The DogChannel Newswire (06-23-09)

Dogs Being Trained to Sniff Out Diabetes
Dogs are being trained in Britain as potential life-savers to warn diabetic owners when their blood sugar levels fall to dangerously low levels. Man's best friend’s new front-line role in diabetes care follows recent evidence suggesting a dog's hyper-sensitive nose can detect tiny changes that occur when a person is about to have a hypoglycemic attack, Reuters reports.
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Dogs and Cats Get Sunburns, Too
The approach of summer will bring constant reminders about the danger of overexposure to the sun and the need for sunscreen. The dangers are real and we should all take appropriate measures to prevent skin damage and skin cancer. But, did you know that the family pet is susceptible to many of the same diseases? The Providence Journal reports.
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Family Pets May Harbor MRSA
The nasty, drug-resistant bacteria known as MRSA may have a new carrier: the family pet. The scourge of hospital wards and locker rooms, MRSA often begins with small red bumps that can turn into painful abscesses requiring surgery to drain them. If not detected and treated, they can find their way into the body, causing infections in heart valves, lungs, joints, bones and the bloodstream, ABC News reports.
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Breeders Tell Fans of Water Dogs: Paws Off
Ever since the Obama family anointed Bo the country's first dog, requests for Portuguese Water Dogs have been soaring, jumping by about 100 percent in the U.S. and 122 percent in the U.K. from a year earlier, according to officials at the Portuguese Water Dog Club of America. The breed's new vogue has made it harder than ever to get a "Portie," a cute and intelligent dog jealously guarded by its breeders, The Wall Street Journal reports.
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When the World’s Loudest Dog Lives Next Door
There is no need for a doorbell on Peter Lucken's bungalow. When you live with a dog that barks louder than a pneumatic drill, then your pet does the job instead. Daz, Mr Lucken's 4-year-old German Shepherd Dog, has recorded a bark of 108 decibels to get him in the Guinness World of Records as the loudest dog in the world, BBC News reports.
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