Dog drool to the rescue
Dogs are like babies. If you have one, you don't mind the slobber and drool. If you don't, it's disgusting and horrible. It also gets all over your car windows.
But there might be some good news dripping out of your pooch's mouth. An article today' from Fox News says that dog saliva may help in cancer treatment.
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI), developed the Canine Hereditary Cancer Consortium, to understand why people and their pets get sick.
The study used saliva, blood and tumor samples of dogs volunteered by private pet owners for testing in hopes that by studying canine cancer, oncologists can determine the cause of human cancers.
"Rare diseases in humans also show up in dogs. By studying the DNA of canines, we expect to more quickly discover the genomic causes of disease and more quickly find ways to better treat dogs, and people,'' said Dr. Mark Neff, director of the new TGen-VARI Program for Canine Health and Performance.
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About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Is there a cure for excessive drooling?