Blog Archives for the year 2014

Breed of the Week: Great Dane

Breed of the Week: Great Dane

Truly great, as much in majesty as in size, the Great Dane is one of the largest dog’s in existence. A gentle giant, the Great Dane possesses a friendly and playful disposition. It’s an ancient breed, with similar-type dogs appearing in frescoes and other artwork from Greece and Egypt dating to more than 5,000 years ago! A 5th Century Danish coin depicts a large hunting dog believe to be a Great Dane.

The most striking feature of the Great Dane is their massive size. Minimum standards dictate that male Danes are not less than 30 inches tall – 32 inches and above is preferable (females can be slightly smaller, standing only 28 inches or more). Their weight ranges from 100 pounds for females to 120 pounds for males – while the AKC no longer states a minimum weight, those are generally accepted standards, however, the tall dogs should appear well muscled and proportionate to its great height.

Their large size makes Great Danes easily identified, and their presence will draw attention from everyone in the immediate vicinity. The largest living dogs are usually Danes – currently the Guinness Book of World’s Records recognizes a black Great Dane named Zeus ...

The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership: Conventional Wisdom or Conventional Hogwash?

The Health Benefits of Pet Ownership: Conventional Wisdom or Conventional Hogwash?

Like many scientists, I despise conventional wisdom. Given that I’m a veterinarian, this is especially true when it comes to medical conventional wisdom; the type of beliefs I remember many adults from my childhood relaying as fact that, I too, held as true for many years. Despite what my family told me in youth, I’ve since learned that shaving my body hair didn’t actually make it thicker, that reading in low light didn’t hurt my eyesight, and that vitamin C didn’t cure my cold. Nearly every day you can find postings on social media that appear to be based on fact, but are actually pieces of 21st century conventional wisdom. One such Facebook posting recently struck near and dear to my veterinary heart. The posting was a link to an article discussing the ways dog ownership can improve our health. After reading the story, I decided to do some digging to see if there was science behind the claims being made. Since childhood, I had heard that pet ownership was good for our health. I heard it lowered blood pressure, prevented heart attacks, and otherwise improved our quality of life. But is it true?

Finding good evidence to support ...

Breed of the Week: Maltese

Breed of the Week: Maltese

An ancient breed with a somewhat muddled history, the modern Maltese is a companion dog that has maintained its regal appearance and lovability.

The small, long-haired white dog weighs less than seven pounds (ideally four-to-six pounds) and stands seven-to-12 inches at the withers. Their long hair is silky white and lacks an undercoat. Regular grooming is required to keep it from matting, but by keeping the small dogs’ hair clipped in a “puppy cut” the maintenance can be reduced.

While the Mediterranean island of Malta is the origin of the dog’s name, the breed’s exact origin is somewhat in lost. Popular belief is that it originated in the central Mediterranean area, but there is some evidence to suggest that it came from Asia and made its way to Europe with nomadic traders.

A very old breed, Maltese-like dogs have been cited in writings since 500 B.C. Throughout history, Maltese have been linked to royalty and the affluent, including the philosophers such as Aristotle, Pliny the Elder and Strabo, the Roman Governor Publius of Malta and Queen Elizabeth I. The AKC says that even in the 1500s, the little white dogs sold for as much as $2,000!

Maltese have ...