Inside This Issue:
- Animals and Allergies
- Is Your Dog One of the 99% with a Behavioral Problem?
- News Bites: Fossil Find, Cat Sanctuary Fire Deemed "Not Suspicious," Pets as Children
Animals and Allergies
Clean but not too clean.
The evolution of animal care in zoos has revealed some fascinating insights into animal health and human medicine. Take Siku, a male polar bear at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. When he developed mysterious skin problems in 2018, the zoo's veterinary team didn’t just treat his symptoms. They conducted detailed allergy testing that revealed he was sensitive to everything from house mites to human hair. A few decades ago, this level of specialized care would have been unthinkable.
The story of Siku highlights how far we've come in understanding and treating animals under human care. Modern zoos have become living laboratories where veterinarians and researchers can closely monitor health conditions that might go unnoticed in the wild. This hands-on approach has led to groundbreaking discoveries about animal immune systems, allergies, and the complex relationship between environment and health. The intensive care provided in zoos has also uncovered a paradox: animals can be so well-protected that they develop conditions rarely seen in their wild counterparts. This phenomenon mirrors what we see in modern human populations, where extremely clean environments contribute to increased allergy rates.
This observation has led to valuable insights about immune system development in both animals and humans – discoveries that wouldn't be possible without the dedicated hands-on care provided by zoo staff.
When animals develop health issues, teams can now offer sophisticated treatments similar to human medicine. For instance, veterinarians have successfully adapted allergy immunotherapy for various species, from polar bears to rhinoceros. In Siku's case, they even developed an innovative treatment delivery method using honey to administer his allergy medication. The research conducted at zoological institutions has revolutionized our understanding of animal health care, enabling us to develop better treatment protocols for both captive and wild animals. Their work demonstrates that the more closely we study and care for animals, the better equipped we are to protect the health of, well – everybody.
Source: Meet Siku, the itchy polar bear: How allergies are affecting animals
Is Your Dog One of the 99% with a Behavioral Problem?
An Akita pup taking pride in a job well done.
Does your dog have behavioral issues? If not, consider yourself a lucky one-percenter! A new study out of Texas A&M found that a whopping 99% of dogs have some form of behavioral problem. Now, framing the issue this way definitely raises hackles and guarantees a lot of clicks, which was no doubt the intent of the “99%” headline (this is not a criticism – we’re doing it, too). But along with the sweeping statement of this study are several neat details.
First off, this study serves as a reminder of a simple truth: pets are living creatures with minds and wills of their own, and almost sure to possess at least one behavior that annoys the heck out of their owners. That’s just life. Secondly, “bad” behaviors are rarely dangerous for people or other pets – barking and peeing on the rug are annoying, but it’s not going to land anyone in the ER.
Another interesting facet of pet behavior is that individuals may view various behaviors very differently based on their own perceptions and tolerance levels. For example, take Bob and Anne, a married couple who own Reba, a super clingy Chihuahua mix who barks at anything that moves past their home, and often pees on the carpet. Bob is driven batty by Reba’s barking but finds her clinginess endearing and doesn’t even notice all the pee stains. Meanwhile, Anne actually appreciates that Reba barks whenever anyone comes to the home, and is currently scheduling a trip to the vet in the hopes of solving Reba’s urinary incontinence. Things that one pet owner views as bad behavior may be a useful service or a sign of health problems to another.
Source: More than 99% of US dogs have a behavior problem, Texas A&M researcher finds
News Bites: Fossil Find, Cat Sanctuary Fire Deemed "Not Suspicious," Pets as Children
Firefighter and kitty stock photo.
Scientists in Wyoming have uncovered and published a study on the fossilized remains of dozens of alligator-sized amphibians that died together 230 million years ago. When it comes to the death of Mesozoic critters, dinosaurs and asteroids hog the spotlight, and understandably so. But these new findings provide a unique opportunity to study a large number of ancient animals in great detail, while also providing valuable clues about the Triassic ecosystem.
The fire marshal says the cause of Monday’s blaze that destroyed Long Island’s Happy Cat Sanctuary is “undetermined,” but it is also not viewed as suspicious. The fire killed over 100 cats, and claimed the life of the sanctuary’s owner, Chris Arsenault, who died trying to rescue as many of the cats as he could. Due to the unknown nature of the fire, as well as various disagreements Arsenault had with his neighbors, police had been looking into the possibilities of arson and homicide. Mr. Arsenault was somewhat eccentric, widely beloved throughout the community, and always put his money – and ultimately, his life – where his mouth was when it came to rescuing cats.
In general, when a country’s fertility rates trend downward, its number of pet dogs increases. In some Western countries, pet dogs now exceed the number of children, a dramatic demographic switcharoo that raises the question: are dogs the West’s new children? OK first, pause for a moment. Breathe. Alright, now that the hissing from the anti-fur baby brigade has died down, let’s explore this.
No, dogs are not children, nor is there a causal relationship between dogs and declining human birth rates. However, in many modern Western countries, the material costs of child-rearing have spiraled out of control, and this has been coupled with a breakdown of the social bonds and support systems that traditionally helped people raise their children. It is possible that this one-two punch has led some people to transfer their caregiving instincts toward pets, rather than other human beings. In other words, many people feel a natural “parental” desire to care for and nurture another living being but feel like they’ll simply never have the time or resources to properly raise a human child. A new research paper calls this the “companion-dog cultural-runaway theory,” and suggests that the growing number of pet dogs may even have various contradictory influences on human fertility.
Also in the News...
★ How Earth's rarest horse — once extinct in the wild — ended up on Colorado ranch (Surprise!)
★ We’ve got your daily fix of adorable baby animal photos (Admit It: You Need This)
★ Valley shelter waiving adoption fees for most adult dogs (Rescue & Shelter Opportunities)
★ Kentucky man, animals unharmed after tornado nearly rips barn in half (Terrible Weather, Wonderful Luck)
★ Brazilian rescue center returns trafficked animals to the wild (Wildlife Rescue & Reintroductions)
★ Woman arrested after 98 animals found living ‘without food or water’ at Oconee Co. home (Sheep, Chickens, Dogs, Exotics, and Neglect)
★ Students learn about the life cycle from campus farm animals (Hands-On Education)
★ Can You Identify At Least 7 Of These Animals Based On Their Tail? (Quiz Time; We Scored Better on This One than the Eye Quiz)
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