Animal Airwaves

Did you know that many wild animals have ways to administer first aid?

For example, mice may tug on the tongues of their unconscious brethren and clear their mouths to help open their airways.

Elsewhere, chimpanzees with intestinal parasites munch on bitter leaves from the Aspilia [ass-PILL-ee-ya] plant, and brown bears eat razor-sharp grass to help clear tapeworms.

Closer to home, some urban songbirds weave cigarette butts into their nests to leverage tobacco’s mite-killing properties.

Even termite-hunting African ants have impressive first-aid routines. During their large-scale raids, those injured by termites are carried back to their nests, where caretaker ants lick their wounds with antibiotic-rich saliva.

These are just some of the many ways animals take care of their own.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus is a pathogen transmitted by midges that causes significant economic loss in the white-tailed deer farming industry and affects wild deer as well. On this show, Dr. Juan Campos Krauer, an assistant professor and a research and extension veterinarian whose interests include animal health, disease ecology and wildlife ecology and conservation, will discuss common diseases facing deer in Florida and nationally, and what he and his team are doing to help deer farmers as well as deer in the wild.

Primary care, or general practice, veterinarians do a little bit of everything. Your local veterinarian is likely to be a generalist who treats both healthy and sick animals and is someone who can follow your pet throughout its lifetime and work with you to obtain additional specialty care if needed. Because of this, establishing a relationship with a primary care veterinarian when your pet is healthy is key. On this show, Dr. Wendy Mandese, a primary care and dentistry veterinarian, will discuss why routine wellness examinations are necessary in order to properly manage a pet’s health as it ages, and why an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure when it comes to keeping our four-legged family members happy and healthy.

Dr. Richard Hill, professor of small animal medicine and nutrition expert at UF’s Small Animal Hospital, joins us today on Animal Airwaves-Live to discuss the alarming rise of pet obesity. Dr. Hill will explain what’s driving this trend, why excess weight threatens your pet’s health with conditions like diabetes and joint disease. He also will share practical strategies for weight management. Learn how proper nutrition, appropriate exercise, and veterinary guidance can help your furry companion maintain optimal health and extend their quality of life.

When it comes to reading a dogs’ emotions, many folks interpret what they expect to see — instead of what’s right in front of them.

Researchers in a newly published study showed people videos of a dog reacting to positive and negative stimuli, including a treat, a leash, a vacuum cleaner and a scolding. Folks tended to assume what the dog was feeling by relying on the situational context rather than focusing on the dog’s behavior. In some cases, videos contained footage of a negative situation, such as a person showing a vacuum to a dog, spliced with a dog’s positive reaction to seeing his leash. Participants often assumed the dog was feeling bad, visual evidence to the contrary.

Bottom line? Pooch parents could benefit from taking a beat to really focus on their dog’s body language.

When it comes to pet food ingredients, corn gets a bad rap. But is that really justified?

Some folks think corn and other grains are common pet allergens. Truth is, food allergies are uncommon in pets, and most involve animal proteins, not plant proteins or grains.

Corn meal or ground corn — the kinds of corn often found in pet foods — are highly digestible grains. They’re a good source of energy and a great source of linoleic [lin-oh-LAY-ick] acid, an essential fatty acid required by dogs and cats. Corn also contains several B vitamins, potassium and magnesium. It’s also rich in carotenoids [cah-ROTTEN-oids], which have health benefits in dogs.

It often pays to look beyond the buzz. By objective measures, corn is a safe food ingredient that has a lot to offer our pets.

The healthiest diet for your rabbit or guinea pig is one that mimics that of their wild cousins. That means that about 85% of it should be fresh hay and grass. You may already know about hay, but what about grass?

Ideally, rabbits and guinea pigs should have daily access to grass — while grazing outside or munching on potted grass indoors. If grass is a new food item, introduce it slowly. Wild herbs and dandelions are also fine but avoid toxic plants. Also, never feed your furry friends lawnmower clippings, which can rapidly foster bacterial growth. Instead, use scissors to snip off grass and feed it right away.

Finally, don’t forget to round out your little one’s daily diet with a handful of fresh leafy greens, veggies and herbs.

One in three U.S. households has a pet cat, yet many feline conditions are less defined than those of their canine cousins. A big reason is that cats have been understudied for years.

But now, veterinarians are investing in making their clinics more cat-friendly. Some veterinary schools are also ramping up classes on feline health, and more researchers are studying environmental and genetic causes of feline disease.

Recently, an initiative called Darwin’s Cats was introduced for the long-term study of cats. Pet parents who enroll their cats for DNA testing also answer detailed surveys about their cats’ health and home routines. Researchers hope the information may highlight links between feline genetics and their health and behavior.

Recurrent uveitis [you-vee-EYE-tus] is a leading cause of blindness in horses. It involves repeated inflammation of the uvea [YOU-vee-uh], the pigmented layer of the eye.

In cases of equine autoimmune uveitis, a horse’s own immune system damages structures inside the eye and blocks light from the retina. In advanced cases, the damage is irreversible, but if caught early, treatment may save a horse’s sight.

Uveitis is typically treated with corticosteroids, but their long-term use is fraught with side effects. Now, University of Florida researchers are studying a topical drug that reduces inflammation through a completely different mechanism. So far, it has been shown to improve the eyesight in several severely affected horses. The next step is a larger clinical trial.

One of the toughest problems facing dogs and pooch parents is chronic canine diarrhea — the kind that lasts or crops up intermittently for weeks to months. There are many causes, and even after lengthy diagnostic testing, a definitive diagnosis may be elusive. That’s when modifying the dog’s diet may help.

An elimination diet trial is often recommended first to look for problematic ingredients. If no food allergy is found — and it rarely is — two approaches can be taken. Some dogs improve on a highly digestible reduced fat diet, while others, like those with inflammation of the colon, may respond to increased fiber.

Parents of affected dogs might consider working with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to help them through the diagnostic and treatment.