Posts
March 27, 2013
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4:13 PM | "Jungle Jack" Hanna...
...is worth at least $41 million a year to the city (and zoo) of Columbus.What if he retires?!
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1:50 PM | Puffins dying in the UK too
Thanks to Dennis Riordan down in Connecticut for tipping me off to a story out of Scotland where hundreds of puffins have been washing up on the beaches. Professor Mike Harris, writing on the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Science News blog reports that this puffin die-off will easily be the worst in 60 years. Tallies of the [...]
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Iodine Physiology and the thyroidThyroid hormones are the only iodinated organic compounds in the body. Ingested stable iodine (127-I) in the diet is converted to iodide in the gastrointestinal tract and absorbed into the circulation.In the thyroid gland, iodide is concentrated or trapped by active transport mechanisms of the thyroid follicular cell, resulting in intracellular iodide concentrations that are 10 to 200 times that of the serum (Figure 1). Once inside the thyroid cell, iodide is […]
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12:30 PM | What about the rabbits?
Rabbits are popular pets because they are intelligent and fun, will cuddle with you, and can learn to use a litter tray. But while everyone knows there is a crisis of homeless dogs and cats, what about rabbits? A recent study by Amelia Cook and Emily McCobb (Tufts University) set out to see how many pet rabbits end up in animal shelters, and what happens once they are there.Four animal shelter sites in Rhode Island and Providence took part, some with more than one physical shelter
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Cook AJ & McCobb E (2012). Quantifying the shelter rabbit population: an analysis of Massachusetts and Rhode Island animal shelters., Journal of applied animal welfare science : JAAWS, 15 (4) 297-312. PMID: 23009621
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9:59 AM | Sweet Pug Sounds
Yes, this dog's owner really has titled this video "Sweet Pug Sounds"
And when challenged has replied: "Many people who don't know pugs are either afraid of their noises or are worried something is wrong. I assure you he is fine... hot maybe, but fine."
Please feel free to hop over to YouTube and tell her what you think of that.
March 26, 2013
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4:11 PM | Orphan to Join Luna
An orphaned polar bear cub rescued near Point Lay, Alaska will join Buffalo Zoo's female cub Luna this Spring. Kali (named for the Inupiat word for Point Lay) will likely move on to the St. Louis Zoo after lengthy play-time with Luna.
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Learn about training opportunities in wildlife medicine and rehab at the PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood, WA. Vet student Briana describes her experience.The post Veterinary Wildlife Externship: PAWS Wildlife Center appeared first on Elliott Garber.
March 25, 2013
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8:54 AM | Well done the Cavalier Clubs
Now that's not something I write very often but in this case it's richly deserved.
The Cavalier Clubs Health Liaison Committee has written to the Kennel Club requesting that it refuses to register Cavaliers that could develop either of two distressing conditions: Episodic Falling and Dry Eye Curly Coat Syndrome.
The first is a neurological condition, thought unique to the Cavalier, and it is induced by exercise, excitement or frustration, causing the dog to become rigid and fall over. It […]
March 24, 2013
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2:25 PM | A Conservative's Estimate
US House Rep. Eric Feige says one in ten federally darted polar bears are dying. US Fish & Wildlife numbers would indicate that he has multiplied the actual death rate sixty (60) times! ""If the polar bear are so threatened, then why do we kill 10-percent of the ones we dart and tag for scientific and management purposes?" Feige said in a prepared statement issued by the House majority press office." [An unsubstantiated "prepared" "House majority press" statement.]"In fact, the U.S. […]
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2:11 PM | Looking Doubtful?
In his final days as L.A. Mayor, Villaraigosa makes last push to privatize zoo. He's been at this for "the last year and a half..."
March 23, 2013
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My problem patient is a 13-year-old, female-spayed Yorkie with brittle diabetes mellitus. In contrast to many diabetic dogs that I see, this dog is very insulin sensitive, with frequent bouts of hypoglycemia. Fortunately, these hypoglycemic episodes do not appear to be causing clinical problems (i.e., no weakness or seizures have been observed), and she seems to be doing great at home. We have the owner feeding her several times a day to prevent hypoglycemia.To complicate diabetic […]
March 22, 2013
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I recently ran across an editorial on the subject of the legal and ethical issues associated with conventional doctors referring patients for alternative medical therapies. It does a nice job of highlighting an issue which I think gets too little … Continue reading →
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Move over cute, full-of-energy, 20-something parents. The wandering albatross (Diomeda exulans) has given mid-life ‘rents something to sing about. A recent study in Ecology Letters explores the success that this species has rearing a final chick. Certainly, these birds (who mate for life, BTW) effectively rear chicks in their early days, but a longitudinal study of the wandering albatross illuminated an unusual turn of events: a high rate of success raising the last kiddo, too. Feel free to
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3:33 PM | In advance of publication…
Writer Teresa Carey emailed this week to say that her article “Citizen Oceanographer,” in which SEANET is featured, will be appearing in an upcoming issue of Bluewater Sailing Magazine. When Teresa was working on the article, she sent a few questions for our volunteers to answer, and since she couldn’t fit everyone in, I thought [...]
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1:47 AM | Spaying big things, spaying small things
You would think that spaying something big would be a lot easier than spaying something small. With something big, you can visualize everything more easily, right? It turns out to be the exact opposite, actually. The smallest thing I've spayed is a two pound kitten, and oh boy is that uterus easy to find and manage. The biggest thing I have spayed is a hundred something pound Great Dane, and wow was that uterus deep in a deep abdomen and so covered in fat that it was hard to see where it […]
March 21, 2013
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10:20 PM | Boz, bloat... and hope
This is my own boy, Boz, who suffered a GDV last week - a gastric dilatation volvolus, colloquially known as bloat.
The picture was taken at 3am a week last Tuesday as the emergency vets worked to stabilise him before surgery. When I took it I didn't know if Boz would live or die. He was in cardio-vascular shock caused by his stomach twisting and cutting off the blood supply back to his heart.
Bloat kills in hours and it is a horrible, agonising death. Because Boz was at the foot of […]
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This is the 3rd article in a series describing my experiences as an Army veterinarian. Learn about how I made my final decision to accept the HPSP scholarship and about my commissioning ceremony.The post Army Veterinarian Part 3: The Decision to Commit appeared first on Elliott Garber.
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3:57 PM | We're Moving!
I am excited to announce that TODAY Dog Spies has moved to the Scientific American Blog Network! Link to Dog Spies new home on Scientific AmericanMost importantly, the dogs have been notified. All of them. And they are okay with it. The reason the dogs are okay with it is that Scientific American has a vast network of blogs and bloggers who cover everything from the mind and the heart to literary psychology, and slime, slime molds and nanothingamabobs. Jesse Bering and Becky
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Hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine disorder in cats, most frequently associated with adenomatous hyperplasia (or adenoma) involving one or both thyroid lobes (1,2). Because the exact pathogenesis of hyperthyroidism in cats is not known, treatment of the condition is directed at controlling the excessive secretion of thyroid hormone from the adenomatous thyroid gland.Treatment options for cats with hyperthyroidismFour treatment options are available for cats with hyperthyroidism
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9:21 AM | Message from a Bulldog fan
Sent to my personal Facebook.
Mario Crisan
I am the proud owner of my very first bulldog. 16 months old white boy. I've had many breeds in the past, hunting and guard large dogs but by far my bulldog, my pride and joy is the best dog I've ever had. The most human one!
With this in mind, I don't appreciate your articles about the bulldogs and I would like you to apologise and stop writing lies and denigrate this wonderful breed! My boy tyres down other breeds in the open parks when
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March 20, 2013
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4:07 PM | Turtle Workshop
Eighty reptile experts and conservationists from across the country will gather at the 4th Box Turtle Conservation Workshop, hosted this year by the NC Zoo, March 22-23.
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2:00 PM | Boxers: the heat is on
New research reveals that body condition plays a critical role in thermoregulation in brachycephalic breeds such as the Boxer, Bulldog and Pug.
“Brachycephalic dogs are at greater risk for heat-related illness, presumably due to the structure of their respiratory tract,” explains Professor Michel Davis of Oklahomo State University in an article on the AKCHF website. “Dogs rely on the respiratory tract to dissipate metabolic heat, and this process is hampered in brachycephalic
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12:30 PM | Frustration in Pet Dog Training
Does your dog ever seem frustrated when you are trying to train him? A new study by Adriana Jakovcevic and colleagues looks at frustration behaviours in pet dogs during training sessions. They looked specifically at something called extinction. This is when the dog has a behaviour that you want to get rid of (i.e. extinguish) for one reason or another.Dogs do things that get rewarded and so the way to extinguish a behaviour is to stop rewarding it. For example, many people find jumping up
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Jakovcevic, A., Elgier, A., Mustaca, A. & Bentosela, M. (2013). Frustration Behaviors in Domestic Dogs, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 16 (1) 19-34. DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2013.740974
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March 19, 2013
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11:44 PM | Obesity Epidemic Expanding in Dogs and Cats
The rates of overweight and obesity in dogs and cats in the U.S. continued to increase in 2012, with the number of overweight cats reaching an all-time high. Results of the sixth annual National Pet Obesity Awareness Day Survey, conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), revealed that 52.5% of dogs and 58.3% of cats were overweight or obese (Figure 1). That equals approximately 80 million U.S. dogs and cats at increased risk for weight-related disorders such as diabetes, […]
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Circadian rhythms and jet lag. There, cyclic crowing behavior explained. Quite a lot of people are discussing this study from Japan examining the effect of light on the crowing behavior of roosters. The authors observed several birds in experimental conditions where light intensity and duration were controlled, taking observations with audio recorders and cameras. The [...]
Shimmura, T. & Yoshimura, T. (2013). Circadian clock determines the timing of rooster crowing, Current Biology, 23 (6) DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.02.015
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March 18, 2013
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Last fall, I wrote about the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Foundation (AHVMF), an offshoot of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), which is devoted to raising money for the promotion of alternative therapies. The AHVMA is a vigorous advocate … Continue reading →
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You know you’re a little too into dead seabirds when it’s easier to identify an inside out skin bag of partial seabird bits than it is to identify a completely intact hawk. But so it is. Bird A had most people thinking alcid of some kind. Murre or Razorbill, particularly. Or, as a colleague of [...]
