dog – BioQuakes

Cancer in dogs is not an uncommon thing. While unfortunate, about 1 in 4 dogs unexpectedly develop cancer throughout their lifetime. Scientists have recently raised the question of the possibility of predicting when a dog might develop cancer. Veterinary Oncologist and researcher Andi Flory and her team at PetDX (pet-diagnostics firm) began research to find out if certain traits and factors are associated with a dog’s development of cancer.

As an AP Biology Class, we have gained a significant amount of background information on cancer as a result of our studies throughout this unit. Cancer in dogs is very similar to cancer in humans. As we know from class, when a cell becomes cancerous, it divides uncontrollably, and its DNA becomes damaged as a result of some form of mutation (as a result of radiation, high fat, etc.). Unlike a healthy cell, a cancer cell does not stop dividing when it is crowded, and through metastasis, cancer cells travel through the blood system and create tumors. Cancer treatment for both dogs and humans can also be very similar, one major example (similarity) being chemotherapy, a process in which chemicals attempt to kill the fast-spreading cancer cells in a living organism.

After using data and samples from three previous studies, one at University of California- Davis combined with Colorado State University, the second at Ohio State University, and the last at the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Flory and her team concluded their results. They concluded that the median age for cancer development and discovery in dogs was approximately 8.8 years old, with the males being slightly younger than females during cancer diagnosis. They found that neutered and spayed dogs, on average, were diagnosed later than those who have not been “fixed.” With regards to breeds, the study found that West Highland White Terriers and American Staffordshire Terries formed cancer the latest out of all breeds, and Mastiffs and Saint Bernards formed cancer the earliest compared to other breeds. These results may be useful to anyone looking to get or adopt a new dog.

As a result of this study, specifically the fact that, on average, the younger ages of cancer diagnosis in dogs was around 7 years old, veterinarians recommend that dog owners begin cancers screening right around the 7 years-old-mark. While there isn’t enough technology yet to detect cancers at very early stages, scientists and veterinarians still say that it is better to begin cancer checkups early rather than later. As a dog owner, I agree with the fact that cancer screenings in dogs should start earlier rather than later. Even though it might be an added expense, if cancer happens to be detected earlier, the dog will begin treatment sooner, and the chance for recovery increases.

If you like dogs or happen to be a dog owner, you may have heard that when a dog wags its tail, it’s showing signs of happiness and friendliness. Well, a research on the communication between dogs in 2007 indicates that the direction to which the dog wags its tail is also significant in indicating a dog’s mood. The Italian researchers discovered that a wag of the tail to the left demonstrates negative emotions, while a wag to the right conveys more positive emotions.

Photo taken by author

Recently, another study published by Current Biology furthered this case. It is reported that when dogs watch videos or other dogs wagging its tails, when the video shows a wag tail to the left, the dog reacts with anxiety with a higher heartbeat; when the video shows a wag to the right, however, the dog reacts more calmly.

This is because emotions are related to either the left or right side of the brain, and a left-brain activation leads to a wag to the right, while a right-brain activation leads to a wag to the left.

This is significant because it is one way that dogs may communicate to one another. So next time when you see a dog wagging its tails, you know that it’s showing more emotion than just happiness.

Original Article: A Dog’s Tail Wag Says a Lot, to Other Dogs

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/science/a-dogs-tail-wag-can-say-a-lot.html

BioQuakes

AP Biology class blog for discussing current research in Biology

Tag: dog

Can Cancer in Dogs be Predicted?

Understanding Communication between Dogs

Archives