UF Health Podcasts

The animal kingdom is full of wonders, not the least of which is a unique way of reproducing called parthenogenesis [par-then-ō-GEN-ah-sus].

Of course, the usual way animals reproduce is by mating, during which egg cells and sperm each contribute 50 percent of the genes required by their offspring. In parthenogenesis, the female’s body comes up with unique ways to substitute for the genes supplied by sperm.

Without going into all the genetic and physiologic details, suffice it to say that female animals from honey bees and snakes to fish and lizards have surprised us by giving birth to offspring with no history of male contact. Parthenogenesis began millions of years ago in the simplest of organisms, but now it may help bolster some species in tough environmental circumstances.

Along with the joy of being a pet parent comes the eventual heartache of losing a pet, often including the tough choice of euthanasia.

Some folks would rather spend their final moments at home with their buddy in familiar surroundings instead of in a veterinary clinic. That’s why some veterinarians provide in-home euthanasia.

After arriving, the veterinarian meets the family and their pet and explains the procedure. First, the pet receives an intramuscular injection that induces sedation within minutes. Next, the veterinarian places a small intravenous catheter through which euthanasia solution is injected. This painlessly and rapidly stops the pet’s breathing and heartbeat. All the while, the pet’s family is right there, providing love and comfort.

Blink once if you can hear this. Blink twice if you want to know what your blinking says about your health.

All of us blink on average 14 to 17 times every minute, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That means if you were to sleep 8 hours at night, you would blink somewhere between 13,000 and 16,000 times a day.

Blinking serves several purposes. It keeps the surface of our cornea clean and protects our eyes from approaching objects.

However, a change in your blinking habits might point to a health problem. Slow or infrequent blinking can be an early sign of Parkinson’s disease. Several studies have found that the rate of a spontaneous blink aligns with the activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. The lower our dopamine level, the more we fixate on one object and the less we blink.

Conversely, increased blinking indicates sleepiness. Those who are suffering from pain or experiencing very bright lights blink more frequently.

Excessive blinking often occurs when our body attempts to overcompensate for dry eye disease, such as Sjogren’s [show-grins] syndrome. Dry eye disease is common for those who use screens at work.

Experts encourage you to adopt a “blind working” technique to give your eyes a break. Blind working involves closing your eyes during brief breaks in your workday, such as during a telephone call or waiting for a program to load on your computer. This approach combats the effects of heightened screen time, which is known to damage the glands that keep our eyes healthy.

After all, life goes by in the blink of an eye — or two — so be sure to protect them.

One of the most common heart problems seen by veterinary cardiologists is degenerative mitral valve disease. Although any breed of dog can be afflicted with the disease, certain small-breed dogs are more prone to it, and the likelihood of developing the ailment grows as dogs age. The progressive nature of mitral valve disease means that many dogs with it will go on to develop congestive heart failure, and ultimately die. Only open heart surgery, a highly specialized procedure, can offer a definitive treatment. On this show, Dr. Darcy Adin, a board-certified veterinary cardiologist who oversees a new open heart surgery program for dogs at the University of Florida, will discuss how the program is making a difference in the lives of mitral valve disease patients and their owners.

If you’re a pooch parent, chances are you sometimes let your dog out into the yard instead of taking him for a walk — especially in bad weather. But before you do it again, think about how it deprives your buddy.

Dogs need exercise and they’re unlikely to get it by themselves. Once in the yard, they’re more apt to just lie down.

Our canine companions also need mental stimulation — the kind they get from seeing and sniffing new things. They also crave companionship — especially with us.

Dogs that aren’t walked have a greater risk of depression and anxiety —and often other health problems too.

So next time you’re tempted to just open the back door, think about how much you’ll both get out of taking a walk together.

Turns out, artificial sweeteners are not so sweet for our hearts. Diet beverages were once the rage as a seemingly healthier alternative to sodas and other sugary drinks. But time has shown that the wannabe sweeteners in those drinks aren’t necessarily a good replacement for sugar.

In fact, researchers in China have uncovered a connection between artificially sweetened beverages and atrial fibrillation, or A-fib. A-fib is when the heart beats irregularly, and often very fast. People with this condition often describe it as feeling like a flutter in their chest.

A-fib is the leading cause of stroke in the United States. It can also increase the risk of blood clots, heart failure, heart attack and dementia. And the number of people impacted by A-fib is on the rise.

In the recent study, scientists explored the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages and pure fruit juice. The results indicated that drinking the equivalent of a medium fast food diet soda per day raised the risk of A-fib by 20%.

Those who drank a comparable amount of sugar-sweetened drinks saw a 10% increase in their risk of developing A-fib. And those who drank about 4 ounces of pure, unsweetened fruit juice reduced their risk of A-fib by 8%.

The researchers said that because individual diets can be so different, they couldn’t definitively say one beverage is riskier than another.

But ultimately, the study strongly points to a natural choice being the better one.

So, If you want to really be sweet to yourself, ditch the manmade drinks and grab a juice. Preferably unsweetened.

Keeping Fido fit is not only important for his mental and physical health, it’s a great way to build your bond and keep you active as well. However, just as people can hurt themselves by engaging in too much or the wrong types of exercise for their bodies, dogs, too, are susceptible to injury if a fitness plan isn’t carefully thought out. On this show, Dr. Christina Montalbano, a clinical assistant professor of integrative and mobility medicine, will discuss safe exercise for dogs of all ages. She’ll also offer recommendations for safe levels of exercise for dogs of different ages, from puppy to senior, surface considerations, safer ways to play fetch and how to identify signs of fatigue and injury.

So you want to be a veterinarian? In addition to caring for dogs, cats and other animal species as clinical practitioners, today’s veterinarians use their skill sets in a variety of careers, including the military, industry and others. A successful application to veterinary school involves an understanding of the profession and how prospective students aim to contribute to it. On today’s show, Dr. Ashley Allen-Durrance, assistant dean of admissions and student success at UF, will discuss veterinary student recruitment, what’s involved in getting into veterinary school, how to prepare a strong application and what potential applicants should keep in mind before they apply.

Did you know that cats can spend nearly 10% of their waking day grooming themselves? Licking each other is also an important part of feline socialization. But what does it mean when your cat licks you?

You might like to think it’s a sign of affection — and it could be. But true to the cat’s reputation, there’s often a more self-serving reason involved. Your feline friend may lick you to indicate that you’re not a threat — much like the reasons behind cat-to-cat grooming.

On the other hand, your cat’s licking may simply be a way to mark you as belonging to them. And because cats are hard-wired to check out scents, licking is another way to investigate what you’re made of — or they just might like sampling a bit of what you last ate.

More than one in 10 new veterinary appointments are related to gastrointestinal, or GI, problems in pets. Some of these issues are due to abnormalities in their microbiome — that’s the body’s collection of internal microbes that aid digestion and immunity.

Identifying changes in the microbiome can help determine if a pet has acute or chronic GI disease or something else, each requiring different treatment. A newly available diagnostic test may help provide answers. Called the Dysbiosis [dĭs-bī-Ō-sĭs] Index, it can track the levels of various bacteria over time, which are linked to chronic GI diseases.

The test also can warn of these diseases before clinical signs appear, helping veterinarians get a jump on management.