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Just as a car can be like a greenhouse in summer and become much hotter than it is outside, it can also act like a refrigerator in the winter and become much colder. A car has little to no insulation.

In human medicine, genetic mapping of tumors that have already metastasized has added years to the lives of cancer patients who otherwise would have been near death. By understanding the exact nature of the genetic mutation that caused the cancer, scientists have been able to develop drugs that target malignant tumors with incredible precision, effectively pushing back the advance of life-threatening disease. Now, veterinary researchers have begun the process of pinning down the genomes of tumors in dogs.

If your potty-trained dog eliminates in your absence, it’s not to spite you or be vindictive about you leaving. It’s most likely because she feels panicked in your absence. In fact, that look on her face when you arrive back home is not remorse or guilt — it’s fear. She sees you’re angry at her and doesn’t understand why, since all she knows is that she has just been through an ordeal.

More than six out of 10 dogs participating in research known as the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study had not previously been on heartworm preventives, according to research funded by the Morris Animal Foundation. While the investigation was just on one breed, it’s safe to assume this alarming statistic applies to other breeds (and mixed breeds) as well.

You know those television commercials that have a dentist in a lab coat recommending a particular toothpaste? Well, the marketing ploy has drifted over to products meant for our pets, in a manner of speaking. A number of dog food manufacturers have a burst in large letters on the front of their packages that says the product is “Veterinarian Recommended.”

“I always wanted to be a veterinarian,” Dr. Narda Robinson says, “but it just seemed like too much of a heartbreak.” So she went to medical school, practiced on people for a few years, then finally accepted that “what I really needed to do with my life was work with animals,” she remarks.

The image of a dog sticking his head out the car window is iconic. Even though it’s unsafe because it means he’s not safely secured in his seat, most dogs love to feel the wind on their face as the vehicle rushes along. Yet a small but significant minority of dogs feel nauseated during car rides, literally. They hunker down for what’s going to be a grim experience. They whine, pace, or smack their lips. Some drool or vomit.

Walk the dog before or after meals?

Especially during these short days of the year, light-up collars and leashes are great for taking your dog for that last piddle in the dark. But you may want to leave off the flash option so the bulbs don’t keep blinking. Flashing lights can bring on epileptic attacks in some people. And they may irritate some dogs, or worse, make them feel anxious or unnerved. Best to light up your dog’s night life with a steady glow. 

An easy and surefire way to calm a dog who’s anxious, perhaps because you’re not home, is to leave on some music. A number of studies suggest that dogs find music calming. But not just any music.

• When a Play Bow Is Not a Play Bow
• Short Takes
• Dog Dates: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly?
• New Thinking on the Right Way to Help a Dog with Conflict Aggression
• Warnings About Corn in Dog Food Unfounded
• Adjusting the Dog to the Toothbrush
• Why Won’t My Dog Settle Down at Night?
• Dear Doctor

We’ve all seen it. A dog stretches out her front legs and leans down on her elbows with her chest to the ground but leaves her rump in the air. It’s called a play bow. That’s because it’s an invitation — to another dog or to a person — to play. Most of the time.