In this edition of Genome Barks we bring you and interview with Dr. Mark Neff, scientific investigator and Director of program for canine health and performance at the Van Andel Research Institute.  Dr. Neff has received funding from the AKC Canine Health Foundation and his current research is focused on neurological and behavioral disorders in the dog.

In this podcast Dr. Neff discusses how researchers are learning about the genes responsible for behaviors like pointing and herding and how understanding the principals of the mind can help them understand the intrinsic reward system that motivates dogs to do what they do.

In this podcast we bring you an interview with Dr. Meg Staton from Clemson University  Dr. Staton works in bioinformatics helping researchers find the causes of genetic disease.  Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Dr. Staton discusses the role of the bioinformaticist in canine health research.

This podcast was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust.

In this edition of Genome Barks we bring you an interview with Dr. Heidi Parker, a staff scientist at the National Human Genome Research Institute.  Dr. Parker’s research has included the relatedness of the many different breeds of dogs to one another and investigation of the genetic causes of diseases such as malignant histiocytosis in the Bernese Mountain Dog and traits such as athletic performance in Whippets.

In this podcast, Dr. Parker defines morphology; discusses the similarities between the canine and human genomes related to morphology; and provides examples of how morphological changes can affect dogs such as improper coat in the Portuguese Water Dog.

In this edition of Genome Barks we bring you and interview with Dr. Elinor Karlsson with the Broad  Institute and the Sebeti Lab at Harvard. Dr. Karlsson has focused her research on the genetic cause of disease, including diseases associated with coat color traits such as ridgelessness in the Rhodesian Ridgeback and behavioral traits such as aggression.

In this podcast Dr. Karlsson discusses the technique of genome wide mapping; her research on canine compulsive disorder; the discovery of the gene for flank sucking in the Doberman Pinscher; and the implications of her research for human psychiatric disorders.

We are grateful to the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust, for their support of the Genome Barks Podcast Series.

In this edition of Genome Barks we bring you and interview with Dr. Danika Bannasch, a veterinary geneticist with the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.  An expert in genetic research and testing, Dr. Bannasch recently hosted a round table discussion on interpreting genetic test results and how to incorporate those results into a breeding program.

In this podcast Dr. Bannasch discusses genetic test basics and how breeders should use genetic tests.

In this podcast we bring you and interview with Dr. Max Rothschild, distinguished professor of agriculture and life sciences and director of the center for integrated animal genomics at the Iowa state University College of Veterinary Medicine.  Funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation primarily for his research in cryptorchidism, Dr. Rothschild’s areas of research interest are gene mapping, reproduction and immunogenetics of swine, new statistical methods to evaluate animals and gene identification in dogs.

Dr. Rothschild helps us understand what cryptorchidism is and discusses the health concerns associated with the condition and the developments in his research to find the genetic cause.

Furthermore, Dr. Rothschild is doing genetic research on Cranial Cruciate Ligament disease.  He discusses the condition and the status of the research.

In this podcast we bring you and interview with Dr. Sheila Schmutz a professor at the University of Saskatchewan. Funded in small part by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, Dr. Schmutz’s canine research has focused on coat color genetics. 

Dr. Schmutz discusses the challenges of studying coat color, whether diseases are associated with coat color, and gives advice about coat color to those seeking a new puppy.

In this podcast we bring you an interview with Dr. Gary Stamp, Executive Director of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society.  Dr. Stamp has served as commander of the United States Army Veterinary command until 1999 when he retired from active duty.

Dr. Stamp discusses how much first aid training dog owners should have, when emergency veterinary care is necessary, and how to select an emergency service.

In this podcast we bring you and interview with Dr. Ned Patterson, a member of the faculty at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.  Funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation for a variety of genetic disorders and epilepsy, Dr. Patterson’s research interests include epilepsy, comparative medicine, genetics and molecular medicine.

Dr. Patterson discusses his research on a treatment for epliepsy in dogs.  He also covers another of his research projects funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, urinary stones composed of calcium oxalate.  These stones can be a problem for any dog, but are far more problematic in Miniature Schnauzers.

In this podcast we bring you an interview with Dr. Kate Tsai, post doctoral fellow at Clemson University.  Dr. Tsai has received funding from the AKC Canine Health Foundation to study exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and megaesophagus in the German Shepherd Dog.  These diseases have also been found is several other breeds and mix-breed dogs.  She discusses the symptoms of these diseases, what is known about their causes and her research.