Issue #81

Did you know…. While Holidays can be fun for us, they can add immense amounts of stress to your dog, which may cause anxiety. Here are some activities you may be able to use to reduce that unsettling feeling.

Available until December 26th ONLY, here’s the current line up:

🦌 Elk Shoulder

🐷 Pork Liver

🐠 Smelt

🐮 Beef Aorta

🦆 Duck Neck

🐄 Cow Ear (with fur)

🐷 Pig Foot

With the holidays coming quicker and quicker every year, it’s easy to forget about the four-legged shadow at your feet. No worries! We have all those critters covered for any holiday or gift giving occasion! Just pop on over to our gift site and grab a one time box for any canine (or feline) in need of a little extra spoiling.

Pro tip: RDB members get FREE SHIPPING on gift orders, too!

Pets’ impact on the human gut microbiome is being explored. Researchers at the University of Penn. school of Veterinary Medicine are set to investigate whether pets could be a source of microbiota that can help restore deficiencies in their owner’s gut microbiome. “A growing number of studies have documented the ability of animal contact to impact the human microbiome in ways that may help prevent certain types of disease, such as cardiovascular disease and asthma.”

Inbred dog breeds share as much genetic material as siblings. In a recent study, an international team of researchers showed that the majority of canine breeds are highly inbred, contributing to an increase in disease and health care costs throughout their lifespan. The average inbreeding based on genetic analysis across 227 breeds was close to 25%, or the equivalent of sharing the same genetic material with a full sibling.

Experts are warning against the ‘bark at your dog’ TikTok trend. An expert broke down the body language of the dogs in these videos, pointing out their wide eyes, pinned back ears, curled lips, bared teeth, low slow tail wags and stillness. In some clips, the dogs are seen licking their owners' faces manically. Although some of these actions are indicators of discomfort, they are often confused with signs of happiness—particularly the slow tail wag. "A slow tail wag, often held low or under the body, is more likely to be showing uncertainty and worry."

Comparing human and canine oral tumors may speed up new therapies. Recent Cornell research compared the genetic expression profiles of a nonlethal canine tumor and the rare, devastating human oral tumor it resembles, laying the groundwork for potential translational medicine down the road. .

A veterinarian's perspective on cannabinoids for pets. Cannabinoids are shown in both pre-clinical and clinical studies to aid in arthritis-related pain management, seizure control, and anxiety (among others) in pets. Commonly prescribed NSAIDs and antibiotics for pets, can lead to organ damage and the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, respectively. Having said that, cannabis and cannabinoids have been shown to be effective without as many of the potential drawbacks as other pharmaceuticals.

Costco’s “Irish Rover advent calendar” recalled. If you purchased the Irish Rover 2021 Advent Calendar for Dogs-, item 2462182, at a Costco warehouse or on Costco.ca between October 1, 2021 and December 8, 2021, please stop feeding the treats to your pet immediately as Irish Dog Foods reviews the quality concerns. These Calendars do not meet our quality standards.