Friday, October 2, 2020
The kick-off event for the 2020 virtual Purdue Veterinary Conference featured an intriguing look at the life of service dogs. Held Tuesday, September 22, the Elanco Human-Animal Bond Lecture featured a Zoom presentation by Dr. Zenithson Ng, clinical associate professor of canine and feline primary care at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The talk, which was open to the public, provided a unique glimpse into the life of a service dog and revealed ways people can help ensure the welfare of these animals.
A veterinarian who completed a combined American Board of Veterinary Practitioners residency and masters degree program in human-animal bond studies at Virginia Tech, Dr. Ng entitled his presentation, A Day in the Life of a Service Dog: A Welfare Perspective. He began by sharing a documentary clip comprised of interviews with several service dog owners. One person in the video described a time when he wanted to cross a street and urged his dog, Bryson, to move forward. Bryson, however, could sense there was an out of control car headed their way and stayed put to keep his owner out of the road. According to the owner, Bryson disobeyed me to protect me! The full documentary, titled Pick of the Litter, is available to stream on Netflix.
Dr. Ng went on to explain how dogs are chosen for this kind of life of service as soon as they are born. Since service dogs basically work 24 hours per day, seven days per week, careful time and consideration is given to making sure the dogs are up to the duties required in this role.
One particular group of people that can really benefit from service dogs is children with special needs. Dr. Ng gave a hypothetical example of a dog named Grace working as a service dog for a young boy named Mikey who is on the autism spectrum. Mikey has some atypical social tendencies and trouble self-regulating. Grace can be there for him to provide comfort and so he would always have someone trustworthy by his side. This scenario illustrates a fantastic situation in which both Mike and Grace get a beloved friend that loves them unconditionally.
Toward the end of the presentation, Dr. Ng gave another speculative example of a typical day for a service dog attached to a child with autism. There are a number of risks these dogs are subject to, such as obesity, as sometimes the children tend to overfeed them. Also, most often in the school setting, the dogs can experience sensory overload due to being surrounded by many children who want to pet them. Dr. Ng explained that in such situations, what helps most often is communication between the parents and teachers regarding the service dog, to ensure that the dog at school is taken care of like any other pet. Additionally, it is beneficial for teachers to treat the dog as if it were a fellow employee, because the dog is there to support the advancement of the childs education.
Along with dogs, there are many other animals that have been shown to form strong bonds with children who have special needs. A study published in 2013 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information shows children with autism who bonded with guinea pigs experienced a much larger increase in social behaviors compared to children who were given typical toys instead. Additionally, therapeutic horseback riding has been shown to help children cope with stress and relax.
Purdue Veterinary Medicine researchers in the OHAIRE lab, led by Dr. Maggie OHaire, as part of the Purdue University Center for the Human-Animal Bond, also continue to conduct collaborative studies aimed at understanding the effects of animal-assisted intervention for autism.
The Elanco Human-Animal Bond Lecture serves as one of the keynote lectures of the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference. Sponsored by an endowment from Elanco Animal Health, the lecture highlights the special bond between humans and animals.
Writer(s): Jonathan Martz, PVM Communications Intern | pvmnews@purdue.edu
See original here:
Human-Animal Bond Expert Shares How Service Dogs Do the World a Great Service - Purdue Veterinary News
- Does Your Dog Need Glasses? From Removing Cataracts and Performing Surgeries to Restore Vision, Veterinarians ... - PR Newswire - May 14th, 2024
- The ABCs of CBD for pets | Health | thehendersonnews.com - The Henderson News - May 14th, 2024
- Ask The Vet: Why have vet trips gotten so expensive? - Arizona Daily Sun - May 14th, 2024
- Meet the Team: Nicki Wise - Clemson News - May 14th, 2024
- Texas A&M Veterinarians Work Around The Clock To Save Newborn Foal - Texas A&M University Today - May 14th, 2024
- Just one thing: Benchmarking your team's turnover rate - American Veterinary Medical Association - May 14th, 2024
- Veterinarian Warns Of Summer Pet Threat That Burrows into the Skin - Newsweek - May 14th, 2024
- Azi Chegini and The Dogs of Otavalo Angels in Medicine - Angels in Medicine - May 14th, 2024
- The Dogs of Otavalo Angels in Medicine - Angels in Medicine - May 14th, 2024
- Evette Collaborates With Shepherd Software for First-Ever Solution Aimed to Solve the Veterinary Industry Shortage - Business Wire - May 14th, 2024
- Auburn Veterinarian and Animal Health Researcher Weigh In on HPAI A (H5N1) - Bovine Veterinarian - May 14th, 2024
- Health-related quality of life assessment tool for cats with hyperthyroidism - DVM 360 - May 14th, 2024
- Veterinary innovation and AVMA Convention 2024 - American Veterinary Medical Association - May 5th, 2024
- Helping Cats Stand Up To Pillow Foot - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today - May 5th, 2024
- New Study Dispels Myth That Purebred Dogs Are More Prone To Health Problems - Texas A&M University Today - May 5th, 2024
- Veterinary care, animal hospitals are more scarce. That's bad for pets (and their owners) - USA TODAY - May 5th, 2024
- New Study Busts Long-Believed Myth About the Health of Purebred Dogs - Parade Pets - May 5th, 2024
- CSU breaks ground on Veterinary Health and Education Complex - Source - May 5th, 2024
- New record program aims to improve access of care - DVM 360 - May 5th, 2024
- WSU expected to care for a record number of injured wildlife this year, asking the community for donations and support - NBC Right Now - May 5th, 2024
- Unveiling the Secrets of Veterinary Success: Dive into the Latest Issue of Business by Vet Candy! - Vet Candy - May 5th, 2024
- Canine Educators Help Lift Spirits and Support on Purdue Day of Giving - Purdue University - May 5th, 2024
- CSU to break ground Thursday on expanded veterinary school BizWest - BizWest - May 5th, 2024
- COVETRUS OPENS NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART DISTRIBUTION CENTER TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR ... - StreetInsider.com - May 5th, 2024
- Trainer reveals why your dog will never be fully trained and it makes so much sense! - AOL - May 5th, 2024
- Nonprofit raising money to save dogs in need of lifesaving medical treatment - Sunbury Daily Item - May 5th, 2024
- What is an endoscopy and how can it help your pet? | Ask Dr. Kait - Hanford Sentinel - May 5th, 2024
- Morehead State Veterinary Technology program ranked 13th in nation, #1 in state - Morehead State University News - April 25th, 2024
- veterinary medicine summary | Britannica - April 25th, 2024
- Veterinary Viewpoints: Severe weather and pets - Oklahoma State University - April 25th, 2024
- Clinic center: New hospitals opening across the nation - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Cancer test launches within US and European veterinary clinics - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Tracking tool is launched on the first parvovirus awareness day - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- CFMV highlights the urgency of regulating air and road transport of animals - Aeroflap - April 25th, 2024
- Business Memoranda: 04/24/2024 | the BIZ | record-eagle.com - Traverse City Record Eagle - April 25th, 2024
- Wrap up: Animal health company responds to safety concerns over OA drug, and other veterinary news - DVM 360 - April 25th, 2024
- Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine Teams-up with Lafayette School Corporation through The League of ... - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- ImpriMed to Showcase Groundbreaking AI Research and Applications at Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in ... - Business Wire - April 16th, 2024
- The hardest job in a hospital (according to a veterinarian) - DVM 360 - April 16th, 2024
- Dangers Of Humans Taking Animal Drugs And Vice Versa - Forbes - April 16th, 2024
- Dyer honored at commissioners meeting - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - April 16th, 2024
- LSU Vet Med releases male bald eagle that was hit by car in October - WGNO New Orleans - April 16th, 2024
- What Killed Their Pets? Owners Blame Meds, but Vets Aren't Sure - The Wall Street Journal - April 16th, 2024
- 10 best practices to steward a healthy relationship with your veterinarian - Ag Proud - April 16th, 2024
- PVM Faculty Promotions Approved by Purdue University Board of Trustees - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- Paws Up - brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee - Purdue University - April 16th, 2024
- States begin to restrict cattle imports from those with influenza cases - American Veterinary Medical Association - April 16th, 2024
- What does a veterinarian do? - CareerExplorer - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary Medicine Overview - CareerExplorer - March 29th, 2024
- Cats with MDR1 mutation at risk of severe reactions to popular medication - WSU News - March 29th, 2024
- Animal chaplains offer spiritual care for every species - The Associated Press - March 29th, 2024
- Loki's Leap: The Golden Retriever who overcame the odds with groundbreaking care - Virginia Tech - March 29th, 2024
- 6 in 10 pet owners surveyed in the UK, Austria and Denmark believe their pets should have access to the same healthcare treatment options as humans -... - March 29th, 2024
- Protecting Puppies From Parvovirus - Texas A&M Today - Texas A&M University Today - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary Medicine in the Digital Age - Boehringer Ingelheim - March 29th, 2024
- Veterinary surgeon: Spare flat-faced pets the respiratory distress - Phys.org - March 29th, 2024
- AMC expands offerings with enhanced surgical suite - American Veterinary Medical Association - March 29th, 2024
- A soul killer: whats behind the USs critical veterinarian shortage? - The Guardian - February 27th, 2024
- Sneak peek: Humane Society International and Ukrainian Red Cross has helped over 100,000 pets in Ukraine, and ... - DVM 360 - February 27th, 2024
- Most veterinarians are women, but they still face sexism in rural areas where theyre most needed - IPM Newsroom - February 27th, 2024
- SA Gets its Largest CT Scanner for Veterinary Practice and Studies - Good Things Guy - February 27th, 2024
- Inside the Lab Part 2: How DNA researchers are helping crack animal cruelty cases - FOX 35 Orlando - February 27th, 2024
- This University Is Set To Become Just The Second HBCU In The Country To Train Veterinarians - Essence - February 27th, 2024
- USDA offers Grants for veterinarians in designated areas of Virginia - Yahoo News - February 10th, 2024
- Curing Pets With Cannabis as Veterinarians Try CBD and THC - The New York Times - February 10th, 2024
- New emergency vet clinic in Northern Liberties lets owners stay with pet - NBC 10 Philadelphia - February 10th, 2024
- The interview - DVM 360 - February 10th, 2024
- Veterinarians, State Ag Directors Champion Rural Veterinary Workforce Act - DTN The Progressive Farmer - February 10th, 2024
- USDA offers Grants for veterinarians in designated areas of Virginia - WFXRtv.com - February 10th, 2024
- Rural Veterinarians Headed to DC for AVMA Legislative Fly-In - AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST - AGInfo Ag Information Network - February 10th, 2024
- MJ Wixsom: Emotional blackmail against veterinarians - The Tribune | The Tribune - Ironton Tribune - February 10th, 2024
- NAVC honors 2023 Speakers of the Year - DVM 360 - January 25th, 2024
- Steve Adubato speaks with the dean of Rowan University's first School of Veterinary Medicine - ROI-NJ.com - January 25th, 2024
- Texas A&M Veterinary Clinical Trial Gives Tabby Cat With Chronic Kidney Disease A Second Chance At Life - Texas A&M University Today - January 25th, 2024
- 4th generation takes the reins as Albany veterinary hospital celebrates 90 years of service - OregonLive - January 25th, 2024
- Synovial extramedullary hematopoiesis in a dog in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association - Ahead of ... - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- Xanthogranulomatous keratitis in a mixed-breed dog in: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association ... - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- C-reactive protein concentration has limited value in the diagnosis of meningoencephalitis of unknown origin in dogs - American Veterinary Medical... - January 25th, 2024
- Veterinary profession heading in right direction with mental health - American Veterinary Medical Association - January 25th, 2024
- Veterinarian shortage in Yakima Valley can make it harder to find animal care - Yakima Herald-Republic - January 25th, 2024