Learning from the dogs

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I was just doing my usual searches for news about canine diabetes, and I came across something I missed before.  It was discussed on the terrific dog-blog, Doggyblurb.blogspot.com last April, but it's still worth talking about, especially if, like me, you have loved ones who are diabetic (my mother and my sister).  According to Diabeteshealth.com, "Michael Davis, a professor at Oklahoma State University who has studied sled dogs for 10 years, says their incredible endurance may be the key to treating obesity in people who have either type 2 or pre-diabetes."  Now, I know I usually talk about dogs with diabetes, but this news item points up the intertwining nature of our relationships with our dogs.  It appears that what the sled dogs can teach us has to do with insulin sensitivity, which is key to both diabetes and burning fat:  these dogs have metabolisms that are simply amazing.  If Davis can figure out how this whole system works (it's a mystery so far), we may see something that really works and can help everyone, human or other, who has or is at risk for diabetes.  As long as we don't have to run an Iditarod . . . It's also worth noting that Davis was/is not generously funded, so if you've got the bucks to be providing research grants, you might do a lot worse than throwing one his way.

And here are a few articles that you may find interesting:

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New Article on Top Ten Reasons for Vet Visits

I'm on AOL, and on today's main screen there was a link to Pawnation.com for a list of the Top Ten Reasons Dogs and Cats Visit the Vet.  The number one reason is ear infections, according to a pet insurance company.  The page also has links to Pawnation pages on various ailments in a "Top Ten Searched Pet Health Conditions."  Number 4 is Pet Diabetes, which doesn't surprise me at all.  I also came across a Google News item about companies that are offering pet health insurance to their employees.

I forgot to mention in my last post that some of the proceeds of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show poster go to The Seeing Eye, which, as I'm sure you know, supplies service dogs to the blind.

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Are you watching the Westminster Dog Show?

Image via Wikipedia

I am (and I can't believe the Pomeranian didn't win the Toy Group!  What is it with poodles?), with occasional cutaways to the Olympics.  Of course, I'm grading papers at the same time.  I don't know if you've noticed, but many of the commercials during the dog show are dog-related, which makes sense, and some of them talk about what the companies are doing for dogs.  The one that really struck me as odd is the one for Progressive Insurance.  It follows the ones from their ongoing ad campaign with the goofy cashier who gets all worked up over discounts.  It's not available for viewing on their website at this moment, but you can check via the link above to see if it's up yet.  They don't give any details, but the implication is that your dog is covered by them through insurance that covers your car or home.  I gotta ask.  What exactly does this mean?  Does it cover emergency care, or what?  
As you probably know, I'm a great advocate for health insurance for pets (and people, too, of course, all the more so since I do not have health insurance myself).  I find myself of two minds about this commercial.  I like the idea that they are covering pets in any way, and I hope it makes people realize that insurance for pets is a good idea, but I also think that it might make people think that this kind of coverage is all you need.  It's not.  You need basic health insurance so that you won't have to make decisions based on what you can afford rather than what the dog needs.  This is especially worth remembering in February, which is the dental health month for pets.  Even though most vets offer a February discount, it is still an area of care that a lot of pet owners neglect, many because of the cost.


Off the soapbox now.  Check out the WKC website.  The poster for this year's show is fabulous.

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