Deadly Dog Parasite Arrives in SoCal, Why Labs Overeat, AKC’s Annual Breed Rankings, and More!
Potentially fatal dog parasites have been found in the Colorado River near SoCal. photo: Steve Cole / Getty Images
No Splashing! Deadly Dog Parasite Found in SoCal’s Colorado River
If your travels are taking you to Southern California this spring, don’t let your pup swim in the Colorado River. Scientists at UC Riverside recently verified the presence of a deadly dog parasite, Heterobilharzia americana, commonly known as the liver fluke. This nasty little worm can cause an infection of a dog’s liver and intestines and is potentially fatal.
Common to Gulf Coast states, the liver fluke has never been found this far west before. It first came to the attention of local researchers when a number of dogs became ill after swimming in the Colorado River east of Joshua Tree National Park. Dogs can also become infected by drinking the river water.
Once infected, it may be several months before a dog’s worst symptoms appear, including loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss, all signs of liver disease. If your dog experiences any of these symptoms after swimming in the Colorado River, ask your vet for a fecal test. If caught in time, the infection can be treated.
The good news is that the liver fluke can’t cause disease in humans beyond an irritating swimmer’s itch. But if you’re traveling with your dog, you’ll probably want to cross the Colorado River off your list for now.
Source: scitechdaily.com
Pictured here is a Labrador (Latin: Foodus Houndus). photo: AdobeStock
Are You Going to Finish That? Science Unlocks Why Labs Overeat
Anyone who’s ever loved a Lab knows they’re notorious food hounds. Now researchers have found the problem is in their genes.
In fact, a quarter of all Labradors and a whopping 66% of Flat-Coated Retrievers have a genetic mutation that causes increased interest in food and the risk of obesity. British researchers found that a mutation in the POMC gene alters a pathway in the dogs’ brains associated with regulating body weight. The mutation seems to make dogs hungrier, and affected dogs have a far greater tendency to overeat than their slimmer brethren.
To make matters worse, dogs with the POMC mutation were found to use 25% less energy when at rest. Dr. Eleanor Raffan, who led the study at the University of Cambridge, noted that such pups face a double whammy. “They not only want to eat more but also need fewer calories because they’re not burning them off as fast.”
“People are often rude about the owners of fat dogs, blaming them for not properly managing their dogs’ diet and exercise,” observed Raffan. While it’s very difficult to keep these dogs slim, she advised owners to distract their pups from constant hunger by spreading out each daily food ration using puzzle feeders or scattering food around the yard so it takes longer to eat.
Will any of that stop a corpulent canine from begging for your sandwich? We doubt it. But at least you’ll know their food fixation isn’t entirely their fault.
Source: sciencedaily.com
Winston, a French Bulldog, competes during the 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. photo: Mary Altaffer / AP
They’re So Pupular! Look Who Won This Year’s AKC Breed Rankings
The American Kennel Club recently released its annual dog breed popularity rankings and, predictably, not everyone is happy with the results.
For starters, French Bulldogs are in first place for the second year in a row, renewing well-documented concerns about overbreeding that results in serious health problems for these little guys - not to mention a growing dog-napping problem, as prices for Frenchies continue to escalate.
Labradors are still holding down the second place spot, followed in order by Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Poodles, Dachshunds (hitting their highest ranking in two decades), Bulldogs, Beagles, Rottweilers, and German Shorthaired Pointers. The once exotic Cane Corso is also edging up, now in 16th place, no doubt helped by famous owners such as basketball star LeBron James and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Of course, AKC’s rankings are limited to the club’s own 200 recognized breeds. That means they don’t include our personal favorite – the Heinz 57 mutt – nor do they recognize deliberate hybrids such as the popular Doodle mixes.
Meanwhile, shelters across the U.S. continue to overflow with dogs seeking forever homes. According to Shelter Animals Count, roughly 3.2 million dogs were surrendered to shelter and rescue groups last year, while only 2.2 million were adopted. That leaves roughly a million dogs still in need of caring humans or facing potential euthanasia.
Even the AKC’s spokesperson, Hunter Munden, seems to recognize the problem. In addition to her own purebred dog, we’re happy to report that she’s also made room in her life for two rescue pups. So if you’re looking for a new friend, please remember: don’t shop – adopt!
Source: cbsnews.com
Dogs in Minnesota are training to be even better heros by detecting firearms at The Mall of America. photo: AdobeStock
Guns and Noses: K9s Train to Sniff Out Firearms
The Mall of America, that massive monument to consumerism, has routinely used K9s to detect explosives in the decades since 9/11. Now, after several high-profile shootings, the Minnesota shopping behemoth is training all eight of its security dogs to sniff out guns, a relatively new concept in the world of canine detection.
All dogs undergo an eight-week, in-house training course, during which they learn to identify every component of a firearm by smell. If they detect a weapon on a person, the dog will alert its handler by making a 90-degree turn and pulling. “None of our dogs do any kind of barking, any kind of bite work,” says Kenny McDonough, the mall’s Canine Lieutenant. They simply pinpoint the person who’s carrying the gun and let humans take care of the rest.
So far most of the guns detected have been carried by people who simply weren’t aware the mall doesn’t allow weapons. But mall officials believe the presence of gun-sniffing dogs will serve as a deterrent for anyone planning to come armed with ill intent.
It’s a sad world, indeed, where we have to ask our four-legged friends to do such things. But as elected leaders continue to look the other way amid rising gun violence, at least the dogs are on the job to make life a little saner and safer for us all.
Source: kstp.com
Sixty-nine dogs arrived at the ARK on Friday after being rescued in the West Bank. photo: Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
Happy Landings: J.F.K.’s ARK Welcomes Shelter Dogs from Strife-Torn West Bank
With no end in sight to the Mideast carnage, the ARK at New York’s J.F.K. Airport last month quietly welcomed a load of shelter dogs from the occupied West Bank where unrest has escalated since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7.
In mid-March, a plane touched down carrying 69 dogs, 10 from a shelter in Bethlehem, the rest from a West Bank rescue called Daily Hugz. Most had been abandoned and many had lost legs after being hit by cars. All were whisked into the ARK for a night of quiet rest before continuing to their new homes across the U.S.
The ARK at J.F.K. is a privately-owned, round-the-clock facility created to accommodate arriving animals of all kinds, including purebred horses and exotic zoo creatures. With 14 acres and 178,000 square feet of built space, it prepares animals who are flying out, ensuring they are calm, traveling in appropriate temperatures, and supplied with enough food and water. It also receives arriving animals, providing quarantines if needed, and setting them up for the next step of their journey, as it did with the West Bank pups.
Designed in consultation with noted animal scientist Temple Grandin, the facility includes dozens of kennels, three horse barns, a veterinary clinic, and rooms that can be set aside for avian quarantines. There are even areas that can be filled with water and frozen in case an itinerant penguin drops by. In short, the ARK can handle pretty much any creature that comes its way with the care and attention it needs.
So welcoming 69 refugee dogs from a strife-torn Middle East? Just another day in the life of the ARK at J.F.K.
Source: nytimes.com