bozackt asked:

Kizzy, our 8 year old Bengal cat, can do dog tricks. He can do more tricks than are shown on the video, but Linda ran out of treats.

NORMAND

AW2 asked:


I have broughten my dog to the vet a number of times because she seems to have a sensative stomach. The vet said nothing seems wrong. She throws up a couple times a week. Is there a type of dog food that will help this?

HARRY

Kayye Nynne asked:


The prevalence of genetic disease in dogs today can only be described as alarmingly common which is bad news for dog owners and dog lovers alike. The following is a list to illustrate the magnitude of the problem:

1. On average all dogs carry at least 4-5 defective genes.

2. Over 500 genetic diseases have been identified in dogs.   

3. Hip Dysplasia (HD) (an inherited orthopedic disease that may result in the dog becoming lame) commonly occurs in 60 dog breeds and occurs less frequently in another 110 breeds; thus this disease is seen in over 170 breeds of dog.

4. 119 dog breeds are commonly afflicted with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), a disease that quite often leads to blindness in the affected animal.

5. Of all the dog breeds the Poodle suffers from the most number of genetic diseases…145! The reason why the Poodle is predisposed to so many genetic diseases is because not only are there 3 distinct sizes of Poodle in this breed, the large count of disease is a reflection of the popularity of this dog breed. By and large a good rule of thumb is, the more popular a dog breed the greater the number of genetic diseases inherent in that breed.

6. Several popular dog breeds are linked to over 100 genetic diseases.

7. These days dog breeders spend well over $500,000,000 annually in an effort to address this disturbing trend of genetic disease in man’s best friend.

As it is all the various dog breeds that exist today were artificially created; in other words each and every dog breed was selectively bred for a particular trait, be it coat color, coat length, sniffing ability, shortness of stature (miniatures), ****** appearance and so forth…the list is virtually endless. The means by which those desired traits were obtained was to selectively breed that population of dogs that most strongly exhibited the desired trait; a breeding strategy that is otherwise known as inbreeding!

Gene Pool And Population Factors

A population may be described as a breeding group that possesses gene continuity from one generation to the next. Currently a growing body of dog experts believe that the dog evolved as a new species from the wolf to occupy a developing niche about 15,000 years ago. That developing niche revolved around human waste dumps; opportunistic wolves began inhabiting those waste dumps for easily available food supplies.

All told, 15,000 years on the evolutionary scale is an extremely brief period for a new species to evolve from another, suggesting that there must have been a considerable amount of inbreeding amongst those opportunistic waste-dump-frequenting wolves to propagate the tameness trait in so short a time span! Compounding this issue of limited genetic pool, a growing number of dog researchers now believe that the original genetic ancestry of the dog evolved from only three female wolves that inhabited China several thousand years ago (the so called eves of dog evolution).

The important point to note here is that even before mankind began his intensive trait-specific breeding program of the dog, and due to its unorthodox super-accelerated evolution, the dog gene pool right from the get go was rather limited!

Development Of A Dog Breed

By its very nature the development of a new dog breed involves a considerable amount of inbreeding to magnify and evolve the desired trait(s) characteristic of that new breed. However this process results in a considerable number of undesired results. If we consider the Dalmatian, a breed of dog characterized by its distinctive pattern of spots, somewhere along the line during that process of selecting for the spotted pattern trait, Dalmatian dog breeders unknowingly and unintentionally also bred this dog for an abnormal uric acid gene!

By the time people realized that there was a very serious problem in the Dalmatian, this dog breed was homozygous for the abnormal uric acid gene! (Homozygous refers to identical pairs of genes that manifest as an observable trait as opposed to non-identical gene pairs known as heterozygous that confer no observable trait; i.e., recessives). This unwanted side effect means that Dalmatians are perhaps the only breed of dog that is predisposed to urine stones (from excessive levels of uric acid), a debilitating urinary tract condition. In an effort to rectify this problem the Dalmatian line was subsequently crossbred with various Pointer breeds to eliminate the inherent homozygotic uric acid gene whilst still maintaining the spotted pattern that defines the Dalmatian dog.



Gene Linkage

The abnormal elevated levels of uric acid in the Dalmatian associated with the spotting-pattern gene, is a classic case of gene linkage. Linkage is said to occur when genes expressing different properties are located on the same chromosome and are inherited as a unit. In fact the occurrence of gene linkage probably explains how the dog morphologically (shape wise) differentiated from the wolf so dramatically and so quickly; the gene that expressed the tameness trait was linked to genes that expressed other properties such as floppy ears, change in coat color, barking or simply put properties characteristic of today’s domesticated dog.

The bottom line here is that selective breeding for a particular trait (as happens whenever a new dog breed is being developed) carries the inherent risk of magnifying the expression of unwanted defective genes that would otherwise rarely occur under natural circumstances.



Genetic Diversity

During the process of natural selection genetic diversity is maintained, but contrastingly in selective breeding the opposite holds true; genetic diversity is reduced! Recent studies have revealed that genetic variation occurs frequently in normal populations of any species and that even those genes that are deleterious and defective are preserved in the gene pool as so-called recessive genes (recessive gene traits are not visibly apparent unlike dominant genes). It is now believed that such genetic variability confers adaptive properties to a population in the event of extreme environmental change.

Thus mutative genes that confer minimal benefit today could play a significant future role in the survival of the species in which it occurs. This could explain why defective or mutative genes are preserved as recessive genes in a population’s gene pool. A good example illustrating the beneficial role recessive genes can confer to a population is the case of the English Peppered moth.

Like a large number of insects the Peppered moth relies on its color to camouflage it from predators. The dominantly prevalent grayish color of the Peppered moth allows it to blend in with its environment which so happen to be tree trunks and lichen of like color. Although lighter and darker shades of the moth exist, few of such individuals survive for the simple reason their camouflaging abilities are less effective.

However with the advent of the industrial revolution in the late 19th century the resultant pollution darkened the tree trunks such that the minority recessive trait which conferred a darker shade of gray to the moths became dominant because such moths were then better able to avoid predation. As pollution levels subsequently decreased the tree trunks gradually reverted to their normal color and so also did the color of the Peppered moth revert back to its pre-industrialization gray. Thus once again the recessive dark-gray color in the moth reverted to its usual minority role!

Combating Dog Genetic Disease

Because almost every single dog possesses at least 4 defective genes (no matter whether it’s a purebred or mixed breed) unless strong active measures are taken the problem of dog genetic disease can only get worse. Such strong effective measures by necessity require the participation of everyday dog owners and not just dog breeders or dog researchers!

Dog Genome Project Wants Your Dog’s Blood!

The Canine Genome Sequencing Project (Dog Genome Project based at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT in Boston) has sequenced the dog genome in its entirety. One of their priority goals now is to identify the genes responsible for causing dog genetic diseases, defective genes, carrier states of hereditary disease and much more. Through using the powerful resource of the sequenced dog genome, the good folks at the Dog Genome Project hope to reverse the widespread prevalence of genetic disease in dogs worldwide.

However to achieve that noble goal they need your help! How?

Well the only means by which recessive genes and carrier states can be identified is at the genetic level (genotype) and not by visual observation of recognizable morphological traits (phenotype). To do this the Dog Genome Project staff need a large number of dog samples to analyze and that is where you, as a dog owner, can play a significant role by sending them a blood sample of your dog.

More about the dog

For more information about how to help alleviate dog genetic disease go to:

http://www.broad.mit.edu/mammals/dog



CLIFFORD

cagirl2006 asked:


There is a old woman and her daughter who walk their 3 dogs in our neighborhood six times a week. They have a german shepard and two
smaller dogs they allow their dogs to **** in people’s yards. Tonight,
the mother let her dog **** in my yard and didn’t clean up the poopl.
What should I do? I tried talking to them but it doesn’t do any good.

MOHAMMED

wildcat137 asked:


My dog does not usually bark at other dogs when we are out but barks at any dog that is walking down the street when she is in the house. I tell her no but she does not respond. She continues to stay at the window and bark. If I try to approach her she runs and then attempts to go back to the window. She will sometimes jump on the door to go out when another dog is outside or has passed. How can I stop her from doing this?

TERRENCE

Dog Science asked:


Don’t end up with a £5,000 fine by getting it wrong, everyone should read this!

 

Many of us in the UK love to spoil our pets with various accessories like coats, jumpers, ‘doggles’ and even shoes! One of the most important things however that should not be neglected or forgotten is a Pet ID Tag.

Pet Identification not only makes sense (in case you pet gets lost) but also is a LEGAL requirement in the UK!

The law requires your to have your name, address (including postcode) and ideally phone number on the pet identification.

“The Control of Dogs Order 1992 mandates that any dog in a public place must wear a collar with the name and address (including postcode) of the owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag. Your telephone number is optional (but advisable).” [ref Kennel Club website]

If you don’t follow the law with this, you could risk a £5,000 fine!!

In our opinion, the BEST way to get your pet identification all wrapped up, is to take our 5 step plan…

Get your pet microchipped

Get yourself a quality engraved pet ID tag disc. Ideally ensure it’s a nice thick disc, with quality engraving (not cheap scratch engraving like you might find in help yourself pet shops). Add your name and address. And hopefully if space, phone number. Also if you can, add a line like “I am microchipped”.

Ensure the tag is attached to the collar with a high quality split ring. Don’t use one that has a cheap round metal attachment which will eventually bend and allow the tag to come loose from the collar!

Get an embroidered personalised dog collar with your name and phone number. This ensure that if for some reason the tag has come loose from the collar, or an old person who cant read the small engraving text, can still easily find your phone number from the large text embroidery on the collar!

Check the details are up to date at regular intervals, if you move, change name, or phone number then get your pet identification updated immediately.



 

Best Pet Collars sell personalised custom embroidered dog collars and have a fantastic range of pet ID tags which can be with you in less than a week from ordering.



EDGAR

earlsgirl0601 asked:


My wonderful dog of 10 years got sick suddenly and had to be put to sleep. My other dog is lost without her and needs a playmate. What should I do?

SPENCER

rexthedog1980 asked:

Our new DIY video!! cardboard all the way!!! And glue, and planning…. Rexthedog.net Catch a live AV Set from Rex at Matter, London on Feb 7th!! matterlondon.com

NUMBERS

Philippa C asked:


I have 2 cats and 2 rabbits and am really hoping to get a dog. Can anyone suggest any dog breeds that may or may not get along with my other pets? Or possibly how I can train the dog to not attack or bother the cats and rabbits? Thanks guys.

LAZARO

WHATTHEBUCKSHOW asked:

Thanks for RATING / COMMENTING / FAVING! Please subscribe for more! Comment Questions of the Day: 1. Has this ever happened to you -ruining your amazing video? 2. Adam Lambert or Danny Gokey? 3. Who will win Dancing with the Stars? Make an early prediction! Bonus video on IDOL (my real thoughts LOL) and Dancing with the Stars cast! http://www.buckhollywood.com/american-idol-dancing-with-the-stars-thoughts This was supposed to be a What the Buck about American Idol and Dancing with the Stars …

REFUGIO