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Acupuncture in dogs why and when to do it. The Chinese technique that aims to help in the treatment of pain through the use of needles, now being widely used in dogs too. The area of integrative medicine is gaining more and more space in the field of veterinary medicine, and acupuncture in dogs has become a common therapy among pets. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine technique, performed by inserting needles into specific points on the body where nerve endings are located. When these needles enter these points, there is a stimulation of these points, which promotes pain relief, reduces anxiety and stress, and complements the treatment of diseases. As the oriental technique became known in the West, other types of acupuncture became known, among them veterinary acupuncture. It may seem strange to put needles in pets to treat diseases or relax them, but it is actually an amazing treatment! The Chinese have applied the acupuncture technique to animals for centuries, especially horses, which are considered essential animals for agriculture. After it became popular, veterinarians began to study this technique to apply not only to large animals, but also to smaller ones, and the results were very positive! This therapy promotes changes from sensory, motor, visceral, hormonal, and immunological functions, to the brain. Therefore, we can say that acupuncture improves blood flow, stimulates immune function, and promotes pain relief. It also helps in motor recovery, normalization of organic functions, regularization of immunity, endocrine functions, activation of regenerative processes, and causes relaxation of the animal. Did you know that the needles of the treatment have different sizes according to the size of the patient, but none of them have any type of injected medicine? Acupuncture in dogs relieves pain and treats diseases without any medication, only with the technique! Does it hurt? Isn't it dangerous? Because it is a technique that uses needles, acupuncture in dogs can cause several doubts, but, in fact, the technique does not make the pet feel pain - quite the opposite! The canine acupuncture promotes many benefits for back pain, gastritis, paralysis, cystitis, convulsions, tendinitis, strokes, psychological pregnancy, arthrosis, herniated discs and fertility problems. In addition to these diseases, dermatitis, diabetes, hypothyroidism, and even psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity can be treated with acupuncture. Dogs submitted to chemotherapy and surgeries can also be rehabilitated through this technique. As it is a delicate technique, never try to apply it alone at home! Don't look for how to do acupuncture in dogs on the internet. The acupuncture points in dogs are different from those in humans.

You know about giardia and what it can cause in your pet. Let's talk about how pets become infected with this intestinal parasite. When a pet is already infected with Giardia lamblia, it stays in its intestines. When the pet defecates, it excretes cysts of the protozoan in its feces, contaminating the environment. Extremely resistant, the protozoan can survive for months in the environment, staying in the feces found on the street, in the water or even in the pets' fur. It is then ingested by the animals and starts a new cycle of giardia. We have already talked about what Giardia lamblia is and how animals get infected with it. Now, let's go a step further and explain how to recognize this protozoan in pets. One of the main difficulties in identifying giardia in dogs and cats is that it manifests itself mainly by diarrhea. Therefore, it is common that it is confused with diseases of lesser severity, which contributes to the evolution of the disease. No matter what the suspicion is, it is always best to take your friend to the vet. However, some symptoms of giardia help to identify whether the dog or the kitty has the parasite. See the examples below: Liquid or pasty feces, with strong smell and that can be greenish, lack of appetite, loss of weight, hair without shine and with accentuated fall, vomits, abdominal sensibility, flatulence, dehydration and weakness. In some cases, the animal may have mucus, like a jelly covering the feces, or blood in the feces. In addition, the more the disease progresses without treatment, the greater is the chance of the pet becoming dehydrated. Seek help as soon as possible! Although reports of symptoms by the guardian can help in the diagnosis, one of the main ways to be sure that it is giardiasis is through the parasitological examination of feces. It is worth pointing out that, normally, three samples should be collected on alternate days. This is because the cysts are not eliminated in all bowel movements. A rapid test, such as a pregnancy test, can accurately diagnose the disease. The treatment of giardiasis is done with antiprotozoal drugs, specific for the problem. In addition, it is essential to correctly clean the environment and the contaminated pet's accessories. Follow the veterinarian's orientations to the letter! As we said, people can contract giardia in several ways, being more common the ingestion of contaminated water. However, the contamination also occurs from the contact of the guardian with animal feces. In fact, this contact happens when taking the hand to the mouth after collecting the pet's feces or even playing with it and ingesting a protozoan cyst in the animal's hair or bed. Therefore, always wash your hands after activities. Currently, dogs and cats can count on the vaccine, which, despite not being 100% effective, helps to make the symptoms of giardia milder in case of contamination. The vaccine also controls the environmental contamination by decreasing the number of parasite cysts excreted in the environment, as well as the time in which the pet excretes them by feces. In addition, some hygiene measures can be of great help in prophylaxis of giardiasis. For this reason, here are some tips to avoid direct contact with the parasite: Never let your pet smell or lick the feces of other animals on the street , When you get home, wash your hands well and take off your shoes, since they can bring diseases from the street to the internal environment , Keep the environment in which your pet lives and eats always clean ,Offer only filtered or boiled water to the pet , During the treatment of the pet with the disease, use products based on quaternary ammonia in the environment to eliminate the cysts and prevent further contamination, If you have more than one pet, it is important that all do stool tests and treatment when one of them shows signs of contamination and Make regular visits to the veterinarian with your pet. Among other precautions, the professional may recommend wormers every four to six months.

Blindness in dogs. When searching for "what causes blindness in dogs", one of the first results is always canine cataracts. The eye has a lens called the lens of the eye, which is responsible for providing focus and allowing distances to be recognized. In the case of a dog's cataract, the lens fibers are damaged and, as a result, the animal loses its sense of space and orientation. A classic sign of the cataract in dogs is the opaque eye, because the death of the cells creates a kind of film that prevents the passage of light. The disease may have a genetic origin or be a consequence of diseases such as canine diabetes, trauma, and infection. Canine glaucoma is one of the main causes of blindness in dogs. The disease occurs when there is an overproduction of the fluid that lubricates the eye, increasing intraocular pressure. The dog with glaucoma has corneal blurring, redness around the eye, excessive tearing, and an increase in eye size. In severe cases, the animal may lose its vision completely. The cause of glaucoma can be hereditary or a consequence of diseases such as cataracts or tumors in the region. The treatment is complicated and usually the doctor prescribes special eye drops, but in certain situations it is necessary to remove the eye. Throughout life, certain situations such as injury, trauma, or contact with dust that carries viruses and bacteria can lead to inflammation in different parts of the eye. When the inflamed region is the conjunctiva (the membrane that protects the eyes), a condition called canine conjunctivitis develops. Uveitis in dogs, on the other hand, is caused by inflammation of the uvea (layer that allows vascularization of the eye). And if the inflammation attacks the cornea (the outermost part of the eye), we have keratitis or corneal ulcer in dogs. Keratitis is one of the most common causes of blindness in dogs, since the cornea is the outermost part of the eye that protects the eye well. It can be treated, but you need to act fast. Conjunctivitis and uveitis are less likely to make the dog blind, but if there is no proper treatment, the animal can indeed lose its vision. Many times the blindness in a dog - puppy or adult - does not occur because of a specific eye disease or trauma. It is common for diseases that start in other parts of the body to progress to the point of reaching the dog's eye. This is the case with canine diabetes. The diabetic dog has an excess of glucose in the blood that damages the blood vessels in the eyes, leaving the dog blind - in fact, most diabetic dogs go blind. Another disease that usually has blindness in dogs as a consequence is tick disease. The condition attacks various parts of the body as it progresses and can reach the eyes. The retina is the part of the eye where images are formed by means of photoreceptors that capture light. In progressive retinal atrophy, these photoreceptors degenerate. As they are responsible for the formation of images, the dog goes blind with time. This is a genetic disease and of difficult perception, because the pet has no apparent symptoms. What happens is that he starts to see very badly (being even worse in the dark) and, in some cases, can develop cataracts. This is not a type of disease for which blindness in dogs can be cured. Unfortunately, the pet that is born with the condition loses its sight throughout its life and it is not possible to recover it. As we can see, there are numerous answers to the question "what can cause blindness in dogs". In some cases, it is possible to do a surgery that reverses the condition. Thus, the blind dog can see again or have a prosthesis that helps him to see again. However, blindness in dogs is not always curable. When we have a blind dog, it is necessary to adapt the whole house and routine to make his life more comfortable. The collar for blind dogs is an essential item in the life of a dog that can't see. It helps the pet to get around better by providing a barrier that prevents the animal from bumping into walls and furniture. There are different models of collar for blind dogs, such as the version with an attached bow (like a visor) and the one that produces vibrations when it gets close to some obstacle to alert the doguinho. Besides the collar for blind dogs, it is worth investing in other items that improve the safety of the blind dog at home, such as gates and non-slip socks. Organize the furniture in a way to avoid as much as possible that the pet bumps into and whenever someone arrives home, let them know that the pet can't see. With these adaptations, the blind dog can live with much more comfort and practicality.

Overweight in dogs and cats. In 2020, the National Health Survey, conducted by IBGE, reported that there was a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity in adults in Brazil. This picture is quite worrying, since obesity is the most frequent chronic disease in humans, just as it is in dogs and cats. With the humanization of animals, smaller and smaller houses, and restricted walks due to the pandemic, the overweight rate of animals has been worrying veterinarians, considering that overweight when not controlled can lead to obesity and cause several health problems, such as diabetes mellitus, heart disease, orthopedic complications, breathing difficulties, among others. For an animal to be considered overweight, he needs to be 15% above his ideal weight, and it is at this stage that we should start to make a food restriction to avoid future problems with an obesity picture. Following the nine-point Body Score Classification (BSC), animals included in values 6 and 7 are considered overweight, while obese animals are those included in values 8 and 9. When you notice that an animal is above score 5 of the table, the first step is to take it to the veterinarian, so that the cause of the weight gain can be evaluated. During this nutritional assessment some factors will be analyzed, such as: the environment in which this animal lives, the amount and type of food offered, the frequency of feeding, the number of animals living in the same place, among others. All these factors are important to evaluate, calculate, and balance in the best way possible a diet with adequate amounts for the animal. There are specific foods on the market for this phase of life, which are called Light Food. These commercial products can help the owner to control his weight, because they can control the daily energy balance and, at the same time, prevent the animal from developing some nutritional deficiency, since they are complete and balanced foods. In addition, light food has several benefits, such as noble proteins, which assist in the composition of muscle mass; low fat content, to reduce the consumption of kilocalories; high fiber content, which promotes intestinal health and helps satiety and the presence of L-carnitine, to assist in weight loss. It is important to remember that puppies should not follow restricted diets, because they are in the developmental stage. An unbalanced diet in this phase of life can cause damage to the health of these animals. Therefore, light food should only be consumed by adult animals. During the weight loss process with a specific and balanced diet, it is important that the veterinary follow-up is done at least once a month, because the fruits of the effort between owner and pet are a few weekly grams that, when added together, make all the difference. In addition, whenever the animal manages to lose a little weight, it is necessary to adjust the amount of food, to avoid the stress of the prolonged feeling of hunger of this animal. Another important point is the inadequate supply of snacks and treats, which can compromise the entire strategic planning of weight loss. Most of the time, the treats are very caloric and have few nutrients for the animal, which ends up exceeding the recommended daily caloric intake. If it is not possible to completely remove the treats from the diet, the most interesting is to choose a treat that contains the complete caloric information on the package, and remove this amount of calories from the daily intake, thus avoiding exceeding the animal's needs. Finally, no diet is made without physical exercises, because they are important to keep the energy balance negative and help maintain muscle mass. For sedentary animals, light, low-impact exercises of up to 30 minutes per day are recommended, such as playing and walking.

To dream of a dog, what does it mean. Dreaming about a dog is quite common, and many people dream about dogs, and depending on each context, the dream can mean something different. Furthermore the interpretation of the dream varies a lot from person to person. In general, to dream of a dog or to see dogs in a dream is usually a good omen, since they symbolize friendship and good things such as intuition, loyalty, generosity, protection, and faithfulness. A dream about a dog may also suggest that strong values and good intentions will bring success, or it may also represent someone in your life who possesses these qualities. Alternatively, dreaming of a dog may indicate a skill being ignored or forgotten. The different contexts, on the other hand, can mean numerous other things. When you dream of your own dog it is a sign that you will be supported by a true friend, but if it is someone else's dog, it means that someone will ask you for help. If the dog is a large dog, it means social success, but if it is a small dog, it means that the person will have to fight to achieve their goals, or that some ideas may be compromising the moral integrity of this person. If in your dream you are a police dog, it is a warning not to get involved in other people's issues or problems, in order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. If it is a hunting dog, you can expect news in your family; if it is a guard dog or a guide dog, new opportunities may arise in the professional sector. If it is an unusual or strange looking dog, it may mean that the person will be able to solve pending issues in his life. If it is a friendly and docile dog, it means that great new friendships may help to solve a problem in the affective field; but if it is a threatening dog, don't worry, it means that better days will come and things will improve. To dream of a dog show indicates good luck. When dogs appear in a dream fighting, it is better to postpone business discussions for a few days. To see a dog attacking, a dog biting someone (or yourself), or a dog destroying objects is a sign to pay more attention to the people in your life or that you may have a fight with a lover or business partner; but if it is a dog being attacked by another animal or a dog being attacked by a person, you need to take care of your health, it means some light illness. Thin and dirty dogs may represent some business deal that didn't work out, or bad health of children. A growling dog may indicate some internal conflict, betrayal, and disloyalty. If in the dream, is the dog barking fiercely or growling, this represents the habit of making demands on people and control situations around you, it may also indicate hostile companions, bad news or difficult times at home. A rabid dog may represent verbal attacks or arguments. To dream of a feral dog dead or dying, signifies triumph or the loss of a loved one or a spiritual rebirth or regeneration or even a deterioration of your instincts. To kill a bad or mad dog in a dream signifies overcoming adversaries, adverse opinions and gaining financial profit. To kill a bunch of wild dogs means that you have more than one opponent, but you will win the dispute. To see a mad dog in your dream suggests a verbal attack from people who were supposed to be your friends. To dream of a dog that bites at your leg suggests a loss of the ability to balance aspects of life. The person in question may be hesitant to approach a new situation or lack the will to move forward with their goals. To dream of a dog petting you suggests progress in life and stable friendships. So does dreaming of a dog barking happily which can symbolize pleasures and social activity such as being accepted in some circle. To dream of a dog chasing its own tail or dog running in circles means that the person is not handling a situation effectively or is spending too much time in an unsatisfactory job. To dream that you are feeding a dog means you are nurturing a skill or talent, but also indicates having to put more time and effort into furthering friendships. To dream that you run over a dog means that you are having doubts regarding a friend's intentions, or feeling betrayed. To dream that you are healing or caring for a dog means that you may be trying to cover up your own character flaws and habits. To dream that you are taking care of your flea-ridden dog means that you are a person who not only takes care of your pets, but also takes care of other important people in your life. To dream of a puppy may refer to your skills and caring. Puppies usually mean gratitude - seeing puppies means that the person will offer help to innocent people and get gratitude.

Why do dogs protect babies? A dog's relationship with babies is enough to make anyone sigh! A well-mannered dog that receives positive reinforcement usually creates a very strong bond with its human family. Some are particularly fond of children and babies. In addition to providing lots of affection, many dogs can develop a protective instinct toward their human companions. This means that they wish to safeguard their well-being and end up exhibiting certain types of behavior toward their guardians. But where does this protective instinct come from and what does it look like? The domestication of dogs has lasted for millennia, but the animal still retains some aspects of its wild nature, especially the behavioral aspects that relate to its survival instincts and pack mentality. Some instinctive attitudes are problematic, especially those related to hunting, others can be beneficial as long as they are channeled in an appropriate way. When a dog lives with a family that has babies and children, the need for protection can arise in the pet. The dangers from which they feel the need to protect the babies may vary. Some may think that any unknown person is a potential threat, others may only protect from animals. However, this will only happen if the dog is allowed to interact with the baby and considers it family. All dogs can demonstrate the protective instinct with children and babies, but in fact there are some breeds that are more prone to this behavior, such as: German shepherd, rottweiler, and doberman. Part of the reason for this is that these dogs were bred specifically to develop guarding skills. While these behaviors may be natural, we also need to be careful. All dogs are individuals and breed plays only a part in their behavior and temperament. Some researchers claim that dogs recognize humans as part of their pack, others that they identify as part of their social group. From their social groups, dogs receive affection, food, and care. When faced with a threat, the pack will protect each other, with the adults being especially protective of the puppies. As mentioned earlier, some breeds are more inclined to protect than others. But this does not mean that every dog of a certain breed will behave in the same way. One ability of dogs is to easily perceive hormonal changes in humans, this makes them able to perceive fear and anxiety around the most vulnerable in their social group, such as babies. When the dog realizes that the baby depends on its parents for survival, this can trigger its instinct to also provide protection. Another reason why we may know why dogs protect babies is due to a different aspect of neurological programming. Studies have shown that humans react to the 'schema' of babies and dogs. This means that 'cuteness' seems to appeal to our instincts, it is one of the reasons for attesting to our love for puppies and kittens, even though they are not of the human species. We naturally feel protective and affectionate towards them. Although it is difficult to determine, it is possible that dogs respond in a similar way to humans. This affection for human babies occurs because the dog has been properly socialized, and if not, it is possible that it will develop aggressive behavior as a result of competition for attention and space. Since babies like to pull things, it is also possible that a poorly socialized dog will bite or try to bite a baby if it finds it threatening. Building a healthy relationship between a dog and the baby in the home is crucial for everyone's well-being. This requires encouraging the dog's protective instincts and using positive reinforcement. However, it's also possible for a dog to become overprotective, so we need to encourage this bond in a balanced way. Part of this socialization will depend on the circumstances of when the baby comes into the family. The baby may have arrived first and the dog is introduced later, or it may be the other way around.In either circumstance it can be difficult, as dogs are animals of habit and routine. There is a possibility that the arrival of a baby in the family will make the dog feel threatened or insecure, especially if it does not receive as much attention as before. In any case, the dog and baby should be introduced slowly and with constant supervision. Under no circumstances should they be left alone, even if the dog is quiet. You don't need to use treats to reinforce the bond, comforting voices and affection is enough. We also need to know that it is vital not to scold the dog in front of the baby, because it is possible that the dog will make a negative association and try to attack, prefer to remove the baby from the environment and teach the animal the correct thing to do. After the child grows up it is necessary to teach it to interact as a dog.

Human personality influences canine behavior. Is your dog one of those very sociable and loyal people, but that is afraid of some situations? Know that the reason why he feels fear of something or someone may be you. This is what an American research on canine behavior says. A study from the Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, in the United States, pointed out that the behavior of dogs stems from the personality of their human parent. That's right, the way you behave can influence the behavior of your pet. After more than six months of experiments with 262 volunteers, the researchers, analyzing the behavior of humans and dogs at the same time, found that more introverted parents may have negative relations with fearful dogs when there is the need for some kind of treatment of pets. On the other hand, in the case of human parents considered more extroverted, who were shown to be more open to new experiences, they were found to have dogs that were more sociable and well-mannered with pets and unfamiliar people. In addition, dogs with extroverted parents showed less fear of loud sounds or noises, such as fireworks, for example, or in situations they had never experienced before. "These findings can be used by veterinary clinicians to formulate more accurate prognoses and provide owners with targeted advice to reduce the influence of external factors on dogs' responses to clinical behavioral interventions," the University of Pennsylvania researchers pointed out. What can we learn from this study? For example, many dogs are afraid of fireworks, and many of them developed this thanks to their human parent, who shows that he is frightened or worried and apprehensive at every bang close to home. So it is essential that all parents pay attention to their own conduct so as not to affect the canine's behavior. A rude and unsociable person will probably, according to the study, have a rude and hardly sociable dog - and so on. Making an effort and thinking about the social and emotional well-being of your pet is very important for him to have quality of life and to be a happy and secure dog.

Puppies five Essential Curiosities. We know that, in general, dogs are the favorite pets of human beings all over the world. In Brazil, for example, they are present in more than 44.3% of homes. In the United States there are more than 77.8 million dogs in homes all over the country! But beyond statistics, there are infinite things we want to know about dogs, right? How to interpret their signals, for example? Where do their favorite habits come from? That's why we brought 5 of the main curiosities about dogs for you, who want to know more about the behavior of your best friends. Why do dogs lift their paws to pee? This happens because, historically, dogs - especially males - are territorial animals, and when they raise their paws, they can mark a larger region with their scent, keeping away possible predators and other males, which could compete for food. The same can happen with male cats, and some female dogs also acquire this habit by living together with males, mainly, but it is still considered unusual. Why do dogs like to chew bones? Another historical aspect! The ancestors of dogs, the wolves, used to slaughter their prey and gnaw the bones so as not to waste any little piece of meat, besides cleaning their teeth and ingesting calcium. Today, domesticated dogs have more fragile teeth, so it is recommended not to leave them gnawing on bones all day, but instead to give them a leather or soft plastic bite so that they can feel like real predators! Why do dogs like to lick us? This habit comes from an early age: puppies often lick their mother's mouth as a sign of obedience, to show affection, or to ask for food. As we have become their parents, they love to lick us to show how much they love us and to make it clear that they are happy to be with us. If your dog loves to lick you, this is a great sign! How do dogs "guess" that we are coming? This is clearly a super skill, isn't it? But it has nothing to do with guessing. In fact, it is the hearing of dogs that surpasses that of us humans by a factor of 4! This means that, generally speaking, they can pick up the same sound at a distance up to 4 times greater than us. But it does not stop there! They can also hear sounds that we cannot. And if hearing is not enough, they have an even better sense of smell! There are 220 million odor receptor cells, which means, in general, that they "smell" about 44 times better than we do. This is how they can hear your car coming from miles away and smell your perfume when you have just entered the elevator! How cool is that? How does my dog see the world? It is common to say that dogs are color-blind, but it has been scientifically proven that this is a myth. What happens is that the canine vision is quite different from ours in several aspects, but it cannot be summarized as color blindness. Dogs' retinas have fewer cones (which are responsible for capturing colors), but more rods (which are auxiliary cells for detecting movement and light), so the way they see the world is just different from ours, but not better or worse. So, do you feel you know your best friend a little better?

Dogs can also have psychological traumas. An expert explains how the guardian can prevent animals from going through traumatic episodes and what to do when this occurs. Psychological traumas are emotional responses to events that have caused memory wounds and end up making life even more difficult, since people can have a series of negative emotions after the event. Unfortunately, even dogs are not free of this. According to the veterinarian, several episodes can cause traumas in pets and, therefore, it is important to be aware and take some care. She explains that when dogs are puppies is the most sensitive period. "In this phase, they absorb a lot of information, good and bad, and can take these learnings for life." "When we talk about traumas, we are also talking about something that can be individual, that is, not always what traumatizes one can be a problem for another," she ponders. However, the expert points out that there are obvious cases that can generate traumas, such as mistreatment and certain methods of punishment, but there are also things that can go unnoticed. "What, for us, may seem unimportant, for some pets can be a reason for traumas such as, for example, an object that falls near him and makes him afraid to pass that place, a more intense approach from another dog, a human being who yells on the phone." Pets can also have common fears, such as of rain or thunder. "We need to convey safety to our pets, but at the same time we need to remember that too much protection can be a problem." Each trauma can generate future consequences in the way the animal acts. If, for example, a dog is punished for going to the toilet in the wrong place, he may start to hold back his needs as much as possible. In addition, he may no longer be able to defecate at home and need to go out several times a day to relieve himself or even start eating feces as a way to "hide" what he did. In this case, the specialist reinforces that the way is to educate, not punish. Another example is when pets are left alone at home during a storm or fireworks display. In the future they may have a phobia of similar sounds. "It is worth remembering that dogs that bark at fireworks are also dogs that have fear, that is, they understand that barking can make the sound go away more quickly and he ends up being stimulated to bark whenever the sound is emitted." Jade also tells us that animals that have been involved in fights with other dogs or have suffered mistreatment by humans may show fear or aggression whenever they encounter an animal/person with a similar profile. According to the expert, pets usually give clear signals when something is wrong. "Unfortunately, most humans don't know how to perceive them." "If the pet tries to hide or dodge something, the ideal is that we do not force the situation and that a behaviorist veterinarian or animal behavior professional is consulted to deal with the issue in the best possible way." She stresses that trauma is something serious and therefore should not be trivialized. "Just as with humans, pets can suffer profound impacts on their account and it is our duty to protect them and minimize the damage caused." It is important to always be aware of your pet, especially when it is still a puppy. Whenever you introduce new elements into your pet's life, it is interesting to do so in an attractive way. "We know that an umbrella helps us on rainy days, but the pet has no way of understanding that something that opens out of nowhere, abruptly, quickly, and accompanied by a noise is not something to be afraid of," says Jade. She also reinforces that some traumas may be difficult to forget and others may even be irreversible. "The ideal is to avoid pets going through unpleasant situations, but as we know this is practically impossible, it is up to us to try to at least minimize their effects." Tips to avoid traumatizing your pet: Focus on good and positive things at the exact moment the trauma occurred; after the episode, follow up with a behaviorist veterinarian or a good dog education professional; when you take him to new places, such as clinics and hospitals, offer a good experience, with conversation, affection and fun; introduce new objects, people and animals along with rewards, such as affection, treats and words spoken in a friendly tone; show him that he is safe when facing challenges and always encourage him to overcome certain obstacles.

Quality of life increase your pet's immunity. Learn how some foods can make your pet's body stronger! Immunity is the body's ability to resist disease-causing agents, when the body's defense system can protect the body against external aggressors such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses, the result is more quality of life and disease prevention. Thus, keeping the pet's immune system high ensures that he is always well enough to brighten his day, and for this, some nutrients are essential. With the right foods in the routine, it is possible to facilitate digestion, correct the amount of water ingested, improve urine production, and even reduce the formation of urinary calculi. In case your dog already has some chronic problem, the proper diet to keep the immune system balanced is even more important, which can also contribute to conditions such as high cholesterol, dermatitis, among others. Functional foods with nutrients that act as immunomodulators, that is, they act by increasing the body's defenses. These foods are rich in vitamins (A, B6, folic acid C and E), minerals (selenium, iron, copper, zinc and omegas 3 and 6), fiber and probiotics, able to help you keep your pet strong. Meet the selected foods and include in the menu of your best friend: natural yogurt - are probiotics that help restore the intestinal microbiota. Brewer's yeast - helps maintain the intestinal microbiota, because it is a source of B vitamins. To enjoy the benefit of the ingredient, the use of the supplement is recommended, because it uses only its bioactive. Thus, it provides greater benefit to the pet. Garlic - has bacterial, antifungal, and antiviral actions. However, if ingested in inadequate quantities by the pet, it can lead to poisoning. Therefore, choose supplements that use only the bioactive of this ingredient, safely for the pet. Carrot - source of fiber, minerals (such as phosphorus, potassium, calcium and sodium) and vitamins (A, B2, B3 and C). Artichoke - the lupeol, present in the artichoke, has toxic action against tumor cells and has antioxidant activity. Besides promoting the release of immune response and increasing the production and secretion of bile. Facilitating digestion and the elimination of toxins.

How dogs create a bond with the homeless. AS IT DOES IN many cities in the western world, there are thousands of homeless people living on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city in Brazil. They include families, children, lonely men and women, old and young. Many have been homeless for years with little prospect of leaving, especially now that the country faces increasing economic difficulties , met with often cruel austerity measures . Homeless people are abundant in most neighborhoods, including the more upscale ones frequented by tourists. Homelessness in Rio is in many ways virtually identical to how it manifests itself in other major cities: it involves unimaginable material and emotional deprivation, hopelessness, social invisibility, and total isolation. But one aspect of Rio's homeless population stands out: a large number of them have dogs that previously lived desperate and unwanted lives on the streets. Many have lived on the street with their dogs for years. They care for them just as well as, and in many cases better than, the average middle-class family with a pet. The deep bond that forms between them is unlike anything else you can find and is therefore deeply revealing. Some of the homeless are couples who care for their dogs like their children. Still others are protected by their dogs while sleeping in dangerous areas, while some put their dogs to work with them while they beg for alms or put on shows for donations. But in all cases, the brutality of homelessness combines with the dogs' particular ways of relating to humans to create a remarkable emotional and psychological connection that often saves the lives of both. Rio, of course, is not the only city where people living on the streets care for street dogs. Leslie Irvine is a sociology professor at the University of Colorado who has devoted much of her academic career to studying this unique relationship, including why so many homeless people credit their dogs with "changing or saving their lives." Her book on the subject, My Dog Always Eats First: Homeless People and Their Animals ( just released in paperback ), documents how "homeless people report levels of attachment to their animals that may exceed those found among the domiciled public." There is a US-based non-profit group "completely focused on feeding and providing emergency veterinary care to homeless pets," and estimates that at least between 5% and 10% of the US homeless population lives with pets; in some areas, as much as 25%. There are occasional U.S. media reports highlighting how many homeless people insist that "their animal companion is their best friend and oxygen without which life would not be worth living." This issue also allows us to better understand the universal human need for love, companionship, and social integration; the destructively false nature of the stereotypes we implicitly embrace about humans living on the street; and the special ability of dogs to penetrate, touch, and fill the exact emotional and psychological realms that humans often more vigilantly protect. It is common to see homeless people take plates of food that someone gives them and, despite being hungry, instantly split them in half and give them to their dogs (hence the name of Irvine's book: My Dog Always Eats First ). It is equally common to see homeless people in squalid clothing sitting next to their well-groomed canines. Many of their dogs stay awake while the human sleeps to protect themselves from thieves or other threats, something of great value in many parts of Rio. The homeless person and the homeless dog meet and bond in shared deprivation and self-sacrifice, meeting needs that would otherwise be completely neglected. Caregiving is not a one-way street; it is mutual. When homeless people talk about their relationship with their dogs, they are very clear about their value. Many - probably most - identify the worst part of homelessness as not being the material struggle, but the invisibility and total social isolation. Most people, out of a combination of guilt and fear, simply pretend that the homeless are not there, passing them on the street without even registering their existence. This process is dehumanizing in the purest form: they are not even visible to other humans, much less worthy of communion. They have no social function or role; it is total detachment. For sociologists like Irvine, dogs serve as a "social facilitator": bringing people together who would otherwise never interact. "When people talk about their dogs," she said, "all differences disappear and people are on equal footing. For a homeless person whose existence is almost always ignored, that has incomparable value."

Dogs can become vegans? Can dogs be vegan? There is a lot of controversy surrounding this question. While some people may claim that their dogs thrive on a meatless diet, many experts express concern that a vegan meal plan for dogs lacks the nutritional requirements for a truly healthy dog. So which side is correct?

Why dogs cry and what is the solution. There is no exact translation in canine language for the kind of crying that we humans do. Dogs don't secrete hot, salty tears when they're sad, nor do they cry or hiccup like people do. This is why interpreting a dog's cry can be difficult. When we're talking about a whimper or yelp, the canine "cry" can mean one of a million things. Dogs are compassionate and sensitive animals. When we are happy, there they are to wag their tails and share the joy. When we are sad, there they are to offer a warm hug and share the sadness. They are our friends, through and through. As with barking, dogs that whine or cry are trying to communicate. Excitement, anxiety, frustration, pain, attention-seeking, and requesting resources are all common reasons why dogs whine to their owners. Most commonly, these sounds are intended to convey a desire for food, water, a potty break, a toy, attention, etc. . So it is not surprising that adult dogs recruit this same vocal drive when communicating with their people. Here are some other reasons why your dog may be whining:Being uncomfortable - If your dog is uncomfortable because of joint problems or injury, you should contact your veterinarian and schedule an appointment. Being sick - If you notice other symptoms that show your dog is whining because he or she is sick, it is time to visit your vet. He or she will be able to figure out exactly what is going on with your pet. Feeling anxious - If something has changed in your dog's environment - a new home,a change in your work schedule, a new child, a new pet sibling, or any other factor - stress-related anxiety can manifest itself in the form of whining or whining . In many cases, your dog may need some time to adjust, but if this behavior continues, you may want to schedule a visit with your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health problems. Needing Something - Your dog may start whining if he is looking for you to give him something. It could be attention and a belly rub, or it could be a bowl full of food and water. Just because they are bored - If you think it might be boredom, make sure the dog is getting an adequate amount of exercise at least twice a day, which means more than just being let out in the yard. A tired dog is a happy dog, and a happy dog doesn't whine unless something is wrong. Separation anxiety is another serious condition that can lead to chronic crying. These dogs sometimes spend the entire day barking and/or whining. Fortunately, there is help. First, consult your veterinarian to help rule out medical problems (such as pain or cognitive decline). If the problem is likely behavioral, a highly recommended and experienced dog trainer is the ideal choice for anyone looking to end excessive crying behavior. Ultimately, whether your puppy cries is up to you. By bringing a puppy into your home, you have taken on the responsibility of creating an environment that maximizes its chances for success. This is crucial not only to meet her immediate physical and emotional needs, such as eating, peeing, and close contact, but also to meet her emerging emotional and innate needs as she grows and gains confidence and begins to explore the world around her.

How dogs use their sense of smell to perceive the world. The nose is a prominent canine facial feature...long, short, black, pink. Noses vary, but they all have one thing in common. Noses are fundamental to canine survival. The canine nose does more than smell the roses. While humans rely primarily on their vision, dogs use both sight and smell to assess their environment and communicate. People spend more time interpreting visual data than olfactory information. Dogs are just the opposite. Dogs devote a lot of brain power to interpreting smells. They have more than 100 million sensory receptor sites in the nasal cavity compared to 6 million in people, and the area of the canine brain devoted to the analysis of odors is about 40 times larger than the comparable part of the human brain. In fact, it is estimated that dogs can smell 1,000 to 10,000 times better than people. Although noses don't talk, they do communicate. With a single sniff, noses interpret an entire story without words using amines and acids emitted by dogs as the basis for chemical communication. Chemical scents communicate what a dog likes to eat and identify gender and mood. Simply by smelling, a dog can determine whether a new friend is male or female, happy or aggressive, healthy or sick. Dogs get a general idea of each other with a quick sniff, but they get more detailed information by getting up close and personal. That's why some dogs smell intimate parts of the anatomy! Dogs also have a good olfactory memory that can identify other dogs they haven't seen in years and even remember which one was the dominant member of the couple. When dogs belonging to the same family are separated for a while, they use their sense of smell to catch up. Changes in odors can indicate where the dog went, what he ate, and what he did. When in new territory, a dog may smell a tree and determine which other dogs live in the neighborhood. They can smell a visitor's pant leg and get a good impression of where the person lives and whether they have pets at home. Dogs also have a great search instinct that depends on their ability to smell. Because dogs move their nostrils independently, they can determine the direction of an odor and use their sense of smell as a compass. Humans have a unique innate smell that allows dogs to differentiate one person from another. Our dogs don't need to see us to identify us. A dog's sense of smell is so adept that a blind dog has much less difficulty adjusting to vision loss than a human. Dogs also sense fear and anxiety through their noses. When we are stressed or frightened, we secrete the fight-or-flight hormone, adrenaline, which dogs detect even if we can't smell it. When we are anxious, we also increase our heart rate and blood flow, which carry chemicals from the body to the surface of the skin, where dogs can pick them up more easily. So it's no use trying to mask your true feelings from your canine companion. His sense of smell will not be deceived. Unlike humans, dogs have an additional olfactory tool that enhances their ability to smell. Jacobsen's organ (or vomeronasal organ) is a special part of the dog's olfactory apparatus located inside the nasal cavity and opens in the roof of the mouth behind the upper incisors. This amazing organ serves as a secondary olfactory system designed specifically for chemical communication. The nerves of Jacobsen's organ lead directly to the brain and are different from other nerves in the nose in that they do not respond to common smells. In fact, these nerve cells respond to a number of substances that often have no odor at all. In other words, they work to detect "undetectable" odors. Jacobsen's organ communicates with the part of the brain that deals with mating. By identifying pheromones, it provides male and female dogs with the information needed to determine whether a member of the opposite sex is available for breeding. It also enhances a newborn puppy's sense of smell so that it can find its mother's milk source and allows a puppy to differentiate its mother from other nursing dogs. With a quick sniff, a puppy placed between two females will migrate to the mother who gave birth to it. Puppies also have heat sensors in their noses that help them locate their mothers if they stray. The canine nose works best when it is moist. The wet external nose and mucus-covered nasal canal efficiently pick up scent particles. Moisture is so important to the canine sense of smell that dogs lick their noses when they get dry. Smart dogs don't want to miss important information due to a dry nose!

Identification of sniffer dogs from samples of patients with COVID-19 - a pilot study. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of rapid and reliable testing for accurate identification of symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers to effectively reduce the spread of infection . Current testing regimens generally require nasopharyngeal swabs applied by a trained person and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test to identify the pathogen. Obtaining RT-PCR results is time consuming and can be cost prohibitive, especially for developing countries, and therefore it is currently often used in a targeted manner, predominantly testing patients with specific symptoms of COVID-19 . There is therefore a need for a more rapid, reliable, non-invasive, and versatile additional screening tool, especially for identifying asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals. Several studies prove the extraordinary olfactory acuity of canines to detect people with infectious and non-infectious diseases such as different types of cancer , malaria , bacterial and viral infections , with sensitivity and specificity rates . A pathogen-specific odor that can be detected by dogs can be composed of specific patterns of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Compared to bacteria, viruses do not have their own metabolism and therefore VOCs are released by infected body cells as a result of metabolic processes of the host . Different technical approaches have used VOC detection to successfully discriminate infectious diseases, but none are being used routinely in clinical practice . As dogs can be trained quickly, the aim of the present study was to test the concept of using dogs reliably and in real time to discriminate between samples from SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and uninfected controls. This method can be employed in public areas such as airports, sporting events, borders, or other crowds as an alternative or addition to laboratory testing, thus helping to prevent the spread of the virus or new outbreaks. Saliva and tracheobronchial secretion samples were collected from hospitalized COVID-19 patients who had clinical symptoms and were diagnosed as positive for SARS-CoV-2 using nasopharyngeal swab samples. Negative control samples were obtained from SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR negative individuals with no previous history of COVID-19, nor did the individuals have a history of a recent cold or infection. None of the samples were screened for different human coronaviruses, such as beta coronavirus HCoV-OC43 or alpha coronavirus HCoV-229E. After sample acquisition, the anonymized samples were transported to the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover . All collected samples were confirmed as positive or negative using the RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2-IP4 assay from the Institut Pasteur (recommended by the World Health Organization , including an internal control system and protocol as described . Samples from COVID-19 patients (regardless of the final RT-PCR result) were further subjected to virus quantification (endpoint dilution assay) and virus isolation analysis using Vero E6 cells under biosafety level 3 conditions. Cell layers were evaluated for cytopathic effects and final results were obtained 7 days after cellular infection. Since dogs are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 all samples from COVID-19 patients were inactivated with beta propiolactone (BPL) to protect the dogs and their handlers from infection during training. Briefly, the samples and reagents were kept at 4°C, 20 μl/ml NaHCO 3(7.5%) was added and the samples were incubated for 10 min at 4°C. After 10 μl/ml of 10% GLP was added, the samples were incubated at 4°C for 70 to 72 h. BPL hydrolysis was conducted at 37°C for 1 to 2 h. Samples that showed a cytopathic effect before GLP inactivation using virus isolation or endpoint dilution assay were retested after GLP inactivation and were confirmed as inactivated. Only inactivated GLP samples from COVID-19 patients were used for the dog training. In addition, detection dogs were given negative control samples with and without prior treatment with GLP to exclude hydrolyzed GLP as a potential distraction reagent. After a 2-week habituation process to DDTS, the eight dogs required 5 days of training in total until the detection rate was above chance. The detection dogs were able to discriminate respiratory secretions from SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals from those of healthy controls with high sensitivity and specificity rates.

Correcting night blindness in dogs. People with congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) are unable to distinguish objects in low light conditions. This impairment presents challenges, especially when artificial lighting is not available or when driving at night. In 2015, researchers at Penn's School of Veterinary Medicine discovered that dogs can develop a form of hereditary night blindness with strong similarities to the condition in people. In 2019, the team identified the gene responsible. Today, in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , they reported a major breakthrough: a gene therapy that restores night vision to dogs born with CSNB. The success of this approach, which targets a group of cells deep in the retina called ON bipolar cells, represents a significant step toward the goal of developing a treatment for dogs and people with this condition, as well as other vision problems that involve ON bipolar cell function. Dogs with CSNB that received a single injection of the gene therapy began to express healthy LRIT3 protein in their retinas and were able to deftly navigate a maze in low light. The treatment also appears long-lasting, with a sustained therapeutic effect lasting a year or more. "The results of this pilot study are very promising," says Keiko Miyadera, lead author of the study and assistant professor at Penn Vet. "In people and dogs with congenital stationary night blindness, the severity of the disease is consistent and unchanged throughout their lives. And we were able to treat these dogs as adults, between 1 and 3 years of age. That makes these findings promising and relevant to the human patient population, because theoretically we could intervene even in adulthood and see an improvement in night vision." In previous work, the Penn Vet team, working in collaboration with groups from Japan, Germany and the United States, discovered a population of dogs with CSNB and determined that mutations in the LRIT3 gene were responsible for the dogs' impaired night vision. The same gene has also been implicated in certain cases of human CSNB. This mutation affects the function of ON bipolar cells, but unlike some diseases that cause blindness, the overall structure of the retina as a whole remained intact. This gave the research team hope that providing a normal copy of the LRIT3 gene could restore night vision to affected dogs. However, while Penn Vet researchers in the Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies have developed effective gene therapies for a variety of other blindness disorders, none of these previous treatments have targeted the ON bipolar cells, located deep in the middle layer of the retina. "We have entered the retinal no-man's land with this gene therapy," says William A. Beltran, coauthor and Penn Vet professor, "This opens the door to treating other diseases that affect ON bipolar cells." The researchers overcame the hurdle of reaching these relatively inaccessible cells with two main discoveries. First, through a rigorous screening process performed in collaboration with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley led by John Flannery and the University of Pittsburgh led by Leah Byrne, they identified a vector for the healthy LRIT3 gene that would allow the treatment to reach the intended cells. And second, they paired the healthy gene with a promoter - the gene sequence that helps initiate the "reading" of the therapeutic gene - that would act in a cell-specific way. "Previous therapies we've worked on have targeted photoreceptors or cells of the retinal pigment epithelium," says coauthor Gustavo D. Aguirre, a professor at Penn Vet. "But the promoter we use here is very specific for targeting ON bipolar cells, which helps avoid potential off-target effects and toxicity." The researchers suspect that restoring the functional LRIT3 gene allows signals to pass from photoreceptor cells to ON bipolar cells. " LRIT3 is expressed in the 'fingertips' of these cells," Beltran says. "Introducing this transgene is essentially allowing the two cells to shake hands and communicate again." "We had great success in this study, but we saw some dogs recover better than others," says Miyadera. "We would like to continue working to maximize the therapeutic benefit while still ensuring safety. And we saw that this treatment is durable, but does it last a lifetime after one injection? That's something we'd like to find out." The team also plans to alter the therapy to use the human version of the LRIT3 gene , a necessary step to translate the treatment to people with CSNB with an eventual clinical trial.

The friend who keeps you young. Adopting a pet may seem like a selfless act, but there are many selfish reasons to adopt pet ownership. Research has shown that owning a pet offers an incredible array of health benefits, says Jeremy Barron, MD, medical director of the Beacham Center for Geriatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins. Not ready for a full-time furry friend in your home? Offer to walk a neighbor's dog, groom the cat for a friend, or donate time at a local animal shelter-even short interactions provide enough exposure for the pet to reap some of these rewards. Research has shown that simply petting a dog reduces the stress hormone cortisol, while social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). In fact, an astonishing 84% of post-traumatic stress disorder patients paired with a service dog reported a significant reduction in symptoms and 40% were able to decrease their medications, a recent survey reported. The cortisol-reducing and oxytocin-boosting benefits of cuddling also help keep your blood pressure in check. "Cuddling and holding an animal allows you to appreciate the beauty of nature," Barron explains. "It's relaxing and transcendental." How many people are willing to go out at the crack of dawn and exercise in the rain or snow? Dog owners usually have no choice - they need to walk their pet, providing them with an excuse-proof daily dose of exercise. The American Heart Association released a research report endorsing dog ownership as a way to prevent cardiovascular disease. A 2011 study found that pet owners had better self-esteem. Another study determined that pets provided greater social support than humans in reducing depression. "Caring for a pet provides a sense of purpose to the owner," says Barron. In addition, pets are a good social catalyst for meeting people who share your interests with animals. Beyond simple companionship, dogs have been wonderful helpers for those without vision or with mobility problems. Dogs are even being used to help detect conditions from seizures to cancer. Cardiovascular disease (car-dee-oh-vas-cue-ler): Problems of the heart or blood vessels, often caused by atherosclerosis-the buildup of fatty deposits on artery walls-and high blood pressure, which can weaken blood vessels, stimulate atherosclerosis and make arteries stiff. Heart valve disorders, heart failure, and out-of-rhythm heart rhythms (called arrhythmias) are also types of cardiovascular disease. Cortisol (kor-tuh-sol): A hormone produced by the adrenal glands on top of the kidneys and involved in the stress response. It rises in the morning, inducing wakefulness, and also rises during stress. Sleep deprivation, caffeine, and alcohol can also increase cortisol levels. Chronically high levels have been associated with low immunity, weight gain, and other health problems. Oxytocin (ok-si-toh-suhn): In men, a hormone released by the pituitary gland that aids in penile erection and ejaculation. In women, it stimulates milk production and the contraction of the uterus. It influences social bonding, which is why it is also sometimes called the bonding or love hormone. As a medicine, oxytocin is sometimes given to pregnant women to induce or accelerate labor. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A disorder in which your "fight or flight" response, or stress, stays on, even when you have nothing to run or fight for. The disorder usually develops after an emotional or physical trauma, such as an assault, physical abuse, or a natural disaster. Symptoms include nightmares, insomnia, angry outbursts, emotional numbness, and physical and emotional tension. Social support: The help you receive from other people in your life. Family, friends, colleagues, and other people who care about you and for you make up your social support system or network. Although dogs offer more benefits than any other pet, they also require more time and financial commitment.

HISTORY OF THE WILD HORSES OF AMERICA. The wild horses of the West have occupied people's minds here since they were reintroduced to the North American continent by Spanish explorers in the 16th century These early mustangs (from the Spanish mestengo , meaning "ownerless beast" or "stray horse") were the predecessors of the wild horses that today roam the desert ecosystems and grasslands of the Midwestern and Western United States. The horses originally occupied North America, but died out around the end of the Pleistocene era (around 9,000 BC). Once reintroduced by conquerors, they quickly expanded in range and territory and were valued for their endurance, mobility, valor, and reliability during periods of conflict. One of the earliest accounts of Native Americans acquiring mustangs dates back to 1541, when Mendoza, a Spanish viceroy , gave Aztec warrior horses to fight in the Mixtón War of Central Mexico. The Spanish were eventually driven out of New Mexico by the native Pueblo tribes, who acquired many of the abandoned animals and used them as barter with Great Plains tribes. The Plains riders came to rely on the mustang for buffalo hunting (and the increased trade opportunities that bison meat offered) and to improve the range of their camps - an advantage over other tribes. Horses became a symbol of wealth in many tribes and were valued as trophies to be won by the brave in battle. In the early 18th century, fur trappers, Indian scouts, muleteers, soldiers, and pioneers from the West came to depend on the horse as a regular part of life. The wild horse was notable for the stubby construction of its legs, which made it suitable for traveling long distances without injury. A medium-sized horse, the typical mustang measures about 14 hands (a standard horse measurement) and weighs an average of 800 pounds. Colors ranging from black to reddish brown to sour and combinations of patterns on coats are seen. In addition to the general mustang population, two specific breeds called tarpan and Przewalski are recognized as unique genetic strains of the genus Equus that are true wild horses. The durability of the wild horse or mustang is matched by their ability to reproduce readily: a herd population can double in size every four years. They also have no natural predators and can live up to 40 years. Their population reached an all-time high around 1918, with two million mustangs roaming North America. With such a visible and sustained role and presence over the past 500 years, the wild horse has become deeply ingrained in our nation's psyche, even to this day. It became the symbol of the Pony Express mail service , with messengers on horseback crossing the nation from Missouri to California from April 3, 1860 to October 1861. Modes of transportation, such as the stagecoach, used herds of wild horses as a cheap and plentiful source of animals , working in teams of up to eight at a time. On his travels westward, the American painter George Catlin (1796-1872) captured many scenes of life in the American wilderness. Often his artworks depicted Native Americans engaged in hunting, riding wild horses that had been tamed. The artist observed the animal directly on his travels and noted the valuable role it occupied. Over the years, the wild horse took root in the American consciousness through other art forms - literature, music, advertising, and even children's toys. Generations of boys played with cowboy and Indian figures mounted on wild horses, first cast in lead and then in molded plastic in a variety of colors and sizes. Silver Age comics with titles such as Red Ryder and Tomahawk continued the tradition of wild horses as companions of Western heroes and villains. The reality of the wild horse today is one of cautious optimism, with its continued existence in the wild at stake. Two federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the United States Forest Service (USFS) , are responsible for wild horse management on public lands. The BLM has 26.9 million acres of these lands with a total population of 88,100 horses: approximately three times the target population of 27,000 horses to maintain a healthy desert ecosystem. The wild horse is a hallmark of Old West legends and its romanticized history and promises to remain so for generations to come.

Common cat diseases. Cancer is a class of diseases in which cells grow uncontrollably, invade surrounding tissues, and can spread to other areas of the body. As with people, cats can have several types of cancer. The disease can be localized (confined to one area, such as a tumor) or generalized (spread throughout the body). Diabetes in cats is a complex disease caused by a lack of the hormone insulin or an inadequate response to insulin. After a cat eats, its digestive system breaks down food into various components, including glucose - which is transported to the cells by insulin. When a cat doesn't produce insulin or can't use it normally, its blood sugar levels rise. The result is hyperglycemia, which, if left untreated, can cause many complicated health problems for a cat. Cats infected with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may not show symptoms until years after the initial infection has occurred. Although the virus is slow-acting, a cat's immune system is severely weakened once the disease sets in. This makes the cat susceptible to various secondary infections. Infected cats that receive supportive medical care and are kept in a stress-free indoor environment can live relatively comfortable lives for months to years before the disease reaches its chronic stages. First discovered in the 1960s, feline leukemia virus is a transmissible RNA retrovirus that can severely inhibit a cat's immune system. It is one of the most commonly diagnosed causes of illness and death in domestic cats. Because the virus does not always manifest symptoms immediately, any new cat entering a home - and any sick cat - should be tested for FeLV. Spread by infected mosquitoes, dirofilariasis is increasingly being recognized as an underlying cause of health problems in domestic cats. Cats are an atypical host for dirofilariasis. Despite its name, dirofilariasis primarily causes lung disease in cats. It is a major concern for any cat owner living in areas densely populated by mosquitoes, and prevention should be discussed with a veterinarian. Many pet parents eagerly open their windows to enjoy the weather during the summer months. Unfortunately, windows without screens pose a real danger to cats, who fall so frequently that the veterinary profession has a name for the complaint - Skyscraper Syndrome. Falls can result in broken jaws, punctured lungs, broken limbs and pelvises - and even death. Rabies is a viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of all mammals, including cats, dogs, and humans. This preventable disease has been reported in every state except Hawaii. There is a good reason why the very word "rabies" evokes fear in people - once symptoms appear, rabies is almost 100% fatal. Although the name suggests otherwise, ringworm is not caused by a worm, but by a fungus that can infect the skin, hair, and nails. Not uncommon in cats, this highly contagious disease can lead to irregular, circular areas of hair loss with central red rings. Also known as dermatophytosis, mycosis often spreads to other pets in the household - and to humans as well. Cats can acquire a variety of intestinal parasites, including some that are commonly referred to as "worms." Intestinal worm infestations can cause a variety of symptoms. Sometimes cats show few or no outward signs of infection, and the infestation may go unnoticed, despite being a potentially serious health problem. Some feline parasitic worms are also dangerous to human health. Outdoor cats and those that are routinely exposed to soil where other animals defecate are prone to worms. Kittens and cats that do not receive regular preventive health care are at greater risk of developing complications associated with internal parasites.

The history of the domestic cat. Did you know that just 70 years ago, few cats lived entirely indoors? In fact, for more than 10,000 years, cats have lived outdoors, sharing their environment with birds and wild animals. Understanding cats' place in history and human evolution reveals how domestic cats have recently entered indoor environments and how millions of this species - feral cats - continue to live healthy outdoor lives today, as all domestic cats are biologically adapted to do. Cats began their unique relationship with humans 10,000 to 12,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, the geographic region where some of the first developments of human civilization took place (encompassing modern parts of Western Asia). One of these developments was agriculture. As people abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and settled permanently to cultivate the land, the stored grain attracted rodents. Taking advantage of this new and abundant food source, Middle Eastern feral cats, or felix silvestris lybica , attacked the rodents and decided to hang around these early cities, picking through the garbage that all human societies inevitably produce - just as feral cats do today. Over thousands of years, a new species of cat eventually evolved that naturally made its home around people: felis catus . Today, pet, stray and feral cats belong to this species we call the domestic cat. Cats formed a mutually beneficial relationship with people, and some scientists argue that cats domesticated themselves.Especially valued as rat catchers on ships, cats traveled with people around the world:A burial site in Cyprus provides the first archaeological evidence of humans and cats living side by side as early as 9,500 years ago. Cats must have been brought to the island intentionally by humans, In ancient Egypt, cats were worshiped, mummified and sometimes even dressed in gold jewelry to indicate the status of their owners, In 31 BC, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire. Cats were introduced into Roman life, becoming truly widespread in Europe around the 4th century AD. 4 A cat skeleton from this period shows the shortened skull of today's domestic cats , Geoffrey Chaucer mentioned a cat door in The Canterbury Tales in the 1380s , From Europe, cats boarded ships for the Americas, supposedly accompanying Christopher Columbus, with the Jamestown settlers, and aboard the Mayflower , Cats continued their service as rat catchers throughout history, even serving as official employees of the United States Postal Service until 19th and early 20th century America , In the late 19th century , more Americans began keeping cats for their companionship as well as for their usefulness. The first cat show was held at Madison Square Garden in 1895. By the end of World War I, cats were commonly accepted as pets in the United States. All the while, cats were allowed to move freely in and out of human homes - even President Calvin Coolidge's cat had free rein to roam to and from the White House during the 1920s. As Sam Stall, author of 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization and The Cat Owner's Manual , writes: "In Coolidge's time, no one thought of confining cats indoors - not even one belonging to the president of the United States. Unlike dogs, which have undergone many physical changes since domestication and evolved to survive on an omnivorous diet, cats have not changed much and still need a high-protein diet. Before the development of refrigeration and canned cat food in the 20th century, feeding indoor cats that could not supplement their diets by hunting would have been impossible for most Americans, who could not afford extra fresh meat or fish. In the thousands of years that cats have lived alongside people, indoor cats have only become common in the last 60 or 70 years - an insignificant amount of time on an evolutionary scale. Throughout human history, cats have always lived and thrived outdoors. Only recently have we begun to introduce reproduction control, such as spaying and neutering, to bring them indoors. And also, to bring the outdoors to them: using canned food and litter boxes to satisfy the biological needs developed over thousands of years of living outdoors. Although human civilization and domestic cats evolved side by side, the feral cat population was not created by humans. Cats have lived outdoors for a long time - they are not new to the environment.

Dogs in the ancient world. Dogs have been part of the history of humans since before the written word. The ancient temple of Gobekli-Tepe in Turkey , dating back at least 12,000 years BC, has provided archaeologists with evidence of domesticated dogs in the Middle East, matching the earliest evidence of domestication, the Natufian tomb (c. 12,000 BC) discovered in Ein Mallaha, Israel , in which an old man was buried with a puppy. In southern France, footprints of a child walking next to a canine were preserved in the earth of Chauvet Cave, dating back 26,000 years and a 2008 EC study concluded that dogs were domesticated in Europe between 32,000-18,800 years ago with the oldest. dog remains in the world found so far dated to 31,700 years ago (Viegas, 1). This Paleolithic dog most closely resembled a Siberian Husky (Viegas, 1). The findings of the 2008 study are challenged by dog remains found in the caves of Goyet, Belgium, that date back 36,500 years. However old the first dog was, or how they were domesticated, they became friends with humans very early in history and remained so. In many cultures of the ancient world, dogs figured prominently and, for the most part, were regarded in much the same way they are today. Dogs were seen as faithful companions, hunters, guardians, spirit guides, and as a treasured part of the family. In the oldest Near Eastern story , The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia (dated 2150-1400 BC), dogs appear in a high role as companions to one of the region's most popular goddesses; the goddess Innana ( Ishtar ) travels with seven prized hunting dogs on her collar and leash. Although Egypt is credited with the invention of the dog collar, it probably developed in Sumer . It can be assumed that the development of the dog collar was suggested soon after the domestication of dogs, which happened in Mesopotamia before Egypt. A golden pendant of a dog (clearly a Saluki) was found in the Sumerian city of Uruk dated 3300 BC and a cylindrical seal from Nineveh (dated c. 3000 BC) also features a Saluki. The dog pendant wears a wide collar; evidence of the dog collar in use at that time. In the famous Descent of Innana (a story considered older and not part of Gilgamesh) in which the goddess descends into the underworld, her husband, Dumuzi, keeps domesticated dogs as part of his royal entourage. Dogs figured prominently in the daily life of the Mesopotamians. Dogs are depicted in Mesopotamian art as hunters, but also as companions. Dogs were kept at home and were treated the same way by loving families as they are today. Inscriptions and inlaid plates depict dogs waiting for their owners and, according to historian Bertman, even listening to their master playing music: a shepherd playing his flute while his dog sits and listens intently. Dogs were also associated with divinity by the ancient Persians. The Avesta (Zoroastrian scriptures) contains a section known as Vendidad , which describes the beneficial aspects of the dog, how dogs should be treated, penalties for those who abuse dogs, and how such abuse - or, conversely, care - will affect one's ultimate fate in the afterlife. Indeed, dogs were said to guard the bridge between the world of the living and the dead; how someone treated a dog in their lifetime affected their chances of reaching heaven. The dog's connection to the gods and the dog's loyalty to humans is explored in other cultures. In ancient Egypt the dog was connected to the jackal dog god, Anubis , who guided the soul of the deceased to the Hall of Truth where the soul would be judged by the great god Osiris .Domesticated dogs were buried with great ceremony in the temple of Anubis at Saqqara and the idea behind this seemed to be to help the deceased dogs pass easily into the afterlife (known in Egypt as the Juncos Field ) where they could continue to enjoy their life. life as they had on earth. The best known dog buried in this way is Abuwtiyuw, who was honored with a large burial in the Ancient Empire (c. 2613-2181 BC) near the Giza plateau . Clearly, the dog was an important part of Egyptian society and culture, but so was ancient Greece. The dog was the Greeks' companion, protector and hunter, and the pointed collar, so well known today, was invented by the Greeks to protect the necks of their canine friends from wolves. Dogs appear in Greek literature from the very beginning in the figure of the three-headed dog Cerberus who guarded the gates of Hades . In ancient India, Mesopotamia, China, Mesoamerica, and Egypt, people had deep bonds with their dogs, and as seen, this was also common in ancient Greece and Rome. The ancient Greeks thought of dogs as geniuses, as "possessing a certain high spirit.

Myths and truths: toxoplasmosis in cats and pregnant women. Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii. Found in the feces of cats and other felines, it can take up residence in humans and other animals. It is one of the most common zoonoses worldwide. This analogy is due to the fact that cats and other felids are the only ones that can actually transmit toxoplasma to other species. However, for a cat to contract toxoplasma, it must have access to game meat (rodents or birds), or receive raw meat of unknown origin in its diet. After acquiring the parasite, the agent replicates in the cat's intestine and is eliminated through the feces. This happens only once, over a period of approximately five to seven days. In other words, the transmission is not continuous. The agent eliminated via fecal matter becomes infective in 24 to 46 hours when exposed to room temperature. The contamination of humans occurs through the consumption of water contaminated by feces and poorly cleaned or undercooked food. Therefore, if the cat is fed with food, makes use of the litter box and the cleaning is performed daily, the chance of contamination is practically nil. Main toxoplasmosis transmission routes: Oral: through eating raw or undercooked meat, meat of unknown origin and contaminated water. Congenital: transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. Remember: Contact between humans and cats does not cause the disease. The danger lies in the ingestion of water contaminated by feces, in addition to poorly washed or undercooked food. The main measures to prevent toxoplasmosis are through health education and keeping cats healthy. Basic information, such as the ones mentioned in the text, prevent and guide the entire population to the necessary care. Below are highlighted some measures that can contribute to the prevention and control of toxoplasmosis: Feed cats with safe food - pet food is a great option because it offers food safety for pets , Microwave cooking of meats is not reliable to kill the protozoan , It is important to freeze meat at an internal temperature of -12º C , Thoroughly sanitize hands after handling raw meats or seafood, It is important to thoroughly sanitize hands after handling raw meat or seafood, as well as washing cutting boards, plates, countertops, and utensils, which is extremely important to avoid cross-contamination between foods. Proper washing includes brushing the food , Consume filtered or boiled water , Clean the water tanks periodically , Do not feed cats raw or undercooked meat , Clean the litter box of pet cats daily and sanitize your hands well after practice. If possible, use disposable gloves to perform the cleaning. It is worth mentioning that it is very important to keep a close eye on your cat's health, offer quality food, perform periodic exams, and keep the deworming up to date to ensure that the pet and the family will always be healthy.

most common health problems for dogs. Unfortunately, health-related problems in our pets are a part of life, affecting the young, the old, and all ages in between. While most owners try their best to keep their pets healthy and happy, certain conditions can occur that are simply beyond their control. While it is something we would all rather avoid thinking about, it is important to educate ourselves about which conditions, diseases, or illnesses are most likely to affect our pets. In this survey of 806 Australian dog owners, over 84% reported that they had taken their dog to the vet in the previous 12 months, and most of them visited the vet multiple times, averaging 2.1 visits per year per dog. After check-ups and vaccinations, the third most common reason for vet visits was illness or injury. This is a big health problem, especially for older dogs, as it can really affect the way they see. A cataract is an opacity or clouding of the lens that prevents light from reaching the retina, leading to impaired vision. Cataracts can develop in one or both eyes and can progress slowly or rapidly, leading to visual impairment and even blindness. It is not just old age that will bring on these growths in the eye. Cataracts can develop after the eye has experienced trauma or can be caused by disease. Cataracts in dogs may even be present when the dog is born, or they may develop in the first few weeks of a puppy's life. Arthritis, a general term for abnormal changes in a joint, is a very common condition in older dogs. In fact, 1 in 5 Australian dogs suffer from arthritis at some point in their lives. It is one of the leading causes of chronic pain in older dogs and can result in permanent joint damage. The most commonly affected joints in dogs are the hips, knees, shoulders, and elbows. Exercise, weight management, and anti-arthritic medications can help your dog overcome the pain of arthritis. Ear infections are very common in dogs, especially in long-eared breeds and those that spend a lot of time outdoors. Often, dirt, dust, or some other foreign object, such as a grass seed, can lodge inside your dog's ear, causing it to become irritated and eventually infected. You will know if your dog has an ear infection if he is frequently flapping his ears and shaking his head. Infected ears may become red or scabby and may produce discharge or odor. Kennel cough is very common among dogs that have been in overcrowded conditions, such as at the animal shelter, veterinarian, or in pet accommodation. Unfortunately, it is a highly contagious disease that spreads easily between animals through droplets in the air or contact with a contaminated surface (water, food bowl, or contact with another dog). Fortunately, while kennel cough may sound bad, it is equivalent to the common cold for us and is usually not serious or fatal. Diarrhea - frequent or loose liquid bowel movements - is very common in dogs, largely because it can be caused by a variety of causes, some of them serious and others no more than a change in diet or a sensitive stomach. In more severe cases, dehydration can develop and this can lead to more serious health problems, including weakness, exercise intolerance, and even collapse and seizures. Fleas are a common parasite that almost all dogs will have during their lifetime. Fleas jump from one host to another, and your dog usually picks them up by coming into close contact with an infested animal. Dogs with fleas can suffer from intense itching all over their body, even if they only have one flea. Scratching, scratching, and licking bites to try to relieve the itching can lead to inflammation, infection, and even hair loss. Heartworms are long, parasitic worms that live and grow in large expanses in an animal's heart and lungs. Infestations of dirofilariasis will develop over several years before your dog shows any serious symptoms, when the condition is usually fatal. A bone fracture or break is caused by abnormal stress on the bone, usually from a traumatic event, such as being hit by a car or falling from a height. Unfortunately, fractures are common in dogs. Another common condition among Australian dogs that is often not taken seriously is obesity. Studies overseas have indicated that up to 50% of dogs are overweight. Unfortunately, just like us, dogs often develop cancer as they age. Dogs can suffer from most of the same types of cancer as us, such as lymphoma, melanoma, breast cancer, and even prostate cancer, to name a few.

Hypoadrenocorticism - Addison's disease in dogs. Affected Animals: Dogs. Females are most often affected. Young dogs, between four and five years old, are usually more affected than older dogs. Any breed can be affected, although some studies show that most dogs with Addison's disease are mixed breeds. Veterinarians have also observed a high incidence of diagnosed cases among white West Highland Terriers. Overview: Known scientifically as canine hypoadrenocorticism, Addison's disease is the result of decreased production of steroid hormones by the adrenal glands. The symptoms of Addison's disease are not very specific and may include lethargy, weakness, gastrointestinal disturbances, and lack of appetite. Often these symptoms appear intermittently over a long period of time. Although some dogs are diagnosed while in a relatively stable condition, most are not seen until Addison's crisis develops - a severe stage of the disease, when shock and collapse can occur. However, if a dog is treated and successfully removed from a crisis, the long-term prospects are excellent, as most animals can be treated with oral or injectable medication to replenish the deficient hormones. Clinical Signs: Clinical signs include anorexia, or absence of appetite, weight loss, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, collapse, polyuria or excessive thirst, signs that appear and disappear temporarily, shaking and jerking, and abdominal pain. Description: Addison's Disease is a syndrome that results from the inability of the adrenal glands to produce normal hormones. The adrenal glands are two small structures, located on top of each kidney. Most of the hormones that they produce are steroids. These steroids fall into two main groups: mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. Aldosterone, the main hormone of the mineralocorticoid group, plays a major role in the regulation of sodium and potassium and in water balance. Cortisol, the main hormone of the glucocorticoid group, acts in almost all tissues of the body, helping to regulate glucose production, and in metabolism, influencing the solubilization of fat and protein, stimulating the formation of red blood cells in the blood and helping to balance blood pressure, neutralizing stress, and suppressing inflammation. Despite their different control mechanisms, both groups of steroids are generally affected by primary adrenal gland insufficiency in Addison's Disease. Some animals will exhibit symptoms primarily associated with mineralocorticoid deficiency, while others will have problems with glucocorticoid deficiency. Although sex hormones such as estrogens and androgens are also produced by the adrenal glands, symptoms due to deficiency of these hormones do not occur in dogs with Addison's Disease. The destruction of 85 to 90 percent of the steroid-producing cells in the adrenal glands appears to be necessary for secondary signs of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid deficiencies to develop. This destruction is most commonly due to destruction of the adrenal glands by problems in the immune system. Less frequently, infections, inflammation, cancer, medications, or abnormalities of the blood supply to the adrenal gland may contribute to the development of Addison's Disease. Secondary adrenal gland insufficiency can also occur, due to problems affecting the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, resulting in symptoms of Addison's Disease. Addison's Disease symptoms may follow an intermittent course, often appearing and disappearing, over a long period of time, before the disease is suspected. Occasionally, Addison's Disease can be diagnosed in dogs with relatively mild symptoms. It is common, however, that the diagnosis is only made when a very severe attack appears as a result of the disease. These crises are characterized by severe symptoms, followed by shock and collapse. Prognosis: With appropriate medical treatment, the long-term prospects for dogs with Addison's Disease are excellent. Effective communication between owner and veterinarian is vital to the management of dogs with Addison's Disease and owners should keep a supply of prednisone on hand for crisis situations. Treatment: The treatment of dogs with Addison's Disease depends on the severity of the signs presented. Many animals with the disease are gravely ill, sometimes life-threatening, due to fluid deficits and abnormal electrolyte concentrations. These animals should receive immediate medical attention, as prompt care is extremely important to stabilize dogs in Addison's crisis. Prevention: There are no means of prevention.

Factors associated with daily dog walking. Regular physical activity is beneficial for the health of people and animals, and plays a role in the prevention and treatment of numerous causes of morbidity and mortality . With increasing levels of obesity in humans and dogs , the potential of regular exercise performed together, such as dog walking, has come to the fore as a realistic public health intervention that benefits both humans and dogs. Numerous studies have confirmed that dog owners are more physically active than those without dogs, but also that not all pet dogs walk regularly (for a review of this evidence, see . More recently, attention has turned to exploring the barriers and incentives to regular dog walking using qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to identify modifiable factors that can be used in interventions to encourage dog walking . Most research to date has been conducted in North America (e.g., or Australia (e.g., with relatively limited data from the United Kingdom . However, cultural differences in dog ownership and walking practices mean that findings from one country do not necessarily apply to another. For example, in some countries, such as the USA, 'dog parks' are commonly used as off-leash exercise areas while in the UK and Australia they are rare. A recent review of the correlates of dog walking highlights that one of the most important influences on how often an owner walks their dog is the strength of the relationship the owner has with the dog , this is often referred to as 'a sense of obligation' to walk the dog or reporting that the dog provides support and motivation to walk . Evidence of the influence of dog related factors such as number of dogs and size was mixed, but may be due to the already accounted for influence of the level of motivation a dog provides for walking .. Physical environment factors may also play an important role in encouraging physical activity in people in general, but also through the provision of walking areas with specific features to support the dog . Another area that requires more research is the role of facilitating social interactions that walking with dogs can provide. Most studies in this area have focused on the owner as the object of interest of the activity, rather than the dog . However, a disadvantage of this approach is that the data sets that provide the information are sparse in dog-specific and owner-dog relationship information. Data sets collected with the dog as the focus instead have the potential to provide more in-depth detail on the influence of dog demographic and behavioral factors, dog management factors, and owner beliefs about the dog. The aim of this study was to describe dog walking and explore the factors associated with it, in particular the type and strength of the owner-dog relationship, using a well-characterized UK dataset of dogs and their owners. Data collection has been described extensively previously . Briefly, household interviews with 1,278 households in a geographically defined community in Cheshire, UK, identified 260 dog-owning households who were subsequently recruited to complete a questionnaire on owner and dog behavior and general management. Data were collected over the period July to October 2005. Many details were collected about dog walking practices and about dog and owner behaviors that may contribute to, or be proxies for, the strength of the dog-owner relationship. The data set consisted of 279 dogs belonging to 214 households that participated in the study by returning their questionnaires. This study identified that a number of factors related to the strength and nature of the dog-owner relationship are associated with daily dog walking. Future studies need to further investigate how demographic and behavioral factors of the dog, in addition to owner behavioral factors and perceptions of the dog, influence the dog-human relationship in relation to the perceived support and motivation a dog can provide for walking. This information can then lead to the design of effective interventions to promote dog-walking behavior through this relationship and improve the health of people and their pets.