Ms. Jesse, CDX, BH, TC, CGC, BN, RAURA, UCDX,THD

Volume 2 Issue 5 February2014

Daniel

Ms. Jesse, CDX, BH, TC, CGC, BN, RAURA, UCDX,THD

LAKE EUSTIS KENNEL CLUB OFFICERS and BOARD

President: Jackie Baudo

Vice President: Carolyn Hoppe

Treasurer: Cathy Perlick

Secretary: Lynn Starr

Corresponding Secretary: Marie Zaman

Board:

Ellen Beris, Sharie Davis, Sally Hensen, Susan Prickett

LEKC Meets the 4th Wednesday of each month, Lady Lake Library W. Guava St.

Board meets 6p.m. General Meeting 7:15p.m.

Website:

What Is Your Dog Thinking? New Research May Provide Answers

By Dr. Becker

If you’re a dog parent like me, I know you’ve probably wondered what your furry friend has on his mind as he goes about his day. Fortunately, we’re not the only ones wondering!

For the first time, humans have managed to capture images of actual canine thought processes. Emory University researchers have developed a way to scan the brains of alert dogs to learn more about the workings of the canine mind. The technique uses harmless functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). The Emory team was led by Gregory Berns, director of the Emory Center for Neuropolicy, and included Andrew Brooks, a graduate student at the Center for Neuropolicy, and Mark Spivak, a professional dog trainer. According to Berns:

“It was amazing to see the first brain images of a fully awake, unrestrained dog. As far as we know, no one has been able to do this previously.

“We hope this opens up a whole new door for understanding canine cognition and inter-species communication. We want to understand the dog-human relationship, from the dog’s perspective.”

Study Suggests Dogs Pay Close Attention to Owners’ Communication Signals

The first experiment by the Emory researchers was designed to show how a dog’s mind reacts to its owner’s hand signals. The results were published in the journal PLoS ONE in May 2012.

Two dogs were involved in the first experiment. One was a two year-old Feist, or southern squirrel-hunting dog named Callie, who Berns adopted from a shelter when she was nine months old. The other dog was McKenzie, a three year-old Border Collie who was already trained in agility by her owner.

Both Callie and McKenzie were trained over several months to walk into an fMRI machine and stay completely still while the scanner measured their brain activity. The dogs were also trained to respond to hand signals by their owners. One signal meant the dogs would receive a food treat; the other signal meant they would not receive one. Measured by the fMRI, the caudate region of the dogs’ brains – the region associated with rewards in human brains – showed activity in both Callie and McKenzie when they were given the hand signal for the treat, but not for the no-treat signal.

According to Berns, these results suggest that dogs pay careful attention to human signals, and these signals may have a direct association to a dog’s reward system.

The Emory Dogs Are Unrestrained and Willing Participants in the Study

The Emory researchers’goal is to interpret the mental processes of dogs by studying which areas of their brains are activated by various stimuli. Ultimately, the questions they hope to answer include: Do dogs have empathy? Can they discern their owners’ moods? How much human language do they really understand?

According to Berns:

“The dog's brain represents something special about how humans and animals came together. It's possible that dogs have even affected human evolution. People who took dogs into their homes and villages may have had certain advantages. As much as we made dogs, I think dogs probably made some part of us, too."

The idea for the Emory dog project, as it is called, came to Berns when he learned that a dog working with the U.S. Navy had been with the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. As he learned more about what military dogs are trained to do, Berns realized that “… if dogs can be trained to jump out of helicopters and airplanes, we could certainly train them to go into an fMRI to see what they’re thinking.”

All studies and experiments conducted for the dog project are approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Emory. The safety and comfort of the dogs is paramount, and researchers wanted to insure they would be unrestrained and willing to enter the fMRI scanner on their own.

Callie and McKenzie were trained to wear earmuffs to protect them from the noise of the scanner, and they also learned to hold their heads perfectly still on a chin rest during the scanning process so the researchers could obtain clear images.

Callie, in particular, seemed to really enjoy being a part of the Emory experiment. “She enters the scanner on her own, without a command, sometimes when it’s not her turn,” says researcher Mark Spivak. “She’s eager to participate.”MRI Results Suggest Food Is Not the Only Motivator of a Dog’s Behavior

In an interview with The Bark, Gregory Berns was asked why he disagrees with the notion that dogs simply love us for the food we provide and that most of their behavior is no more than an attempt to secure food treats.

Berns responded that this theory of dog behavior is the main reason he and his research team are using fMRIs to measure canine thought processes. He makes the point that we can project whatever intentions we like onto dogs, but since dogs can’t clarify the situation for us, it remains a philosophical argument.

But with MRI, Berns and his team can visualize how specific parts of a dog’s brain respond to stimuli like food and social rewards. By evaluating brain activity, they can infer how much of a dog’s motivation is about food rewards and how much is the result of social interaction with a human. According to Berns, “We’re finding strong evidence that it is not just about food.”

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Quotable Quotes *

“The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket”

Will Rogers

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious

and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Walt Disney

“Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and repeat to yourself, the most comforting words

of all – this, too, shall pass.”

Ann Landers

“Logic will get you from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere”

Albert Einstein

“Life is like a CameraJust focus on what’s important and capture the good times, develop

from the negatives and if things don’t turn out, just take another shot.”

*Coffee News

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Brags:

Ellen’s Daniel earned 9 Q’s in 3 days Sharie’s Teddy and his ribbons

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EPA Changes Guidelines After 600 Pet Deaths, But Why Are Pets Still Dying?

By Dr. Becker

Many pet guardians don't realize the potential for exposing their four-legged family member to environmental toxins like pesticides and herbicides. People also don't realize that after they apply a product to their lawn or garden, the chemical residues are tracked indoors on pet paws, and contaminate surfaces throughout their home.

A pesticide known as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, or “2,4-D”, was developed during World War II. It was one of two active ingredients in the notorious defoliant known as Agent Orange, used during the Vietnam War to destroy forest cover for our enemies, as well as their food crops. A tremendous amount of herbicide was sprayed over millions of acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange was the most commonly used product, and it has since been revealed to cause a wide range of serious health issues, including rashes, psychological problems, birth defects, tumors, and cancer.

These days, 2,4-D is used on athletic fields, golf courses, landscaping, timberland, rights-of-way, and various crops. A short list of popular products containing 2,4-D includes:

• Bayer Advanced All-in-One Lawn Weed and Crabgrass Killer
• Ortho Weed-B-Gon Max
• Scotts Liquid Turf Builder
• Sta-Green Phosphorus-Free Weed & Feed
• Scotts Snap Pac Weed & Feed

Despite decades of scientific studies associating 2,4-D with cancer in humans and animals, the chemical continues to be one of the top three pesticides sold in the U.S. More recent studies have linked the chemical to to hormone disruption that increases the risk of birth defects and neurologic damage in children.

Pesticides and Canine Malignant Lymphoma

Most dogs love a carpet of thick green grass. They run around on it, roll on it, dig at it, and stick their noses in it. But unlike humans, who launder their clothes and bathe regularly, dogs don't change their fur or footpads every day. Whatever collects on their feet and coat outdoors stays there until the next time they get a bath. It also gets deposited across multiple surfaces inside your home, including carpeting, rugs, furniture and pet bedding.

A recently published study conducted over a six year period by the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University showed that exposure to lawn pesticides, specifically those applied by professional lawn care companies, raised the risk of canine malignant lymphoma – a progressive, fatal disease -- by as much as 70 percent.

Sadly, it's easy to envision how normal canine behavior turns risky when your dog's outdoor environment has been doused in potentially toxic chemicals.

Herbicides and Bladder Cancer In Dogs

Another study, published last year in Science of the Total Environment2, indicates that exposure to herbicide-treated lawns has been associated with significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs.

The chemicals in question are common herbicides containing 2,4-D, 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxypropionic acid (MCPP) and/or dicamba. Dogs are being exposed through ingestion, inhalation and transdermal contact.

Since these chemicals are commonly detected in grass residues from treated lawns AND untreated lawns, it’s clear there is chemical drift. This means that even if you don’t use these products, if a neighbor does, your dog could still be at risk from chemicals that blow into your yard from a nearby property.

Flea and Tick Preventives (Pesticides) and Your Pet

You may not be aware of it, but most flea and tick preventives are actually pesticides, regardless of what form they come in -- spot-on treatments, pills, dips, solutions, shampoos, or collars.

Spot-on products attracted the attention of the EPA in 2009 after reports surfaced of over 40,000 adverse events the prior year, including 600 deaths of family pets. The agency called for new labeling requirements, but as recently as September, four cats were reported to have died from misuse of the products.

It’s important to remember that just because a compound is applied to or worn on your pet’s fur doesn’t mean it’s safe. What goes ON your pet goes IN your pet, by absorption through the skin or ingestion during grooming.

Protecting Your Pet from Toxic Pesticides

Don't apply pesticides to your yard, and if you use a lawn care service, don't allow them to use chemicals, either. The same goes for herbicides, and be aware that a neighbor’s herbicide can potentially contaminate your property and pose a risk to your pet.

Avoid lawn care and other gardening products that contain insect growth regulators (IGRs). (And be aware that the chemical pyriproxyfen, an IGR, is used in certain flea/tick spot-on treatments.)

Don't allow your dog access to any lawn unless you can confirm no pesticides have been used.

If you think your pet has rolled around on chemically treated grass, my recommendation is to bathe him as soon as possible. If you've walked your dog in a suspect grassy area, giving him a foot soak as soon as you get home should flush away any chemical residue that may be clinging to his feet and lower legs.

If you live in a townhouse or community that applies chemicals to common areas, I recommend “detoxing” a patch of grass in your backyard by watering the chemicals down into the soil to reduce skin contact after application. Keep your pet on a leash (and on the sidewalk) until you’ve walked to your chemical free destination.

When it comes to pest control, remember -- keeping your pet’s immune system healthy and strong is the best way to help him fight off parasites as well as disease. Abalanced, species-appropriate diet is the foundation upon which your pet’s good health and long life must be built.

Use a safe, natural pest deterrent that is chemical-free. Also consider cedar oil (specifically manufactured for pet health), natural food-grade diatomaceous earth, or fresh garlic (work with your holistic vet to determine a safe amount for your pet's body weight).

Bathe and brush your pet regularly and perform frequent full-body inspections to check for parasite activity,

and insure your indoor and outdoor environments are unfriendly to pests.

Detoxifying Your Pet

Consider periodic detoxification for your pet. The level of environmental exposure to chemicals will dictate the appropriate frequency and type of detox. If your dog has constant exposure to toxic chemicals all summer, supplying a daily detox protocol is a wise idea. But if your pet’s only source of chemical exposure is heartworm pills, or if you are applying flea and tick chemicals directly on your pet, then offering a detox program the week after each pill or topical treatment makes sense.

There are many detoxifying herbs and supplements to choose from. A detox protocol should not cause any side effects or visible changes in your pet. ______

A Border Collie in England Delivers a Super-sized litter*

Zoe and Marcus Hooper of Leominster, Herefordshire, England, were delighted when their Border Collie, Star, delivered 10 puppies after six hours of labor. “After a few hours later, as we were going to bed she had given birth to two more, so we assumed that had to be it,” says Zoe Hooper. “But when we came down in the morning, we counted 14.” The usual litter size in Border Collies: about 4 to 8.

The couple was stunned but also worried that Star might not be able to care for such a big brood. A veterinarian-friend told them to let 4 year old Star, a working sheepdog, give it a go. “Amazingly, she was able to look after all of them,” Zoe Hooper told Metro news web-site in the U.K. “She did brilliantly in rearing them all and we have 14 happy and healthy pups now.”

The size of puppy litters always stirs wide interest. A large retrospective study by the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science in Oslo applied science to the subject and found

a purebred’s size and mother’s age are among the factors affecting little size.

Researchers surveyed 10,810 litters of 224 breeds registered in the Norwegian Kennel Club

Over a two year period and found:

*The overall average litter size was five puppies

*Miniature breeds delivered three and a half puppies

*Giant breeds had seven

The number of puppies born decreased more for older mothers of large breeds, according to the study published in the international journal of Animal Reproduction.

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A New View of Yawning*

Yawning in dogs used to be considered a sign of anxiety. Then a study suggested that the behavior was a

Response to human yawns, but it was unclear whether it was empathetic or a response to stress. Now research led by Dr. Theresa Romero at the University of Tokyo has found that pet dogs yawn contagiously when a person yawns but respond more frequently to their owner’s yawns rather that a stranger’s.

The experiment registered no significant differences in the dogs’ heartbeat, making it unlikely that the yawns were signs of anxiety, the researchers report in the journal PLoS One. “Our findings are consistent with the view that contagious yawning…may indicate that rudimentary forms of empathy could be present in domesticated dogs.”

Dr. Romero in the university’s Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences explains further: “Although our study cannot determine the exact underlying mechanism operative in dogs, the subjects’ physiological measures taken during the study allowed us to counter the alternative hypothesis of yawning as a distress response”

*Dog Watch Nov. 2013

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Are drugs purchased over the Internet safe for your pets?

By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer

I recently got into a discussion with an old friend about the wisdom of purchasing his pet’s drugs online.

Last year I ran into a problem when my dog had a bad reaction to a heartworm prevention medication I purchased from my veterinarian.

I wanted to keep him on his old medication, but my veterinarian could not provide the product. I thought it might be necessary to buy it over the Internet or from a local pharmacy. She was happy to provide the prescription, but she was concerned about where the product was sourced no matter where I bought it unless it was from a licensed vet.

With all the horrors I’ve heard about pet food sourced in China, I shared her concern.

Her office manager, Sue, (who happens to be my dogs’ favorite human in the world) offered to find the old medication from another veterinarian and pick it up for me.

But it wasn’t until last week that I gave the prescription issue another thought.