Category Archives: research

Dogs reduce your risk of heart disease

Posted on May 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

The American Heart Association has released a scientific statement citing the link between pet ownership and reduced risk of heart disease.

The statement is published online in the association’s journal Circulation.

“Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease” said Glenn N. Levine, M.D., professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and chair of the committee that wrote the statement after reviewing previous studies of the influence of pets.

Research cited to support that statement includes:

Pet ownership is probably associated with a reduction in heart disease risk factors and increased survival among patients. “It may be simply that healthier people are the ones that have pets, not that having a pet actually leads to or causes reduction in cardiovascular risk,” Levine said. (Disclaimer: These studies aren’t definitive and do not necessarily prove that owning a pet directly causes a reduction in heart disease risk.)
Dog ownership in particular may help reduce cardiovascular risk. People with dogs may engage in more physical activity because they walk them. In a study of more than 5,200 adults, dog owners engaged in more walking and physical activity than non-dog owners, and were 54 percent more likely to get the recommended level of physical activity.
Owning pets may be associated with lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and a lower incidence of obesity.
Pets can have a positive effect on the body’s reactions to stress.

“In essence, data suggest that there probably is an association between pet ownership and decreased cardiovascular risk,” Levine said. “What’s less clear is whether the act of adopting or acquiring a pet could lead to a reduction in cardiovascular risk in those with pre-existing disease. Further research, including better quality studies, is needed to more definitively answer this question.”

Even with a likely link, people shouldn’t adopt, rescue or buy a pet solely to reduce cardiovascular risk, Levine said.

Statement co-writers are: Karen Allen, Ph.D.; Lynne T. Braun, Ph.D., C.N.P.; Hayley E. Christian, Ph.D.; Erika Friedmann, Ph.D.; Kathryn A. Taubert, Ph.D.; Sue Ann Thomas, R.N., Ph.D.; Deborah L. Wells, Ph.D.; and Richard A. Lange, M.D., M.B.A.

Source: American Heart Association media statement

Leave a comment

Posted in dog ownership, Dogs, research

Tagged American Heart Association, dog ownership, health, heart disease, research, risk factors

What we share with our dogs

Posted on April 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

We all know that we share love with our dogs. But microbes?

A new CU study indicates parents are more likely to share bacteria with their dogs than their kids, a finding with biomedical implications. Photo courtesy Natural Resources Conservation Services

A new study indicates parents are more likely to share bacteria with their dogs than their kids. Photo courtesy Natural Resources Conservation Services

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have looked at the types and transfer modes of microbes from the guts, tongues, foreheads and palms (or paws) of members of 60 American families, including dogs. They found that humans shared more microbes with their dog than their own children.

The team swabbed various parts of the body to obtain microbial samples on couples, children and dogs. For humans, the team looked at the tongue, forehead, right and left palm and fecal samples to detect individual microbial communities. Dogs were sampled similarly, except that fur was sampled instead of skin on the forehead and all four paws were swabbed for bacteria in the absence of canine palms.

“One of the biggest surprises was that we could detect such a strong connection between their owners and pets,” said Associate Professor Rob Knight, the study’s leader.

The micro-organisms humans carry around have been linked to a broad spectrum of diseases ranging from malnutrition and obesity to diabetes, asthma and depression. “There is mounting evidence that exposure to a variety of environmental sources of microbes can affect long-term health, findings known as the ‘hygiene hypothesis,’ ” said doctoral student Se Jin Song.

Proposed by British epidemiologist Richard Strachen in 1989, the hypothesis is that children who have had a lack of exposure to bacteria and micro-organisms might be more prone to getting sick because many microbes have co-evolved with people to be beneficial.

Dogs were a key part of this research, said Knight. “Since so many people consider their pets truly a part of the family, it seemed appropriate to include them in a study involving family structure.”

The results of the study have been published in the journal eLIFE.

Source: University of Colorado at Boulder media statement

Leave a comment

Posted in dog ownership, research

Tagged eLIFE, microbes, research, University of Colorado

Do sterilized dogs live longer?

Posted on April 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

New research from the University of Georgia suggests that neutering procedures could add to the length of a dog’s life and alter the risk of specific causes of death.

Looking at a sample of 40,139 death records from the Veterinary Medical Database from 1984-2004, researchers determined the average age at death for intact dogs—dogs that had not been spayed or neutered—was 7.9 years versus 9.4 years for sterilized dogs.

These figures may seem low considering how many pets live much longer, but the researchers noted that the life spans would be lower than those seen more widely because their sample was taken from dogs seen at teaching hospitals (so other things would have been going on and the study population would have had more sick animals).

The researchers stand behind their results – that the difference between neutered and intact is real.

Dr. Kate Creevy, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The question that raises is why would you die younger if you have offspring?”

For the first time, researchers have been able to measure costs of reproduction in terms of the actual causes of death, finding that the causes of death differed between sterilized and intact dogs. Dogs who had undergone a gonadectomy (a spay or castration) were more likely to die from cancer or autoimmune diseases. Those in the sample who still had functional reproduction systems at death were more likely to die from infectious disease and trauma.

“Intact dogs are still dying from cancer; it is just a more common cause of death for those that are sterilized,” said Jessica Hoffman, a UGA doctoral candidate in the Franklin College of Arts of Sciences who co-authored the study.

Some of the reproductive hormones, particularly progesterone and testosterone, she said, could suppress the immune system, explaining why there is an increased risk of infection among dogs that have been sterilized.

The full journal article, published in PLoS One, can be viewed here.

Source: University of Georgia media statement

Leave a comment

Posted in dog care, research

Tagged castration, intact dogs, neutering, PLoS ONE, progesterone, reproductive hormones, research, science, spay, spay and neuter, spaying, testosterone, University of Georgia

Pet obesity at the molecular level

Posted on April 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

A University of Illinois research team led by Professor Kelly Swanson has published research which describes how nutrients and biological compounds in foods can affect gene expression in animals.

The research will help to understand the underlying reasons for obesity in pets. Professor Swanson explains that obesity has its roots in the domestication of dogs. Because dogs no longer hunt or compete for their food and are speyed or neutered (so not having to mate), the typical dog has much smaller energy requirements than its forefathers.

The research team explains that when more energy (food) is consumed than is required, it is stored as fat in the adipose tissue (fat tissue). Adipose tissue secretes more than 50 substances known as adipokines, which are cell-signaling molecules that are involved in metabolism, immunity and inflammation.

In obese dogs, levels of the adipokine leptin increases while the levels of the adipokine adiponectin decreases.

The researchers aim to study obesity at the molecular level, so they can help to prevent it happening.

Source: University of Illinois media statement

Leave a comment

Posted in research

Tagged adipokine, domestication of dogs, Kelly Swanson, metabolism, neutering, nutrition, obesity, pet obesity, professor swanson, research, science, speying, University of Illinois

More fat and less protein for sniffing dogs

Posted on March 29, 2013 | 1 comment

Sniffing dog checking luggage. (Credit: © Monika Wisniewska / Fotolia)

A detector dog checking luggage. (Credit: © Monika Wisniewska / Fotolia)

A study funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, has found that detection dogs are more reliable detectors than previously thought. The study has been conducted by Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The study is the first to be conducted in the world’s only detection dog research facility designed in conjunction with a military dog trainer. The Alabama facility, which provides expert detection dogs to police and military forces, flushes out fumes between tests, ensuring a fresh field each time.

Researchers have found that the key to improving a dogs’ smelling skills through diet is achieved by limiting proteins and increasing fats. Such a diet, the research team says, appears to help dogs return to lower body temperatures after exercise, which reduces panting and, thereby, improves sniffing.

‘Dogs tested in the new facility signaled with 90 percent and above accuracy. We also found we can push detection performance even further with the right kind of food.’ said Joseph Wakshlag, associate professor of clinical studies and chief of nutrition at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

During an 18-month period, the research team rotated 17 trained dogs through three diets: a high-end performance diet, regular adult dog food, and regular adult dog food diluted with corn oil. Measuring how different diets affected each dog, they found that dogs eating the normal diet enhanced with corn oil returned to normal body temperatures most quickly after exercise and were better able to detect smokeless powder, ammonia nitrate and TNT.

‘Corn oil has lots of polyunsaturated fats, similar to what you’d find in a lot of nuts and common grocery store seed oils,’ said Wakshlag. ‘Past data from elsewhere suggest that these polyunsaturated fats might enhance the sense of smell, and it looks like that may be true for detection dogs. It could be that fat somehow improves nose-signaling structures or reduces body temperature or both. But lowering protein also played a part in improving olfaction.’

‘If you’re a dog, digesting protein raises body temperature, so the longer your body temperature is up, the longer you keep panting, and the harder it is to smell well,’ said Wakshlag.

Source: Cornell University media release

1 Comment

Posted in dog care, Dogs, research

Tagged adult dog food, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, detector dogs, diet, fat, fats, normal body temperatures, olfaction, polyunsaturated fats, protein, sniffing, sniffing dogs

Understanding your dog’s fear of noise

Posted on March 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

Researchers from the University of Bristol School of Veterinary Sciences have investigated the occurrence of anxiety from exposure to noise and the risk factors for these behaviours.

Almost half of the owners who were interviewed reported that their dog showed at least one behavioural sign typical of fear when exposed to noises such as fireworks, thunder and gunshots, even though only a quarter had reported their dog as ‘fearful’ of noises.

This suggests that while owners are aware of their pet’s behavioural response when exposed to a loud noise, they do not necessarily recognise this as being indicative of fear or anxiety.

And when owners don’t recognise anxiety, they don’t seek help for it. Less than one-third of dog owners sought help for their dog’s anxiety.

The most commonly reported behavioural signs were vocalising, trembling/shaking, hiding, and seeking the comfort of people. Since trembling and shaking are human responses to fear and anxiety, it seems like these behaviours were recognised more easily.

Other behavioural signs, such as decreased activity or salivation, did not appear to be recognised as often (possibly resulting in under-reporting). Also, signs of urination, salivation and destruction may make owners disappointed or angry, and this may over-ride the association with anxiety.

Risk of anxiety induced by noise increased with age and origin. If dogs lived with the owner who bred them, they had a reduced risk compared to dogs purchased from the breeder by a second owner. The researchers suggest a dog’s early life experience is an important factor in the development of fear response.

The researchers recommend there is a need for veterinarians to increase awareness among the general dog owning public about anxiety induced by loud noises and to direct them towards appropriate sources of help. (By the way, I’ve worked with dogs using a programme of de-sensitization and relaxation techniques to help treat anxiety).

Source: University of Bristol media statement

Leave a comment

Posted in dog care, research

Tagged anxiety, noise, science, stress, University of Bristol

One of the first domestic dogs revealed

Posted on March 7, 2013 | Leave a comment

DNA technology is being used to refine our understanding of when the domestic dog became a separate genetic line from wolves.

In latest research, published in the open access journal PLoS ONE, DNA analysis on a 33,000-year old dog is reported. DNA was extracted from a tooth.

The analyses show that the dog, from the Altai region which is east of Kazakhstan and north of China and Mongolia, is more closely related to modern dogs than contemporary wolves. The research team, led by Anna Druzhkova from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in the Russian Federation, report that genetic analyses of ancient canids may help to reveal a more exact date and centre of domestication for the dog.

While it is widely accepted that the dog domestication predates the beginning of agriculture (about 10,000 years ago), no one can be sure when the genetics of wolves and domestic dogs began to diverge.

Source: PLoS ONE

Leave a comment

Posted in research

Tagged Altai region, ancient, canids, domestic dog, domestication, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, journal, Kazakhstan, PLoS ONE, Russian Federation, wolves

Dogs are a ‘social lubricant’ in helping people with autism

Posted on March 2, 2013 | 2 comments

Research published in the open access journal PLoS ONE indicates that the presence of an animal can significantly increase positive social behaviors in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Previous studies have shown that people are more likely to receive overtures of friendship from strangers when walking a dog than when walking alone. The authors suggest that this ‘social lubricant’ effect of animals on human social interactions can be particularly important for individuals with socio-emotional disabilities.

In this study, the authors compared how 5-13 year old children with ASD interacted with adults and typically-developing peers in the presence of two guinea pigs compared to toys. When the guinea pigs were present, the children were more likely to talk and look other people in the eye plus they smiled and laughed more often.

These results indicate that animal-assisted therapy programmes may be useful in helping children with ASD integrate into classrooms and other social environments.

Source: Science Daily

2 Comments

Posted in research, special dogs and awards

Tagged animal-assisted therapy, ASD, autism, autism spectral disorders, autism spectrum disorders, children, children with autism spectrum disorders, guinea pigs, PLoS ONE, research, social lubricant

I know you!

Posted on February 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

Research published in the journal of Animal Cognition shows that dogs pick out faces of other dogs, irrespective of breeds, among other faces. They can group them into a category of their own and do so using only visual cues.

The authors of the study have concluded “The fact that dogs are able to recognize their own species visually, and that they have great olfactory discriminative capacities, insures that social behavior and mating between different breeds is still potentially possible. Although humans have stretched the Canis familiaris species to its morphological limits, its biological entity has been preserved.”

Apparatus. a, b The dog sits in front of the experimenter, on a line between the 2 screens. c When hearing an order, the dog expressed his choice by going to a given screen and putting his paw in front of the chosen image. (Credit: Image courtesy of Springer Science+Business Media)

The authors of the research explored whether the large range of diversity in the size and shape of dogs presented a ‘cognitive challenge’ to dogs trying to recognize their species, when confronted with other species.

On a computer screen, the researchers showed nine pet dogs pictures of faces from various dog breeds and cross-breeds, and simultaneously faces of other animal species, including human faces. They exposed the dogs to diverse stimuli: images of dog faces; images of non-dog species from 40 different species, including domestic and wild animals; and humans. Overall, the dogs were shown more than 144 pairs of pictures to select from. The authors observed whether the nine dogs could discriminate any type of dog from other species, and could group all dogs together, whatever their breed, into a single category.

They did.

Source: Springer.com

Leave a comment

Posted in Dogs, research

Tagged Animal Cognition, animals, canis familiaris, climate, science, Springer, visual cues, visual recognition

Dogs and history: blood transfusions

Posted on February 17, 2013 | 1 comment

A little bit of history in this post. Did you know that the dog had a key role in the development of blood transfusion technology in humans?

Unfortunately, this is a story of animal experimentation.

In the early 1600s, an English physician named William Harvey explored the circulatory system and declared that ‘blood must continuously circulate.’ For the next 50 years, more work was done to understand the circulatory system. Dogs were unfortunately chosen for animal experimentation and they were injected intravenously with a range of fluids including opium, wine and ale.

In 1665, English physician Richard Lower drained the blood out of a dog almost to the point where it had no blood volume left and was on the verge of death. He then took a larger dog and replaced the blood supply. (Poor dogs)

If you are really interested in the topic of human blood donation, this Science Show video on YouTube explains the whole history of human blood donation…