MYNORTHWEST NEWS

UW seeking 10,000 dog volunteers for lifelong health and aging study

Nov 14, 2019, 3:33 PM

Calling all dog owners: the University of Washington is launching a study on dog health.

They’re hoping to monitor 10,000 canines across the country for about 10 years, to see why some dogs live longer, healthier lives than others. Researchers want to track things like activity, general well-being, and genetics.

“The goal is to follow dogs for their entire lives — young, old, big, small, males, females, all dogs around the U.S. — to understand how the biology and the environment shape healthy aging in dogs,” said UW Professor of Pathology Daniel Promislow.

WSU study: Babies of cannabis-using rats show negative cognitive effects

The project is a joint operation between the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. The dogs’ health will be followed for their entire lifetimes, and the mass amounts of data will be kept in an open platform that can be accessed and analyzed by scientists around the world. Nominating one’s own dog means providing comprehensive health and lifestyle information using questionnaires and medical records.

Aside from helping man’s best friend, researchers say this kind of study could help people. They say dogs have similar genetic makeup as humans, get sick from similar diseases, and live similar lifestyles.

Boeing gives pink slips to robots, trying out ‘humans’

“By studying aging in pet dogs living in human environments, we can learn things that translate to human health as we age in a shorter period of time,” said Dr. Kate Creevy, Associate Professor of Veterinary Internal Medicine at Texas A&M. “It will also benefit companion dogs along the way which is extremely important to me as a veterinarian.”

Owners can nominate their dogs at www.dogagingproject.org, assuming their dogs are okay with it.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced there will be 16 new preschool classrooms across Se...

Julia Dallas

Harrell’s office announces Seattle preschool slots for thousands of kids

Thousands more families will have the chance to start their children's Seattle preschool education earlier, thanks to a program launching.

33 minutes ago

Digital...

Micki Gamez

How parents can help prevent children from falling victim to online sex crimes

Chances are, if your teen has a cell phone or tablet, they either know someone or they have been the victim of an online sex crime because kids as young as seven are online more than ever. My interest in this story began almost the same time last year when my daughter came home and […]

4 hours ago

Pierce County Jail...

Bill Kaczaraba

Pierce County Corrections chief at odds with the employee guild

The Corrections Bureau's Guild has issued Patti Jackson a vote of 'no confidence,' as reported by The Tacoma News Tribune.

6 hours ago

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle seen during the day...

Sam Campbell

Security guard stabbed, suspect barricades inside Beacon Hill apartment

SWAT officers surrounded a complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood after police said a man stabbed a guard barricaded himself inside.

8 hours ago

seattle indecent exposure...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle man arrested for 14 counts of indecent exposure, most near schools

A 34-year-old man was arrested by Seattle police (SPD) in connection to 14 counts of indecent exposure near Lake Forest Park.

8 hours ago

Federal Way shootings...

Bill Kaczaraba

Federal Way Police say two shootings are related

Police believe two shootings in Federal Way are related.

10 hours ago

UW seeking 10,000 dog volunteers for lifelong health and aging study