Dogs need to run for fitness, too!

There are all sorts of books, magazine articles and newspaper stories out there with suggestions on how to become a better runner.

None of them, however, is targeted at dogs.
That changes right here.

Many dogs are good runners and love to run, if only they are given the chance. What’s more, the principles of fitness for dogs are much closer to humans than might be first thought.
For example, you’ve heard of the obesity problem with humans in America. It’s the same story with our four-legged friends.
“I have seen it [the percentage of obese dogs] as high as 60 percent. It’s right at the level of people, if not more,” said Chris Muldoon, who takes dogs out for runs as part of his small business, Dash Dog Running Service.
“Seeing an overweight dog is one of my pet peeves, If a person is overweight, that’s his or her fault. With a dog, it’s the owner’s fault. The dog would love to get out and get some exercise.”
What’s more, when a dog asks to go outside to run, it is doing its owner a big favor.
“I’ve seen a lot of articles that say dog owners get more exercise than non-dog owners,” Muldoon said.
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, of course, so there is no “one plan fits all” scheme for what sort of exercise is needed.
“There are certain breeds that aren’t good runners,” said Muldoon, who has shown his running skills with several wins in the Corporate Challenge event in recent years. “There’s a term for dogs that have a short nose and a flat face. They have breathing issues, and they don’t do well. Some of the larger breeds, like Great Danes and Saint Bernards, are so big they can’t really run well.
“Age plays a factor too. Anytime I get a call to walk a dog under a year old, I tell them to talk to their vet first. All breeds develop at different rates. An 8-month-old boxer is bouncing off the walls already. Then for older dogs, walking is better.”
Muldoon has a husky, one of the best runners among dogs, but all of the working breeds are good at it. On the other hand, golden retrievers don’t nearly enjoy running as much as others.
Dogs can run faster and farther than you might think. One furry friend — Prefontaine Lacki — ran along with partner Jon Lacki in the Lockport Y-10 race in February, and finished in a 6:20 per mile pace. That was good for seventh place overall.
“Overall, humans are more geared for distance running than dogs. Humans are the biggest endurance junkies in the animal kingdom,” Muldoon said. “Some dogs are content to trot around at 10, 11 minutes per mile. I started one dog out at 8:30 miles, and we can just go and cruise. He could hang with me. I worry more about the pace than the dog does.”
When it comes to weather, dogs are more adaptable than might be first thought. While there are limits for running in winter weather, some dogs can go out in just about any conditions. A little cleaning of the paw pads after the run is necessary to clear the snow, ice and salt.
Summer heat actually is more dangerous for the dog than snow and cold.
“Anytime it’s about 80 degrees, you have to start watching,” Muldoon said. “Each dog’s heat tolerance is different. Dogs are poor at monitoring themselves. We run with water bottles. If it’s above 85, I’ll cancel and reschedule a run. You have to watch out for the streets getting too warm. It will burn the dog’s pads.”
Dogs shouldn’t eat within a couple of hours before going for a strenuous run, and a warm-up walk is always a good way to start a session of exercise. When the workout is over, the dog should have a little water at first but not too much.
Overall, a dog can turn into a good training partner in no time at all. If you need an excuse to put on sneakers and get out the door, Rover or Fido will be happy to provide one.
“One of the coolest things about taking dogs out is when they’ve never gone for a sustained run before,” Muldoon said. “It takes them about five minutes for it all to click. They might be a little anxious when they leave their owner and leave the house. But sometime after five to seven minutes, it clicks in. … They settle in to a pace. They pull on the leash and want to go faster. … They get it.”

How to Approach a Fearful Growling Dog

Before approaching a dog that is growling and appears fearful, assess the situation to determine if you are doing the right thing. If it is a strange dog or appears injured, call the number for your local animal control. If it your or a friend's dog who is behaving this way, you should still use caution. Dogs who are frightened behave in unpredictable ways, and you can easily make the situation worse by being impatient or aggressive.

1

Squat down, facing sideways, so you are not facing the dog directly. Position yourself far enough away from the dog so he doesn't retreat or attack. As soon as you see him make a move or escalate his fear behavior, stop and squat down. You don't want him to feel like you are cornering or chasing him.

2

Extend one hand, low to the ground and with your palm up.

3

Call the dog gently to you. Don't raise your voice in either a commanding or excited way.

4

Wait for the dog to come toward you. This requires patience, but is more effective and much safer than trying to capture the dog.

5

Gently stroke the dog under the chin or on the upper chest. Do not pet the top of his head or grab for his collar or neck as soon as he is within reach.

Tip

• Depending on the dog's level of fear, you may be able to speed the process along by offering him a treat in the palm of your outstretched hand. If he is too nervous to get close, toss the treat toward him, but hold your ground. When he picks up the treat, toss another, a little closer. Repeat until the dog will take the treat out of your hand.

7 Amazing Facts About Your Dog's Sense of Smell

Science is learning all kinds of things about dogs' noses, including this: Humans are splendidly, amazingly stinky to dogs, and they love us for it.

People have known for millennia that dogs sense the world in a very different way than we do. But science has recently learned all kinds of wow-worthy info about our dogs' olfaction. Check out seven of latest, greatest findings about dogs' remarkable sniffers.

Dog nose closeup by Shutterstock

1. Dogs smell way better than we do

Yeah, you can read that two ways, but think back to what your dog smells like when wet, and you'll figure out the right meaning. When it comes to nose sensitivity, dogs are the paws-down winners over humans. Numbers abound about how much better a dog’s sense of smell is than ours. There are so many variables that it’s almost impossible to quantify. I’ve seen figures indicating that it’s from 10 to 100 to 1,000 to 1,000,000 times better. Scientists I've spoken with say that dogs can detect some, if not most, odors at concentrations of parts per trillion.
Psychologist and prolific dog book author Stanley Coren gave me an example of what that huge sniffer sensitivity looks like. Let’s say you have a gram of a component of human sweat known as butyric acid. Surprisingly, humans are quite good at smelling this. If you let it evaporate in the space of a 10-story building, many of us would still be able to detect a faint scent upon entering the building. Not bad, for a human nose. But consider this: If you put the 135-square-mile city of Philadelphia under a 300-foot-high enclosure, evaporated the gram of butyric acid and let a dog in, the average dog would still be able to detect the odor.

Nectar of the gods! Pup smelling boot by Shutterstock

2. To a dog, you reek

As clean as you are, and as much soap and perfume and deodorant you wear, you are still splendidly stinky to your dog. Every human has a unique scent fingerprint, and that's pretty much everything a dog needs to tell one person from another. "To our dogs, we are our scent," says canine cognition expert Alexandra Horowitz, author of the enlightening book, Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. In that book, she writes this wonderful description:
"Humans stink. The human armpit is one of the most profound sources of odor produced by any animal; our breath is a confusing melody of smells; our genitals reek. The organ that covers our body –- our skin -- is itself covered in sweat and sebaceous glands, which are regularly churning out fluid and oils holding our particular brand of scent. When we touch objects, we leave a bit of ourselves on them; a slough of skin, with its clutch of bacteria steadily munching and excreting away. This is our smell, our signature odor."

No matter how much you may try to disguise it, you smell bigtime, at least to your dog! Dog sniffing among people by Shutterstock

3. We're like Pigpen

With every step you take, you shed loads of skin flakes -- kind of like the Peanuts character Pigpen and his ubiquitous dirt cloud. Real people have the same billow, only it’s made up of skin cells, which, when in this flake form, are known as rafts, or scurf. Get this: We shed 50 million skin cells each minute. Wow! “They fall like microscopic snowflakes,” Coren says. I am sitting here only moving my fingers on my keyboard because I really don't want to shed, but no matter what I do, I'm just a snowstorm. Thankfully, we can’t see this winter wonderland ourselves. But these rafts and scurf, with their biological richness, including the bacteria that sheds with them, are very “visible” to dogs’ noses.

4. You can't fool your dog

Research indicates that it’s quite likely that dogs can smell fear, anxiety, even sadness. The flight-or-fight hormone, adrenaline, is undetectable by our noses, but dogs can apparently smell it. In addition, fear or anxiety is often accompanied by increased heart rate and blood flow, which sends telltale body chemicals more quickly to the skin surface. Trying to mask your strong feelings with a casual smile may fool your friends, but it's not going to fool your best friend.

5. Dogs send "pee-mail"

I love this description of dog communiques from Coren: “Dogs read about the world through their noses, and they write their messages, at least to other dogs, in their urine." It's tempting to drag your dog along on a walk when he's sniffing everything annoyingly slowly, but give him chance to read the neighborhood gossip column, and let him do a little writing while he's at it.

6. The truth about nether regions

When dogs start sniffing each other's nether regions, chances are they're learning far more about each other than you and the other dog's owner are learning through idle chitchat. Exactly what the dogs are learning, and what they do with that information, has yet to be figured out by science. But it’s very likely far beyond “Nice weather we’re having, eh?” It’s probably more along the lines of, "Oh, you're a nice dog, and you had chicken recently, and you're about, um, 10 years old?"

Greetings sometimes start face to face, but quickly end up on the other end of the dog, where there's loads of info for the sniffing. Dogs sniffing each other by Shutterstock

7. Scientists are studying dogs' noses as never before

Maybe it's because of dogs' role in the military as incomparable IED detectors.  Or maybe it's that dog noses are just so amazing, and the more we know, the more we want to know. Canine sniffing ability is being studied more than ever at universities around the world. But to get to some of the more interesting research, you have to read through papers with titles like, The fluid dynamics of canine olfaction: unique nasal airflow patterns as an explanation of macrosmia. (Does Google offer a translation programs for scientific lingo?)
I look forward to sniffing out what they come up with next.

Survey: Children Raised With Pets Are More Confident, Caring

According to a new survey, children raised with pets feel more confident, caring and responsible than their pet-less peers. Commissioned by Pets at Home, the survey of 1,000 pet-owning children suggests that those who share a home with one or more pet are not just physically healthier – they also enjoy mental health benefits from pet ownership.
Nearly half of survey respondents reported that living with a pet makes them happier. Thirty percent of those surveyed said they felt more calm in the presence of pets, and twenty percent said their pets actually make them feel more intelligent.
Wildlife TV presenter Michaela Strachan says she has seen evidence of those findings in her own children in an interview with the Daily Mail.  “I have a seven-year-old and three older step children. We have a Jack Russell and my stepdaughter has two rescue dogs. Toto, our dog, is part of our family and has brought huge benefits to Ollie, my son. Jade’s two rescue dogs, Marley and Timmy, have had a really positive impact,” she said.
The survey also notes that more than a third of children living with pets say they have become more caring, and that they feel a greater overall sense of responsibility. Twenty percent of survey participants said having pets made them feel more confident when speaking with others.
Parents worried that pets will distract their children from their studies should allay those concerns: the majority (79%) of those surveyed claimed that their pets have had a positive effect on their homework and schoolwork.
Strachan agrees. “Owning a pet can bring so much pleasure to a family. It can increase a child’s sense of responsibility, nurture a more caring attitude and develop self-confidence and, in the case of having a dog, it encourages kids to get outside more. There can be so many benefits.”

How Dogs Experience the World: Part 1

Many dogs have characteristics that make them seem almost human at times, but they experience the world in a very different way than we do. Understanding their unique point of view helps make a person’s relationship with dogs even more rewarding than it would be otherwise.
  
The Sense of Smell

 A dog’s sense of smell is remarkable. In comparison to humans, dogs have over 40 times the number of scent receptors in their noses, and a large proportion of the canine brain is dedicated to decoding what they smell. Scientists estimate that the canine sense of smell is anywhere between 40 and one million times stronger than ours, depending on the breed and the type of odor tested. Remember this the next time you are out for a walk. Try to be patient while your dog endlessly sniffs the same patch of ground. Who knows what type of information he is gathering?

One of the more fascinating ways that the canine nose is being put to use to benefit people is in the detection of some types of human cancer. For example, a study published in England tested whether dogs were able to determine if bladder cancer was present by sniffing samples of urine. Overall, they did a very good job, but most interestingly, the dogs kept insisting that one of the samples was positive for cancer while the researchers were sure it was not. Finally, the patient was retested and the doctors, not the dogs, were wrong.

Eyesight

 Dogs have a good sense of sight, but if we could see through their eyes, we would be shocked at how different everything looks. The retina is the tissue at the back of the eye that converts light energy into nerve impulses to be sent to the brain. Cells in the retina called rods are primarily responsible for vision under low light conditions and for the detection of movement. Dogs have a greater number of rods in their retinas in comparison to people.

Dogs also make use of another ocular structure, the tapetum lucidum, to reflect light within the eye. This is also what causes the eyes of some animals to glow when light shines into them in just the right way. More rods and the tapetum lucidum allow dogs to see in dim light and pick out a moving object much better than we can.

Trade-offs are the name of the game in nature, however. The canine investment in rods comes at a cost: fewer cones — the retinal cells that are involved in color vision and the ability to see fine detail. Dogs are not completely color blind, but studies show they have difficulty differentiating between greens, yellow-greens, oranges, and reds; and greenish-blue colors probably appear grey to dogs. Also, canine eyes are set farther apart than are human eyes, so dogs have better peripheral vision but poorer depth perception than we do.

The standard for human vision is 20/20, but most dogs seem to be limited to about 20/75. To get an idea of what this means, stand 75 feet away from an object. For your dog to see it as well as you do, he would have to be only 20 feet away. Consequently, if you need to get your dog’s attention from a distance, don’t just stand still, try waving your arms, moving back and forth, or calling out his name.

Do Summer Thunderstorms Send Your Dog Into a Panic?

The spring and summer months bring thunderstorms, and if you have a storm-phobic dog, I'm sure you're not looking forward to them.
Depending on your pet's experience with storms, as well as the force of any given storm, your dog might simply find a place to hide.
Or he might have a more dramatic reaction (for example, running away or trying to chew his way out of his crate or through a door).
Some reactions are more unsettling than others, but regardless of your dog's response to a storm, it's difficult to know your pet is feeling terrified and you don't know what to do to calm him.

Dogs with Storm Phobia Often Have Other Related Conditions

In a Cornell University retrospective study of over 1,644 dogs presenting with behavior problems over a ten-year period, 2.3 percent were seen for storm phobia.
Research conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association looked at a possible link between storm phobias, noise phobias and separation anxiety in dogs.
The study revealed there is a high probability (0.88) dogs with noise phobia also have separation anxiety.
The vast majority of dogs with thunderstorm phobia also had separation anxiety.
In dogs with separation anxiety, there was a 0.63 probability they also had noise phobia, and a 0.52 likelihood they suffered from storm phobia.
Dogs with thunderstorm phobia had a 0.90 chance of having noise phobia, but dogs with noise phobia had only a 0.76 probability of having storm phobia.
Another interesting conclusion was the response to noise is different than the response to thunderstorms, likely due to the unpredictability of thunderstorms, according to study authors.
The researchers recommended that dogs with any of the three conditions should be checked for the other two, and that the interaction among the conditions is important for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Storm Phobia Symptoms

Storm-phobic dogs will typically display one or more of the following symptoms, which can be mild to extreme:

Pacing	Vocalization (whining, howling)
Panting	Destructive behavior
Drooling	Potty accidents in the house
Trembling	Self-harm
Staying close to their human

Since dogs with one type of phobia tend to have others, it can be difficult for your veterinarian to immediately determine if the phobia is only in relation to thunderstorms.
The first thing your vet might ask is whether your dog also reacts to other loud noises and/or to being left home by himself.
Typically, dogs with a combination of phobias experience more extreme symptoms than dogs with just one condition. Also, the intensity of the phobia tends to impact the dog's response to treatment.

Storm Phobia is Distinct from Other Phobias

While there are often co-existing phobias in one dog, storm phobias actually differ quite a bit from other conditions.
If your dog has separation anxiety, she'll be triggered by activities leading up your departure, and the departure itself. A dog with noise phobia will be triggered by the sound of the specific noise(s) she's bothered by.
Storm-phobic dogs can react to any number of storm-related triggers, including:

• The boom of thunder or the crack of lightening
• The sound of wind or pouring rain
• Darkening skies
• Changes in barometric pressure
• Smells that precede or accompany a storm

Your storm phobic dog will know bad weather is coming long before you do.
Another peculiarity of thunderstorm phobia is it often escalates. Dogs that have been mild to moderately upset by storms can suddenly experience a significant increase in anxiety.
This jump in anxiety level can often be linked to a particularly severe storm and perhaps a static electric shock the dog is exposed to during the storm. Many storm-phobic dogs seem driven to find areas where electrical grounds can protect them from static charges – places like sinks, bathtubs, shower enclosures, under toilet tanks, or next to metal radiators or pipes.
It's a fact that static electricity fields build up during storms and some animals become statically charged.

Treating Dogs with Thunderstorm Phobia

Every storm-phobic dog's response is different, so therapy should be customized to the individual animal and the intensity of his or her response.

• Make a "safe room." This is a place your dog can escape to when a storm is approaching, and it should be available to her at all times – especially when you're not home. The idea is to limit her exposure to as many aspects of thunderstorms as possible. The room would ideally have no windows, or covered windows so the storm can't be seen. If necessary, sound-proofing wallboard can muffle the noise of a storm. Put a solid-sided crate in the room with the door left open, along with a bit of food, water, treats and toys.
As part of your dog's therapy, get her used to the room before she needs it by associating it with fun activities, food treats and gentle, soothing massage. Some owners use a head collar to calm the dog and more easily put her into a relaxed down position.
As the storm approaches, turn on the lights in the safe room so lightening flashes won't be extremely obvious, and turn on calming musicⁱ,ⁱⁱ.

• Pheromone diffusers. Species-specific pheromones are chemical substances that can positively affect an animal's emotional state and behavior. Dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) is a synthetic form of a pheromone secreted by the mammary glands of nursing dogs. Studies have shown DAP diffusersⁱⁱⁱ are effective therapy for dogs with firework phobias and separation anxiety.
• Behavior modification. One type of behavior modification for storm phobias is to engage your dog in a behavior that earns a reward. Ask your dog to perform a command he's familiar with and reward him if he does. This technique distracts both of you – the dog from his fear of the storm, and you from the temptation to inadvertently reinforce your pet's phobic behavior by petting and soothing him while he's showing anxiety.
Another type of behavior modification involves trying to get your dog busy with a more pleasant activity than storm watching. Play a game with him or give him a recreational bone to gnaw on. Be aware that if your pet's response to storms is intense, you may not be able to engage him in another activity early in his treatment program.

• Desensitization. This therapy involves using a CD with reproduced storm sounds^iv to attempt to desensitize your pet. It's best to do this during times of the year when actual storms are few and far between.
Unfortunately, desensitization isn't always as effective with storm phobias as it is with other types of anxiety disorders. That's because it's difficult to mimic all the various triggers that set off a fear response in a storm-phobic pet – in particular changes in barometric pressure, static electricity, and whatever scents dogs notice with an impending change in the weather. In addition, desensitization has to be done in each room of the house, because a new coping skill your dog learns in the living room will be forgotten in the kitchen. These problems make desensitization more of a challenge in treating storm phobias.

• Storm jackets. There are a number of different brands of storm jackets to choose from these days, and they have proved very helpful for some dogs with thunderstorm phobias. Storm jackets are designed to be snug-fitting to mimic the sensation of being swaddled, a feeling that is comforting to dogs. You might also consider a calming cap^v.
• TTouch and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). TTouch^vi is a specific massage technique that can be helpful for anxious pets. EFT^vii is a tapping technique that can be used to deal with a wide variety of emotional and physical problems.
• Natural supplements and remedies. Talk to your holistic vet about homeopathic, TCM and other natural remedies that may help relieve your dog's stress. These should be used in conjunction with behavior modification. A few I like are the nutraceuticals l-tryptophan, valerian, GABA, homeopathic Aconitum and the TCM formulas that Calm the Shen.

A U.K. study evaluated a treatment program that used two self-help, CD-based desensitization and counter-conditioning programs, plus DAP diffusers, plus a "safe haven" for dogs with fireworks phobia. The severity of the dogs' phobias was significantly improved, as was their generalized fear.
If nothing you attempt seems to help your storm-phobic dog, don't despair. Talk to your vet about a temporary course of drug therapy (usually with anti-anxiety meds or anti-depressants) in conjunction with behavior modification and some of the other recommendations outlined above.
You can also consult an animal behaviorist in your area through the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Alternatively, you can look for a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist at the Animal Behavior Society.
By combining a few different therapies (and trying several to see which have the most impact), you increase the likelihood of bringing your dog's phobia under control.

Samoyed Dogs

The Smiley Dog

The first thing you notice about a Samoyed is its smile.
Its bright white, fluffy fur coat and distinctively curled tail are also attention getters.
The dog, nicknamed "Sammy", is very easy going and friendly, with a playful personality that charms family and strangers alike.
The Samoyed has a fascinating history and a reputation for being a family favorite.

 

Samoyed History

The Samoyed dog breed was named after the nomadic Samoyedic reindeer herders in Siberia, who bred the dogs to assist with herding and pulling sleds.
DNA research has revealed that the Samoyed is one of the world's 14 oldest dog breeds. The Samoyed worked hard alongside the hunters and fishermen during the day, and slept by their sides at night to keep them warm from below-freezing Siberian temperatures.
This relationship formed a deeply seeded trust and bond that still exists between Samoyed dogs and their owners today.
In 1889, the Samoyed was introduced to England by the explorer Robert Scott. The nearly 3,000-year old dog breed's popularity then began to spread throughout the world. In 1906, fur traders brought the Samoyed to America, at which time the breed was recognized by the American Kennel Association.
In 1911, Roald Amundsen used Samoyed dogs on the first expedition to the South Pole. Etah, the expedition's lead dog, became a household name. He was one of 11 dogs out of a pack of 52 that survived the long voyage.
Today, the Samoyed is rarely used for competitive sled racing as other dogs, such as the Alaskan Husky, are bred specifically for the sport. In addition, Samoyeds are rarely used as herding dogs today; dogs such as the Border collie and Australian shepherd are now bred specifically as working farm dogs.

Samoyed Appearance

Looking at the Samoyed's thick, full coat one could guess that this dog sheds year round.
Samoyeds have a double-layered coat, which contributes to the fluffy appearance of the dog breed. While it sheds its undercoat once or twice a year in large clumps, its fine hairs shed constantly, often sticking to fabric and clothing or floating in the air.
The Samoyed's tail, which is one of the dog's most distinguishable features, usually rests on the back, curling slightly to one side. Interestingly, many Samoyed owners note that their dogs tend to sleep with their tails tucked around their noses during chillier temperatures.
The average male Samoyed weighs between 55 and 70 pounds, while female Samoyeds typically weigh in between 40 and 55 pounds.

Fun fact: Shed Samoyed fur is sometimes used as an alternative to wool in knitting, with a texture similar to angora. The fur is sometimes also used for the creation of artificial flies for fly fishing.

Samoyed Personality

Samoyed dogs are known to be quite sociable, approaching family, friends and even strangers with a friendly, playful disposition, hence its "smiley dog” nickname.
As a result, while your Samoyed may not be the best choice as a guard dog, she will get along well with children and other dogs. Samoyeds are very intelligent and tend to respond well to training. Due in part to the breed's background, the Samoyed is a good team player and you might notice, from time to time, that its natural instinct comes to life when she begins herding children during playtime.
Your Samoyed can become bored if not engaged or exercised on a daily basis, and may resort to chewing or digging. To avoid destructive behavior, try not to leave your Samoyed alone for long periods of time and make a point to engage your dog in some sort of physical activity before leaving the house, whether going for a walk or playing in the backyard.
Samoyeds may also need to be separated from small, non-canine pets unless social integration has successfully been managed at your home. While they are capable of living in a bi-species home, such as one with a cat, Samoyeds should not be trusted alone with other small pets unless that trust has been carefully nurtured.

Samoyed Health

The medical conditions listed below are some of the more common and serious genetic disorders know to occur in the Samoyed. Your Samoyed will not necessarily be affected by any of the disorders listed.

• Atrial septal defects: A congenital heart defect as a hole in the atrial septum develops, enabling blood flow between the left and right atria via the interatrial septum.
• Diabetes mellitus: A metabolic disorder resulting in high levels of glucose (blood sugar) in the body due to inadequate production or use of insulin.
• Hip dysplasia: A malformation of the hip joints that causes arthritis. The condition is especially crippling in large breeds of dogs.
• Hemophilia: A genetically inherited bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of certain blood clotting factors. Signs include excessive bleeding from the gums, when getting adult teeth, and areas of bleeding under the skin from minor trauma.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA): This is a sex-linked genetic disorder primarily seen in male Samoyeds. A DNA test is available that will determine if your pet is at risk for developing gradual degeneration of the retina leading to blindness.
• Pulmonic stenosis: Congenital malformation of the pulmonic valve of the pulmonary artery resulting in a heart murmur. Slight narrowing of the valve causes few problems, severe narrowing of the valve may result in right heart enlargement and congestive heart failure.
• Samoyed Hereditary Glomerulopathy: This genetic, renal disease typically affects male Samoyeds early on in life, while the female dogs can be carriers. The disease is caused by a defect in the glomerulus, a capillary tuft that performs the first step in filtering blood to form urine. When the structure of the glomerulus membrane begins to degenerate, plasma proteins are lost in the urine and symptoms begin to occur — lethargy and muscle weakening. Unfortunately, the typical outcome of this disease is renal failure around 15 months of age.

As with any pet, be sure to regularly consult a veterinarian for routine care and medical advice for your four-legged friend.