Interesting & unusual
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October 17, 2018
Separation anxiety study: Pick up the keys and pet your dog
Coming home at the end of a rough day to be greeted joyously at the door by your dog is one of life’s great joys. And the more he jumps for joy at the sight of you, the better it feels. But it might not feel so good to him.The happier your dog is to see you after you’ve been away for a while, the more likely it is that he may suffer from some degree of separation anxiety. -
October 11, 2018
Weekly News Roundup 10/5–10/11
This week: Veterinarians treat bees, a dog who lost her limbs helps human amputees, and rat-catching cats are a contradiction in terms. -
October 10, 2018
Therapy dogs were spreading a superbug to sick kids. Here’s how doctors stopped it
Dogs can be kid magnets. So bringing therapy dogs in to a hospital to cheer up sick kids seems like a great idea. But sick kids with weakened immune systems can be superbug magnets. And bringing an outwardly healthy therapy dog who might be carrying antibiotic-resistant bacteria into a children’s cancer ward can suddenly seem like a really bad idea. -
October 8, 2018
My, what blue eyes you have—and now we know why
The answer isn’t colored contacts. It’s chromosomes. Technically, a duplicated stretch of DNA on a single chromosome: Canine chromosome 18. That’s the conclusion drawn in a new study led by Adam Boyko, PhD, Aaron Sams, PhD. How did they get their data? They crowd-sourced it through direct-to-consumer DNA testing. -
October 4, 2018
If your dog’s so smart, how come he ain’t rich?
Pet owners aren’t the only people who think their dogs are smarter than they actually are. So do the people who study them. Two researchers in England reviewed more than 300 scientific papers that compared the intelligence of dogs with that of animals in three broad categories that also include dogs: domestic animals, social hunters, and carnivorans. They published their findings in a paper titled In What Sense Are Dogs Special? Canine Cognition in Comparative Context. -
October 3, 2018
Survey respondents needed for chronic heart failure study
We’re hoping you can help. Researchers at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine are looking for pet owners who have cared for a dog or cat with chronic heart failure (CHF) sometime during the past 10 years, and who would be willing to participate in a new survey of owner experiences caring for dogs and cats with CHF. -
September 26, 2018
3D printing saves dog’s skull
Researchers at a Canadian university used 3D printing technology to replace the majority of a dog’s cancer-ridden skull. The patient, a nine-year-old dachshund named Patches, had a tumor that had grown so large it was weighing down her head, growing into her skull, and pushing dangerously close to her brain and eye socket. The procedure is thought to be the first of its kind in North America. -
September 20, 2018
Lucky and Jayme's story
Many of you know I brought my border collie, Gus, to Connexity to help provide a little comfort to those who might be missing canine company while at the conference. He had lots of visitors at the show; many people came by the Book Nook to snuggle with him and pose for selfies, or they greeted him happily when he trotted down the hallways. On the first day of the conference, Jayme Motler, DVM, came over to the booth to see Gus. -
September 20, 2018
Well-intentioned opioid quotas have unintended consequences for veterinary care
The opioid shortage is both a manufacturing issue and a manufactured one. The manufacturing part can be traced back to production issues at a Pfizer Inc. plant in Kansas and residual damage from last year’s Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, a major pharmaceutical manufacturing center. The manufactured part can be traced back to the US Drug Enforcement Agency. -
September 3, 2018
How much is that doggie in the window? Way more than most people think
As a veterinary professional, you’ve probably got a better handle than most on the cost of owning a dog. Because it turns out that most Americans don’t have a clue. According to a new survey of 1,500 US adults by the dog-walking app Rover, most people think that getting a dog is going to cost them between $26 and $75 a month. Not hardly.