Companion Animals Flashcards
what was the first animal to be domesticated and when?
the dog, 12-10,000 years ago
where did dogs come from?
wolves, all around the world, like Asia, Europe, Arabia, China
what are the 2 theories on dog domestication?
- self- domestication
2. human involvement
how were dogs actually domesticated?
mix of both theories
describe the Russian silver fox experiment?
these foxes were bred in captivity for 40 years and selected for temperament, the nicer ones became more like the dogs we know
female dog
bitch
male dog
dog
mother of litter
dam
father of litter
sire
young dogs
puppies
parturition
whelping
how many unofficial dog breeds are there?
350-400
how many dog breeds are recognized by the American Kennel Club?
193
how are routine expenses for dogs trending in recent years?
getting more expensive
how many owned dogs are spayed or neutered?
85%
how many owned dogs were adopted from an animal shelter?
22%
what is one (not great) solution to the problem of unadopted dogs?
dog meat, pretty fatty and high in iron, consumed in China, Taiwan, Mexico, and America (Native America)
how do dogs cones and rods compare to humans?
cones: horizontal slit, spread out and lower numbers
rods: more than humans
so they see fewer colors, but better in low light
what 2 wavelengths of light do dogs see?
dichromic: blue and red, which looks yellow
what is the tapetum?
kind of like a mirror behind the retina, amplifies light, not all dogs have it
how many diopters do dogs have and what does that mean?
1-2, near sighted
what is visual acuity in dogs?
focus and clarity is not great in dogs
what is dog’s flicker fusion?
75 hz
how do seeing eye dogs work?
smellavision
list 2 features of dog ears that help them hear?
- longer ear canal
2. pinna= lots of little muscles that can direct sound in ears
what is the highest frequency that humans can hear?
12,000 hz
what is the highest frequency that dogs can hear?
47,000-65,000 hz, like a sixth sense
what frequency are dog whistles?
20,000-25,000 hz
how much more sensitive is dog smell than human smell?
10,000-100,000x more sensitive
how big is the olfactory bulb in human and dog brains?
human: 1.5g
dog: 6.0g
how much more of a proportion of a dog’s brain is dedicated to smell than humans?
40x more
compare the surface area of turbinates in humans and dogs
humans: 7.0 cm2
dogs: 390 cm2
what are the 2 pathlines of dog turbinates?
respiratory and olfactory
how many smell receptors do humans, german shepherds, and bloodhound
humans: 6 million
german shepherds: 225 million
bloodhounds: over 300 million
how are ears related to scent?
long ears (like on bloodhounds) can directs smells up from the ground to their noses
what are the 3 primary sources of scents?
- apocrine glands
- urine
- feces
how do dogs use the olfactory sense?
- favorable
- unfavorable
- indentification
- taste
- age
- sex
- health
- reproductive status
what 4 human uses are dogs olfactory sense good for?
- tracking
- trailing
- detection
- sniffing out cancer
how many taste buds do dogs have?
1700
describe the structure of a dog’s tongue
long and narrow, curves on sides and ends to lap up water
list the taste buds and their locations for dogs
sweet: more on sides sour/salty: farther back on sides and less of them bitter: back umami: front water: tip
what is furaneol?
a sweet compound found in fruits and tomatoes
can dogs taste sweet things?
as carnivores/omnivores, their diet is just complex enough to taste it, but they’re not smart enough to know not to drink antifreeze, cats don’t
what is a dog’s taste of salty things like?
less developed, less tastebuds for it
what is a dog’s taste of sour things like?
there are limited studies, but sour citronella collars are good for behavior
where in the body do dog s synthesize vitamin C?
liver
what do dogs use their bitter taste buds for?
danger detection
how does dogs/cats bitter sensitivity compare to humans?
much higher
advantages and disadvantages of bitter bandages?
bitter taste will eventually deter dogs from licking at bandages, but those taste buds are on the back of the tongue so it takes a while to be effective
compare how saccharine tastes to humans vs dogs and why
fake sugar, sweet to human in low doses, bitter to dogs at any dose because so sensitive to bitter tastes
what is the umami taste?
animal proteins and fats, MSG
why are dogs umami receptors finely tuned compared to their other tastes?
it is such a large part of their diet
what is the other name for the fat taste?
oleogustus
why might fat be added as a taste?
studies have shown that variations in gene CD36 lead to specific taste receptors for fat
name the 3 primary types of simplistic sensory receptors that dogs have
- pressure
- temperature
- pain (noci)
describe the pressure receptors in dogs
40% are located in the face, in the vibrissae near the muzzle, and some on the tail head
the neuro-reflex response to pressure is quick pull-back
describe the temperature receptors in dogs
primarily cold receptors, not hot and cold like humans, the neuro-reflex response to temperature is to curl up when cold and to stretch out when hot to increase surface area to distribute heat, dogs also have sweat glands in their paws and pant when hot
describe the pain (noci) receptors in dogs
neurologically similar to humans
free-ending nerves in skin surface
don’t express pain as much as humans
how do the senses compare and contrast across dog breeds?
taste and sight are similar for all
olfactory and hearing differ based on number of smell receptors and ear shape
describe the evolution of estrous cycles in dogs
evolved from monoestrous (from wolves) to diestrous in 4-8 month intervals in the spring and fall
what is anestrus?
not cycling, no estrous cycle, lasts about 5 months in dogs
what is proestrus?
follicular growth, estrogen increases in the body, lasts 9 days in dogs
what is estrus?
when ovulation occurs, period of sexual receptivity, progesterone increases and estrogen decreases
what is diestrus?
pregnancy or pseudopregnancy, progesterone is high, lasts 2 months or the length of gestation
how many dogs in the US are overweight or obese?
25%
what is the scientific name for cats and when were they domesticated?
7500 BC, Felis domestica
where did cats come from?
wild cats in Europe, and Africa/Asia
how were cats self-domesticated?
enhanced agricultural output led to increased grain storage which attracted rodents, which in turn attracted predators and decreased their flight zone, cats increased in population around humans and eventually were tamed and domesticated
how are cats a form on health insurance?
they eat rats, which carry awful diseases like the bubonic plague
what are the 4 relationships that cats have with humans? describe them
- symbiotic: humans get elimination of pests and cats get shelter and supplemental food
- commensal: humans and cats are present in the same location, cats consume leftovers and eliminate pests
- exploitive captive (biologist term): cats are captives of humans, but have exploited the relationship to their benefit
- pet concept: affluent societies
adult female cat?
queen
adult male cat
tom
castrated male cat
gib
all young cats
kittens
cat parturition
kittening/queening
how many cat breeds are recognized by Cat Fanciers Association?
41
what are there more of in the US, pet cats or pet dogs?
pet cats
what type of reproducers are cats?
seasonal (long day) polyestrous
how long and what is the range of cat estrous cycles?
14-21 days, ranges from 4-30 days
what is the period between estrus called for cats?
proestrus/interestrus
how are cats induced ovulators?
their progesterone stays low and they won’t ovulate or form a corpus luteum unless they are bred or mated
what happens to cats estrous cycles as the days get longer in length?
their estrous cycles increase in frequency
what happens if female cats are consistently in more than 10 hours of daylight?
they may cycle year-roud
what happens if female cats are consistently in less than 8 hours of daylight?
they stop cycling
long hair vs. short hair cycles?
10% vs. 60% regular cycles year round
what happens when queens are housed together?
their estrous cycles tend to synchronize
list 6 zoonotic diseases to watch for when working with cats
- cat scratch disease, or bartonellosis
- salmonellosis
- ringworm
- cryptosporidiosos, giardiasis, and toxoplasmosis
- roundworms and hookworms
- RABIES