as people.

A dog can lose its hearing if the hair cells in the cochlea or if the eardrum and the small bones are damaged. Dr. Kari Foss, a veterinarian neurologist/professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studied a gun dog, sniffer dog and a police dog and found that they had a hearing loss.

My deaf collie and I many years ago

Hearing loss can result from being exposed to loud noises, illness and old age. In some cases, the hearing loss can be cured, such as those due to infections or illness.

Dr. Foss stresses that many people miss the signs that their dog is suffering from hearing loss. Dog owners should take note if their dog fails to respond when called, sleeping through sounds that they would normally respond to, being startled at loud noise that did not bother them before, barking excessively or making unusual vocal sounds. If a dog is deaf in one ear, they may have trouble locating the source of sounds.

If you suspect that your dog has a hearing loss, do not hesitate to make an appointment with your veterinarian. There is a chance that the problem can be corrected. However, if the loss is permanent, you can ensure that your dog stays safe by taking precautions. Dogs can live a safe and happy life even if they are deaf, or partially deaf.

Unwanted behavior in dogs – surprising findings

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In a study of 14,000 dogs, fully 73% of the dogs studied had unwanted behavior. One-third of the dogs studied had noise sensitivity. The other behaviors included fearfulness of people, other dogs and unfamiliar locations, fear of surfaces and heights, inattention and impulsivity, compulsive behavior, aggressiveness and separation anxiety. The most common were noise sensitivity, fear of surfaces and heights and general fearfulness.  

Professor Hannes Lohi’s research group from the University of Helsinki conducted the study and found that fearfulness and aggressive behavior were linked to each other as well as impulsivity, compulsive behavior and separation anxiety. The researchers also discovered that many unwanted behaviors are inherited. Their hope is that better breeding may help eliminate these behaviors.

Author’s Note: The article states, “The problems appear to be quite breed-specific. For example, in Border Collies we observed more compulsive staring and light/shadow chasing, behaviours that occurred more rarely in all other breeds.” Studies such as this are interesting, however, it should be considered what the breed traits are, the excessive staring could actually be the Border Collie “eye.” Since Border Collies herd livestock, they may have a tendency to chase light and shadows if their instinctive herding needs are not met.

Dog’s eyes are different than wolves

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Dr Kaminski and co-author, evolutionary psychologist Professor Bridget Waller, also at the University of Portsmouth conducted an interesting research project which found that dogs have a small muscle above their eyes that allow them to noticeably raise their inner eyebrow. Wolves do not have this ability. The purpose of this muscle is to allow dogs to better communicate with people. The expression that results makes the dog’s eyes appear larger and resembles the movement that people produce when they are sad. It also makes the dog’s eyes appear more infant like. People seem to want to look after dogs more when they exhibit this expression.

The researchers found that dogs will raise their eyebrows more when people are looking at them indicating that dogs are trying to communicate with people. This study illustrates how important and powerful facial expressions are in social interaction.

Managing aggressive behavior in dogs

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Dr. Emma Williams, from the School of Psychological Science at the University of Bristol has conducted a study about managing aggressive dog behavior. According to her research, aggression in dogs is a worldwide problem.

She found that animal behaviorists need to focus on helping dog owners feel confident that the rehabilitation program prescribed will work. Behaviorists must also ensure that the dog owner is capable of initiating and following through with the program. Behaviorists should not only focus on the behavior of the dogs, but also the behavior of the owner when developing a rehabilitation program. They found that when a dog acts badly toward a person or another dog, the dog’s owner may react with extreme negative feelings.

What they also found was that positive reinforcement-based behavior modification techniques were very effective in rehabilitating aggressive dogs while punishment-based methods were detrimental for the dog and led to increased aggression.       

Sue’s note: At the first sign of aggression, even in a puppy, the dog owner must consult with a certified canine behavior consultant. Too often dog owners feel that the dog will out-grow the aggression when in reality it always gets worse if not addressed immediately.