The Modern Bark | Dog Training Tips

Photo Credit By cogdogblog  A New Therapy for Dogs With Metastic Cancers Is Now Available And Getting Good Results A new drug, HylaPlat, has produced high cure rates for many different forms of Canine Cancer. By way of targeting the cancer, and directly injecting it with Hylaplat chemotherapy, results have been dramatically improved locally, as well as systemically. So far the drug has proven highly effective on a variety of metastic cancers.  Trials are ongoing through veterinary practices, and your vet’s practice and your dog may be able to participate for free. Contact Information for canine cancer trial participation is located at the bottom of the article.

The AKC lists 19 breeds as having hypoallergenic qualities. Do the dog breeds on this list really produce less dander and allergens? A study, based in Detroit, Michigan, sought to find out. Here's what they learned. The Coton De Tulear , a low shed dog and recent addition to the AKC registry.  Image by CVF-pfs The breeds listed below have been touted by the AKC and breeders as being hypoallergenic, mainly because they shed substantially less than other dog breeds.  However, hair itself is not allergenic; it's the dander attached to it that causes the sniffles and asthma attacks. The assumption has been, less hair in the air means less dander floating around. As a result, an industry of mixed breeds claiming hypoallergenic status has flooded the dog market. Americans are prepared to spend big dollars ($1500-$5000) on purportedly low allergy mongrels. The AKC's "Hypoallergenic" Dog Breeds List: Afghan Hound Bedlington Terrier  Bichon Frise  Chinese ...

Between 6000-8000 dogs in the United States receive treatment for Osteosarcoma each year.  Typically a disease of large breed dogs, Osteosarcoma can affect breeds of all sizes.  As the disease progresses, it reshapes normal healthy bone tissue and changes it to tumorous bone.  In dogs as in people, this remodeling process becomes increasingly more painful as the disease progresses, impacting activity levels and quality of life. Dr. Vladimir Osipov Sarcomaimages.com The Dorothy Cimino Brown, DVM and Kimberly Agnello DVM University of Pennsylvania Study Seventy dogs suffering from Osteosarcoma participated in this study.  A variety of breeds were represented including Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrieves and various mixed breeds. The average size of the dogs in the study was 90 pounds, and the average age fell between 8 and 9 years.  The study was conducted by splitting the group in half and treating both groups with standard care, while the...

Courtesy of Public Domain Images Hemangiosarcoma is a form of cancer found almost exclusively in dogs. A relatively common canine cancer (6-8% of all canine cancers) it is estimated that 2 million of 73 million dogs currently alive in the United States will develop the disease and ultimately die from it. At this time, it is considered incurable, as it remains symptomless until the advanced stages of the disease.  The current standard of care, surgery and chemotherapy, have proven to extend the life to the affected dog a mere median of 180 days, with surgery alone, and an additionally 180 days with chemotherapy added to surgical intervention. In the wake of these poor treatment outcomes, research has focused on early detection of the disease as well as a new, very promising alternative medical approach. Hemangiosarcoma Hemangiosarcoma is an indolent cancer, meaning it initially develops very slowly, asymptomatically and painlessly.  The most common primary sites ...

By  federico stevanin , published on 08 November 2008 Stock photo - image ID: 1001821 As scientists of various disciplines investigate the topic of dirt eating, or more accurately clay eating, they are discovering that it is more prevalent across geographic regions and species than previously imagined.  Humans, primates, dogs, cats, parrots, buffalo, deer and even fruit bats engage in clay eating or geophagia, a subset of pica. Until now it has been assumed that the animals engaging in geophagia were either malnourished or suffering from a form of obsessive compulsive disorder originating from boredom.  New studies indicate that there may be other factors at work in the age old practice of clay eating. In our list of five reasons your dog eats clay, we offer up three traditional explanations as well as two new explanations that are gaining credence in the international dirt-eating research community. Eating Soil From Boredom, Habit or OCD It has been noted tha...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dimas_sc/3100685891/ A few breeders and I occasionally have a chuckle over the fact that pet buyers seem to be more concerned with knowing hip scores than are most other breeders.  Perhaps the other breeders have already done their homework on the OFA database or our websites; it certainly appears that the puppy buyers have done their homework regarding finding a reputable breeder. Good for them; that’s the kind of home I like my puppies to go to. Canine Hip Dysplasia is a physically debilitating disorder that is both emotionally and financial draining for dog owners.  With no cure other than pain management or hip replacement surgery, diagnosis of hip dysplasia is the breeder’s as well as the pet owner’s heartbreak.  Stocky breeds such as the Bulldog and those weighing over 60 pounds such as the St. Bernard experience hip dysplasia rates of up to 72% and 46% respectively.  It is estimated by Cornell University that 22% of c...

The average dog can learn as many as 150 words, a fairly substantial vocabulary beyond sit, stay and come. Research with several border collies has brought those vocabulary numbers up beyond 400 words, and a border collie named Chaser has learned the names of 1022 objects, which he can differentiate and fetch on command.  There appears to be no upper limit in Chaser's vocabulary lessons, as he continues to add words to his lexicon. In the wake of such impressive results, researchers Emile van der Zee, Helen Zulch and Daniel Mills sought to determine the presence of a key feature of human word comprehension in canine learning. In the research article,  Word Generalization by a Dog (Canis familiaris): Is Shape Important?, the researchers sought to determine if shape bias existed in dogs as it does in humans. Experiments with human 2 year olds, have shown a "shape bias" exists in the learning of new words.  Simply put, once the child associates a name with ...

Mighty dogs to the rescue. Once again, our canine companions are assisting in providing invaluable medical advances to mankind.  Previous studies have shown that dogs can detect early stages of cancer as well as super bug infections in patients with hospital acquired infections. Now comes another gift from Man's Best Friend! Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered that a virus commonly found in dogs, the parainfluenza virus (PIV5), could serve as the foundation for the next great breakthrough in human vaccine development.  PIV5, which does not cause disease in humans , contributes to upper respiratory infections in dogs, and therefore is  targeted in many canine vaccines.  As the virus does not affect humans, researchers turned their eyes towards it as a potential delivery mechanism for human   vaccines against  diseases that have previously alluded  development. Science has successfully used viruses to crea...

A diagnosis of cancer in your pet is devastating. However, the earlier it is detected, the better the prognosis for your companion. Researchers are now testing methods to improve early detection of cancers such as hemagiosarcoma and osteosarcoma.    While a comprehensive cancer screening program is still  far off in the future, it makes sense to learn the early warning signs of cancer, especially if your dog's breed is predisposed to one of these deadly canine cancers. Over the last three years, there has been an explosion of cancer treatment testing on dogs.  As dogs are larger than mice and closer to our body mass and their cancers are very similar to human's, canine cancer research on naturally occurring cancers benefits both species. Check out our listing of ongoing trials and their criteria below. Your pet may be eligible for one of the trials.  New advances in early detection and Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment protocols are extending dogs' live...