Dog

The dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog was the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in human history. The word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species,as opposed to the word "bitch" for the female of the species.Dogs were domesticated from gray wolves about 15,000 years ago.They must have been very valuable to early human settlements, for they quickly became ubiquitous across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding,pulling loads, protection, assisting police and military, companionship, and, more recently, aiding handicapped individuals. This impact on human society has given them the nickname "Man's best friend" in the western world. In 2001, there were estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.

Over the 15,000 year span the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles. Through selective breedingby humans, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth. It is common for most breeds to shed this coat.

Physical characteristics

Coat

The coats of domestic dogs are of two varieties: "double" being common with dogs (as well as wolves) originating from colder climates, made up of a coarse guard hair and a soft down hair, or "single", with the topcoat only.Domestic dogs often display the remnants of countershading, a common natural camouflage pattern. A countershaded animal will have dark coloring on its upper surfaces and light coloring below,which reduces its general visibility. Thus many breeds will have an occasional "blaze", stripe, or "star" of white fur on their chest or underside.

Tail

There are many different shapes for dog tails: straight, straight up, sickle, curled, or cork-screw. In some breeds, the tail is traditionally docked to avoid injuries (especially for hunting dogs).In some breeds, puppies can be born with a short tail or no tail at all.This occurs more frequently in those breeds that are frequently docked and thus have no breed standard regarding the tail.

Types and breeds

While all dogs are genetically very similar, natural selection and selective breeding have reinforced certain characteristics in certain populations of dogs, giving rise to dog types and dog breeds. Dog types are broad categories based on function, genetics, or characteristics.Dog breeds are groups of animals that possess a set of inherited characteristics that distinguishes them from other animals within the same species. Modern dog breeds are non-scientific   classifications of dogs kept by modern kennel clubs. Purebred dogs of one breed are genetically distinguishable from purebred dogs of other breeds,but the means by which kennel clubs classify dogs is unsystematic. Systematic analyses of the dog genome has revealed only four major types of dogs that can be said to be statistically distinct.hese include the "old world dogs"(e.g., Malamute and Shar Pei), "Mastiff"-type (e.g., English Mastiff), "herding"-type (e.g.,Border Collie), and "all others" (also called "modern"- or "hunting"-type)

Health

Dogs are susceptible to various diseases, ailments, and poisons, some of which can affect humans. To defend against many common diseases, dogs are often vaccinated

.Some breeds of dogs are prone to certain genetic ailments such as elbow or hip dysplasia,blindness, deafness, pulmonic stenosis, cleft palate, and trick knees. Two serious medical conditions particularly affecting dogs are pyometra, affecting unspayed females of all types and ages, and bloat, which affects the larger breeds or deep-chested dogs. Both of these are acute conditions, and can kill rapidly. Dogs are also susceptible to parasites such as fleas, ticks, and mites, as well as hookworm, tapeworm, roundworm, and heartworm

Dogs are highly susceptible to theobromine poisoning, typically from ingestion of chocolate. Theobromine is toxic to dogs because although the dog's metabolism is capable of breaking down the chemical, the process is so slow that even small amounts of chocolate can be fatal, especially dark chocolate.

Dogs are also vulnerable to some of the same health conditions as humans, including diabetes, dental and heart disease, epilepsy, cancer, hypothyroidism, and arthritis.

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 Health risks to humans.

In the USA, cats and dogs are a factor in more than 86,000 falls each year.It has been estimated around 2% of dog-related injuries treated in UK hospitals are domestic accidents. The same study found that while dog involvement in road traffic accidents was difficult to quantify, dog-associated road accidents involving injury more commonly involved two-wheeled vehicles.

Toxocara canis (dog roundworm) eggs in dog feces can cause toxocariasis. In the United States, about 10,000 cases of Toxocara infection are reported in humans each year, and almost 14% of the US population is infected.In Great Britain, 24% of soil samples taken from public parks contained T. canis eggs.Untreated toxocariasis can cause retinal damage and decreased vision.Dog feces can also contain hookworms that cause cutaneous larva migrans in humans.

The incidence of dog bites, and especially fatal dog bites, is extremely rare in America considering the number of pet dogs in the country.Fatalities from dog bites occur in America at the rate of one per four million dogs.A Colorado study found bites in children were less severe than bites in adults.The incidence of dog bites in the US is 12.9 per 10,000 inhabitants, but for boys aged 5 to 9, the incidence rate is 60.7 per 10,000. Moreover, children 

have a much higher chance to be bitten in the face or neck.Sharp claws with powerful muscles behind them can lacerate flesh in a scratch that can lead to serious infections.

In the UK between 2003 and 2004, there were 5,868 dog attacks on humans, resulting in 5,770 working days lost in sick leave

Health benefits for humans

A growing body of research indicates the companionship of a dog can enhance human physical health and psychological wellbeing.Dog and cat owners have been shown to have better mental and physical health than nonowners, making fewer visits to the doctor and being less likely to be on medication than nonowners. In one study, new pet owners reported a highly significant reduction in minor health problems during the first month following pet acquisition, and this effect was sustained in dog owners through to the end of the study. In addition, dog owners tookconsiderably more physical exercise than cat owners and people without pets. The group without pets exhibited no statistically significant changes in health or behaviour. The results provide evidence that pet acquisition may have positive effects on human health and behaviour, and that for dog owners these effects are relatively long term.Pet ownership has also been associated with increased coronary artery disease survival, with dog owners being significantly less likely to die within one year of an acute myocardial infarction than those who did not own dogs.

The health benefits of dogs can result from contact with dogs, not just from dog ownership. For example, when in the presence of a pet dog, people show reductions in cardiovascular, behavioral, and psychological indicators of anxiety.The benefits of contact with a dog also include social support, as dogs are able to not only provide companionship and social support themselves, but also to act as facilitators of social interactions between humans.One study indicated that wheelchair users experience more positive social interactions with strangers when they are accompanied by a dog than when they are not.

The practice of using dogs and other animals as a part of therapy dates back to the late 18th century, when animals were introduced into mental institutions to help socialize patients with mental disorders. Animal-assisted intervention research has shown that animal-assisted therapy with a dog can increase a person with Alzheimer’s disease’s social behaviours, such as smiling and laughing.One study demonstrated that children with ADHD and conduct disorders who participated in an education program with dogs and other animals showed increased attendance, increased knowledge and skill objectives, and decreased antisocial and violent behavior compared to those who were not in an animal-assisted program.

  

As pets

“The most widespread form of interspecies bonding occurs between humans and dogs” and the keeping of dogs as companions, particularly by elites, has a long history.However, pet dog populations grew significantly after World War II as suburbanization increased. In the 1950s and 1960s, dogs were kept outside more often than they tend to be today (using the expression “in the doghouse” to describe exclusion from the group signifies the distance between the doghouse and the home) and were still primarily functional, acting as a guard, children’s playmate, or walking companion.From the 1980s, there have have been changes in the role of the pet dog, such as the increased role of dogs in the emotional support of their owners. People and dogs have become increasingly integrated and implicated in each other’s lives,to the point where pet dogs actively shape the way a family and home are experienced.

There have been two major trends in the changing status of pet dogs. The first has been the ‘commodification’ of the dog, shaping it to conform to human expectations of personality and behaviour.The second has been the broadening of the concept of the family and the home to include dogs-as-dogs within everyday routines and practices.

There are a vast range of commodity forms available to transform a pet dog into an ideal companion.

The list of goods, services and places available is enormous: from dog perfumes, couture, furniture and housing, to dog groomers, therapists, trainers and care-takers, dog cafes, spas, parks and beaches, and dog hotels, airlines and cemeteries.While dog training as an organized activity can be traced back to the 18th century, in the last decades of the 20th century it became a high profile issue as many normal dog behaviors such as barking, jumping up, digging, rolling in dung, fighting, and urine marking became increasingly incompatible with the new role of a pet dog.Dog training books, classes and television programs proliferated as the process of commodifying the pet dog continued.

The majority of contemporary dog owners describe their dog as part of the family, 

although some ambivalence about the relationship is evident in the popular reconceptualisation of the dog-human family as a pack. A dominance model of dog-human relationships has been promoted by some dog trainers, such as on the television program Dog whisperer,however it has been disputed that "trying to achieve status" is characteristic of dog–human interactions.Pet dogs play an active role in family life; for example, a study of conversations in dog-human families showed how family members use the dog as a resource, talking to the dog, or talking through the dog, to mediate their interactions with each other. Another study of dogs’ roles in families showed many dogs have set tasks or routines undertaken as family members, the most common of which was helping with the washing-up by licking the plates in the dishwasher, and bringing in the newspaper from the lawn.Increasingly, human family members are engaging in activities centred on the perceived needs and interests of the dog, or in which the dog is an integral partner, such as Dog dancing and Doga.

Cat 
The cat also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small furry
domesticated carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests. Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, and are currently the most popular pet in the world.Owing to their close association with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere on earth.
Cats are similar in anatomy  to the other felids, with strong, flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharp retractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey.As nocturnal predators, cats use their acute hearing and ability to see in near darkness to locate prey. Not only can cats hear sounds too faint for human ears, they can also hear sounds higher in frequency than humans can perceive. This is because the usual prey of cats (particularly rodents such as mice) make high frequency noises, so the hearing of the cat has evolved to pinpoint these faint high-pitched sounds. Cats rely more on smell than taste, and have a much better sense of smell than humans.


Despite being solitary hunters, cats are a social species and use a variety of vocalizations,pheromones and types of body language for communication. These include meowing, purring,trilling, hissing, growling, and grunting.


Cats have a rapid breeding rate. Under controlled breeding, they can be bred and shown as registered pedigree pets, a hobby known as cat fancy. Failure to control the breeding of pet cats by spaying and neutering and the abandonment of former household pets has resulted in large numbers of  feral cats worldwide, with a population of up to 60 million of these animals in the United States alone

Effects of pets' health 

Keeping animals as pets may become detrimental to their health if certain requirements are not kept. An important issue is the inappropriate feeding, which may produce clinical effects (like the consumption of chocolate by dogs).Passive smoking is another recurring problem, aggravated by the fact that fur animals groom themselves, which means taking in extra harmful substances that have landed on their fur, not just those inhaled.

Effects of pets on their caregiver's health

Health benefits

Pets have the ability to stimulate their caregivers, in particular the elderly, giving people someone to take care of, someone to exercise with,and someone to help them heal from a physically or psychologically troubled past.Having a pet may help people achieve health goals, such as lowered blood pressure, or mental goals, such as decreased stress.There is evidence that having a pet can help a person lead a longer, healthier life. In a study of 92 people hospitalized for coronary ailments, within a year 11 of the 29 without pets had died, compared to only 3 of the 52 who had pets. A recent study concluded that owning a pet can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 2% and that pets are better than medication in reducing blood pressure. Owning a pet can also prolong survival of a heart attack.Dogs which are trained to be guide dogs can help people with disabilities

Pets in long-term care institutions

Even pet owners residing in a long-term care facility, such as a hospice or nursing home, experience health benefits from pets. Pets for nursing homes are chosen based on the size of the pet, the amount of care that the breed needs, and the population and size of the care institution.Appropriate pets go through a screening process and, if it is a dog, additional training programs to become a therapy dog.Different pets require varying amounts of attention and care; for example, cats have lower maintenance requirements than dogs.

Choice of a pet
The average cost of a dog over it's lifetime is estimated at about £20,000 (USD33,152).People
most commonly get pets for companionship, to protect a home or property, or because of the 
beauty of the animals.The most common reasons for not owning a pet are lack of time, lack of 
suitable housing, and lack of ability to care for the pet when traveling.

United States

According to the 2007-2008 Pet Owners survey:

Animal	Number of U.S. households that own a pet (millions)	Total number of pets owned in the U.S. (millions)
Bird	6.0	15.0
Cat	38.2	93.6
Dog	45.6	77.5
Equine	3.9	13.3
Freshwater fish	13.3	171.7
Saltwater fish	0.7	11.2
Reptile	4.7	13.6
Small pets	5.3	15.9

Canada

In Canada the latest survey done by Colin Siren of Ipsos Reid it is estimated that there are 7.9 million cats and 5.9 million dogs in Canada. The survey also shows that 35% of Canadian households have a dog, while 38% have a cat, which is consistent with other surveys conducted around the world.

United Kingdom

A 2007 survey by the university of bristol found that 26% of UK households owned cats and 31% owned dogs, estimating total domestic populations of approximately 10.3 million cats and 10.5 million dogs in 2006.^[8] 47.2% of households with a cat had at least one person educated to degree level, compared with 38.4% of homes with dogs

How do I know if my cat has a fever?

If you notice that your cat is acting sluggish and refuses his food, you may want to check if he has a fever. The only way to determine this for sure is to check with a thermometer. Make sure someone restrains the cat while you take the animal’s rectal temperature.

Your cat’s normal resting temperature should be between one-hundred-point-five and one-hundred-two-point-five degrees. So if the mercury rises up to about one-hundred-three-degrees or more, call your veterinarian immediately. Your precious pet may have some kind of infection or inflammation. To determine the problem, your veterinarian will give your pet a thorough examination.

Bird Care

Caring for Your Bird

There’s more to getting a bird than simply buying a cage (although more on that below). Birds are delicate and complex creatures that need lots of loving care and attention to be happy and healthy. So don't be fooled, playing them Sesame Street to see their friend, Big Bird, or the film the Bird Cage doesn’t count for much.

Like with any pet, research the breed before bringing it home. This way there’ll be no surprises. Important things to pay attention to: genetic health risks, size, and the breed's personality traits. Some birds, for example, require much more care than others, even special foods. Then, once you find a breed that fits your lifestyle and personality, you can move on to the nitty-gritty.

Entertainment

Of course, while our feathered friends do make fun and beautiful additions to our homes, they need entertainment as well. No, you don’t need to do some stand up or learn some magic tricks (birds are not that demanding), but you may want to purchase some toys for your new pet. There are mirrors, climbing gyms, and chewing cuttlebones, all which are made especially for birds. Check out your local pet store for ideas.

- -  

Remember, most of the items and equipment listed above are just the bare essentials for bird care -- you must also provide a warm, loving home and interact with your new pet. Some birds, especially parrots, can live decades. So who knows? You may have just found yourself a lifelong friend.

Hibernating Bears Could Help Human Rescues

WASHINGTON - Hibernating bears are loud snorers. They go many months without food, even sustaining pregnancies in their winter slumber. A sudden noise may rouse them, briefly, but they barely budge otherwise.

So it might come as a surprise that scientists are studying how the bears' bodies work during hibernation in order to help doctors rescue people in trauma situations.

"Hibernating bears function pretty much like a closed system, all they need is air," said Brian Barnes of the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

By studying the bears' mastery of lowering their metabolic rate for five to seven months, researchers hope to find clues for saving the lives of people who suffer major medical traumas, like heart attacks or stroke.

Such traumas create "a problem of supply and demand. Your supply of oxygenated blood to your brain is quickly lowered but the demand stays high and you have to get to a hospital very quickly," Barnes said.

Bears also lost hardly any bone mass and only small amounts of muscle during hibernation.

"Though they are virtually immobile for five to six months, somehow they have tricked their tissue, their bones and muscle, to think that they are still doing work," said Barnes.

"So we are all very interested in finding out the molecular signals for that," he said. "The trick would be to find drugs that would emulate those same changes in humans."

Vet Confidential:    An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health     Louise Murray     13 Reviews     Random House Publishing Group, 2008 - Medical   From an experienced and highly respected authority in the veterinary world comes a       comprehensive must-have guide to everything you need to know to ensure high-quality  health care for your beloved animal companions.

Proven Pet Care for Pet Health

If you're like many pet lovers, your life pretty much revolves around your pets. Their happiness and wellbeing is as important as your own, so you provide the best pet care for you pet's health. We offer a wide variety of pet health information and healthy pet care products to keep your pets playful and purrfectly happy. Nothing is better than coming home to wagging tails and purring rubs on your legs! Discover information about adopting a pet, kitten care, pet travel, pet first aid, and compare pet health insurance. Find quality pet supplies from our online pet store.

Canine Distemper Virus 

For many years canine distemper virus was the most feared of the viral diseases affecting dogs.Parvovirus may have surpassed it in this regard but it is still a deadly virus that kills dogs and other members of the canine family. It is also infective to ferrets, mink, weasels and their kin among the Mustelidae family as well as raccoons, pandas and other members of the Procyonidae family. Recently it is believed to be the culprit in the death of a number of African lions.

Canine distemper virus is an RNA virus from the morbillivirus family. In humans, measles is caused by a member of this virus family. Distemper virus is more likely to affect puppies than older dogs. This is probably due immunity acquired through canine distemper virus vaccination or exposure to the virus naturally, leading to immunity. It can affect dogs of any age, though. It causes very variable clinical signs which makes ruling it out in a young sick dog a difficult process. In some dogs a transient fever, perhaps accompanied by a lack of appetite or mild depression may be the only signs of onset of distemper. Other dogs are affected by a systemic illness with nasal and ocular discharges, coughing, fever, depression, lack of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. It is not uncommon for dogs to have some but not all signs associated with this disease.

Can pets improve your mental health?

Conversations about cats seem to be all the rage at Mind at the moment. No, we're not expanding our remit; staff and volunteers who are proud pet owners are discussing the latest in pet psychology books.

From my point of view, it is animals or pets as therapy for either physical or mental health issues that is the topic, whether it be the option to get adog in Lewisham using your individual budget care allowance or swimming with dolphins to cure depression.

Read a little closer, and of course the questions start coming. A review of studies into dolphin-assisted therapy found that the studies were methodologically flawed and also failed to investigate any long term benefits. Another review of the link between pet ownership and health found that research this decade found no reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, no decrease in the use of primary care and no psychological or physical benefits to older people living in the community associated with pet ownership.

pets, support
and mental health

Pets are an amazingly helpful asset to the human species. We now have a large body of evidence that having a pet can help people out of depression and can help reduce anxiety. Pets can rekindle an individual's will to live and can provide real companionship. Pets -- dogs, cats, ferrets, parrots, horses, pigs, parakeets, doves, etc. -- can be emotionally supportive confidants, willing to listen to a human's problems in complete confidence. An animal, excitedly responding to it's human's return home, can make that human feel all the wamth and caring that a child, lover or close friend can offer.

Some animals require less care than others. Cats, for example, can be left alone in their home for several days as long as there is food and water and enough cat litter to provide for clean "relieving" for the duration of time. A dog requires more care -- needing walking twice a day usually. 

Pets and mental wellness 

Pets have been proven to have a positive influence on our physical and mental health. Owning a pet can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease. But research has found that pets are also therapeutic for people with mood and anxiety disorders and other psychiatric disorders.

Pet ownership provides many mental health benefits:

• Pets can help ease loneliness or isolation. They accept us for who we are and don't judge us.
• Physical contact is important to our mental health. Stroking and cuddling with a pet is therapeutic.
• Animals improve our mood with their companionship. We're also likely to laugh and feel more playful when we share our home with a pet.
• Pet owners are more active. The exercise we get from walking, feeding and grooming a pet keeps our minds healthy.
• Routine is beneficial in enhancing emotional stability. Caring for a pet provides a predictable routine and link to reality.

Your dog can be a valuable part
of your support system

Learn how to incorporate your dog into your recovery process with tips from Support Partners: Canine Companions. This new program, sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company and the Psychiatric Service Dog Society offers a brochure with information about the benefits of dogs and easy, practical ways pet owners can immediately work with their dogs to include them in their support network.

The Canine Companions program is part of Support Partners, a national educational campaign co-sponsored by the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) that aims to open the lines of communication about depression and encourages a support-team approach to overcoming depression.

Visit Support Partners for free guidebooks on including your dog as part of your support team and other topics about depression.