Posts filed under 'For dog lovers'
24 million dollar pet hospital opens in Scotland
And speaking of healthcare: a new hospital has opened in Scotland with MRI and CT scanners and a hydrotherapy pool – all for pets.
The BBC wants to know if it is right to spend 24,275,000 and change on a treatment center for animals when humans have to wait for the same treatments.
That’s not my issue. Look at the picture where the hospital is located! It’s the University of Glasgow, where the new Small Animal Hospital opened.
I’ve often said I wish I could just go to a vet for routine healthcare. I’ve known so many great vets, and the price is right. But now that I see this place, I’d go there in a heartbeat!
Add comment September 11, 2009
“World’s Oldest Dog” dies at 21
We’re sad to hear that Chanel passed away in New York at 21 years of age.
But 21 years old doesn’t seem old enough to hold the record for “world’s oldest dog.” I’ve met someone whose dog was 22 years old, right here in Las Vegas.
Do any of you know dogs 21 or older? We’d be curious to know.
Add comment September 3, 2009
UK dog takes the train to the airport
Did you see this great story from the BBC about Diesel, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, who ran away from home when his guardian went on a vacation?
Diesel took off, hopped a train, and ended up at the airport.
He didn’t have a collar on, but he was microchipped. So the authorities were able to reunite him with his family.
The question on everyone’s mind: did he think his mother had gone on an overseas trip? Or was he in the mood for some travel himself?
Add comment August 15, 2009
Where were dogs first domesticated? Maybe not East Asia, as previously thought
There’s a fascinating new study about the origins of our family dogs.
Generally, scientists and researchers agree that the family dog we all know and love is descended from Eurasian grey wolves, domesticated between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago. The date is controversial, since some believe that dogs may have been domesticated as much as 100,000 years ago.
The point of this research and study is not to figure out how long ago, but where dogs were first domesticated.
To establish that, researchers look to the DNA of dogs. Their theory is that the genetic diversity correlates strongly with long history of dog domestication. So the more diversity they find in canine DNA, the more likely it is that dogs were domesticated in that locality.
Previously, researchers have reported finding the most genetic diversity in dogs from East Asia. And so they thought that this was the likely place where dogs were first domesticated. But wait, not so fast! It turns out that a big reason for finding more genetic diversity for dogs in East Asia was because that is where they have done the most testing. Now that researchers have started more extensive testing on dogs in other places, they are finding equal genetic diversity of African dogs. And they are embarking on testing of dogs from Portugal all the way to New Guinea.
We think this raises a couple of points: first, it’s possible that dogs were independently domesticated in several unique places over time. Second, it’s not exactly clear why greater genetic diversity would correlate with domestication. And finally, it goes to show you that it’s a good idea to gather evidence before you theorize about what your evidence shows!
2 comments August 4, 2009
Summertime and ’tis the season for Lymes Disease
Since summertime takes us and our dogs outdoors, and summer is the season for tics, we thought it would be helpful to post some new information about Lymes Disease.
According to new research, Lymes Disease is very treatable. It’s said to be hard to catch, and easy to stop in its tracks with a single dose of antibiotics, if it is caught in time. But that’s the tricky part.
Here’s the “Room for Debate” column from the New York Times. Several experts weigh in on various aspects of the subject.
We encourage all of you to take a look and educate yourself on the topic. We have friends who are affected with Lymes Disease. It’s an awful thing. So if we could help even one person avoid a lifetime of suffering, that would be great with us.
Add comment July 28, 2009
Flu vaccine for dogs: snub-nosed dogs are in the greatest danger
In January 2004, researchers isolated the H3N8 dog flu.
The virus, scientists believe, jumped from horses to dogs at least five years ago, but it has never infected a human. The researcher who discovered the flu strain became suspicious when she observed a mysterious cough and pneumonia that killed a third of the greyhounds at a Florida dog track.
The flu has hit hard in Florida, New York City’s northern suburbs, Philadelphia and Denver. Affected dogs have now been found in 30 states, but almost exclusively in settings where dogs live closely together: shelters, pet stores, kennels and dog schools.
Snub-nosed dogs that have been bred to have a short, bent respiratory tract are at the greatest risk.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that last week the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it had approved the first vaccine for it.
So if you have a dog that might be affected, consider talking to your veterinarian about the vaccination. As we have all seen with the Swine Flu, these things are unpredictable. Flu strains can mutate rapidly and some dogs may be more susceptible than others.
In this case, an ounce or prevention may be worth a pound of cure.
Here’s a link to the article in the New York Times.
3 comments June 30, 2009
British dogs are trained to sniff out diabetes
You’ve probably heard that dogs have the ability to smell cancer. And some dogs “tell” their owners, by focusing on the affected body part. That can include licking or “pestering” their owners in the areas where the cancer exists.
Now there is a program in the UK that is training dogs to warn diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels fall to dangerously low levels.
The program started from anecdotal evidence. A survey found 65 percent of 212 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reported that when they had a hypoglycemic episode their pets had reacted by whining, barking, licking or some other display.
What’s really cool is that the program is training rescue dogs that will be paired up with diabetic owners, many of them children.
We don’t need to say this, but we will: dogs are SO awesome!
Add comment June 25, 2009
Summertime is dog bite season. Be on the lookout for staph infection, especially among children
As many of you probably know, the risk of being bitten by a dog is greatest in the summer. The risk is higher for children (particularly boys). And about 27% of those bites come from family pets.
Researchers speculate that children may spend more time outdoors playing with dogs in warmer months. Or it may be that dogs are generally more irritable in hot weather. (In American cities the murder rate also elevates in the summer, for pretty much the same reasons. People are outdoors more, gathering together more, and the heat and humidity make many of us grouchy.)
So were were perturbed to see that US researchers are warning of the risk of staph infection from pet bites and scratches.
The staph infection in question is known as MRSA. Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently among persons in hospitals and healthcare facilities (such as nursing homes and dialysis centers) who have weakened immune systems.
MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
MRSA is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics. These antibiotics include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.
MRSA infections that occur in otherwise healthy people who have not been recently hospitalized or had a medical procedure are known as community-associated (CA)-MRSA infections. These infections are usually skin infections, such as abscesses, boils, and other pus-filled lesions. If untreated, blood poisoning (sepsis) can also result.
MRSA – Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus – is not a common strain of the bacteria in domestic animals, but it is being seen more and more.
Writing in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, a team led by Dr. Richard Oehler, of the University of South Florida, said “As Community-Acquired strains of MRSA increase in prevalence, a growing body of clinical evidence has documented MRSA colonisation in domestic animals, often implying direct infection from their human owners.”
So MRSA outside the hospital setting can be passed back and forth between humans and pets.
Before you freak out, here are some handy facts:
Boys aged five to nine are most at risk of dog bites. Because of their height, children are usually bitten on the face, neck or head.
Cat bites are more common in women and the elderly. They usually cause deeper puncture wounds than dogs, and carry a higher risk of infection and soft-tissue abscesses.
Severe infections occur in about 20% of bite cases, and are caused by bacteria in the animal’s mouth, plus other infectious agents from the person’s skin.
Any MRSA infection acquired from pets is treated with medication, in the same way as other MRSA infections.
According to Dr. Oehler, “Clinicians must continue to promote loving pet ownership, take an adequate pet history, and be aware that associated diseases are preventable via recognition, education and simple precautions.”
Finally, infection from pet bites and scratches is very common, particularly in children. So if your child, or a child you know, does get bitten or scratched this summer, watch the wound carefully. If signs of infection appear, then it’s probably a good idea to seek medical treatment.
Here’s the ABC News story and here’s one from the New York Daily News.
Add comment June 23, 2009
One of the all-time great dog stories is now a movie: “Hachiko” premieres at Seattle International Film Festival
Has anyone seen Hachiko: A Dog’s Story yet?
We haven’t, but we are familiar with the true story. A dog bonded with his human father so strongly that he went to the train station every day to meet the man coming home from work. Eventually, the man died, but the dog never stopped going to the train station to wait. He waited every day for 10 years. The people of the neighborhood in Tokyo where the story happened were so moved that they eventually put up a memorial statue to the dog.
It’s always been one of our favorite dog stories – what’s not to love?
The new movie, from Sony Pictures, is co-produced by Richard Gere, who also stars. The picture is directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish-born talent behind What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Shipping News, and Cider House Rules. Hallstrom is a great director, with 3 Oscar nominations and numerous other award wins and nominations to his credit.
From what we see from the reviews, the movie is fairly true to the real story, but the location has been moved from Japan to Rhode Island and updated somewhat for contemporary audiences.
Warning: bring plenty of Kleenex. From what we hear, the final moments of the film are absolutely devastating. Kids will love the movie, and their parents might be equally enchanted.
Hachiko: A Dog’s Story had its North American premiere on June 13 at the Seattle International Film Festival.
Add comment June 18, 2009
