Category Archives: research

Do canine companions make us healthier?

Posted on April 22, 2025 | 1 comment

Chances are you either have a dog, know someone with a dog, or spend too much time on the internet watching dog videos. Dogs. Are. Great. Maybe it’s from uniquely coevolving with humans, or maybe it’s because they’re so darn smart, agile, comforting, and cute—but there’s definitely a connection. Whenever we’re on the move, they’re on the move too—and excited about it. Even if it’s just to the kitchen, it is still a fun adventure together.  

Any one of us living with a dog (a whopping 60 million—or 45.5%—nationally) has anecdotal evidence to back it up. But how can we measure the ways dogs impact our movement habits and thereby our health and wellness? Katie Potter, Behavioral Medicine Lab director and associate professor of kinesiology, decided to find out.  

It all started with a little floppy-eared canine named Chloe. Potter, a slight, brown-haired woman with an athletic frame and a life-long affinity for dogs, adopted the short-haired pup in grad school, and they became inseparable. As someone studying kinesiology and behavioral health, Potter was more aware than most just how much her connection with Chloe improved her wellbeing. Time spent walking and playing with the sweet-tempered Chloe was also time that Potter spent being active and meeting new people in her neighborhood. On bad weather days, people without dogs can be tempted to stay inside in a cozy cocoon of home. But one look at Chloe’s innocent, black-and-white-splotched face had Potter pulling on her boots and reaching for a leash. Chloe also actively helped Potter once she started working in the Behavioral Medicine Lab at UMass, modeling new activity trackers, quality testing the lab treats, and reminding the team to stay in the moment and that, sometimes, you really just need to go for a walk. Potter was a doting pet parent but a scientist through and through.  

When Chloe passed away in 2021, Potter had already been inspired by her to research the ways pet ownership might help people become healthier and more active. Motivated by the understanding of how activity levels contribute to or mitigate health conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis, Potter was convinced that the addition of multiple, small physical activities to a person’s life could lead to big beneficial outcomes. But now, she was even more driven to find out how specifically and find a way to engage a community around a shared love of pet care. Currently, less than 25% of adults in the United States meet the federal guidelines for physical activity. And children aren’t doing any better.

Professor Katie Potter clasps a new activity tracking collar around Percy’s neck while wearing her own for monitoring how close they are to each other.

Dog ownership was a potential avenue to inspire people to move on a grand scale and it excited her. “People are already convinced that animals are good for their health, so we’re trying to determine the evidence base for that,” Potter explains. As she better understands what the impact is from our dog-human bond, she can glean which small actions can be recreated as programs and introduced to the population at large.  

Studies show that, to get people to make healthy, lasting changes to their daily routines, those changes need to be ones they actually enjoy. Luckily, a lot of people enjoy canine companionship. So, over the past five years, Potter and doctoral candidate Colleen Sands ’25 have designed observational studies to show how dog ownership affects/impacts physical activity levels, and the effects on specific health issues. 

The big question

Does getting a dog make you more active? This is one of the biggest questions Potter is trying to answer. It is equally likely that physically active people get dogs because dogs fit within their already active lifestyle. But how do you test for that? 

One of the most difficult parts of this type of experimentation is obtaining data on how active people are before they get a dog. “There’s currently a lack of studies that look at how getting a dog changes the owners’ activity and health—because they’re so logistically challenging,” says Potter. “You have to get data on folks before they bring the dog home and then follow them over time.”  

Fortunately, a Massachusetts-based organization called Last Hope K9 Rescue agreed to work with Potter on a 12-week “BuddyStudy.” The study monitored 11 participants for six weeks as they experienced fostering a new dog. Starting out with baseline measurements—their average daily steps and their perceived stress levels or signs of depression (via questionnaires)—Potter was then able to see any noticeable changes at their mid-point check in.

It should be noted that many of the program participants actually ended up adopting their foster dogs through Last Hope K9 Rescue, making the measurements taken at the end of the study all the more interesting. Though it was a small study, the results were promising. Nearly half of the participants saw large increases in physical activity and nearly three-quarters had improvements in mood after fostering their pups. More than half of the participants met someone new in their neighborhood on a dog walk. Most participants adopted their foster dog after the six-week foster period, and some maintained improvements in physical activity and well-being at the end of the study.

With the promising data from that study, Potter was able to see which metrics and methods were the best for helping find answers to her original question—and many others that popped up throughout this experiment. She hopes to do more studies with foster dogs and cats in the future.

An interest in healthy aging

Armed with questions and hypotheses that occurred to her during one of her earliest studies, Project Rover,Potter decided to double down on her interest in how dogs impact physical activity and health in the older population. In Project Rover, Potter had worked with people over the age of 60, but now she wanted to push the age up a bit higher to see how an older generation would be impacted. She recruited 70- to 84-year-olds to be part of a new observational study called the Lifestyle, Brain, and Cognitive Health Study. The participant pool was divided into dog owners and those who were dog-free. Then, for one week, they were asked to go about their normal lives while activity monitors tracked their activity levels. At the end of the week, participants returned to UMass to have a brain scan and take the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery to test their cognitive function and fluid cognition abilities like problem solving, response time, and ability to adapt to new situations. Ideally, at the end of this type of study, Potter would see improvements across the board with faster response times, more creative problem-solving ideas, and faster transitions to situations. 

Though the group size for this study was too small to make generalizations about the results, Potter is excited about the social connection aspect of the study, since most participants said they had met people through their dog and that those people had become friends. The benefit of having the small sample size is that Potter was able to test her methodology, as she plans to conduct wider studies.

What about the kids?

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends kids exercise for at least 60 minutes a day? Unfortunately, roughly 40% of children in the United States fall well below that, contributing to a wave of preventable health issues, including mental health impacts. Sands, working on her dissertation under Potter’s tutelage, thought, if we want to create interventions for people, why not start them young? She set out to design the Kids Interacting with Dogs (KID) study, a child-friendly pilot to establish a baseline—starting with children who already had a family dog. 

To start, Sands met with participating families over Zoom for orientation. “While the dogs were certainly not required to join the remote study orientation calls,” Sands explains, “most of the kids were really excited to introduce me to their dogs.” Even though it was a remote study, she did get to witness the strong family-dog bond firsthand. 

Over a one-week period, the study tracked how frequently kids played with the family dog through data received from Actigraphs—Bluetooth accelerometers that also monitor proximity. Every member of the family wore them (Fido included). And, to Sands’s delight, many of the children immediately decorated the monitors for both them and their dogs. By processing the data coming in, Sands was able to see how many cumulative minutes the kids spent with the dogs, how much they walked, and how actively they played.

Surprisingly, only one-third of the time kids were active with their dog was spent walking and (maybe less surprising to anyone who spends time near children or once was one), the other two-thirds were spent playing. That is notable because adult-focused studies show that owners spend the majority of their active time walking their dog and very little time engaged in play. This kid-specific study opens up new ways to explore the development of future physical activity interventions based on play.

Down the leash

Both Potter and Sands are passionate about finding enjoyable interventions that can improve wellness on a large scale. Potter’s dream is to set up an assistance program that pairs students with older or disabled members of the community who need a little help caring for their dogs. Both the community members and the students would reap the benefits of having a dog in their orbit, as well as experiencing a new, intergenerational human connection. 

“One of the cool things about this line of research is that even though physical activity is our primary focus, there are social, emotional, and even academic benefits in human-animal interaction,” Potter shares. “So, there’s the potential for this much more holistic impact.” She says, “This can open up opportunities to areas where we can potentially collaborate with the researchers that are more focused on the animal side of it.” On a grander scale, Potter and Sands hope their research can create a viable, reproducible, scalable public health intervention program based on Potter’s idea. They also hope their research can inform changes around rental properties so people who want to be pet parents can find more housing options. 

For now, we can all use these findings to inspire our own interventions. “When the bond is there, people will go to the end of the earth for their pet,” says Potter. It’s heartening to learn that bettering our pets’ lives can improve our own health and wellness too. And they don’t need you to go to the end of the earth for them—just to the end of the block. 

Source: University of Massachusetts Amherst

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Having a cat or dog is as good for your wellbeing as having a husband or wife, study finds

Posted on April 15, 2025 | Leave a comment

Coming through the door from a hard day’s work to be greeted by the irrepressible joy of a dog bounding towards you, like they haven’t seen you in years, can be as satisfying as returning to an actual human partner, according to a new study.

Raising a furry companion like a cat or dog can bring you the same psychological benefits as getting married or earning an extra £70,000 a year, researchers at Kent University have found.

Using the “life satisfaction” approach, economists can translate intangible assets like friendship and family into a hypothetical income.

The research conducted on 2,500 British families found that owning a pet was linked to an increase in life satisfaction of 3-4 points on a scale of 1-7, similar to values obtained for meeting with friends and relatives regularly.

The study’s authors say they suspect that many people don’t actually realise how important their pets are for them (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Economists have shown that marriage, compared to being single, is worth around £70,000 a year. Separation, on the other hand, is equivalent to around minus £170,000 a year.

Dr Adelina Gschwandtner of the University of Kent, the lead author of the new study, told The Times she was inspired by a paper that put a price tag on human friendship.

“I thought, ‘well, if it’s possible for friends, why not for pets?’”

“I understand why some people might be sceptical [about the £70,000 value],” she said.

“Given that pets are considered by many as best friends and family members, these values appear to be plausible … I also suspect that many people don’t actually realise how important their pets are for them.”

Regular dog walkers are known to have better cardiovascular health, while having a dog at home can lower risk of asthma and allergic rhinitis in children exposed to pet allergens.

Simply stroking our pets can lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies, leading to a calmer approach to life and thus positively impacting our blood pressure and make you less likely to suffer from clinical depression.

Dr Gschwandtner added: “This research answers the question whether overall pet companions are good for us with a resounding ‘Yes’.

“Pets care for us and there is a significant monetary value associated with their companionship. This information can be used for health care practice and policy aiming to increase well-being and life satisfaction of humans involving pets.”

The research follows a 2022 Pets at Home study that found more than one-quarter of people asked preferred to see their pet over their partner after a day at work.

The research paper ‘The Value of Pets: The Quantifiable Impact of Pets on Life Satisfaction’ is published by Social Indicators Research.

Source: The Independent

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With a nuzzle, paw and kiss, dogs offer a potent antidote to human loneliness

Posted on March 29, 2025 | Leave a comment
Loneliness has become an increased concern nationally since the pandemic. However, studies have shown companionship with dogs can greatly reduce the effects. (VCU Center of Human-Animal Interaction)

By Mia Stephens

Framed by the isolation of the pandemic, loneliness has become a huge concern across the world in recent years. Loneliness is considered as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and may be a greater public health threat than obesity. 

Long known as man’s best friend, dogs are being embraced even more now as a means of combatting loneliness. In one study, frequent interactions with dogs, either through ownerships or through long-term interventions, have been associated with positive psychological outcomes across the human lifespan.  

“They are skilled at socializing with humans, sensitive to our emotional states and gestures – they can communicate using complex cues and form complex attachment relationships with humans,” said Nancy Gee, Ph.D., C-AISS, professor of psychiatry and the director of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center for Human-Animal Interaction and Bill Balaban Chair in Human-Animal Interaction. “Their attachment to their human owners mirrors that of human babies to their mothers.”  

Gee, whose been studying the relationship between therapy dogs and humans for more than two decades, spoke with VCU Health News about how interactions with dogs can relieve loneliness and increase connection with others.   

How can dogs combat human loneliness?  

Dogs are thought to fulfill the four roles of an attachment figure: They are enjoyable, comforting, missed when absent and sought in times of distress. Adults and children alike confide in their pets because they relieve us from the worry of confidentiality, judgments, or meeting expectations.  

Dogs are known as wonderful “social icebreakers” and referred to as the “great leveler” – people will risk directly engaging with unfamiliar people when there is a dog present. Additionally, research shows that pet owners have made friends through their companion animals, which have helped them engage more in the community.  

When humans interact with a dog in a calm way – where they are stroking the dog and making eye contact, or even talking to the dog – we see that both species release oxytocin (bonding/feel-good hormone), and their cortisol (stress hormone) levels drop. Additionally, their blood pressure and muscle tension lower, and their mood elevates.  

When you combine these responses together, it indicates the interactions are relaxing and enjoyable, which helps to reduce a person’s overall experience of loneliness. 

Is there a difference from other animals?  

Probably, yes, but there is not enough research on the subject to know for certain. We do know that dogs are unique in the animal kingdom. Through domestication and selection, dogs emerged from the grey wolf over a period of at least 35,000 years, and there is probably no other species on the planet as well-matched to human social needs as dogs.  

What are common types of service dogs, and do they differ in addressing human loneliness?  

There are three prominent classifications: 

  • A Service Dog (also called an Assistance Dog) has one handler who has a medically recognized disability. The dog is specially trained to assist that one person (their handler) with some aspect of that disability. For example, some dogs are trained to alert a person with a seizure disorder that a seizure is about to occur. This will allow the person to take medicine, call for assistance and/or get into a safe place/position so that they are not harmed during the actual seizure.  Service Dogs are covered under the American’s with Disabilities Act and are granted access to public facilities and housing that otherwise excludes pets. 
  • An Emotional Support Animal can be any animal species and requires no specific training. An ESA supports one person with a mental disability by comforting that person in a way that reduces symptoms. ESA status is determined by a mental health professional who writes a letter attesting to the animal’s role and housing status if pets are otherwise not allowed. However, ESAs are not permitted any other public access. 
  • A Therapy Dog is handled by one person, but the dog’s job is to interact with many people who may benefit from the interaction. Therapy dogs, like those in our center’s Dogs on Call program, are granted access to facilities and transportation based on the permission of the administration of the facility or transportation provider, and the requirements of the program in which the dogs participate. 

Currently, there is very little research that compares the three classifications of animals and the effects of SDs or ESAs in reducing loneliness. However, Dogs on Call specifically, and other therapy dogs in general, have been found to significantly reduce loneliness in the people they visit. 

Does human age matter in regard to loneliness and the benefits of interacting with dogs?  

We have results back from our own randomized clinical trials showing that for older adults and for adults with mental illness, interacting with Dogs on Call dogs and handlers is effective at reducing loneliness.  

We’ve just completed data collection on our pediatric study, so we don’t know the answer just yet, but we have reason to believe that across the human lifespan, interacting with a therapy dog can reduce loneliness. Additionally, one study showed that adolescents derive more satisfaction from, and engage in less conflict with, their pets than with their human siblings.

Source: VCU Health (Virginia Commonwealth University)

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Dogs’ and owners’ hearts sync during interactions, research finds

Posted on February 16, 2025 | Leave a comment
Photo credit: Adobe Stock

Researchers have uncovered new insights into the relationship between dogs and their owners. A study published in Scientific Reports has found that a dog’s heart rate variability adapts to its owner’s heart rate variability during interaction. This physiological “co-modulation” suggests that emotional states are shared between dogs and their owners, offering new understanding of the deep bond shared between the two species.

The relationship between dogs and humans has evolved over thousands of years, creating bonds akin to those between human caregivers and children. Researchers sought to explore whether these bonds are reflected in shared physiological states, such as heart rate variability, which indicates the balance between relaxation and arousal in the autonomic nervous system.

While prior studies examined behavioral and hormonal synchronization between dogs and humans, little was known about their physiological synchrony. By investigating this co-modulation, the researchers hoped to provide a clearer picture of the emotional and physiological connections that underpin the human-dog bond.

“I have always been fascinated by human-animal relationships and the close attachment bonds we can form with non-human animals, both from personal experience and from a scientific perspective. The dog-human relationship is particularly intriguing because the domestication of dogs has resulted in their remarkable sensitivity and ability to interpret human gestures and emotions,” said study author Aija Koskela, a researcher at the University of Helsinki and University of Jyväskylä

The study included 25 dog-owner pairs, focusing on cooperative dog breeds such as retrievers and herding dogs, which are known for their sensitivity to human cues. Dogs and their owners were recruited through social media and a cognitive testing company. Exclusion criteria for participants ensured that neither dogs nor owners had health conditions or behaviors that could interfere with the study’s measures. The owners, mostly women aged 40.8 years on average, lived with their dogs as indoor pets, and most of the dogs had been trained in dog sports like agility or obedience.

In a controlled environment, researchers attached heart rate monitors to both dogs and owners to measure heart rate variability. The pairs participated in six different tasks designed to mimic natural interactions, such as playing, stroking, training, and sniffing. These activities varied in physical intensity to distinguish the effects of emotional arousal from physical activity. Heart rate variability data was collected and analyzed alongside measures of physical activity using synchronized monitors.

Owners also completed questionnaires to assess their temperament and the quality of their relationship with their dogs. These tools allowed researchers to investigate how individual differences in personality and emotional closeness influenced the physiological responses of both dogs and owners.

The researchers found that dogs’ heart rate variability and activity levels were closely linked to their owners’. During periods of rest and calm interaction, such as before and after structured tasks, dogs and owners showed significant co-modulation in heart rate variability. This suggests a shared emotional arousal, likely influenced by the strong bond between the pairs. During more physically demanding activities like playing, the correlation between the pairs’ physical activity was stronger, but heart rate variability remained influenced by the shared emotional context.

“I believe this study confirms that the emotional mechanisms underlying dog-human interactions are similar to those in human attachment relationships, where emotions are shared and transmitted between attachment figures,” Koskela told PsyPost. “From a practical standpoint, I think it’s helpful for dog owners to remember that their emotions can greatly influence their dog’s behavior. We often focus so much on the dog’s actions that we overlook the emotional state driving them, or how our own feelings influence our dog.”

“For example, trying to calm a child while feeling upset yourself often doesn’t work—whereas calming yourself first helps the child feel secure. Likewise, dogs are highly attuned to human emotions. Being mindful of your emotional state can make challenging situations easier for both you and your dog.”

Interestingly, several factors shaped these physiological connections. For example, the dog’s heart rate variability was influenced by its size, the duration of its relationship with its owner, and the level of shared activities reported by the owner. Larger dogs and those living with their owners for a longer time tended to have lower heart rate variability, suggesting greater arousal or excitement during the tasks. Owners who scored higher on measures of negative affectivity (a tendency toward experiencing negative emotions) had dogs with higher heart rate variability.

Notably, the physiological synchronization between dogs and owners occurred only within the established pairs. When researchers randomly matched dogs with non-owners, this connection disappeared, confirming that the bond between a dog and its owner uniquely facilitates this co-modulation.

“Quite a few things surprised us,” Koskela said. “First, it was fascinating to observe that the emotional connection between dogs and their owners could be detected at physiological level over a relatively short time—the study lasted just an hour. Previously, emotional synchronization between dogs and owners has been studied at hormonal level over much longer time periods. Our study shows that this emotional connection can be detected in a very short time period and I think it’s amazing.”

“Second, it was surprising that the dog’s physiological state measured as heart rate variability explained the owner’s heart rate variability more than the other factors generally affecting the heart rate variability like age or weight. Lastly, I find it interesting that dogs belonging to owners with higher levels of negative affectivity, one of the four temperament traits, were more relaxed throughout the study. This could be because such owners often form very close emotional bonds with their dogs, offering also emotional support for the dog.”

The study highlights the physiological connection between dogs and their owners, suggesting that emotional and autonomic states are interlinked during interaction. However, there are some limitations to consider.

“The current study was limited by its relatively small sample size,” Koskela noted. “However, statistical analysis confirmed the reliability of the findings. Our sample also primarily consisted of female dog owners, which is noteworthy since an owner’s gender may influence both dog behavior and physiology. Furthermore, the sample likely reflects a bias toward active and committed dog owners, as most of the participants practiced dog sports and volunteered for the study in their free time without monetary compensation. Therefore, it is plausible that dog-owner dyads with more functional relationships than average are overrepresented in this study.”

Looking forward, Koskela said that she is “interested in studying emotional synchrony between dogs and their owners in greater detail, particularly on a moment-to-moment level and the factors that modulate it (e.g., personality traits or time lived together). More broadly, I aim to identify the factors associated with functional dog-owner relationships.”

“It’s noteworthy that we studied only cooperative breeds, which are known to be especially sensitive to human behavior and emotions. It would be fascinating to study more ancient breeds to determine whether their emotional states are similarly modulated by their owners.”

The study, “Behavioral and emotional co-modulation during dog–owner interaction measured by heart rate variability and activity,” was authored by Aija Koskela, Heini Törnqvist, Sanni Somppi, Katriina Tiira, Virpi-Liisa Kykyri, Laura Hänninen, Jan Kujala, Miho Nagasawa, Takefumi Kikusui, and Miiamaaria V. Kujala.

Source: Psypost.org

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Senior dog walkers demonstrate better balance and fewer falls

Posted on February 4, 2025 | 1 comment

A new study from Trinity College Dublin suggests that older adults who regularly walk their dogs show improved balance and fewer falls compared to their peers.

The research, published in the Journals of Gerontology, examined data from over 4,000 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older, finding that 15% were regular dog walkers, defined as walking their dogs four or more times per week.

“Regular dog walking was associated with better mobility, with a 1.4 second faster Timed-Up-and-Go test on average,” the study noted. “Regular dog walkers also had a 40% lower likelihood of unexplained falls over the last 2 years and a 20% lower likelihood of current fear of falling in fully-adjusted regression models.”

The research also found that simply owning a dog without regularly walking it did not provide the same benefits. Dog owners who didn’t regularly walk their pets showed no reduction in mobility problems or falls, suggesting the physical activity of dog walking, rather than pet ownership alone, drives the improvements.

Regular dog walkers in the study tended to be younger, used fewer medications, and had lower rates of heart disease. They were also more likely to have never smoked, suggesting an overall healthier lifestyle profile.

The study observed that almost 13% of participants owned dogs but didn’t walk them regularly. This group showed higher rates of mobility concerns and fear of falling compared to regular dog walkers, further emphasizing the importance of consistent dog walking activity.

The findings add to growing evidence that dog walking can serve as a consistent form of physical activity that helps maintain mobility and reduce fall risk among older adults.

Source: McKnights Long-Term Care News

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When Dogs Smell Your Stress, They Act Sad

Posted on July 28, 2024 | Leave a comment
Hailey Seelig/Getty Images

Humans and dogs have been close companions for perhaps 30,000 years, according to anthropological and DNA evidence. So it would make sense that dogs would be uniquely qualified to interpret human emotion. They have evolved to read verbal and visual cues from their owners, and previous research has shown that with their acute sense of smell, they can even detect the odor of stress in human sweat. Now researchers have found that not only can dogs smell stress—in this case represented by higher levels of the hormone cortisol—they also react to it emotionally.

For the new study, published Monday in Scientific Reports, scientists at the University of Bristol in England recruited 18 dogs of varying breeds, along with their owners. Eleven volunteers who were unfamiliar to the dogs were put through a stress test involving public speaking and arithmetic while samples of their underarm sweat were gathered on pieces of cloth. Next, the human participants underwent a relaxation exercise that included watching a nature video on a beanbag chair under dim lighting, after which new sweat samples were taken. Sweat samples from three of these volunteers were used in the study.

Participating canines were put into three groups and smelled sweat samples from one of the three volunteers. Prior to doing so, the dogs were trained to know that a food bowl at one location contained a treat and that a bowl at another location did not. During testing, bowls that did not contain a treat were sometimes placed in one of three “ambiguous” locations. In one testing session, when the dogs smelled the sample from a stressed volunteer, compared with the scent of a cloth without a sample, they were less likely to approach the bowl in one of the ambiguous locations, suggesting that they thought this bowl did not contain a treat. Previous research has shown that an expectation of a negative outcome reflects a down mood in dogs.

The results imply that when dogs are around stressed individuals, they’re more pessimistic about uncertain situations, whereas proximity to people with the relaxed odor does not have this effect, says Zoe Parr-Cortes, lead study author and a Ph.D. student at Bristol Veterinary School at the University of Bristol. “For thousands of years, dogs have learned to live with us, and a lot of their evolution has been alongside us. Both humans and dogs are social animals, and there’s an emotional contagion between us,” she says. “Being able to sense stress from another member of the pack was likely beneficial because it alerted them of a threat that another member of the group had already detected.”

The fact that the odor came from an individual who was unfamiliar to the dogs speaks to the importance of smell for the animals and to the way it affects emotions in such practical situations, says Katherine A. Houpt, a professor emeritus of behavioral medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Houpt, who was not involved in the new study, suggests that the smell of stress may have reduced the dogs’ hunger because it’s known to impact appetite. “It might not be that it’s changing their decision-making but more that it’s changing their motivation for food,” she says. “It makes sense because when you’re super stressed, you’re not quite as interested in that candy bar.”

This research, Houpt adds, shows that dogs have empathy based on smell in addition to visual and verbal cues. And when you’re stressed, that could translate into behaviors that your dog doesn’t normally display, she says. What’s more, it leaves us to wonder how stress impacts the animals under the more intense weight of an anxious owner. “If the dogs are responding to more mild stress like this, I’d be interested to see how they responded to something more serious like an impending tornado, losing your job or failing a test,” Houpt says. “One would expect the dog to be even more attuned to an actual threat.”

Source: Scientific American

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New Study Dispels Myth That Purebred Dogs Are More Prone To Health Problems

Posted on May 25, 2024 | 1 comment

It’s a common belief that purebred dogs are more prone to disease than mixed-breed dogs, but a new study led by researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has busted this myth. 

A study by researchers at Texas A&M University and the Dog Aging Project has found that purebred and mixed-breed dogs are mostly equal when it comes to overall frequency of health condition diagnoses. Jacob Svetz/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications

The study, published in the journal Frontiers In Veterinary Science, found that while certain dog breeds are prone to specific diseases, purebred and mixed-breed dogs are mostly equal when it comes to overall frequency of health condition diagnoses.

“There are several well-known diseases that frequently occur in specific dog breeds,” said Dr. Kate Creevy, chief veterinary officer of the Dog Aging Project and a professor in the VMBS’ Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences. “This has helped perpetuate the misconception that all purebred dogs are more prone to disease, but that is not the case.”

The study — which surveyed the owners of more than 27,000 companion dogs — also found that some of the most common diagnoses, like ear infections or osteoarthritis, occur in both purebreds and mixed-breed dogs. 

Breaking Down The Data

According to the study, 25 breeds make up about 60% of the purebred dog population within the Dog Aging Project. In order of popularity, those breeds are: 

  • Labrador retriever
  • Golden retriever
  • German shepherd
  • Poodle
  • Australian shepherd
  • Dachshund
  • Border collie
  • Chihuahua
  • Beagle
  • Pembroke Welsh corgi
  • Boxer
  • Shi Tzu
  • Miniature schnauzer
  • Pug
  • Havanese
  • Cavalier King Charles spaniel
  • Yorkshire terrier
  • Great Dane
  • Greyhound
  • Boston terrier
  • Siberian husky
  • Shetland sheepdog
  • English springer spaniel
  • Australian cattle dog
  • Doberman pinscher

Within these 25 breeds, a total of 53 unique medical conditions make up the top owner-reported medical conditions. 

“The medical conditions reported by owners of purebred dogs varied considerably,” Creevy said. “However, some conditions appeared frequently in the top 10 reported health conditions by breed.”

Across the 25 most popular breeds, those 10 conditions were:

  • Dental calculus (hardened plaque)
  • Dog bites
  • Extracted teeth
  • Giardia (a parasite)
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Seasonal allergies
  • Ear infection
  • Heart murmur
  • Fractured teeth
  • Cataracts

For mixed-breed dogs, the most common reported conditions were highly similar, with cataracts and heart murmur being replaced by torn/broken toenail and chocolate toxicity.

Some conditions, like dental calculus and osteoarthritis, appeared with roughly the same frequency in both purebred and mixed-breed dogs. Other conditions were more common in one than the other; extracted teeth and dog bites were more common in purebreds, versus ear infections in mixed-breed dogs.

“Out of the 53 medical conditions that owners reported, 26 did not differ significantly between mixed-breed and purebred dogs,” Creevy said.

Implications For Dog Owners

Ultimately, one of the most important findings from the study is that dog breed is only one aspect of pet health to consider when creating a pet’s care plan or researching what kind of dog to adopt.

“People should consider many factors when choosing a dog, including environment, lifestyle, social interactions and physical activity that will be available to the dog,” Creevy said. “Planning for both preventive veterinary care and medical care as the dog ages is also prudent. Dog owners should also talk with their primary care veterinarians about the kinds of medical problems to which their new dog might be particularly prone based on breed, size, sex, etc.”

As the study also showed, some of the most common reasons owners take their dogs to the vet have little or nothing to do with breed.

“Dental disease, allergies and osteoarthritis are among the most common conditions for all dogs,” Creevy said. “Owners should work with their primary care veterinarians on a plan to manage dental health. Regular exercise and maintaining lean body weight may help delay, prevent or lessen the impact of osteoarthritis.”

Expanding Dog Health Understanding

Though the study is already one of the largest cross-sectional studies of canine health, researchers at the Dog Aging Project are far from done examining its findings.

“We were surprised by the number of owners who reported that their dogs had experienced a bite from another dog,” Creevy said. “More investigation is needed to determine what this means and what particular factors might put an individual dog at risk.”

The DAP is a collaborative, community scientist-driven data-gathering research project that enrolls companion dogs from all backgrounds to study the effects of aging and gain a better understanding of what contributes to a long and healthy life for a dog. 

The DAP continues to accept dogs of all breeds into the project. To date, more than 50,000 dogs have been enrolled.

Many of their research projects have led to translational studies that inform not only dog health, but also human health. To enroll your dog, or learn more, visit dogagingproject.org.

Twenty-five dog breeds account for 60% of the purebred dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project. Aubree Herrold/School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Source: Texas A&M University

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New research highlights aging dog health care needs

Posted on April 21, 2024 | Leave a comment
Box plot displaying the frequency of times owners brought their dog physically to the veterinary surgeon in the past 12 months and age in years of the dogs. Number of dogs = 503. The frequency of vet visits was categorized into five groups: once, twice, 3–5 times, 6–10 times, >10 times, and remote consult only. The median age in years of the dogs in each frequency category was compared using a Kruskal Wallis test, df = 5, N = 503, p = 0.001. Categories that differed significantly are denoted with *p < 0.050; significance values have been adjusted by the Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. Credit: Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2024). DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1358480

New research from the University of Liverpool shows that dog owners think many important changes in their older pets are “just old age,” when actually they are signs of serious health problems.

The researchers surveyed more than 600 dog owners and more than 300 veterinary professionals across the UK. Dog owners were asked if they had noticed any of a list of 48 different clinical signs in their older dogs and how urgently they thought they should seek veterinary advice when they noticed them.

The research team identified that dog owners regularly attributed potentially serious changes in older dogs to normal aging, and thus may not take them to see a vet.

How often should an aging dog see a vet?

The majority of owners believed a “healthy” senior dog (seven years plus) should go to the vet once a year, whereas veterinary professionals most commonly advised every six months.

A minority (14%) of owners would take the dog only “if they got sick,” but almost all (98%) of veterinary professionals would not advise this strategy. Sixteen percent of owners of dogs of all ages had not had any contact with their veterinary practice in the previous year.

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate?

Health checks often occur during vaccination appointments, and 92% of veterinary professionals believed that senior dogs should receive yearly vaccinations; however, 28% of owners’ dogs of all ages had not been vaccinated in the previous year. In fact, a third of these owners did not believe that older dogs need vaccinations.

Urgency to seek care

Dog owners who stated that their dog had experienced a clinical sign typically reported less urgency to seek veterinary care than owners whose dog had never experienced it and responded to a hypothetical question asking what they would do if they noticed this sign in their dog.

The majority of veterinary professionals (85–100%) thought that it was moderately to extremely important for owners of senior dogs to seek veterinary advice for all 15 of the most common clinical signs. The three most common clinical signs reported by owners in their older dogs were slowing down on walks (57%), dental tartar (53%), and being stiff on rising (50%).

However, fewer than 70% of owners would seek veterinary care for their dog within a week for dental issues (bad breath and tartar) or musculoskeletal issues (problems with stairs/jumping, slowing down on walks, and stiff on rising).

Dog owners attribute clinical signs to ‘just old age’

Veterinary professionals reported that they believed owners commonly associated sleeping all the time, slowing down on walks, being stiff on rising, and the presence of dental tartar with old age rather than potential illness. Owners’ opinions were broadly in line with veterinary professionals’ perceptions of them. For example, 78% of owners believed slowing down on walks was a normal part of the aging process and would not take their dog to the vet for and, and 77% for sleeping all the time.

Study co-author Professor Carri Westgarth said, “Perceptions of dog owners and veterinary professionals can influence the preventive health care and treatment provided to dogs, especially at the senior life stage, when chronic diseases become more common. The differences in opinion highlighted by our survey suggest that new educational initiatives and more effective communication are required.”

Findings from this study have been used to support the design of a new resource that can facilitate communication between owners and veterinary professionals. A checklist of common missed clinical signs for use pre-veterinary appointments would be supported by both owners and veterinary professionals surveyed in the current study.

The BSAVA PetSavers Aging Canine Toolkit (ACT) leaflet and poster are currently in use in first-opinion practice, and feedback is being collected to measure the toolkit’s impact on owners, veterinary professionals, and senior dogs.

Dr. Sarah Williams from BSAVA PetSavers said, “Screening tools and toolkits have the potential to increase owner understanding and engagement with veterinary care, and through repeated application over time and implementation of necessary interventions, improve patient welfare and health span.”

The work is published in the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.

Source: Phys.org

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Interactions with dogs can increase brainwaves associated with stress relief and heightened concentration

Posted on March 18, 2024 | 1 comment

Spending quality time with dogs reduces stress and increases the power of brain waves associated with relaxation and concentration, according to a study published on March 13, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Onyoo Yoo from Konkuk University, South Korea, and colleagues.

An animal-assisted activity (hug) performed by a participant. Photo credit
Yoo et al., 2024, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0

Animal-assisted interventions, like canine therapy, are widely used in hospitals, schools, and beyond to help reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and foster feelings of trust. Studies of the potential benefits of animal interactions often take a holistic approach, comparing people’s mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a service animal. But this approach doesn’t differentiate between types of interactions, like grooming, feeding, or playing with an animal, limiting our understanding of how each specific interaction impacts a person’s health and well-being.

To better understand how such animal-related activities affect mood, Yoo and colleagues recruited a small sample of 30 adult participants to each perform eight different activities with a well-trained dog, such as playing with a hand-held toy, giving her treats, and taking pictures with her. Participants wore electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes to record electrical activity from the brain while they interacted with the dog, and they recorded their subjective emotional state immediately following each activity.

The relative strength of alpha-band oscillations in the brain increased while participants played with and walked the dog, reflecting a state of relaxed wakefulness. When grooming, gently massaging, or playing with the dog, relative beta-band oscillation strength increased, a boost typically linked to heightened concentration. Participants also reported feeling significantly less fatigued, depressed, and stressed after all dog-related activities.

While not all participants had pets of their own, their fondness for animals likely motivated their willingness to participate in the experiment, potentially biasing the results. Nonetheless, the authors state that the unique relationships between specific activities and their physiological effects could serve as a reference for programming targeted animal-assisted interventions in the future.

The authors add: “This study provides valuable information for elucidating the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of animal-assisted interventions.”

Source: Eurekalert

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Probiotics help overweight dogs shed weight

Posted on February 3, 2024 | Leave a comment

Scientists have made significant strides in addressing a common yet concerning issue: overweight pets. This research unveils the potential of specific probiotics to combat obesity in dogs.

Leading the charge is Dr. Younghoon Kim, a distinguished professor at Seoul National University’s Department of Agricultural Biotechnology.

Understanding pet obesity

Dr. Kim’s team, with a focus on metabolic diseases in companion animals, embarked on a mission to identify probiotics that could offer a safe, long-term treatment for dog obesity.

“The initial challenge involved selecting specific metabolic diseases for examination, leading us to focus on the prevalent issue of ‘obesity in pets,’” Dr. Kim explained.

The global trend of pet obesity is alarming, with about 50% of the pet population across various age groups being affected, particularly older pets.

Many of these pets are already receiving treatments, including dietary interventions. Dr. Kim and his team set out with a clear objective: to find probiotics that could effectively reduce body fat percentage in pets.

Tackling dog obesity with probiotics

Dr. Kim’s vision goes beyond just addressing specific health issues. He advocates for a broader recognition of the therapeutic potential of probiotics across a spectrum of diseases affecting companion animals.

“By promoting this awareness, my aspiration is to catalyze increased attention, funding and collaborative efforts in the scientific community to explore the expansive landscape of probiotic applications in pet health,” Dr. Kim stated.

To pinpoint the right probiotic candidates, the research delved into the variations in intestinal microbiota between younger and older dogs.

This investigation highlighted a decline in certain beneficial bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, Bifidobacterium species, and Enterococcus species in older dogs.

These findings guided the researchers in selecting specific strains for their experiment.

Two probiotics helped dogs lose weight

The study then progressed to its experimental phase, where two selected strains, Enterococcus faecium IDCC 2102 and Bifidobacterium lactis IDCC 4301, were administered to a group of beagles on a high-fat diet.

The results were striking. “The strains we carefully selected demonstrated remarkable success in reducing the body fat percentage in dogs,” said Kim.

These probiotics effectively reduced body weight, cut down subcutaneous fat, and boosted energy metabolism even on a high-calorie diet, shifting the body’s focus from fat storage to fat consumption.

“What set these strains apart was their ability to not only limit dietary intake or enhance excretion to reduce body weight but, more importantly, activate energy metabolism. Even when exposed to a high-calorie diet, we observed a decrease in body weight, alleviation of subcutaneous fat accumulation and an increase in energy metabolism. This confirmed a shift in the body’s metabolic orientation toward fat consumption, rather than fat accumulation,” Kim explained.

Significantly, this study also highlighted the strains’ impact on systemic inflammation and hormone metabolism.

Long-term benefits of probiotics for dogs

The dogs that received these probiotics showed reduced inflammation and improved metabolic activities, like insulin production.

The strains also increased beneficial commensal bacteria, enhancing the body’s defense mechanisms and immunity.

Dr. Kim emphasized the lasting impact of these changes, indicating sustained benefits for pets incorporating these probiotics into their health regimen. This enduring effect is pivotal in managing long-term health in pets.

With the rise in pet ownership, there’s a growing interest in health functional foods for pets, especially probiotics.

However, research in this area, particularly tailored probiotics for companion animals, lags far behind human studies.

“While types of probiotics suitable for human consumption or commercial livestock have been identified and established, the absence of standardized guidelines for companion animals is a glaring gap,” said Dr. Kim.

“Our study aimed to address this deficiency by striving to broaden the spectrum of probiotics applicable to pets across various environments.”

Promising future of pet probiotics

In summary, this important study led by Dr. Younghoon Kim marks a significant milestone in the fight against pet obesity, unveiling the remarkable potential of specific probiotics to combat this widespread issue.

By meticulously selecting and testing strains, the research team demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing body fat and enhancing metabolism in dogs, while highlighting the long-term health benefits these probiotics offer.

This research paves the way for more tailored health solutions in pet care, encouraging further exploration and development in this vital field.

It stands as a beacon of hope for pet owners worldwide, offering a new, sustainable approach to managing the health and well-being of their beloved companions.

The full study was published in the journal Microbiology Spectrum.

More about probiotics

In the realm of health and wellness, probiotics have emerged as unsung heroes, revolutionizing our understanding of gut health and beyond.

As discussed above, these live microorganisms, often referred to as “good” or “friendly” bacteria, play a critical role in maintaining a balanced intestinal microbiome, which is crucial for overall health.

Balancing the gut

Probiotics primarily work by enhancing the gut flora, which is a complex community of microorganisms living in our digestive tracts.

This boost in beneficial bacteria aids in various digestive processes and fortifies the body’s defense mechanisms against harmful pathogens.

Regular consumption of probiotics has been linked to improved digestion, enhanced immune function, and even a reduction in the risk of certain chronic diseases.

Treating digestive disorders

One of the most significant benefits of probiotics is their ability to treat and prevent gastrointestinal issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and antibiotic-related diarrhea.

By restoring the balance of good bacteria in the gut, which can be disrupted by factors like antibiotics or poor diet, probiotics alleviate these digestive disorders.

Furthermore, emerging research suggests that probiotics may have a broader impact on our health than previously thought.

Studies indicate potential benefits in areas such as mental health, where probiotics are believed to play a role in mood regulation and reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

This connection, often referred to as the gut-brain axis, opens new avenues for mental health treatments.

Benefits of probiotics on humans and dogs

Probiotics also show promise in enhancing heart health by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

This cardioprotective effect is another feather in the cap of these microscopic powerhouses.

Incorporating probiotics into one’s diet is relatively straightforward. They are found naturally in fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, and kimchi.

For those who prefer supplements, a wide range of probiotic capsules and powders are available on the market.

In summary, probiotics are a key component of a holistic approach to health, both for humans and dogs alike. Their wide-ranging benefits, from improving gut health to potentially boosting mental well-being, make them a valuable ally in our quest for a healthier life.

As research continues to uncover their myriad benefits, probiotics are set to play an even more prominent role in our daily health regimen.

Source: Earth.com

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