Well, I certainly didn’t plan on four months flying by after my last post. Nearly every week, I tell myself to make a post and not overthink it, but invariably, I find an excuse not to.
The pups had a busy few months with a trip to Key West, Chip’s first time at dog day at the beach, and a few minor health issues – fear not, everyone is well (and I plan to write about both at some point).
With the start of Ziggy’s cancer journey, coupled with the peak pandemic, since Thanksgiving 2020, the holiday has been one mostly spent with my husband and the pups. I’m grateful for the shrinking of the holiday as it reduces stress and allows for a long weekend to gear up for the end of the year. I’m not fond of the origin of Thanksgiving, but I like to take the opportunity to be more mindful of what I have to be grateful for each. Plus, it’s the “official” start to the Christmas season, which is always cozy.
This year, I’m particularly grateful for health—for the pups and for ours. Inevitably, we all experience varying degrees of illness or health challenges. While the last few years have been marked by canine cancer, I’m grateful that everyone is healthy overall.
It can be hard to express gratitude for what we have each day, but I am always grateful for Cookie and Chip, who always bring joy, comfort, and love, no matter what is happening around us. (And my husband, too, who can always be counted on to make me laugh – intentionally or otherwise! 😜)
There are many organizations researching aspects of dog health. There are differing ways to participate if you are interested in helping advance canine health and longevity.
Organizations
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but the ones that I have come across in my pawrenting journey.
The Dog Aging Project is a longitudinal study evaluating how your dog’s age. I registered Cookie about a year ago. At the time, I only had the option of enrolling one dog. I don’t recall whether they provided guidelines on which pup to pick or if that was left up to me.
The time commitment is pretty minimal. Upon joining, I filled out a number of surveys about Cookie’s health and lifestyle. Every so often, I receive an email about an activity to do with Cookie and to register the results on their website. You always have the option to skip the exercise, but I always do it because otherwise, it defeats the purpose of enrolling, and it ends up being a bonding activity with Cookie that she enjoys.
The Dog Aging Project aims to extrapolate their findings to humans. Despite aging quicker, dogs experience similar aging issues as humans. Their studies include a medication trial (if you’re local to their facility) and cognitive assessments that you conduct periodically in your home (this is what we do).
Darwin’s Ark brings scientific minds together with pet parents to help study the effects of the environment on our furry companions. They have several projects, but the one that appealed to me was their cancer project.
You can register more than one dog, participate by filling out surveys, and even submit your dog’s DNA. You can purchase a kit or be added to the waitlist once you complete a minimum number of surveys to obtain one for free! (I have yet to reach that minimum.)
Take C.H.A.R.G.E. is a canine health registry and exchange. That simply means that veterinary clinics and dog pawrents can upload the medical records of dogs with cancer. The records are anonymized, and the data surrounding dogs with cancer is available in a dashboard.
When I signed up, I was able to upload the medical information for both Ziggy and Cookie. It was simple to do, and there hasn’t been any additional action needed or requested from me.
The American Kennel Club is involved in all things dog and has its own foundation. The AKC Canine Health Foundation funds scientific research centering on canine illness. You can contribute to the organization, read about the outcomes of studies, or even participate in research.
I don’t have any experience with participating in research studies. Whether or not it makes sense for you requires careful consideration of several factors such as the criteria of participation, your financial situation, whether covering the cost of care is included, comfort with the risk of getting a new treatment, comfort with the risk of getting a placebo treatment, etc.
Considerations
Participation with these organizations or others boils down to your comfort level, the time commitment, and the risk-benefit analysis for your particular situation. Everything other than the research studies seems to have no risk and low time commitment, but it’s ultimately up to you to decide.
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