“A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than an owner can express with his tongue in hours.” ― Karen Davison
In This Issue: Is Your Pet Exposed to Glyphosate? New Study to Offer Tests and Investigate Risks; 7 Things My Dog Has Taught Me; Researchers Find Cancer Connections in Humans and Dogs; Amazon Smile for Valentine’s Day; Pup of the Month — Mauser Lopez; The Time Has Come …
Is Your Pet Exposed To Glyphosate?
By Julie Wilson
We know that humans increasingly test positive for residues of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto‘s Roundup weed killer. For example, in tests conducted by a University of California San Francisco lab, 93 percent of the participants tested positive for glyphosate residues. In the European Union, when 48 members of Parliament volunteered for glyphosate testing, every one of them tested positive.
In October 2017, Time magazine reported on a study involving 50 Californians who were tested between 1993-1996 and again between 2014-2016. Scientists found that not only did the number of people who tested positive for glyphosate residues increase, but so did the amounts of the residues detected.
Humans are exposed to glyphosate via the food they eat, the air they breathe, the water they drink and the lawns, gardens, parks and other environments they frequent. If humans are contaminated with glyphosate, it stands to reason that their pets are, too. In fact, a recent pilot study shows that animals are likely to have even higher levels —up to 50 percent higher—of glyphosate in their bodies (http://www.ecowatch.com/
“In a pilot study, we noticed that dogs’ glyphosate levels were, on average, 50 times higher than people’s,” said Dr. John Fagan, chief scientist at HRI Labs and former researcher at the National Institutes of Health. “Recent biomedical research suggests harm to health at these levels, and even lower,” he added.
For the complete article, please follow this link.
Glyphosate testing
http://hrilabs.org/
Join a growing group of people who care about animals in a citizen-science effort. We aim to find answers to why animal exposure to glyphosate is measuring much higher than human exposure.
Test pets and farm animals for glyphosate by gold standard LC-MS/MS instrumentation. Limits of detection (LOD) are highly sensitive at less than 1 part per billion (ppb).
Results will help you determine whether to change diet or environmental exposures. Your voluntary survey response will help you and others when study results are published.
HRI Labs is offering animal testing coupled with a voluntary exposure study because we’ve seen unexpectedly high results in animals tested so far. We would like to know why this is the case, and we’ll share the answers with you.
Could the source be oats, soy, lentils, chick peas or other ingredients known to be sprayed with large amounts of glyphosate? Could it be activity in grass and fields? Could it be an unexpected source like pets consuming deer poop (ugh, yes, we know!)? Help find out by participating.
Disclaimer: Please consult your veterinarian if you have specific questions about your animal’s health.
7 Things My Dog Has Taught Me
From Exploring Your Mind
Some angels don’t have wings. They have four paws, furry bodies, round noses, alert ears, and unconditional love.
Living with a dog changes your life. Not only is it a huge responsibility, but it’s also an inexhaustible source of education and well-being. Sharing much of my life with animals has made me immensely happy, and has also given me countless benefits. Here are 7 things my dog taught me:
1-To love unconditionally — My dog has taught me the value of commitment and a giving heart. Thanks to my dog, I have learned the value of loyalty and unconditional love, love that says “I love having you always at my side because with you my life is infinitely better.”
2-To be patient and forgive — Actually, every day my dog teaches me not to get angry. Life is not always rose-colored and my dog knows that. However, he’s able to forgive any wrongdoing or outburst on my part and move forward, because there is a much bigger bond that unites us.
He understands me and knows the value of not having ulterior motives. My dog has an absolute goodness and purity about him.
3-To live every moment intensely — He enjoys taking walks, and he treats playtime and mealtime as if it were the first or the last of his life. He too has his anxieties and worries, but everything gives him joy and he seems to feel it all intensely. It’s like a “doggy carpe diem.”
Also, he spends time each day exploring and exercising. He doesn’t go a day without these things, even if it’s just a little bit. When it comes to going for a walk, he doesn’t care where we go, he’s just happy to accompany me and understands the value of these moments. Nothing makes me smile like seeing how happy he gets when we go for a walk.
4-To embrace chaos — I love his organized chaos. In the midst of the mess of toys and bones all around the house, he always knows where to find what he wants.
There’s no reason to waste time organizing his things or establishing priorities; he’s happy with however much or however little he has, he remembers that he has it, and he knows to enjoy it. If I start to collect his toys to bring them to his bed, he follows me all around the house to make sure he knows where everything is going. And the most amazing thing is that he does. If only I were able to organize my life like that without constantly worrying about being orderly.
5-To enjoy the little pleasures in life — Listening to his peaceful breathing at night gives me indescribable peace. He lies next to me and feels safe and loved, just as I do next to him. I find it equally soothing listening to him as listening to an ocean breeze blowing or birds singing.
6-To pay attention to body language — He may not understand what I’m saying but he knows how I’m feeling or if I’m telling him something through my gestures or the position of my body. We’ve both become very skilled at understanding each other and there’s nothing that gets by us.
Animals are the true detectors of emotions. It’s very common that those who have shared their lives with animals have had the feeling that they really do understand what we tell them. It’s true, they do…I don’t know if it’s what we say or how we say it but our capacity for communication and exchange is amazing. This has really made me aware of what I am able to convey with nonverbal communication.
7-To feel unique and irreplaceable — Dogs teach you hundreds of things, give you what you need, and follow you through life. But the best thing they can teach you is to accept yourself and know that you are deserving of love.
My dog has made me a better person and I know that he will keep doing so every day. He has taught me that I can be loved intensely and unconditionally. But he’s also taught me the value of saying “I love you” every day, and also how to say it without words.
Researchers Find Cancer Connection in Humans and Dogs
Scientists identified several gene mutations in dogs that could be clues to melanoma.
Posted By: Jaime Cerreta
PHOENIX (KPHO/KTVK) — Researchers in the Valley just made a groundbreaking discovery when it comes to cancer in dogs and humans.
Scientists at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN) in Phoenix are studying melanoma and lung cancer in dogs and they just made an incredible find. They identified several gene mutations in dogs that could be clues to melanoma.
“We find overlap with our human counterparts but we often find something unique to the dog too,” said Dr. William Hendricks from TGEN’s Integrated Cancer Genomics Division.
Scientists at TGEN are also studying lung cancer in dogs. In that study, they made a major discovery.
“About 30 percent of these tumors are driven by a single gene. And that gene known as HER2 is an important cancer gene that’s well understood in human cancer,” said Dr. Hendricks.
Hendricks and his colleagues couldn’t believe the HER2 gene showed up in dogs as well. The excitement was because this is groundbreaking on two levels.
First, HER2 is now connected to cancer in humans and dogs.
And second, there’s already a drug to treat HER2 in humans so dogs can take that medicine right away to hopefully extend their lives. TGEN is not just looking into melanoma and lung cancer.
TGEN is also looking for similarities between humans and dogs when it comes to bone, lymphoma, and blood vessel cancers.
Amazon Smile For Valentine’s Day
Shop Amazon Smile And Help The Puppy Up Foundation Too!
While you’re shopping on Amazon for that special someone, show us some love this Valentine’s Day and make the Puppy Up Foundation your charity of choice.
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Please make us your Valentine!
Mauser Lopez and his friend.
Pup of the Month — Mauser Lopez
(JoAnna Lopez) Mauser was the perfect dog for us. I had raised him since he was a pup. He was already potty-trained, luckily, and he was a complete goof ball. He only barked at the UPS man and loved to look out the front window to survey his domain, as most Shar Pei do. He loved shoulder rubs, snored while he slept, and slobbered a lot, especially when a banana was near! He loved to sit out on the patio and sniff the air, just thinking — we could see the gears in his head moving constantly. He was such a smart boy, letting us know when he needed something either by hitting our leg with his paw or stepping up on our lap and getting right in our face. He always had a strange scent of tortillas about him, but I loved it.
He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on May 20, 2013. He just had turned 10, and unfortunately, we had to let him go on June 10. My Mom and I held his head and paws until the very end. It’s so strange without him here, but I know he’s at peace and in no more pain. I love and miss you, Maus.
(Mauser was a contestant in the 2014 Calendar Contest.)
The time has come to tell this story.
A love story.
Learn more here.
We can always use your help. If you’re interested, send me an mail at ginger@puppyup.org.
Sincerely,
Ginger Morgan, Executive Director
The Puppy Up Foundation
