Can Dogs Help Overweight Children Reach Healthy Weight?
More than one in six children and adolescents in the United States - some 13 million kids - are obese, with many more not quite in that category but overweight nonetheless. At the same time, more than 43 million households in this country have pet dogs, many of whom crave more interaction with their human families and, most definitely, more physical activity with them. Hmm…
Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction
Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction Dr. Linders research on whether pet dogs can help overweight children reach healthy weight is being conducted under the auspices of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, launched in February of this year. She is one of the two associate directors of the Institute, which involves professors and researchers across all the Tufts University campuses: the campus of the veterinary school in the middle of Massachusetts, the medical campus in downtown…
Service Dog or Emotional Support Animal?
That is, we fully support the use of emotional support animals for those people who are plagued by conditions like anxiety, depression, or social phobia to the point that life would be unbearable if they could not live with or fly with a dog. But if too many people start claiming that their pet is a therapeutic necessity when it is not, law enforcement agencies are going to crack down, making it harder for those who have a real need.
Allergic to Your Own Dog
You thought you brought home a dog that wouldnt make you allergic. After all, even the American Kennel Club website assured you his breed was hypoallergenic. And things seemed to be fine - for about a year. But now, every time you pet him or come back into your home from outside, your eyes become itchy. Your nose starts running, and your throat burns. What happened?
This Bed Is Just Right for your Dog!
Pretty much from the start, a puppy will seek out his bed to snuggle, snooze, or sleep through the night. Thats why every dog should have one. You might choose a bed based on color or material to match your dcor and room dimensions, but theres more to it. Through the years, your dogs bed needs will change along with his size and health, with the likely addition of features that work best for his…
Places Dogs Shouldnt Be
Full disclosure: Constance and I are both allergic to Rosie. We didnt know it when we brought her home. She just seemed like the sweet, cuddly pet she is, falling asleep on my lap after she had run herself ragged chasing a ball or a piece of crumpled up paper. But for Constance, in particular, the watery eyes and scratchy throat soon started. Wherever Rosie had been, the symptoms followed. For me it came several…
Dear Doctor – August 2015
The vet wont treat my dog for Lyme disease Q At my five-year-old Malteses last checkup, I was told somewhat casually that her blood test came back positive for Lyme disease. Having lost a dog years ago to kidney disease resulting from Lyme disease, I was quite distressed. However, I was advised that if the urine test did not show any protein in the urine, no treatment would be required and that I should just continue…
Bringing Your Dog Into Someone Elses Life
It took almost a century for my father to live with a dog. Having resided practically his entire life in New York City apartment buildings that didnt allow pets, it just wasnt going to happen - until he showed up on Barneys doorstep one day. Celebrating his 89th birthday this month, Dad has moved into an assisted-living facility. And who should have been there to greet him but beagle-mix Barney. …
Would Your Dog Make a Good Therapist?
The wheels on the bus go Ruff Ruff Ruff… Debra Gibbss shih tzu is a little spoiled diva, by Gibbs own account. Boo has always had a very good life, Ms. Gibbs says. Yet you can tell shes growing through her work as a therapy dog. She can even delight children with special needs and thereby help them adjust more easily by inserting ruff ruff ruff where round round round usually goes in the Wheels on the…
Animal-Assisted Activities Versus Animal Assisted Therapy
Coming under the umbrella of pet therapy, animal visitation can either be Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA) for general visitation by a therapy animal or Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), during which animals and their owners/handlers work with a human health service provider or other professional as an adjunct to traditional therapies. AAA is a more spontaneous type of visit without an official plan for the get-together. A client may pet and coo over the dog. Its a…
The Price of Love
Did you hear about the dog who came to the Foster Hospital for Small Animals at Tufts with acute kidney failure and needed tens of thousands of dollars for treatment in order to stay alive? His owner raised the money through crowdfunding, where you publicize your cause or project through a program on the Internet and people send in small (and sometimes large) amounts of money to help you meet your goal. His pet would…
