The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has joined the University of Cambridge and the UK Kennel Club in adopting a new way to assess breathing difficulties in brachycephalic dog breeds like the English and French Bulldogs and the Pug. The Respiratory Function Grading Scheme measures BOAS (brachycephalic...
Many pet owners are reluctant to have their animals receive anesthesia for veterinary care, including routine spay/neuter and dental procedures. Do you have reason to worry about the effects of anesthesia on your pet? Are some pets at higher risk for negative consequences than others? Researchers from...
The Comparative Genetics and Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine had developed a genetic test to determine if a dog is at risk for cruciate ligament ruptures. Cruciate ligament rupture is one of the more common causes of lameness, pain,...
Cancer is a leading cause of death in dogs. Some breeds are at higher risk than others of getting some form of cancer, so a new early detection blood test is offering pet owners hope. The CANcer Detection in Dogs (CANDiD) study has been evaluating the...
New archaeological evidence shows that the size of domestic dogs doubled between 8,000 and 2,000 years ago when early European farmers began breeding large livestock guardian dogs (similar to today’s Anatolian Shepard Dog and Great Pyrenees breeds). Dog domestication goes as far back as 30,000 years...
The citizen science organization Darwin’s Ark sequenced the DNA of over 2,000 purebred and mixed breed dogs to study how genetics intersect with breed characteristics. The findings show that while genes are closely associated with physical traits, genetics is not a reliable predictor of any...
The Nationwide pet insurance company recently published a white paper that analyzed cancer claim data for over 1.6 million dogs between the years 2015 to 2021. What does the analysis reveal about the incidence of cancer in dogs? Here are a few highlights from the study,...
The American Kennel Club has analyzed dog breed registration data for the year 2021 and has compiled its annual list of the most popular dog breeds in the US. For the 31st year in a row, the Labrador Retriever tops the list at #1 in popularity....
Recently the country of Norway amended its existing Animal Welfare Act to emphasize the importance of breeding healthy and fit purebred dogs. They have declared that breeders who violate healthy breeding standards may be held liable. This includes breeding for extreme physical conformations and not screening...
A research study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science found that the average dog will respond to around 89 words, half of them being commands. The researchers identified the most frequently understood words, as well as the factors that may play a role in a dog’s...
The pet insurance company Trupanion has surveyed its database of over 600,000 US pets to find the most popular pet dog names and breeds of the year. The most popular dog names of 2021 are: Bella Luna Charlie Lucy Max Daisy Bailey Cooper Molly Lola Here are...
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an animal welfare legislative package into law recently. The first law is S.4254/A.4075, which prohibits insurance companies from refusing to issue or renew, cancel, or charge or impose an increased premium for certain homeowners’ insurance policies based solely on the...
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition most closely associated with humans, but some dogs can show similar types of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention seen in humans with ADHD. A study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry found that dogs can have ADHD-like behaviors. What dogs...
A new large-scale study of canine veterinary health records in the US reveals what many dog owners might be aware of already…very small dogs can have very big dental health issues. The study, published in The Veterinary Journal, looked at 3 million canine veterinary health records...
Our dogs, cats, and other pets can get cancer just like humans. And, like humans, there can be different causes of cancer in animals. The Merck Veterinary Manual has outlined the most common causes of cancer in pets, and what you can do to help lower...
Dog breeding has led to a wide variation in the sizes and shapes of the many dog breeds we see today, from the tiniest Chihuahua to the biggest Great Dane, but what about your dog’s coat? A new study of canine genetics reveals that nature, not...
A large-scale study of the veterinary health records of over 1750 dogs in the UK has identified breed risk factors for the development of osteosarcoma, a painful and aggressive bone tumor in dogs. While previous studies have shown that larger dogs are more at risk than...
A large-scale epidemiological survey of dogs in the UK was recently conducted, with the aim of better understanding the incidence of seizures and epilepsy in dogs. The veterinary health records of over 450,000 pet dogs in the UK were reviewed and the researchers identified over 2,800...
The American Veterinary Medical Association convention went virtual this year, and one of the topics discussed was that a greater understanding of how genetic diseases occur can help vets prevent and mitigate their effects in our pets. The speaker, Dr. Jerold Bell, a veterinarian and geneticist...
A combination of DNA and fossil evidence is confirming what scientists have long suspected. Arctic sled dogs have not only been around longer than most dog breeds, they also might be the first known example of our attempts at selective dog breeding. A new DNA study...
With summer now in full swing, pet owners need to be more aware of the heat-related dangers that can impact dogs, cats, and other pets. Did you know that some dog breeds are at higher risk for heatstroke than others? A recent article in Nature’s Scientific...