Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Expert fnformatfon on medicine. behavlofondhealth from aworld leaderin veterinary medicine Voi ...'0. "'0 ., -0- JVy 20:(; Short Takes 2 Is it Dementia or Normal Aging? Anew ~tudy debunk~ the myth that blade dog~ watt longer for adoption. Medical signs such as decreased mobility can be visible, The Parasite Lurking in Water 3 while cognitive changes like disorientation are more subtle Romping in rivers, lakes and moist soil can expose dogs to giardia. t's no longer unusual for related to CCD by reach­ Their Age in Human Years 5 I large dogs to reach the ing 15 years of age, with large breeds are considered gerlatri( age of 15 ­ the equiv­ nearly 70 percent ofgeri­ at 6years of age, small dogs at 7. alent of a 93 -year­ atric dogs shOWing mental Ask the Experts 8 old person ­ and dysfunction. Maddie's response when Gracie wakes even beyond. But up cranky may be asign of appeasement. while advances in Early Recognition. veterinary medi­ We are trying to recognize IN THE NEWS ••• cine have added cognitive dysfunction Research Suggests Dogs years to dogs' lives, earlier and more often they can come at a rather than accepting Have Measurable IQs price. Some aging dogs can _ changes as 'just being As tudy from the London SchOO develop canine cognitive ~ old,'" says Brian Glenn of Economics and Political Science dysfunction (CCD), similar i Collins, DVM, section and the University of Edinburgh ! to Alzheimer's in people. !i chief of the Community proposes dog s have measurable Studies indicate more • Practice Service at Cornell intelligence. Researchers assessed 68 Medinl and nutritional help than 40 percent of dogs dis­ Is uvallable (or dementlJ. University College of working Border Coll ies in navigating, play at least one symptom Veterinary Medicine. timing how qUick ly theyfou nd hid­ (continued on a e 4) den food, differentiating between quantities of food and following a human poinUng to an object. AHealing Art Heads Mainstream When human IQ is rested, individua!<;. perform well across Veterinary schools teach acupuncrure as ,.In'' -,.,..' ,.; •.,..t ----~ differ ent ta sks. Dogs who did we ll on one of their res ts tended to be therapy grows in popularity to treat a variety ofconditions better on others. Those who com­ ick, a 12-year-old mixed breed, is a regular tinence and developed an adverse reaction pleted tests quickly were likely to do them more accurately. N patient at Cornell University College of to medication. Three years ago, her owners The si gnificance: Studying a Veterinary Medicine. Everyone week to two took her for regular acupuncture treatments species that doesn't smoke, drink, weeks, his owners take him to receive e1ec­ offered by Polly Fleckenstein, DVM, at the use recreational drugs or have differ­ troacupuncture treatments for his aches and Veterinary Medlcal Center of Central New ences in education and income may mobility problems related to chronic arthritis. York in East Syracuse. help us understand the link between "He develops a spring in his step after intelligence and health, researchers each treatment: says Joseph Wakshlag, Marked Improvement. "Within two say in the journal fmelhgence, adding DVM, Ph.D., chief of the Sports Medicine months of weekly treatments, there was a that b(lght people live longe r. and Rehabilitation Service at the University Significant decrease in Sophie's leaking," Their subjects ­ Border Collies Hospital for Animals. He and Curtis Dewey, says Dr. Fleckenstein, a Cornell graduate - are ranked as the smartest dogs DVM , are board-certified in acupuncture certified in veterinary acupuncture and among 11 0 breeds, followed by and provide the therapy for dogs. veterinary spinal manipulation therapy. Poodles and German Shepherd Dogs, Sophie, an 8-year-old Labrador Retriev­ "In the past 18 months, she has leaked according to 200 obedience judges .... er, had a lifetime history of urinary incon­ only three times and now needs to come in (continued on page 6) DOGWatch SHORT TAKES Study Debunks Myth EDITOR IN CHIEF William H. Miller, Jr., VMD, of Black Dog Syndrome Dlpl ACVD, Professo r. It'sconventional wisdom among shelter Cli nical Sciences workers: Black dogs wait longer to be adopted EDITOR Betty Liddick than dogs of other colors. But a recent study ART DIRECTOR published in the journal Animal Welfare suggests Mary Francis McGavic that it's a myth - or at least that it's no longer ADVISORY BOARD true. Christy L Hoffman, Ph.D., assistant profes­ James A. Flanders. DVM. Dlpl ACVS. ASSOCiate Professor, sor at Ca nisius College in Buffalo, N. Y, exam­ ClinICal SCiences ined four years of adoption records for nearly Katherine A. Houpt, VMD, Ph D., Blac..k dogs "'ave short2r sheHer stays betafe 3dop­ Dl pl ACV8, Emerit us 16,700 dogs at two animal shelters in the Pacific (Ion, accordl09 (0 iI survey o( 16)00 records. Pro fessor of Behavior MediCine Northwest. She focused on dogs between 1 Joseph Wakshlag, MS, DVM, PhD., and 13 yearsold. Puppies and young dogs, Dlpl ACVN. Associate Profe ss or, Clinical Nutrition known to be adopted faster, were excluded. success if they were not promoted, th en lhese Margaret C. McEntee. DVM. The surprising result: Black dogs have resources could be better spent promoting O'pl A(vIM, OAC VR, other animals in the organization that are over­ Professor of Oncology shorter shelter stays compared to dogs of dif­ Meredith L. Miller, DVM, DIp AcvIM ferent coiors, 'In the first shelter, the average looked; Dr. Hoffman says , l ectuler. Small Animal MediCine leng th of time a dog was available for adop­ lenl K. Kaplan, MS, DVM tions was seven days, while black dogs were Bad Year for Parasites Lecturer. Community Practice Service out in six-and-a- half days: Dr. Hoffman says, The Companion Animal Parasite CounCil "At a second shel ter, the average length of stay gazed into its crystal ball and didn't like what Cornell University for a dog was lOY, days, while black dogs were it sees. Lyme disease and other tick-related ill­ College of Veterinary Medicine out in nine." nesses? Worse in places. The risk of heartworm I> The study also concluded that age and infection? Above average nationwide, The For information on pet health, vi sit the Corn eii University breed group were more important than coa t organization's computer models for the res t of College ofVetefinary Medlone color for adoptability. For example, so-called 2016 predict growing threat s to dogs and cats website at www vet cornell edu bully breeds, which can include American pit from a number of vector-borne diseases. bull terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and 'We use our annual forecast to help veteri­ Staffordshire Bull Terriers, face dispropor tion­ narians and pet owners understand paraSites ately longer stays in shel ters, are a true fisk to borh pets and people: said Dr, Hoffman told the webs ite Companion CAPC President Susa n Li n Ie, DVM, PhD . et-gWorch' (\sSN. 1098­ Animal Psychology that while finding no evi­ CA PC tracks and maps cases of tick- _ 2G~9) IS published mO'lthly for $39 pc. I year dence of Black Dog Syndrome, "We did find borne disease, intestinal parasi tes and h C'an ~ by BeNoir Medii! Group, -=1 l lC, 535 CWn€{tK:ut that shelter outcomes tended to be worse for worm using test results collected by Idexx Belvoi r A"., Norwalk, a 068S4­ 1713 RGOerr Fn gl¥ \d('I, brindle [brown] dogs and, not surprisin gly, bully Laboratories Inc and Acrech Dia gnostics. Ch alrmanandCEO; Tlrnothy ! COif', ExecutIVe Vice Presldffit. Fdrtonal breeds, A relatively recent paper by Brown, et Res ults are continually updated at www.ca p­ Director, Philip L Penny, G ller Operating al (2013) also concluded that black dogs do not cvetorg. Lyme disease ha s been con lirmed Officer,GrPg King, b(l.'(.1.Jtive VI~ Pr5ldenLMarketing Dlre<:t{)(, Ron have worse than average shelter outcomes ," thiS yea r in I in 16 US dogs, or nearly 35,000 GoldberG, Chief F l nan ci~1 Officer. Tom Canfield. Vtee President U'( \Jli](lOn Dr. Hoffman allows that Black Dog pets out of more than a half-million tested. Q2016 Bel voir Media Group. U C Syndrome might have once been a mOle uni­ With heartworm, just over I percent of the 16 Postm"ster: Send address COI rl:'(: tions to DogWiI : . P.O Box 8535, olg Siw'ldy, TX versal problem that has improved because of million dogs tested were posllive. 75755·8535 education and marketing. She hopes shelters For the year, CAPC predicts growing risk For Customer Service or Subscription Information, VISit and resc ue groups will examine their data to of Lyme disease in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and www.dogwatchnewsletter.com/cs or call toll free tlOO- 829-5574 make sure education and marketing efforts Kentucky as ticks expand their ra nge,Th e Exp ress written pe rm l1~l o n i~ are being directed appropriately, "If a shelter New England states - traditionally ground reqUiTed tu rcp rodvcc,ln any manner, me COntenTSof thiSIssue, invests efforts in promoting black dogs when, zerO for Ly me - should see below average e; thcr in full or In part, rol' more information. writE' to Petmlssions, in fact, bla ck dogs might have the same infection rates. <­ DogWatch', 535 Connecticut Ave., Nor walk, Connecticut 06854-171 3 2 DOGWatch JULY 10 16 MEDICINE The Parasite Lurking in Water Romping in rivers, lakes, ponds and moist soil can expose dogs to a giardia infection very time yo u let yo ur dog splash Giardia is a one-celled parasite that's Ethrough a puddle in the woods or visible under a microscope as a flat park or swim in a pond, you fun the droplet shape with flagella , whip-like risk he will pick up an uninvited guest: structures that help it mOve.