Saturday, September 14, 2013

Un día de despedidas/ A day of farewells

The partridges arrive to Santiago/ Han llegado los perdezes al Santiago de ChileReady! y ¡Listo!Finding the perfect spot / Buscando el lugar perfectoFinding the perfect spot / Buscando el lugar perfectoReady for release / Listo para el lanzamiento
In memory of Natash Rose Can d'Ijuma / En memoria de Natasha Can d'IjumaIn memory of Natash Rose Can d'Ijuma / En memoria de Natasha Can d'IjumaFarewell our friend / Adios nuestro amigaRemembering / RecordandoFly with the birds / Vuele con las pajarosGood by my friend/ Adios mi amiga

Por la mañana, compañeros de caza, amigos Jorge Martínez Alonso, Juan Carlos Castro Rehbein, Andrés Martínez y fui a la estación de autobuses para recoger 3 jaulas de perdices a libertad en los campos de la granja de un amigo con la esperanza de restablecer la población de aves allí. Esta es la segunda vez que lo hemos hecho. Este es un nuevo programa creado recientemente y recién ascendido en Chile. Pero el esfuerzo de hoy tenía un significado adicional para nosotros. Para nosotros no sólo liberó las aves para construir su nuevo hogar, también establecemos las cenizas de Natasha Rose Can d'Ijuma libres de volar entre las aves en el lugar que tanto amaba.

In the morning, hunting buddies, friends Jorge Martinez Alonso, Juan Carlos Castro Rehbein, Andrés Martínez and I went to the bus station to collect 3 cages of partridges to set free in the fields of a friend's farm with the hopes of reestablishing the bird population there. This is the second time we have done this. This is a new program recently established and newly promoted in Chile. But today's effort had extra meaning for us. For not only did we release the birds to build their new home, we also set the ashes of Natasha Rose Can d'Ijuma free to fly among the birds in the place she so dearly loved.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

So long sweet Natasha Rose

It is with a greatly tremendous and profound sadness that I report that Natasha Rose passed this evening despite a Herculean effort among friends and family and our vet to save her life. Thank you to all for your prayers and wonderful efforts to help save her life. She was a precious member of our family and will be deeply missed.

Es con gran y profunda tristeza que informe que Natasha Rose pasó esta noche a pesar de un esfuerzo hercúleo entre amigos y familiares y nuestro veterinario para salvar su vida. Gracias a todos por sus oraciones y maravillosos esfuerzos para ayudar a salvar su vida. Ella era un valioso miembro de nuestra familia y extrañaremos profundamente.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Vizsla selected as mascot for European Judo Union

Meet Judoggy, the  Hungarian vizsla

The European Judo Union selected the Hungarian vizsla as their Mascot of the EC.  The vizsla's name, Judoggy was selected from more than 200 suggestions after judogi which the vizsla wears. The organizers with the help of Sport TV asked the fans to give name to the Mascot.

The European Judo Union (EJU) is celebrating its 65 th anniversary this year and the Hungarian Judo Association (MJSZ) organize together Hungary’s most prestigious sport event of 2013, the adidas Judo European Championships between 25 and 28 April in the Papp László Budapest Sportaréna. 410 athletes representing 42 countries.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Book looks at the ethics of when, and how, to end a pet’s life

As reported by the Montana Public Radio
Pet owners rarely think about how they are going to handle their pet’s end of life and death, but that’s exactly what bioethicist Jessica Pierce’s book “The Last Walk” urges pet owners to do. Pierce is in Missoula to speak about her book, and the many issues it raises – from the ethics of euthanasia to the growing animal hospice movement. In this feature interview, Pierce talks with News Director Sally Mauk about improving how we deal with pets at the end of their lives. The book was prompted by a journal Pierce kept about her beloved dog Ody’s last year – a 14-year-old Hungarian hunting dog Pierce lived with since he was a puppy. She was also at the same time, writing a text about bioethics..
Click here to hear the interview

Monday, April 8, 2013

Recipes/Recetas: Now that she retrieved them what do we do with them


Hopefully this photo of  Vizsla Kosmo  of Fusion Vizlas retrieving a pheasant
will soon be replaced by one of Natasha Rose!

While Jorge and  I enjoy the hunt, we enjoy even more the gathering of friends at the dinner table to relive the adventures, brag about the accomplishments of our dogs and perhaps our own skills, and share in great meals of freshly prepared game. With our bird-dog, Natasha Rose at work along side Jorge, we expect to have many great celebratory meals here in Chile.  But finding the right recipes for preparation of game can often be a challenge. Hopefully Recipes/Recetas, the newly added page on Natasha's blog, will be of some help.

Recipes/Recetas hosts recipes of game, including pigeon and dove, rabbit, pheasant, duck, and others that we have enjoyed (or perhaps hope to enjoy next hunting season).   As we are an international family living an expat life I hope to gather game recipes from around the world. Ironically, my cousin in Spain shared with me Recetas Patagónicas con carnes de caza , a link to recipes from Patagonia, Chile! I also will be adding photos of food preparation and personal notes. I dare say the page may even grow into it's own blog with any luck. And who knows perhaps my own cookbook, taking me on to another journey!

And for those days where the aim is a little off or there were no critters to be found and you still want some meat on the table our friend Juan Castro shares this great resource for those of you living in Chile:
Carnes De Caza. According to their website:
The company was founded in 1995, becoming the first hunting ground of the V Region (also known as the Valparaíso Region).  It is located in Fundo Los Pheasants Casablanca, which operates as an adventure travel company dedicated to hunting and fishing.  They offer organic production of premium meats and fine gourmet haute cuisine and game birds, as well as exotic farming. They have recovered the old traditions of the Chilean countryside along with the true flavors of wild nature. 
They are located at: 2 NORTE 1187 (Esquina 5 oriente) / FONO : (32) 2685 529 - 269 2913 - MOVIL 98016399 / TWITTER @avatte / VIÑA DEL MAR, CHILE

If you have other recipes you wish to share or links to them, please send them on to me and I'll be happy to add them!



Sunday, April 7, 2013

More Fat, Less Protein Improves Canine Olfactory Abilities

Looking closely or using the nose?
Jorge came home today very happy with how she performed in their first official hunting, bringing 10 doves. However he observed Natasha Rose needs more training to use her nose more than here eyes. After reading this article based on research by Cornell University, perhaps we need to just fatten her up a bit!

From Science Daily:  See also  Cornell University (2013, March 27). More fat, less protein improves canine olfactory abilities. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 7, 2013, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2013/03/130327102652.htm

Mar. 27, 2013 — From sniffing out bombs and weapons to uncovering criminal evidence, dogs can help save lives and keep the peace. Now, researchers have uncovered how to improve dogs' smelling skills through diet, by cutting protein and adding fats.

Such a diet, say the researchers, appears to help dogs return to lower body temperatures after exercise, which reduces panting and, thereby, improves sniffing.

The findings could change how detection dogs are fed and boost their detection abilities, says Joseph Wakshlag, associate professor of clinical studies and chief of nutrition at Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine. Wakshlag, who collaborated with researchers at Auburn University, is presenting the findings at the Companion Animal Nutrition Summit in Atlanta, held March 22-24.

The study, funded with a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, also found that detection dogs are more reliable detectors than previously thought. The study is the first to be conducted in the world's only detection dog research facility designed in conjunction with a military dog trainer. The Alabama facility, which provides expert detection dogs to police and military forces, flushes out fumes between tests, ensuring a fresh field each time.

"Previous studies from other facilities, which lack this feature, had suggested detection dogs signaling for suspect substances are about 70 percent accurate," said Wakshlag. "The lower numbers may have been due to study design flaws which our new study overcame. Dogs tested in the new facility signaled with 90 percent and above accuracy. We also found we can push detection performance even further with the right kind of food."

Bucking conventional thinking, the group found that less protein and more fat in the dogs' diet helped trained dogs perform better in exercise and detection tests. During an 18-month period, they rotated 17 trained dogs through three diets Wakshlag selected: a high-end performance diet, regular adult dog food, and regular adult dog food diluted with corn oil. Measuring how different diets affected each dog, they found that dogs eating the normal diet enhanced with corn oil returned to normal body temperatures most quickly after exercise and were better able to detect smokeless powder, ammonia nitrate and TNT.

"Corn oil has lots of polyunsaturated fats, similar to what you'd find in a lot of nuts and common grocery store seed oils," said Wakshlag. "Past data from elsewhere suggest that these polyunsaturated fats might enhance the sense of smell, and it looks like that may be true for detection dogs. It could be that fat somehow improves nose-signaling structures or reduces body temperature or both. But lowering protein also played a part in improving olfaction."

Wakshlag designed the high-performance and corn-oil diets to have the same amount of energy from fat (57 percent). But the corn oil diet had less protein: 18 percent compared with 27 percent in the regular and high-performance diets.

"If you're a dog, digesting protein raises body temperature, so the longer your body temperature is up, the longer you keep panting, and the harder it is to smell well," said Wakshlag. "Our study shifts the paradigm of what 'high-performance' diet can mean for dogs. It depends on what you want your dog to do. A sled dog or greyhound may need more protein to keep going. But detection dogs tend to exercise in shorter bursts and need to recover quickly and smell well. For that, less protein and more fat could help."

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Natasha Rose Can D'Ijuma: Campeona de Argentina, 24, Marzo 2013

OUR NATASHA ROSE CAN D'JUMA 

2013 CHAMPION OF ARGENTINA!

Federación Cinologica Argentina
Fecha: 21 al 24 de Marzo 2013 - Lugar: La Rural Predio Ferial de Palermo

CH. .JOV. CHI. CH. ARG. Natasha Rose Can D'Ijuma with handler, Dr. Fernando Burgos



Judges for Group 7

3/21         3/22        3/23       3/24
1/CAC
1/CAC/SO
1/CAC
1/CAC
CATEGORIA: 9° INTERMEDIA - HEMBRAS DE 15 A 24 MESES
262.
NATASHA ROSE CAN D'IJUMA - KCC 381146 - I -
Born/ NAC: 22/08/11 - H -
Lineage/ POR: ROCKY OF BANFIELD y CEILA CAN D'IJUMA -
Owner/EXP. JORGE MARTINEZ

Monday, March 4, 2013

Dog body language- Are you listening to what your pet is telling you?


Our Natasha has no trouble getting her thoughts across to us- especially if we are too slow in offering her a chewy pig's ear treat. Same with our maltese, Samson. He can let it be know clearly that he's just not up for play right now. But how do we know what's being thought, felt, and well yes, said? We just listen, look, and watch. Dogs are very expressive and we must be attentive to their expressions.


Dogs are a whole body communicator, not just one part or another. It is important to view the whole picture, your dog and the situation or context he’s in, in order to accurately determine what he’s trying to say to get the complete message your dog is telling you. They use facial expressions, ear set, tail carriage and overall demeanor to signal their intentions and feelings to others.

In Summary:


Each body part makes up the whole very expressive dog. Here is a list of things to remember about a dog's body language:

Approach


  • Advancing: indicates dominance or aggression
  • Retreating: indicates fear or anxiety
  • Facing squarely: indicates confidence, dominance or aggression
  • Standing sideways: indicates confidence without asserting dominance

 Posture


  • Leaning forward: indicates confidence and interest
  • Leaning forward with stiff legged stance: indicates dominance or aggressive intention
  • Leaning backward: indicates fear or submission
  • Body or head lowered: indicates fear, anxiety or submission
  • Body or head lowered and twisted: indicates submission
  • Body lowered on front end only: indicates playfulness
  • Body twisted upside down: indicates extreme submission or fear
  • Body upside down and rolling: indicates pleasure
  • Head turned away: indicates submission or a truce
  • Head held high, arched neck: indicates confidence or challenge


Interaction


  • Paw placed on another's back: indicates dominance or aggression
  • Head and neck placed over another's back: indicates dominance or aggression
  • Shoulder or hip bump into another: indicates dominance or playfulness


Tail Position


  • Tail held horizontal or naturally: indicates interest
  • Tail raised, held stiffly and quivering: indicates dominance or aggressive intention
  • Tail tucked: indicates fear, anxiety or submission
  • Tail tucked but wagging: indicates submission
  • Tail wagging slowly but broadly: indicates relaxation, playfulness or anticipation
  • Tail wagging quickly and broadly: indicates submission or pleasure


Ears

Ears forward: indicates interest, dominance, playfulness or aggression
Ears back: indicates fear
Ears down: indicates submission

 Eyes


  • Note:  Dogs don't like to be stared at directly in the eye. It can frighten a timid dog, or be seen as a challenge to a dominant dog, and either case can end up in a dog bite for you.
  • Eyes opened wide and staring: indicates aggression
  • Eyes turned away and squinting: indicates submission
  • Eyes blinking rapidly: indicates stress
  • Eyes with dilated pupils: indicates arousal, often from fear or aggression

 Mouth


  • Mouth agape with lip corner forward: indicates aggression
  • Mouth slightly open with lip corner pulled back, all teeth showing: indicates fear
  • Mouth open with lip corner pulled upward, often with tongue showing: indicates relaxation or playfulness
  • Mouth licking the air or toward you or another dog rapidly: indicates submission
  • Mouth licking lips: may indicate stress. Or maybe he's just getting ready to eat!
  • Face, nose or lips wrinkled, teeth showing: indicates aggression
  • Front teeth showing but no signs of aggression: indicates submission (the "canine grin")
  • Mouth yawning: indicates nervousness or serves to reduce tension in aggressive situations
  • Muzzle push: indicates submission, affection
  • Panting: if not hot or tired, may indicate anxiety or pain

 Hackles


Hackles raised: indicates arousal associated with aggression or fear



Here is a great pictorial chart of doggy messages by Lilli Chin, http://doggiedrawings.net/ 



Once you know what your dog is telling you, you need to know how to respond back. Important to keep mind, according to animal behaviorist, John Bradsha, in an NPR article, is to realize" that dogs are neither wolves nor furry humans and that dog owners have certain responsibilities to make sure their dogs are psychologically healthy."

Learn more about dogs and their body language here:
ASPCA/Canine Body Language
Dog Body Language


An Easier Way to Speak Dog

Wouldn't be so much simpler in the ende to have a translator collar like the dogs in Pixar's movie "Up?"




Seems you can now purchase one too! It's called Bowlingual Dog Translator:


Take the translation test

Now that you've learned how to speak dog, test yourself to see how accurate your are typing a word into the handy canine translator to see what your pooch is trying to tell you: Click here to take the test- http://talkingpets.ca/en/speakdog.aspx

What has your dog been trying to tell you lately and how have you responded?

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Cornell Vizsla Mast Cell Research Project: Sample Collection on March 16, 2013


What: Cornell University Veterinary School DNA Bank in partnership with the Vizsla Club of America Welfare Foundation (VCA WF) is collecting blood samples from affected and non-affected (8 years old or older) vizslas to identify a gene or multiple genes that may predict a predisposition for mast cell tumor cancer (MCT). This is the first vizsla-specific study of its kind and could result in a genetic test to detect the genetic susceptibility in breeding stock prior to breeding. This is a free health clinic to gather as many samples as possible for this project.

FMI: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/news/vizsla.cfm
When: Saturday March 16, 2013, 9am – 4pm.
Where: Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, Stamford CT
880 Canal Street
Stamford, CT 06902

For more information and directions: http://www.cuvs.org

Eligible:
+ Any Vizslas who have been previously diagnosed with MCT. Please bring a copy of the affected dog's histopathology report.

+ Any Vizslas—8 years or older— who have not been previously diagnosed with MCT. These dogs will be examined by Cornell staff veterinarians to make sure they qualify as controls (non-affected).

Cost: Blood draws and examinations are free-of-charge.

Registration: Please register for the clinic in advance by contacting Liz Corey (DNA Bank) by email (dnabank@cornell.edu ) or by phone (607/253.3446).

What to bring: your dog(s), a copy of a histopathology report (if applicable), a three-generation pedigree and any OFA/PennHip information for each dog.

FMI: vcawf2000@gmail.com

Friday, February 15, 2013

Gauge the Vizsla and Betsy need your help

Gauge and Betsy  need your help- Donate today!
Yesterday I posted about Betsy Strachota and her vizsla Gauge who is currently undergoing physical therapy and may need further surgeries after falling from a five story building.  I have been informed by Megan Smith, a member of the Twin Cities Vizsla Cub Rescue Committee, that Betsy is in great need of help with some of her massive vet bills. I encourage you to help Betsy and Gauge as I did by donating to the TCVC Rescue fund. It's simple and easy to do via Paypal or credit card.  The donate button is located on the main page, on the lower right hand side of the webpage: http://www.tcvc.org/


Once you have made your donation you will see on the PayPal "Review of donation" page under TVCV Rescue a line that states:
Add special instructions to the seller: 
Click on that line to open a box to write in a special instructions note that your donation is for the Gauge Fund.

Megan assures me that Betsy has been a great ally to the Vizsla and assists with the Secondhand Hound Rescue program as a foster owner. Betsy also helped TVCV by taking in the Weimaraner brother to a Vizsla that TVCV had in rescue by finding him a new home. Megan encourages all who are able to give Betsy and Gauge a hand by making a donation today! Any amount will be a great help.

Please let me know if you have issues donating or if you would like to donate by check and I will e-mail you the address mail directly.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

New study suggests neutering affects dog health

Neutering, and the age at which a dog is neutered, may affect the animal’s risk for developing certain cancers and joint diseases, according to a new study of golden retrievers by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis.
The study, which examined the health records of 759 golden retrievers, found a surprising doubling of hip dysplasia among male dogs neutered before one year of age. This and other results will be published today (Feb. 13) in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE.
“The study results indicate that dog owners and service-dog trainers should carefully consider when to have their male or female dogs neutered,” said lead investigator Benjamin Hart, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
“It is important to remember, however, that because different dog breeds have different vulnerabilities to various diseases, the effects of early and late neutering also may vary from breed to breed,” he said.
While results of the new study are revealing, Hart said the relationship between neutering and disease-risk remains a complex issue. For example, the increased incidence of joint diseases among early-neutered dogs is likely a combination of the effect of neutering on the young dog’s growth plates as well as the increase in weight on the joints that is commonly seen in neutered dogs.
Dog owners in the United States are overwhelmingly choosing to neuter their dogs, in large part to prevent pet overpopulation or avoid unwanted behaviors. In the U.S., surgical neutering — known as spaying in females — is usually done when the dog is less than one year old.
In Europe, however, neutering is generally avoided by owners and trainers and not promoted by animal health authorities, Hart said.
During the past decade, some studies have indicated that neutering can have several adverse health effects for certain dog breeds. Those studies examined individual diseases using data drawn from one breed or pooled from several breeds.
Against that backdrop, Hart and colleagues launched their study, using a single hospital database. The study was designed to examine the effects of neutering on the risks of several diseases in the same breed, distinguishing between males and females and between early or late neutering and non-neutering. 
The researchers chose to focus on the golden retriever because it is one of the most popular breeds in the U.S. and Europe and is vulnerable to various cancers and joint disorders. The breed also is favored for work as a service dog.
The research team reviewed the records of female and male golden retrievers, ranging in age from 1 to 8 years, that had been examined at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for two joint disorders and three cancers: hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear, lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma and mast cell tumor. The dogs were classified as intact (not neutered), neutered early (before 12 months age), or neutered late (at or after 12 months age).
Joint disorders and cancers are of particular interest because neutering removes the male dog’s testes and the female’s ovaries, interrupting production of certain hormones that play key roles in important body processes such as closure of bone growth plates, and regulation of the estrous cycle in female dogs.
The study revealed that, for all five diseases analyzed, the disease rates were significantly higher in both males and females that were neutered either early or late compared with intact (non-neutered) dogs.
Specifically, early neutering was associated with an increase in the occurrence of hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and lymphosarcoma in males and of cranial cruciate ligament tear in females. Late neutering was associated with the subsequent occurrence of mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma in females.
In most areas, the findings of this study were consistent with earlier studies, suggesting similar increases in disease risks. The new study, however, was the first to specifically report an increased risk of late neutering for mast cell tumors and hemangiosarcoma.
Furthermore, the new study showed a surprising 100 percent increase, or doubling, of the incidence of hip dysplasia among early-neutered males. Earlier studies had reported a 17 percent increase among all neutered dogs compared to all non-neutered dogs, indicating the importance of the new study in making gender and age-of-neutering comparisons.
Other researchers on this UC Davis study were: Gretel Torres de la Riva, Thomas Farver and Lynette Hart, School of Veterinary Medicine; Anita Oberbauer, Department of Animal Science; Locksley Messam, Department of Public Health Sciences; and Neil Willits, Department of Statistics.

About UC Davis

For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 33,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget of nearly $750 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges — Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools — Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Media contact(s):


Citation: Torres de la Riva G, Hart BL, Farver TB, Oberbauer AM, Messam LLM, et al. (2013) Neutering Dogs: Effects on Joint Disorders and Cancers in Golden Retrievers. PLoS ONE 8(2): e55937. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0055937http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055937 

Abstract


In contrast to European countries, the overwhelming majority of dogs in the U.S. are neutered (including spaying), usually done before one year of age. Given the importance of gonadal hormones in growth and development, this cultural contrast invites an analysis of the multiple organ systems that may be adversely affected by neutering. Using a single breed-specific dataset, the objective was to examine the variables of gender and age at the time of neutering versus leaving dogs gonadally intact, on all diseases occurring with sufficient frequency for statistical analyses. Given its popularity and vulnerability to various cancers and joint disorders, the Golden Retriever was chosen for this study. Veterinary hospital records of 759 client-owned, intact and neutered female and male dogs, 1–8 years old, were examined for diagnoses of hip dysplasia (HD), cranial cruciate ligament tear (CCL), lymphosarcoma (LSA), hemangiosarcoma (HSA), and mast cell tumor (MCT). Patients were classified as intact, or neutered early (<12 mo) or late (≥12 mo). Statistical analyses involved survival analyses and incidence rate comparisons. Outcomes at the 5 percent level of significance are reported. Of early-neutered males, 10 percent were diagnosed with HD, double the occurrence in intact males. There were no cases of CCL diagnosed in intact males or females, but in early-neutered males and females the occurrences were 5 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Almost 10 percent of early-neutered males were diagnosed with LSA, 3 times more than intact males. The percentage of HSA cases in late-neutered females (about 8 percent) was 4 times more than intact and early-neutered females. There were no cases of MCT in intact females, but the occurrence was nearly 6 percent in late-neutered females. The results have health implications for Golden Retriever companion and service dogs, and for oncologists using dogs as models of cancers that occur in humans.

Dogs and depth perception: Dog Falls 5 Stories & Survives


Natasha posing outside on the balcony of our 16th floor apartment

We live on the 16th floor in apartment that has balconies that nearly surround it. Families of small children often put safety netting around to keep their children from tumbling over the edge. You can see by the photo above that the bar comes just to the top of a chair, about to the middle of a person. There have been times I've worried that a ball tossed may go over the edge with Natasha Rose dutifully following after it. We've been smart to make sure that doesn't happen, keeping all toys inside, training her to stay away from the edge and not to jump onto the balcony bars surround it.

Or have we simply been lucky?

Gauge a vizsla in the Twin Cities was not so lucky, falling five stories, shattering his hip on impact and sustaining internal bleeding. His owner owner, Betsy Strachota, who brought him into work with her one Saturday explains  “We have a rooftop deck on our office. When I let him out to go to the bathroom, he looked across the roof and it looked like it continued. He couldn’t see it dropped off, and he jumped.”

A dog’s depth perception and field of view are  determined by how its eyes are set. Dogs, like humans have eyes set close together. Human eyes are set straight forward while dog eyes, depending on the breed, are usually set at a 20 degree angle. This angle increases the field of view and therefore increases the peripheral vision of the dog.



However, with a dog's increased peripheral vision their binocular vision is compromised. Binocular vision occurs where the field of view of each eye overlaps. Binocular vision aids in jumping, leaping, catching, and many other activities fundamental to predators' survival. Dogs with wider-set eyes have less overlap and less binocular vision -- thus less depth perception. Dogs’ depth perception is best when they look straight ahead.  This is not an ideal situation as their nose often interferes.  While a dog's binocular vision provides them a sense of depth, as to recognizing danger, that would probably depend on the strength of their prey drive, training, and experience.


But what happened to poor Gauge you may be worrying!

He was  lucky to be saved by veterinarians at the University of Minnesota.  Using their new 3-D CT scan the surgical team was able to have a much more in-depth picture of his injuries and save his life. Currently the dog continues to undergo costly physical therapy and will be evaluated for possible further surgery. His owner says it is worth it.

You may read the full story here and watch that video of Gauge in therapy:
Dog Falls 5 Stories & Survives Thanks To U Of M Technology « CBS Minnesota






Wednesday, February 13, 2013

25 Vizslas all in a row

From the Westminster Kennel Club: The Hungarian Vizsla represents one of the best in sporting dogs and loyal companions.

What a site to see so many beautiful vizslas --25 of them vying for title of Best of Show at the Westminster Dog Show February 12, 2013

Follow the link to watch them parade about: