Elvis is a very special beagle. He’s been trained to sniff the feces of polar bears to determine if they are pregnant and his success rate is 97%.
Photo by Cincinnati Zoo
Traditional pregnancy detection methods like hormone monitoring and ultrasounds don’t perform well when testing polar bears for pregnancy. Scientists at Cincinnati’s Center for Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife decided to try the beagle training since beagles perform so well as detector dogs in other settings.
Elvis is only 2 years old and so he hopefully has a long life ahead of him helping zoos in the United States determine if their polar bears are pregnant.
Climate change is causing a decrease in the amount of sea ice, which is affecting the polar bear population because it reduces their hunting season. There have also been reports of drowned polar bears being found in the Arctic Ocean; the bears have become exhausted when swimming because of the increased times it is taking for them to reach the safety of ice again.
Polar bears have been listed as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act. The number of Polar Bears in the wild is expected to decline primarily due to starvation and decreased reproduction.
Photo by Sonya Bowditch
Have you ever considered that the things you say to your dog are a reflection of what you would like to hear? Food for thought…
Posted in dog ownership, Dogs
Tagged feedback, positive reinforcement, praise, psychology, training
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say that senior drivers who always take their dog in the car are at an increased risk of being involved in an accident.
Photo courtesy of University of Alabama
Overall and at-fault crash rates for drivers 70 years of age or older were higher for those whose pet habitually rode with them.
“This is the first study to evaluate the presence of pets in a vehicle as a potential internal distraction for elderly drivers,” said Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., a professor in the Departments of Epidemiology, Ophthalmology and Surgery and senior author of the study. “The increased crash rate for elderly drivers who always drive with pets is important in the context of increasing driver awareness about potentially dangerous driving habits.”
The crash risk for drivers who always drove with their pets was double that of drivers who never drove with a pet, while crash rates for those who sometimes or rarely drove with pets were consistent with the rates for non-pet owners.
The study involved 2,000 community-dwelling (those who do not live in assisted living or nursing homes) licensed drivers age 70 and older, of whom 691 had pets. Study subjects took a survey on driving habits, and those with pets were asked about the frequency of driving with pets. Participants also underwent visual sensory and higher-order visual processing testing.
More than half the pet owners said they took their pet with them in the car at least occasionally, usually riding on the front passenger seat or in the back seat.
“That is consistent with previous studies looking at all drivers, which indicate that slightly more than half of all drivers take a pet with them at times,” said McGwin. “And it’s interesting to note that earlier surveys indicate that 83 percent of those surveyed agreed that an unrestrained dog was likely dangerous in a moving vehicle, yet only 16 percent have ever used any type of restraint on their own pet.”
I’d really like to see a study comparing accident rates with properly restrained pets and those without. I support the use of safety harnesses for dogs who are traveling in cars and am consistently amazed at the number of people who allow their dog in the car without restraint.
The research team has published its research in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
Megaesophagus is a condition where the muscles of the esophagus fail, similar to a limp balloon that has inflated several times and lost its elasticity:
When the condition is present, the esophagus doesn’t contract normally and food can’t make it down into the stomach to be digested. Food can ‘pool’ in the esophagus causing regurgitation. Worse, the undigested food can be inhaled leading to a condition called aspiration pneumonia. Megaesophagus can affect puppies and adult dogs.
Vets normally have to diagnose the condition from its range of symptoms which include:
Megaesophagus is a condition that can be managed, but it does take a dedicated and vigilant dog parent to do this.
Dogs with the condition have to eat and drink in a device called a Bailey Chair. The chair allows the dog to sit in an upright position for an extended period of time. A megaesophagus dog needs to be fed in the chair and kept upright for at least 20 minutes to allow gravity to take the food and water into the stomach.
Dogs with megaesophagus have special nutritional needs, too. Since dogs with this condition can’t drink normally, they often need water added to their meals and to receive high moisture treats that are thickened with gelatin or other ingredients.
A megaesophagus dog needs a diet that is calorie rich and nutritious but without too much fibre. Raw foods are a special risk to these dogs because of their sensitive digestive systems. There’s also a risk of bacterial contamination, particularly if even small amounts of raw food are aspirated.
Prescription medications like Carafate liquid can also help these dogs because it provides a protective coating for the esophagus.
It’s also important to think holistically for these dogs, with support with Bach flower remedies, herbs and supplements. In my practice, I work with the dogs to keep their digestive systems healthy through massage and acupressure and nutrition. The spleen, liver and stomach all need support when a dog has megaesophagus.
In older dogs with arthritis, having to sit in a Bailey Chair presents additional challenges that require holistic veterinary care.
The good news is that megaesophagus doesn’t mean a death sentence. It does mean that your special dog will need special care and attention to maintain its health throughout its lifetime.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in dog care
Tagged acupressure, aspiration pneumonia, Bailey Chair, Carafate, Dog, dogs, massage, megaesophagus, vomiting
Doggyloot is a website where merchants sell dog treats, toys and other products at discount prices. Each product is offered for a significant discount but there’s a time limit to buy.
I’m happy to endorse this site, as I’ve found a number of items over the last two years by belonging to this community. It’s well worth a look – your dog will love you for it!
Shipping to USA addresses only, sorry! (But the shipping is free)
If you’re traveling through New York with your pooch, you should stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond in Chelsea, New York.
This store welcomes dogs (on leash and under control) and provides them with special canine shopping carts that have foam mats at the bottom for comfort.
This is Enzo, a French Bulldog, shopping at the store:
Well done to Bed, Bath and Beyond at this location. No word yet on when other stores will follow suit.
Posted in dog-friendly shops
Tagged Bath & Beyond, bed, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chelsea, Enzo, French Bulldog, New York, shopping carts
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