When you hear the word “oxytocin” you probably think of moms nursing and bonding with their babies. This hormone, oxytocin, is also known as the “bonding hormone.” But its power is not limited to human bonding. A new study from Australia suggests that the hormone of love may have played a role in leading wild dogs to man’s fires and eventual domestication. What is “Oxytocin”? Oxytocin is a hormone produced in the hypothalamus of the brain and released from the back half (posterior) of a pea sized pituitary gland. Oxytocin is important for sexual arousal in both sexes for orgasm and sexual reproduction. It is particularly important for its effect on the cervix and uterus during childbirth and breast nipple stimulation that causes milk “letdown” for nursing. The effects of oxytocin on other parts of the brain during these activities are thought to bring about positive pair bonding, maternal bonding, and positive social recognition bonds. A PhD researcher at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has found that oxytocin plays a role in the interactions between dogs and humans. Why Oxytocin May be Important in the Domestication of Dogs Previous studies have shown that just three minutes of petting and talking to a dog increases blood oxytocin levels in both dogs and humans. Other studies have shown that humans who are particularly close to their dogs have more oxytocin in their urine. This data lead Jessica Oliva to conduct her PhD thesis experiment. 62 dogs, 31 male and 31 female, were tested to see if oxytocin increased their ability to read cues from humans to the whereabouts of bowls with hidden treats. The dogs were scored on their abilities after receiving either a nasal administration of oxytocin or a saline placebo. Nasal spray was used because it ensures the direct passage of oxytocin to the brain in order to eliminate other factors that could cloud the response results. Not only did the dogs respond more accurately when given oxytocin, but the enhanced performance lasted 15 days after administration of the oxytocin. Oxytocin in some way aids a dog’s ability to read human cues. This far exceeds the ability of wolves to do the same. Oliva cited research that has shown dogs were far better at using non-verbal cues from humans than even wolves that were highly socialized and hand-reared by humans. This research only demonstrates the role of oxytocin in man’s relationship to dogs but does not explain the exact brain interactions involved. Oliva wants to conduct the same experiment on wolves to see if there is a different result. That would really help clarify the evolutionary separation of the wild dog from wolves and their eventual domestication. She also suggests that the identification of a genetic sensitivity to oxytocin in modern dogs may lead to better performing dogs. This could have an impact on breeding dogs that may be better suited as guide or service dogs, military dogs, or customs dogs. Maybe the dog-human bond boils down to a famous song lyric, “All you need is love.” Thanks oxytocin. Source: Pet MD A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
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Tests on 34 patients showed an 88% success rate in finding tumours. The team, presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, said the animal had an "unbelievable" sense of smell. Cancer Research UK said using dogs would be impractical, but discovering the chemicals the dogs can smell could lead to new tests. The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones to regulate metabolism. Thyroid tumors are relatively rare and are normally diagnosed by testing hormone levels in the blood and by using a needle to extract cells for testing. Smelly job Cancers are defective, out-of-control cells. They have their own unique chemistry and release "volatile organic compounds" into the body. The canine approach relies on dogs having 10 times the number of smell receptors as people and being able to pick out the unique smells being released by cancers. The man's best friend approach has already produced promising results in patients with bowel and lung cancers. A team at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) had previously showed that a dog could be trained to smell the difference between urine samples of patients with and without thyroid cancer. The next step was to see if it could be used as a diagnostic test. Frankie the German Shepherd was trained to lie down when he could smell thyroid cancer in a sample and turn away if the urine was clean. Thirty-four patients, who were going to hospital for conventional testing, took part in the trial. Frankie gave the correct diagnosis in 30 out of 34 cases. There were two false positives and two patients who would have been incorrectly given the all-clear. Dr Donald Bodenner, the chief of endocrine oncology at UAMS, said: "The capability of dogs to smell minute amounts is unbelievable. "The medical community over the next few years is going to have a great appreciation [for them]. E-nose Some researchers are trying to strip out the canine-element and test for the unique pong of cancer with an "electronic nose". This approach is also being trailed outside of cancer and has been used to find dangerous infections such as Clostridium difficile. Dr Bodenner added: "We would like to know what Frankie is smelling, nobody knows." Commenting on the findings Dr Jason Wexler, an endocrinologist in Washington, DC, argued: "This is a fascinating, interesting study and it has high potential in areas of the world that may not have access to biopsy techniques. "There are many patients who are reluctant to undergo fine needle aspiration so I think that if you could design a technique where you have no invasive procedure that can have tremendous widespread appeal." But Dr Emma Smith, from Cancer Research UK, cautioned: "Although there's some evidence that some trained dogs can sniff out the smelly molecules given off by cancers, there have been mixed results on how accurate they are and it's not really practical to think about using dogs on a wide scale to detect the disease. "But carrying out lab tests to understand what the dogs are smelling might help to inform the development of 'electronic noses' to detect the same molecules, which could lead to better diagnostic tests in the future." Dr Bodenner says it is an approach that he is actively pursuing. Meanwhile, the lab is also trying to find a new home for canine-veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead of sniffing out bombs, they will be trained to hunt for cancer. Source: BBC News A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Lucy, a beagle owned by Pat May of Pleasanton, Calif., wears two tech devices -- Tagg, a pet tracker, and Voyce, for monitoring pet activity levels. It’s practically raining cats and you-know-what in the burgeoning subcategory of tech gadgets and accessories that can be attached to our four-legged friends, usually for the owner’s peace of mind. Wearable tech for animals has been around for years: Decades ago, scientists began tracking endangered species with radio-tracking collars, and police and soldiers can attach devices to their dogs to receive commands electronically. More recently, the marketplace is awash with all kinds of cool tracking and monitoring devices for the canine set, typically in the form of a tech-laden collar that can be accessed through Web browsers and mobile smartphone apps. And there’s more on the way: one device still under development, No More Woof, is a headset that claims to be able to read your dog’s inner emotions by monitoring its brain signals. “Wearable tech for dogs was really big at the Consumer Electronics Show this year,” said wearable-tech evangelist Tom Emrich, founder of a collaborative hub called We Are Wearables, “and the latest trend is devices that quantify your pet’s health, just like Fitbit does for humans. We’re now pushing that technology on our dogs so, for example, you can see if your pet’s been running or playing or getting any exercise while you’re at work.” I recently got my hands on a few of the latest products and used our lovable — though hyperactive and food-obsessed — 10-year-old Beagle named Lucy as my guinea pup. First up is Voyce, a $299 lightweight, waterproof and Jetsons-worthy collar that uses Wi-Fi to monitor the heck out of your pet’s health, serving up all kinds of diagnostics to help you and your vet take care of Fido. Voyce even sends you articles by renowned animal experts, each custom-tailored to your dog’s breed and ongoing health statistics. “It’s got sensors on board that allow us to monitor things that are typical with human-based trackers, like rest, calories burned, distance traveled,” said Voyce’s director of program management, Ben Maphis. “But our secret sauce is reading heart and respiratory rates in a noninvasive way, using low-frequency, radio-based technology. And it works on every type of dog, with any size of neck or fur length.” The band comes in a smartly assembled package, like an Apple product. After giving it a quick charge through a base connected by a USB cord, I attach the band to Lucy’s neck and set up an online account. As I fill in Lucy’s profile, I’m asked about her physical condition, from a skinny state with bony ribs “evident from a distance” to “massive fat deposits.” I give Lucy a middle-of-the-road score of 5, or “ribs palpable without excess fat covering.” Directions are simple and the tutorial video helped me in just a few minutes to get the device up and running. I wish I could say the same thing about Lucy, a pint-size hound who’s far more prone to mope around or sit out in the sun for hours. I left the house for an hour and when I came back to check the website, I found basically a flat line on the graph indicating, well, rest. In other words, Voyce had confirmed what I’d instinctively known all along: My dog’s a spoiled and lazy little beast. Next was Tagg, an adorable little band the size of a wristwatch that attaches to your dog’s collar and basically keeps track of his whereabouts through GPS and satellite technology. Thanks to its geofencing feature, Tagg acts like a digital pet-sitter you can monitor through your smartphone app and Web-based browser. It was recently purchased by San Francisco-based Whistle, a canine fitness tracker that raised funding from partners including Nokia and the venture fund of New York Knicks basketball star Carmelo Anthony. I take it out of the box, which contains a few too many parts for my liking, connect the docking station to a wall plug, and while the band is charging I overcome a few glitches to create an online account and download the mobile app. The band costs $99.95, there’s a one-time activation fee of $14.95 and subscription plans that start at $6.95 a month. On the home page, a map of my neighborhood comes up and I’m instructed to create a Tagg Zone within which Lucy is supposed to remain, as in “Stay, Lucy!” In the middle of this square covering my house and neighbors on each side is a golden paw, signifying Lucy’s location. After clipping the device onto Lucy’s collar, I take her for an on-leash walk, intentionally leaving the Tagg Zone. A minute or so later, the alarms start ringing — cellphone alerts, smartphone notifications and, in my mobile app, bright red notices saying “Lucy: I’m outside of the home Tagg Zone.” They repeat every three minutes, each identifying the specific address to which Lucy is closest. Had she been on her own, I could have hopped on my bike or jumped in my car and tracked the little brat down. After we go back into the house, Tagg sends me yet another notice, this one more reassuring: “Hi. It’s me, Lucy. I’m near the home docking station.” Finally, it’s time for some fun. While the $149 Narrative Clip, which calls itself “The Wearable Camera for Moments That Matter,” is primarily intended for human use, this postage-stamp-sized device seemed like a perfect fit for Lucy. It’s simple: clip it onto your dog’s collar and it’ll take a photo every 30 seconds for up to 30 hours. Upload the photos to the Narrative website and — voilà! — you’ve got a shareable timeline, with only the better-quality photos included. “Narrative helps you capture photos without losing presence in the moment, without having to stop and actually take a photo,” says co-founder Oskar Kalmaru. “And while we initially intended this for humans, we see people putting it on their dog during a walk or hanging it on their cat to see what it’s been up to when they were at work.” I clipped the Narrative to Lucy’s collar and, leash attached, headed out into the neighborhood. She was like a fury four-legged paparazzo, snapping up everything in sight as she sniffed her way from car tire to lamp post to well-frequented shrub. Back home, I uploaded the pictures and sat back for the show. “Done,” the message said. “Your moments are ready to be viewed.” Lucy and her camera did good. There was a nice shadow of me against the pavement, my blurred finger while I was adjusting Lucy’s collar, a couple of lovely trees shots, some bushes that looked like a Jackson Pollock painting, and then, last but not least, a perfectly framed shot of my face as I was bending down to disconnect the hipster Beagle from her oh-so-techie bling-bling. POOCH ACCESSORIES VOYCE A lightweight, waterproof collar that monitors your dog’s health and fitness and uses Wi-Fi to sync the data so you can access it anytime, anywhere. Cost: $299, plus a monthly membership fee of $9.95 mydogsvoyce.com TAGG Set up a geofence around your house and be alerted when your dog goes beyond its parameter. Cost: $99.95, and service fees that start at $6.95 a month. www.pettracker.com NARRATIVE CLIP A tiny camera that clips onto your dog’s collar and snaps a photo every 30 seconds for up to 30 hours. Cost: $149 www.getnarrative.com A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
The elephants were on their way to a circus in Texas Police found two elephants trying to keep the 18-wheeler transporting them from overturning during its journey from New Orleans to the Dallas area Tuesday morning. The truck, carrying three elephants from a Florida circus, got stuck in mud on Interstate 49 near the Powhatan exit in Natchitoches Parish, La., at about 7 a.m., according to a statement from the Natcitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office. A “local wrecker service” was called in to extract the truck. The elephants were en route to a circus in Frisco, Texas. Source: Time.com / Olivia B. Waxman A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
It has been a rough year for Dale "Bucko" Franck and his wife Nancy. According to Iowa Public Radio, Bucko spent some time in the hospital for health problems and Nancy was diagnosed with cancer. Nancy recently had cancer surgery, but there were complications, and the Cedar Rapids woman was transferred over to Mercy Medical Center after spending a few days in intensive care. While Nancy’s situation is devastating to Bucko, it also appears to be hard on the family’s two Miniature Schnauzers, Sissy and Barney. And Sissy missed Nancy so much that she decided to take matters into her own paws. In the middle of the night, Bucko woke up and discovered his furnace wasn’t working. While he was up trying to fix the problem, he took both dogs out into the back yard. Usually, the dogs run right back into the house after Bucko unhooks them. He assumed that Sissy had already run into the kitchen, so he went back inside. But it only took a few minutes for Bucko to realize Sissy was gone. Bucko was distraught. “I was scared to death,” he told Iowa Public Radio. “I was crying. That’s my baby.” He called the animal shelter and the police trying to locate his lost dog. Sissy has an identification tag, so Bucko hoped that someone would pick Sissy up and return her. At approximately 5:15 in the morning, Bucko got a call from a security woman at Mercy Medical Center, who said that they had Sissy. The dog — who had never run away before and never visited the hospital in the past — walked twenty blocks away from her home and right to the hospital’s doors, where she actually made her way into the hospital lobby. It was there that the security staff recovered her. Bucko’s only explanation was that Sissy somehow used her sixth sense and was trying to visit Nancy. When Bucko and Nancy’s daughter, Sarah Wood, went to pick Sissy up from the hospital, Sarah asked if she could take the dog upstairs for a quick visit. A security guard escorted them up to Nancy’s room so that Sissy could spend a few minutes with her beloved pet parent. When Nancy saw Sissy for the first time, she thought that Sarah had somehow snuck the dog into the hospital. But when Sarah relayed the story to her mother about how Sissy ran away in the middle of the night to come to the hospital, Nancy could only say, “You little stinker. How did you do that?” Sarah and Sissy were only able to visit with Nancy for a few minutes, but Sarah believes that seeing Sissy brightened her mother’s day. Hopefully Nancy makes a full recovery so that she can get back home to her loving two-legged and four-legged family members. Source: Pet MD / Iowa Public Radio A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
An Arkansas judge remained in a Little Rock hospital Tuesday after he was attacked by his family's pet zebra, authorities said. The man was attacked Sunday night by a zebra owned by his father, a Searcy police spokesman said. The Daily Citizen newspaper of Searcy, in White County northeast of Little Rock, identified the man as state District Judge Mike Derrick. The court clerk's office confirmed to The Associated Press that Derrick sustained injuries to an eye and an arm. His condition wasn't available Tuesday. Authorities wouldn't discuss details of the attack — including any explanation for why a family happened to own and maintain a zebra on private property. Police said they were pursuing no action because the incident appeared to be an accident involving an animal legally owned by Derrick's family. Source: NBC News A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
A golden retriever named “Smiley” is living up to his name as a therapy dog who brightens the days of patients and nursing home residents in the small town of Stouffville, Canada. Smiley was born without eyes, but is still able to work as a St. John’s Ambulance service dog in Ontario. The dog’s owner, Joanne George, rescued the dog from a puppy mill, when he was about 1 or 2 years old. “He was very scared, [the dogs] had never been out of that barn,” George recalled, adding that Smiley quickly bonded with another one of his dogs, a deaf Great Dane named Tyler. “Tyler was so bouncy and crazy and happy go lucky and [Smiley] turned into the same dog,” George said. “He came out from underneath the tables where he was always hiding.” George said seeing Smiley interact with crowds made her realize he would be a perfect therapy dog. She now brings the dogs to hospitals and schools in the area and says the dog almost always brightens people’s days. She said at one nursing home, she realized how even a small visit with Smiley could make people happy. “There was this man Teddy, [he had] no speech, no communication at all,” George said of one memorable nursing home resident. “[The staff] had never seen Teddy smile before.” But once Smiley came up to Teddy, George said the staff was amazed. “[Teddy] smiled when Smiley got into his vision,” George said George said after caring for Smiley for 10 years, she has learned a lot about how to care for blind dogs. “Somebody through St. John’s Ambulance is wanting to adopt a dog that’s blind,” George said. “I told her all those things don’ t be his eyes, don’t run his life, don’t’ keep him in a bubble.” She said it's key for Smiley to figure out how to get around on his own. George said Smiley is mostly able to get around on his own without too much difficulty. "Does he bump into things? Of course, he does. But he does it very carefully," George said, noting the dog’s "high" steps when he walks. "He’s feeling with his feet." Source: ABC News A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Although organizers of the British Crufts Dog Show have denied any connection between the sickness and poisoning of five dogs, one owner says she is concerned her sheepdog may have been poisoned at the event. “After getting her ready for the show, I left her for 20 minutes to get a sandwich, and when I came back, I don’t know what they gave her but she had been violently sick,” Mylee Thomas said of her dog named Myter Eye to Eye. Thomas does not believe her dog’s case is related to that of Jagger, the dog whose owners have said he was poisoned at the weekend show before later dying in Belgium. But Thomas is eagerly waiting to see security tape of the event to understand what happened. “Food and water are provided by owners but anyone could slip something in the water bowls,” Thomas told ABC News, adding that her dog was in an open cage. In an interview on the BBC, Jeremy Bott, one of Jagger’s owners, said a vet had found pieces of meat laced with poison during the post-mortem examination. Investigations are still under way into what killed Jagger, 3, who died Friday after attending the dog show in the town of Birmingham. The Kennel Club’s secretary, Caroline Kisko, said: “Allegations about dogs being poisoned at Crufts are understandably distressing to dog owners and lovers,” adding “anyone who puts a dog’s welfare at risk could face prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act.” Measures will only be addressed when the toxicology report concludes at the end of the week. British police are working with Crufts officials to secure potential evidence but have not yet received any complaint or been asked to investigate the incident. Source: ABC News A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Cats, long stereotyped as aloof and highly independent creatures compared to dogs, may be getting a bad rap. Research recently published in the journal Animal Cognition posits that cats are quite in tune with their owners’ emotions, and respond to those emotions. The study, “Social referencing and cat–human communication,” details the results of an experiment conducted at Italy’s University of Milan with 24 cats and their owners to see what cats do with emotional information provided by their people. According to the study, the first of its kind involving cats, researchers put each cat-owner pair in an unfamiliar room with an object sure to cause the cats some anxiety: a running fan with plastic ribbons attached to it. One group of owners provided positive reinforcement by talking in a happy voice while looking from the cat to the fan. The second group talked to their cats in a fearful voice while looking from the cat to the fan. Researchers then assessed what they call “social referencing” in the cats, defined as “looking to the owner immediately before or after looking at the object.” The cats clearly participated in social referencing, with researchers concluding that 79 percent of the cats alternated between looking at their owner and the fan. The study found the cats even changed their behavior “to some extent” according to their owners' emotional message. Interestingly, the cats responded more overtly, in terms of looking at their owners, to the negative emotions than to the positive emotions. “Overall, cats in the negative group also showed a higher frequency in their interaction with the owner than cats in the positive group, potentially suggesting they were looking for security from their owner,” according to the study. “Cats are social animals, but their sociality is defined ‘optional,’” says Isabella Merola, lead author of the study and the owner of two cats herself. “Cats usually decide when and with whom to interact." Merola notes that all of the cats in the study focused on their owners because they were in a strange situation. Even cats that usually ignored their people felt compelled to look to their owners for direction in that scenario, says Merola. Source: PetMD A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
Purina is defending its Beneful brand pet food in the wake of a class action lawsuit that accuses the product of hurting and killing animals. The suit claims that pet owner Frank Lucido’s three dogs became sick after he fed them the food. It alleges that Dozer, his English bulldog, died after showing signs of liver lesions and internal bleeding in his stomach. One of the lawyers filing the suit, James Young of Morgan & Morgan in Tampa, is encouraging pet owners to come forward with their stories. “The more people that come forward and share their stories, the clearer the picture we can paint with regard to the liability of the company,” Young said. “We received hundreds of complaints. Nationally, there have been thousands of complaints about dogs who have eaten this dog food by Purina Beneful and suffered very serious side effects, including death.” You can read more about the class-action lawsuit and contact the firm by visiting its website . Lakeland resident Jennifer Jones just joined the lawsuit. She told ABC Action News that over the past year, she noticed her miniature pinscher’s health was deteriorating. He started having seizures approximately two times a day. “I’ve had that dog for almost 10 years now. I mean, that’s a family member,” Jones said. “It’s scary.” Jones had been feeding her pet Purina Beneful Original. But she claims last week she switched dog food, and her dog’s health has dramatically improved. He’s now reportedly down to two seizures a week instead of a day. “They said it’s the healthiest food to give your dog. Obviously that was incorrect,” she said. The lawsuit claims the following eight dry “kibble” dog foods are contaminated with substances that can be toxic to animals: Propylene glycol and mycotoxins.
The lawsuit’s claims are “baseless,” said Keith Schopp, a corporate spokesman for the Nestlé Purina Petcare Company. Courts, he said, have dismissed two previous class action lawsuits against Beneful that made similar allegations. “Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation,” Schopp said in a statement to ABC Action News. “On-line postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for our Beneful customers.” How can you take steps to keep your pet safe? Make sure the main ingredient in its food is animal protein with no wheat or gluten or chemical preservatives. Look for the "AAFCO" symbol from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Full statement from Purina: First and foremost, there are no quality issues with Beneful. Beneful is a high quality, nutritious food enjoyed by millions of dogs every day. Recently, a class action lawsuit was filed against Beneful in Northern California. We believe the lawsuit is baseless, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves and our brand. Beneful had two previous class action suits filed in recent years with similar baseless allegations, and both were dismissed by the courts. Class action suits are common in business these days. They are not indicative of a product issue. Beneful is backed by Purina’s strict quality controls and comprehensive food safety program. Like other pet foods, Beneful is occasionally the subject of social media-driven misinformation. On-line postings often contain false, unsupported and misleading allegations that cause undue concern and confusion for our Beneful customers. Bottom line: Consumers can continue to feed Beneful with total confidence. At Purina we’re passionate about pets. We encourage anyone with a comment or question about Purina to contact us directly at the toll-free number on every package. For answers to FAQs about Beneful, go tohttps://www.beneful.com/frequently-asked-questions Source: ABCactionnews A Peaceful Farewell provides compassionate at home pet euthanasia to fellow pet owners in Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, and most of the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
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