Depending on the breed, dogs can have 6-13 major blood types.  Compare that to the 3 major blood types in people!

PTSD prescription…get a pet

Pets for Vets is one of several non-profit organizations that matches veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or other war-related disorders with homeless pets.  They’ve found that pets help these veterans better cope with their problems as well as providing that unconditional love that pets do so well.  To read more about these programs, read the news story on CNN.com.

Animal diseases don’t just affect animals

…they affect people, too.  We’re not just talking about zoonotic (pronounced “zoo-oh-NOT-ik”) diseases, which can be passed from animals to people – we’re talking about diseases that can wipe out an entire family’s (or community’s) source of self-reliance and income.  A disease like foot and mouth disease, which caused billions of dollars in animal and economic losses when an outbreak occurred in the U.K. in 2001, could be even more devastating if it killed off a large number (or all) of the animals in an underdeveloped country that relies on livestock for transportation, work and food.

In recognition of the importance of preventing and controlling these diseases, preserving food safety and protecting the livestock that play such a vital role in underdeveloped countries, Britain’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Scottish government have pledged 13 million pounds in funding for research.   Read the full story by Reuters U.K.