UF Health Podcasts

The overwhelming choice of dog foods is enough to make a pooch parent’s head spin, from boutique foods to seemingly infinite types of kibble, each touting itself as most nutritious. How does one make sense of it all?

Start by choosing a food made in the United States, where the Association of American Feed Control Officers, or AAFCO, sets dietary standards for dogs of all ages. It’s ideal if the brand has gone through feeding trials.

The manufacturer should employ veterinary nutritionists take part in peer-reviewed research. They should also be easy to contact if you have questions.

In the end, your dog’s health will be the judge. Monitor your buddy’s weight, stool, skin and coat and contact your veterinarian if anything’s off.

Norwegian researchers entered the laboratory, labored over their instruments and eventually emerged with the latest scientific breakthrough.

A muffin.

Not just any muffin. This might be the healthiest muffin on the planet. And investigators even named it, as if it were a puppy hanging out near the centrifuge.

We introduce you to Roselle [Rose-ELL].

Roselle also happens to be the name of a flowering plant traditionally used for its medicinal qualities. It produces a tart and pleasantly acidic taste.

In science-speak, the study, published in the journal Foods, notes the muffin was developed using formulations in varying proportions resulting from Response Surface Methodology. That’s a highfallutin’ way of saying scientists created a recipe.

Using a Roselle extract called calyx [KAY-licks], their muffin is high in vitamins and antioxidants. A calyx is the outermost whorl in a flower. They left out the unhealthy preservatives often found in store-bought baked goods.

This Roselle extract contains polyphenols, flavonoids, betaine (BEET-a-een) and hibiscus acid, ingredients that reduce the risk of chronic disease. The muffin boasts a six-day shelf life at room temperature. Scientists bragged that these treats won’t last that long in the average household because they are so delicious.

The final product had little sugar, salt or saturated fat. Taste tests with a small group of people were positive.

Perhaps it makes sense that food scientists would concoct a great recipe in the lab. Cooking, to some extent, is basic chemistry.

Of course, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make a muffin.

Just ask your favorite baker.

Some people love the heat, counting down the days until frigid winter evenings turn into sweltering summer nights. Others simply tolerate it.

Now, a new study suggests that there’s another being with its own variation in heat tolerance — the persistent, and resilient, mosquito.

That’s right. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered that some mosquito populations are more heat-tolerant and better equipped to survive heatwaves than others.

The study points out that most scientific models used to predict the spread of vector-borne diseases assume that all mosquito populations tolerate heat similarly. That means our understanding of the pests’ ability to spread diseases in a world affected by higher temperatures may need to shift.

Many millions of people around the globe suffer mosquito-borne diseases every year and more than 1 million die.

Researchers sampled mosquitoes from eight populations across four climate zones including New Orleans; St. Augustine, Florida; Huntsville, Alabama; Stillwater, Oklahoma; St. Louis; Urbana, Illinois; College Park, Maryland, and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Although there were significant regional differences, they followed no easy patterns related to temperature or latitude. Instead, researchers found precipitation was the overriding factor: Mosquitoes from places with more rain had higher heat tolerance.

Mosquitoes don’t thrive in temperatures lower than 50 degrees or higher than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. But knowing the role rain plays in the insects’ lives helps humans trying to keep their numbers in check have more success.

Depending on where you live, it’s calving season or soon will be. So, now’s the time to plan for common health problems.

Recently weaned calves are particularly at risk for respiratory disease. Your first step should be to look for telltale signs like coughing, difficulty breathing and a reduced appetite. Your veterinarian can get a better sense by using a stethoscope to listen to the calf’s breathing, taking its temperature or running other tests.

An established veterinary-client-patient relationship may allow some caretakers to administer certain treatments without an exam first.

Supportive care measures, like dry bedding, tasty feed and time away from competitive pen mates, are just as important.

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record, but the United States has a problem with obesity.

Almost half of adults over the age of 20 live with the disease, which also comes in as the country’s second-leading cause of preventable death. Only smoking cigarettes carry more health risk. Obesity brings a slew of other health problems, like a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke or heart disease.

Even worse, losing weight is hard. There’s a reason so many diets, fitness programs and apps are marketed for those trying to make a lifestyle change. Now, a new study from the University of Missouri has delved into what makes an online weight loss program successful.

The secret? Don’t go it alone. Researchers found that apps that engaged users with professional health coaches and social support from others were two of the most helpful features of online weight-loss programs.

The study distilled 20 years of research, paring down which features stood out as most helpful. Three common approaches for weight-loss apps were those that simply gave information, those with an online group-chat function and those that offered a professional health coach.

As it turned out, the apps that gave users access to social support from peers or professional health coaches were just as effective as in-person weight loss programs. That’s especially notable for rural populations and places where public transportation is hard to come by.

Now, no one is saying an app will work for everyone, or that it will make losing weight easy — but it’s certainly easier if you don’t go it alone.

Veterinary oncology today makes use of increasingly sophisticated tools and methods for treating cancer in pets. In addition to surgery and medical therapy, or chemotherapy, radiation oncology is a veterinary specialty that entails the use of controlled radiation to treat certain types of cancer. On this show, Dr. Marilia Takada, a clinical assistant professor and veterinary radiation oncology specialist, will discuss what radiation therapy is, how it works and types of cancer it’s used most frequently to treat. She’ll also discuss why radiation therapy is often used in conjunction with other therapies to ensure the best possible patient outcomes.

The dangers of air pollution are all too familiar. It heightens the risk of respiratory infection, heart disease and, of course, lung cancer. Long-term exposure can damage other organs, including the brain.

If that weren’t bad enough, British researchers have found that pollution might make us lazier.

They found a proportional association between the concentration of pollution and the time people spent being inactive, or sedentary. That’s the time when we’re lazing around on our duffs.

It’s relaxing to sit around and do nothing. And there’s nothing wrong with lazy time. Doing so for too long, however, causes health problems, increasing the risk of diseases like diabetes and hypertension. It shortens life.

Researchers followed more than 600 people at risk of Type 2 diabetes for three years, using wearable technology to track their activity during the study.

Scientists then compared that information with pollution data.

A correlation was noted between heavier pollution and sedentary time.

High levels of nitrogen dioxide, typically caused by traffic, were associated with an extra 22 minutes a day of inactivity. That adds up.

The researchers say pollution might be making people less willing to go outdoors to exercise. Worse, it might make exercise less enjoyable.

Sure, we can exercise in our homes, but television, with its many streaming services, is oh-so tempting. So, go to the gym. Buy a treadmill or stationary bike. Cut the TV cord. Find a place to exercise away from city congestion.

Breathe life into your muscles.

Exposure to smoke is bad for us all, our pets included. Reports from a recent study show that it might even increase the risk of cancer in some dogs.

Researchers looked at Scottish terriers, because they already have a higher risk of developing bladder cancer than other breeds. The study followed 120 Scotties for three years, examining their lifestyles, analyzing urine samples and speaking with their owners.

The researchers found that Scotties exposed to smoke had a six times higher chance of developing bladder cancer, well above the breed’s typical risk. Metabolites from smoke were found in the dogs’ urine, even if they were only exposed to smoke on clothes.

The results are sobering — for our pets and for us, too.

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner and for many, there is only one way to celebrate — with a pint. Or many.

Even on a celebratory holiday like the Feast of Saint Patrick, you should consider alcohol’s effects on your body.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines moderate alcohol consumption as two drinks per day for men and one for women. On St. Patrick’s Day, however, the issue is often binge drinking, which is defined as four or more drinks for women and five or more for men over a two- to three-hour period.

Research shows that excessive drinking isn’t good for your body.

For starters, binge drinking or heavy drinking can alter your DNA. When researchers compared binge drinkers and heavy drinkers to moderate drinkers, they found it changed two genes in the overindulging groups.

One of those genes affects the body’s biological clock. The other regulates the stress response system. The result? An increased desire for alcohol.

The National Cancer Institute says alcohol increases your chance of having mouth, throat, liver and breast cancers. Heavy drinkers are five times more likely than their teetotaling counterparts to have esophageal cancer.

One night of binge drinking can lead to blackouts, while doing so over a longer period leaves you at risk for memory loss and dementia.

It’s OK to celebrate all things Irish without the booze. Grab something to read by the witty Oscar Wilde. Or that green milkshake folks are so fond of. Learn to jig.

Just imagine: You won’t risk your health nor will you need to worry about embarrassment from your previous-night shenanigans.

When you hear the term “scratches” in an equine context, it doesn’t refer to a superficial wound. Instead, it means a skin infection involving a horse’s lower leg. Sometimes it goes by “greasy heel,” “mud fever” or other colorful term.

Scratches is often seen in wet or muddy environments. Horses with long feathered coats, like draft breeds, are most at risk because their hair traps moisture, which can foster bacterial and fungal infections. But scratches can affect any horse.

Typical signs include scabs and a greasy discharge that progresses to inflammation, itchiness and pain. In severe cases, the skin can thicken and crack. As always, any suspicious abnormality should be addressed as soon as possible.