Have your heart set on a particular breed of dog as your next pet? Before you get your new best friend, be sure to do your research on the overall health of the breed you are interested in. Advances in DNA technology have made it easier...
While we know that different people have varying degrees of tolerance for physical pain, what do veterinarians and members of the public think about pain sensitivity in different dog breeds? A new study asked both veterinarians and the general public to rate pain sensitivity in...
Interested in learning more about your canine companion? Live Science’s “Life’s Little Mysteries” podcast series has gone to the dogs! The recent “Mysterious Dogs” podcast addresses these common questions about our four-legged friends: How did dogs evolve from wolves? What do dogs dream about? Are dogs...
The Royal Veterinary College recently completed a large study on elbow disease in UK dogs. Researchers examined the records of over 455,000 dogs under veterinary care to determine the risk factors for elbow disease in dogs. Here are some highlights of the study, you can read...
Does one dog year really equal seven human years? This long-held belief is undergoing some high-tech revision. Scientists say a more accurate way to measure an animal’s age is to use something called an epigenetic clock—the accumulation of chemical modifications in an animal’s DNA over its...
Many Pit Bull parents will tell you that they’ve never owned a sweeter dog, but the Pit Bull suffers from a scary reputation, due in large part to some irresponsible owners who have cultivated aggression in their dogs. The word Pibble is being used more and...
The start of a new year is the time when many us of make resolutions to take better care of our health. But what about our pets? Do your wellness plans for your best friend include getting pet health insurance? Many dog and cat owners consider...
The Labrador Retriever has been the most popular dog breed in the United States for many years. We love this kind, gentle, and loving dog…but like any purebred dog, the Lab does have some inherited health issues that all owners should know about. A recent study...
Many of us have ordered DNA testing kits for ourselves to learn about our ancestry. But the boom in at-home testing is also spreading to our dogs. An analysis of the home DNA tests of over 6,000 dogs (combined with photos and surveys from their owners)...
Dog lovers pride themselves on their knowledge of breeds, especially when successfully identifying the breeds that went into a particular mutt. How would you rate your ability to name the breeds that make up a mixed breed dog? The MuttMix Project invites all “dog detectives” to...
At first glance, a new visual representation of the canine family tree looks more like a pinwheel than a maple, but the researchers who recently mapped out a genetic history of over 160 dog breeds (published in the journal Cell Reports) have provided us with...
The American Kennel Club has just released its annual list of the most popular dog breeds for the year 2014. The Labrador retriever remains in the number one spot for an impressive 24 years in a row. Rounding out the top ten are the German shepherd, Golden...