UF Health Podcasts

If you’re a pooch parent, your ears likely prick up at the mention of canine kennel cough. But what is it, and how can you best protect your dog?

Kennel cough isn’t just one disease, it’s a group of viral and bacterial diseases collectively known as canine infectious respiratory disease complex.

The classic sign of kennel cough is a persistent honking cough. But depending on the infection involved and the strength of your dog’s immune system, signs can range from lethargy and loss of appetite to pneumonia and other severe illnesses.

Because kennel cough is highly contagious, vaccination can lower the risk of infection and reduce the severity of illness. During outbreaks, it’s also important to limit your pooch’s contact with other dogs.

One new example of a designer pet is the so-called bully cat. They’re meant to be feline versions of American bully XL dogs, like pit bulls but stockier and with shorter coats.

Bully cats are produced by mutant breeding, which combines specific genetic mutations to achieve a certain look. Here, a mutation causing hairlessness in sphinx cats is crossed with another that causes short legs in munchkin cats.

But the bully cat’s quality of life takes a real hit. Hairless cats are more susceptible to respiratory infections, skin cancer — even impaired navigation due to their lack of whiskers. What’s more, their short legs limit jumping and can be painful.

Remember, money talks — and we can withhold support from breeders who create cats with extreme traits.

If you have backyard chickens and are confused about the bird flu, you’re not alone.

The bird flu in the news these days refers to highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. It’s spread by the H5N1 virus that you’ve been hearing about.

Waterfowl can spread H5N1 in their saliva and droppings even if they don’t look sick. But the bird flu is rapidly fatal in chickens, so limiting the spread of disease is crucial. That includes preventing flock contact with wild birds, keeping their living area clean and not sharing materials or birds with other folks. New chickens should be quarantined at least 30 days before introducing them to your flock.

Also, make sure to contact your veterinarian immediately if you notice any of your birds looking “off.”

During Colorado’s Marshall Fire in 2021, about 1,000 pets died, including many that were home alone. That prompted the development of an app to help other pets avoid similar fates.

Now that free app, Pet Help & Rescue, is available in iPhone and Android app stores. It’s a messaging app that allows trusted neighbors to enter your home and evacuate your pets when you’re away.

Once you download the app, you enter contact information for yourself and info about your pets — for example, their names and descriptions, photos, favorite hiding spots, and the location of any meds and Go bags. Next, you invite chosen neighbors to enter their contact data.

Then if you’re away during an emergency, the app can send an urgent message out to all your contacts. They’ll know what to do next.

When most people think of farm animals, they conjure traditional farm species, such as ruminants, poultry, swine and horses. But veterinarians also play an important role in the farming of fish and other aquatic species for food, ornamental trade and research. On this show, Dr. Ruth Francis-Floyd, a professor and extension veterinarian, will discuss why practicing veterinarians as well as student trainees are becoming more interested in the specialty of aquaculture, and its benefits to the veterinary profession as well as to the public.

To protect against colorectal cancer, women should be sure to get enough calcium from dairy foods like milk, cheese, or yogurt.

And to better their odds, drinking less alcohol and avoiding beef and processed meat helps, too.

Researchers in London in a new study tracked more than 500,000 women for 16 years, analyzing their dietary habits and health outcomes.

During the study, about 12,000 of the women developed colorectal cancer, allowing the researchers to dig through the data for specific risk factors.

Milk drinkers had notably lower cancer risk, as did those who consumed dairy products such as yogurt. Other nutrients found in dairy foods, like riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, also showed protective benefits.

Alcohol, on the other hand, was a standout risk factor. Those who reported downing about two drinks every day had a 15% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. And each daily serving of red or processed meat was tied to an 8% higher risk.

There are big differences in colorectal cancer between regions, with higher rates in wealthier areas like the United States, Europe, and Japan, compared with lower rates in parts of Africa and South Asia.

However, when people move to countries with higher rates, within a decade their risk begins to match those of others in their new home. Researchers believe that points to lifestyle factors like diet playing a key role.

No food is a magic bullet against disease, of course. But scientists say calcium might help prevent cancer by binding to harmful substances in the digestive system, promoting healthy cells in the colon, and reducing inflammation.

So, if you want a nightcap, ladies, make it a milk.

Knowledge is power. But a new research study shows that more education may mean a longer life, too.

Researchers based at the University of Washington and the National Institutes of Health found that Americans who hold a college degree can expect to live nearly 11 years longer, on average, than those who did not complete high school.

In the year 2000, the gap was about eight years between the two groups.

Between 2000 and 2019, college graduates gained about 2.5 years in life expectancy, while there was no increase among those without a high school diploma. As of 2019, the average life expectancy of a college graduate was 84 years. For those who did not graduate high school, average life expectancy was 73½ years.

The study also examined population and death data for every county in the U.S., and it turns out that location matters, too. In some places, like Colorado, life expectancy was nearly the same across all education levels, whereas the greatest disparities were in parts of the Southeast, Appalachia, and South Dakota.

The researchers said several factors are likely responsible for the life expectancy gap. Those with more education often have higher-paying jobs, greater access to health care, fewer lifestyle risk factors, and better living conditions. The study noted that those with a high school diploma and those with some college education saw increases in life expectancy of less than a year.

While a college education may not guarantee, the study demonstrates just how important education and location can be when it comes to life expectancy.

So, what time does class start?

Let’s face it: Fat’s got a rotten reputation. Much of that is deserved, of course. Too much body fat can harm health and lead to heart disease and diabetes.

But to tip the scale just a bit, let’s talk about brown fat.

A new Rutgers University study has found that this distinct type of fat might be key to better aging and exercise performance.

Brown fat is different from the usual white fat that parks around our bellies. White fat stores energy that we burn by being active. Brown fat, however, is chock full of mitochondria, cellular powerhouses that generate heat rather than store energy. It burns calories.

Newborns start life with bodies that have up to 5% brown fat. By adulthood, most of us have far less.

Previous studies have shown that physical activity can increase brown fat’s density. The Rutgers study examined how brown fat can boost athletic performance.

Mice without a protein called RGS14 live longer than others and have more brown fat. In lab tests, the long-lived mice ran farther and worked harder before exhaustion compared with typical mice. And they kept a youthful appearance, with nicer fur and more muscle.

In one study, brown fat was taken from these long-lived mice and transplanted into normal mice. The borrowed-fat mice became better athletes in three days. When scientists placed brown fat from ordinary mice into their test subjects, it took eight weeks to see those gains.

The researchers say brown fat might be the secret to exercising longer while staying pretty doing it. Someday, a brown fat-inspired treatment could help us live healthier and longer.

And if we happen to look younger as we do? Thank a mouse.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — we’ve all heard it before. Yet, in the hustle and bustle of modern life, many of us opt for a quick snack in the morning or forgo the meal altogether.

But science continues to illuminate the mysteries of the human body and how it interacts with nutrients. A recent study from Spain has zeroed in on what may be the perfect breakfast recipe for tapping into health benefits. It’s partly about the ingredients and partly about size.

Researchers studied a group of about 400 adults ranging in age from 55 to 75. They found participants whose breakfasts made up between 20% and 30% of their daily caloric intake benefited the most. This group had a lower average body mass index, smaller waists, higher levels of HDL, or “good,” cholesterol, and lower levels of unhealthy triglycerides in their blood.

As far as what to eat? It matters. Study participants were scored on nine nutritional considerations, and those with the lowest scores, regardless of meal size, had larger waistlines and worse blood-fat profiles than those who ate balanced, healthy breakfasts. Less nutritional breakfasts also resulted in decreased kidney function.

Researchers said the findings are important for older adults. The right balance of breakfast quantity and quality contributes to healthy aging by reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.

So, remember — eating breakfast is better than skipping it. But breakfast is best when we pay heed to the amount and quality of food we’re eating and relying on to fuel our day.

Got camel milk?

Cows have been providing us with milk for centuries, filling our glasses with an American dietary staple. More than 80% of the milk the world drinks come from creatures that say “moo.”

Guess how much camels produce? Hint: When’s the last time you spotted a herd of camels chewing the cud on a dairy farm?

Less than half of 1% of global milk production comes from our humped-back friends, who still rank fifth worldwide. Buffalo, for example, produce more.

Australian researchers, however, recently found that camel milk contains more proteins that could be beneficial to our immune and digestive health than what we get from heifers.

This isn’t to say that cow’s milk is unhealthy. Far from it. But the camel variety packs a punch. It is especially bountiful in bioactive peptides that can kill bacteria and protect against specific diseases. This boosts gut health.

Cardiovascular disease is among the potential maladies it might help prevent. And camel’s milk has less lactose, making it easier for some to digest.

Camels offer an alternative to farmers in arid or semi-arid regions where water isn’t plentiful. This is one reason why Australian scientists are so interested in this research. There are, however, a few drawbacks.

That limited production means camel milk is much more expensive. It’s also harder to find. Your local supermarket probably doesn’t carry it.

The biggest obstacle to wider consumption is that a camel only makes 5 liters of milk daily. Cows, in contrast, produce 28 liters.

So, don’t expect camel milk to dominate store shelves any time soon. You’ll be waiting until the cows come home.