Newsworthy

  • Veterinary Care Inequities

    I recently researched and wrote a lengthy article for veterinary professionals on veterinary care inequities. It’s NOT YET published, but some important parts got axed in editing. It felt like an issue of fragility, if you understand that term. I argued (and lost). I feel that NOT sharing painful details about the problem only perpetuates inequities many people face when trying to access veterinary care for their pets. So, I alerted some of the people I interviewed about the editing cuts and got permission to share these key points here instead. Who isn’t getting the veterinary care? How common are veterinary care inequities? What barriers do people face? What underlying biases preserve the problem? And, how does this bias and lack of access feel in real life? Let’s take a look.

  • Dog Size and Cancer Risks

    Maybe I’m more distracted after handing off our tiniest-ever foster puppy (Pavé) earlier this week, but this third cancer relative risk paper from Nationwide Pet Insurance is really something to wade through. It discusses dog size and cancer risks — overall as well as for several specific / common canine cancers (bone cancer, splenic cancer, liver cancer, lymphatic cancer, mammary cancer). This may require more than one post. I may do a video at some point, but let’s dig into at least some of it now. Scroll all the way down to see bonus photos and more info about tiny Pavé in case you missed him on our social media feeds.

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    Dog Thief Arrested

    Celebration time !! Dog thief arrested !! After more than a month since the kidnapping of 3 search and rescue dogs from Carlsbad, New Mexico, I’m thrilled to report the dog thief got arrested on June 13, 2022, in San Antonio, Texas. All 3 dogs, and the litter of 8 puppies born to one of them after the crime, were all found safe and have been reunited with their owner. Two short video clips of the family being reunited and a link to a TV news report below.

  • Kidnapped Dogs BOLO

    !! Please BE On the LOOK OUT for these kidnapped dogs!! Three weeks ago, on May 12, 2022, a nightmare scenario unfolded for Dr. Kim Lark, who is a friend of a friend. Despite her vigilant efforts to keep them safe, all 3 of her dogs — all highly trained in search and rescue, one of them VERY pregnant — got kidnapped in Carlsbad, New Mexico, by her ex. Law enforcement considers the suspect armed and dangerous. Look for the full backstory, media coverage of the crime (including by an investigative producer with NBC News / Dateline), and latest updates at SaveKimsDogs.com. Dr. Lark is offering a $50,000 reward for the safe return of the 3 dogs and the litter of puppies. Please be on the lookout for these dogs and the suspect. They could be anywhere by now. #savekimsdogs

  • Common Household Noises Affect Dogs

    Most of the time conversations about how dogs respond to noises focus on big, scary, sudden sounds like thunder, fireworks, and gunfire. A paper published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science in November 2021 looks at how common household noises affect dogs and how people often (mis)interpret dogs showing signs of fear and anxiety. For context, other studies reported the prevalence of noise sensitivities in dogs as high as 50%, so it’s an important topic. I recommend you read the whole paper yourself. However, here are the highlights and headlines.

  • Repetitive Behaviors in Dogs

    In March 2022, Nature / Scientific Reports published a paper entitled “Aggressiveness, ADHD-like behavior, and environment influence repetitive behavior in dogs”. Let’s take a look at what they found, including types of repetitive behaviors in dogs, possible triggers for developing compulsive behaviors, which breeds are more likely to develop repetitive behaviors, and common treatments. I made a video, but you can also read the same information below.

  • Understanding a Dog’s Age

    I learned recently that the idea dogs are “seniors at seven” comes from a study of border collies only, not a spectrum of how dogs age from different breeds. Researchers also often focus on beagles for these studies. One new paper, published in April 2021, suggests 6 new categories for understanding a dog’s age. Let’s take a look. ALSO — Answers ahead for these questions … are dogs living longer? What about giant dogs? What does all this mean?

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    That New Canine Cancer Risk Data

    Nationwide Veterinary Analytics released the second of three white papers with important canine cancer risk data in March 2022. Here’s a video talking through the headlines and showing the main charts and much of the same information in text below too. They focused on the 25 top / most popular dog breeds, so many of us don’t get information for our own dog breeds. It’s still really interesting, though. Let’s take a look at what we’ve learned.

  • Bacteria and Hemangiosarcoma Dogs

    Families of hemangiosarcoma dogs share bonds of shock and heartbreak. A fairly common cancer, especially in some breeds, hemangiosarcoma often results in a sudden, quick end. Like fine one minute, critical the next. The tumors start with cells lining blood vessels, often attaching to the dog’s heart or spleen. In many cases, symptoms begin with pale gums / tongue and collapse because of internal bleeding. It. Is. Devastating. We lost our yellow Lab mix dog, Cody, to it many years ago. New research uncovered a possible connection between chronic, but undetected, bacterial infections and this aggressive cancer in hemangiosarcoma dogs.