Appetite Stimulants for Dogs
In This Article What Are Appetite Stimulants for Dogs? View 4 More +
Can Dogs Smell Fear?
Have you ever noticed that when you are feeling fearful, your dog becomes more attentive and clingy? Have you also noticed that your dog may behave differently around people who like dogs versus people who are afraid of dogs? Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, but can they smell fear? And if so, how? Is It True That Dogs Can Smell Fear? The science is in, and the answer is a resounding YES—dogs can smell fear. Dogs have olfactory superpowers that can detect a human’s emotional state by the scent that a human emits. That’s right—you can’t hide fear from dogs. They’ve got your number! Until recently, the idea that dogs can smell fear was only a theory, but a study called “Interspecies transmission of emotional information via chemosignals: from humans to dogs” actually proves that dogs (or at least Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers) can smell human emotions and respond accordingly. When a person gets scared, their sweat glands will start secreting moisture, especially in the armpits. This sweat contains chemical signals that dogs can pick up on. Can Dogs Smell the Difference Between Fear and Happiness? Researchers correctly postulated that dogs would respond differently to human odors that were emitted under different emotional states—namely, fear and happiness. In the study, dogs were exposed to three stimuli—their owner, a stranger (the control) and an odor dispenser. Dogs were assigned to different odor conditions randomly. They collected odors from humans in three different emotional states: fearful, happy and neutral (no sweat). The odors were collected from the armpits of random male donors who were not otherwise involved in the experiment procedures. The dogs were then observed for responses, including behaviors directed at the three targets, stress behaviors and heart rate. Researchers found that when the dogs were exposed to “happy odors,” they interacted more with the stranger and had lower heart rates. In contrast, when the dogs were exposed to the “fear odor,” they displayed more stress behaviors and had higher heart rates associated with the fight, flight or freeze response—a bodily response of the autonomic nervous system that is essential for adaptation and survival. The dogs also sought more reassurance from their owners and interacted with the stranger less than the dogs that were exposed to the “happy odor.” Researchers concluded that chemosignals—odors that we emit in response to our emotional state—communicate across species to dogs. So, if we are scared, they can smell it and get scared, too. What Your Dog’s Senses Can Tell You About Your Own Emotions Dogs can help us recognize our own emotional states. Many people who have chronic anxiety may not even be aware that they are walking around in fight, flight or freeze mode. A dog that’s in tune with how you exhibit stress or fear can help signal the onset of these emotions and help you better work through feelings of anxiety. It’s also important to acknowledge that dogs can feed off of your energy. So, try to temper your mindset throughout tense situations—say, like at your next vet visit—to help keep your pet more at ease. Your mental health and that of your pet are both important. If you take note of how your dog is behaving, you might learn more about your own mood and mental state than expected. By: Dr. Sarah Wooten Featured Image: iStock.com/Marsco Roasario Venturini Autieri
Can Kittens Drink Milk?
People may think that you can give kittens a saucer of milk, but is cow milk actually healthy for kittens? What about soy milk, goat milk or almond milk? Are those healthy choices to feed kittens if they are orphaned from their mother? Can Kittens Drink Milk? The short answer: The only milk that is healthy for kittens to drink is either their mother’s, or they will need a kitten milk replacer, which can also be called KMR or kitten milk formula. Kittens lack the proper enzymes to digest the lactose in cow milk, and feeding cow milk to kittens can cause diarrhea and dehydration very quickly in very small kittens. This is why it is important to avoid feeding cow milk to kittens.
The Best Ways to Get Help With Vet Bills
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Dog Health Issues: Do Mixed Breed Dogs Have an Advantage Over Purebred Dogs?
Avoiding Health Issues With Purebred Dogs You can avoid purchasing a purebred or hybrid puppy with genetic diseases by only buying from reputable breeders who test for genetic diseases that are common in the puppies they are breeding. You will pay more for puppies that have been certified to be disease-free, but the old adage holds true here: You get what you pay for. If you have a mixed breed dog and you want to know the genetic ancestry and any potential genetic diseases that he or she may be predisposed toward, the good news is that science is on your side. There are testing kits that allow you to easily swab your dog’s cheek at home, and you send in the sample to get all the genetic information you need on your dog. Embark breed identification and health detection dog DNA test kit, Wisdom Panel 3.0 breed identification dog DNA test kit and DNA My Dog breed identification test kit are some of the genetic testing kits available for you to test your dog at home. Knowledge is power, and knowing your dog’s genetic ancestry and markers for disease allows you to make lifestyle changes early so you can hopefully prevent disease. By: Dr. Sarah Wooten Featured Image: iStock.com/PK Photos,WRITTEN BYSarah Wooten, DVM Veterinarian Dr. Sarah Wooten graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. A member of the American Society of Veterinary Journalists,…,Have you heard the claim that purebred dogs have more health problems than mixed breed dogs? Is it true, or is it just a myth? What Qualifies a Dog as a Purebred Dog? A dog is defined as purebred if he or she has been registered with the American Kennel Club and has papers to prove that the mother and father are both of the same breed. If the papers show that a dog’s ancestors all come from the same breed, then that dog is considered to be a pedigreed purebred dog. Purebred dogs are a product of selective breeding by humans. Dogs from the same breed are chosen for their genetic traits, such as size, temperament, coat type and color, and then bred together.
Can Cats Lose Weight With a Slow Feeder?
Image via iStock.com/sdominick By Dr. Sarah Wooten If I asked you, “What is the most common nutritional disorder seen in domestic cats today?”, what do you think the answer would be? Malnutrition? Taurine deficiency? Good thoughts, but the biggest nutritional problem we see in cats today is obesity. Obesity is a growing problem in our companion cats, literally and figuratively. It is estimated that over 50 percent of cats seen today at veterinary hospitals are overweight or obese. Obesity in cats is defined as having a body weight that is 20 percent or higher than what is considered normal for that cat’s frame. You can tell your cat is overweight by talking to your veterinarian. Obesity is bad for cats. It reduces their quality of life and shortens their lifespan by predisposing them to all sorts of diseases, including diabetes mellitus, heart disease and painful osteoarthritis. Why Are So Many Cats Overweight? Hundreds of years ago, most cats were active, outdoor hunters. They were constantly on the move and only dined on high-protein, low-carbohydrate fare like grasshoppers and mice. Today, most companion cats live sedentary lives of luxury inside a home. They have little to do except sleep and eat from a cat bowl that is often full of carbohydrate-rich kibble. Bringing cats indoors has had many positive effects, including enriching the human-animal bond, controlling the feline population, and reducing death and sickness from trauma and infections. The downside is that indoor cats are often bored and will eat frequently because there is nothing else to do. Slowly, over time, they begin to gain weight. It is a simple equation of too many calories in and not enough calories out.
Whisker Fatigue in Cats: What It Is and How To Help
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Dog Microchips: 3 Reasons Why You Should Microchip Your Pet
WRITTEN BYSarah Wooten, DVM Veterinarian Dr. Sarah Wooten graduated from UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2002. A member of the American Society of Veterinary Journalists,…,Proper identification will greatly improve your dog’s chances of returning home if they ever get lost. Dogs should always wear a collar and ID tag with your current contact information. However, even the best dog collars and ID tags aren’t permanent forms of identification—they can be lost or altered. That’s why microchips for dogs are so important. Let’s look at how dog microchips work, some ways how they can help your pet, and why you should microchip your dog today.
