Using blue tennis balls attached to a board with strings, four different scenarios were presented to both groups of dogs:

1. A small tennis ball disappears behind the board and then reappears.
2. A large tennis ball disappears behind the board and then reappears.
3. A small tennis ball disappears behind the board but a large ball appears.
4. A large tennis ball disappears behind the board but a small ball appears.

Consistently, a different response emerged between sexes and across all breed types. While male dogs appeared oblivious to any change in the disappearing blue tennis balls, female dogs immediately noticed a difference.

In scenarios 3 and 4, female dogs stared at the different sized balls that appeared for an average of 30 seconds—three times longer than they did when the same sized ball reappeared from behind the wooden board.

Researchers concluded that the female dogs noticed the change and therefore had superior cognitive abilities. So, why does Bella have a leg up on Max when it comes to detecting the unexpected? It turns out, just like us humans; it all comes down to behavioral characteristics.

One possible explanation for the cognitive differences in male and female dogs is that male canines tend to be genetically wired to be hunters, while female dogs are nesters.

Judging by this study, dogs and their human counterparts may be more similar than we may have realized.

After reading about Duncan, the West Highland white terrier’s foxtail story in the latest edition of The Companion, Mona Frarey of Rancho Cordova, Calif., wanted to share her own foxtail story involving her American Bulldog, Diesel.

The 18-month saga began one evening following dinner when Marilyn noticed Diesel was licking his paws for an unusually long time. Upon inspection, Mona noticed Diesel’s paws and forelegs and the carpet below were all blood-soaked and the blood was dripping from Diesel’s mouth to his legs. Since the American Bulldog was not very keen on his owner holding his jaws open, and she couldn’t pinpoint the wound, Mona immediately rushed Diesel to the nearest 24-hour emergency clinic.

After sedating Diesel, the veterinarians at the clinic found that he had a lacerated artery at the far recess on the underside of his tongue. Feeling a sense of relief now that the bleeding had stopped and he was being stitched up, Mona returned home to clean up and locate whatever it was that Diesel had chewed on that caused him to lacerate the artery. Unfortunately, she found nothing to account for the injury in either the yard or the house.

Diesel healed successfully and all seemed well for the next year-and-a-half until Mona came home from work one evening to find pools of blood scattered throughout the house and Diesel with blood once again dripping from his mouth. Mona rushed him back to the clinic where the veterinarians found a sizeable tumor at the site of his previous tongue arterial wound that appeared to be cancerous. The doctors recommended surgery by a specialist since removing the tumor around the artery was such a risky procedure.

Faced with the upsetting news, Mona took Diesel home and decided to get a second opinion from her regular veterinarian before agreeing to the emergency surgery. After describing the two previous emergencies with her veterinarian, he put Diesel under anesthesia and examined him with Mona sitting nearby. “I was able to see for myself how awful the mass and lesions appeared,” said Mona. “The vet said he would be able to remove the tumor and would begin surgery immediately. I was excused and left Diesel in capable hands hoping for the best possible outcome.”

Unfortunately, Diesel’s mouth started bleeding again the next day and he was taken back to the veterinarian. With the cone of shame firmly around his neck, the veterinarian discovered that Diesel had torn out his stitches and had been scraping the underside of his tongue across the lower front teeth trying to rid himself of the tumor. The veterinarian immediately re-stitched the wound with much heavier material and took the added measure of grinding down Diesel’s sharp incisors until they were perfectly smooth.

A couple of days later, the foxtail saga took another dramatic turn when Mona received a call from the veterinarian who couldn’t wait to relay the pathology report results. To Mona’s delight, the tumor was not cancerous after all. Instead, the lab discovered that the large mass contained plant material at its center. Diesel had a foxtail on his tongue, and the mass had formed around it.

“Whether the seed had originally pierced the artery under the tongue or Diesel had sliced it on his own teeth in an effort to rid himself of the painful invader, I can’t answer,” said Mona. “But the realization is that the long, painful, and costly ordeal might not have happened if the foxtail was discovered earlier.”

Despite a frustrating and scary ordeal, Mona finds it understandable for the veterinarians to have not realized that a foxtail was the source of this trouble. “It’s hard to lay blame since I doubt many dogs have managed to get a foxtail embedded in the underside of their tongue,” said Mona. “Now that’s a tongue piercing for the record.”

After racking up two emergency trips to the clinic, numerous veterinarian visits, surgeries, stitches and a pathology report, Mona is thankful she had pet insurance to help alleviate some of the bills that resulted from Diesels’ foxtail fiasco. “What is most important is that Diesel made a full recovery,” said Mona. “I was fortunate to have a pet insurance policy in place. VPI Pet Insurance covered the majority of the cost of all of Diesel’s emergencies, surgeries and medicines.”

For more information on foxtails, visit the VPI Pet HealthZone at  http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/pet-health/Foxtails-and-Pets.aspx.

With the weather heating up, more pet owners are taking their dogs outdoors for some exercise and fun in the sun. One of the best and most popular spots for outdoor fun is the local dog park where a group of pooches can play and socialize with their four-legged friends. With the popularity of dog parks at an all-time high, pet owners should remember the importance of safety while visiting the dog park.

VPI policyholders spent more than $8.6 million on medical conditions that are commonly associated with a visit to the dog park in 2011. We recently sorted our database of more than 420,000 canines to determine common dog park-related medical conditions in 2011. These were the results:

Common Dog Park-Related Medical Conditions

• Sprains and Soft Tissue Injuries
• Lacerations and Bite Wounds
• Kennel Cough/Upper Respiratory Infection
• Insect Bites
• Head Trauma
• Hyperthermia or Heat Stroke
• Parasites
• Parvovirus

The cost of these injuries can range from as much as $584 for hyperthermia or heat stroke to $141 for insect bites. In hopes of avoiding a costly trip the next time you visit the dog park, here are a few simple, but important tips:

• Obey all posted rules and regulations
• Pay attention to your dog at all times
• Don’t bring a puppy younger than four months old
• Make sure your dog is up to date on vaccinations and has a valid license
• Keep a collar on your dog
• On very warm days, avoid the dog park during peak temperature hours, typically between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Look for signs of overheating; including profuse and rapid panting, a bright red tongue, thick drooling saliva and lack of coordination. If this occurs, take your dog to a veterinarian immediately.

For more tips on making your next trip to the dog park all bark and no bite, visit the VPI Pet HealthZone.

In addition to Pet Parent’s Day, there was another cause for celebration at the pet party. During the month of April, VPI donated $5 to One Dog Rescue for every pet insurance quote generated at PetParentsDay.com. VPI was able to reach its goal of $10,000 and presented a check to One Dog Rescue at the party.

One Dog Rescue is a Los Angeles-based shelter that adopts dogs to loving, permanent families. The non-profit organization is dedicated to rescuing old, sick, injured and forgotten pets, many of whom are on the short list to be euthanized. People can view pets available for adoption as well as donate directly to One Dog Rescue by visiting their website, OneDogRescue.org.

Pet Parent’s Day is held on the last Sunday in April and was created in 2008 to celebrate the millions of Americans who are pet owners, as well as the benefits of pet ownership.

Below are photos from the party:

VPI and One Dog Rescue

Pet Parent's Day Party

In addition to roundtrip airfare for two in first class to Bangkok, Thailand, the package includes an opportunity to adopt a puppy from SPCALA, along with one year of pet insurance from VPI.

In addition to a variety of great auction items to bid on at the event, attendees of the GLAAD Media Awards were also treated to a wonderful ceremony with celebrity award winners that included Chaz Bono, Josh Hutcherson and Lady Gaga.

Check out some of the great photos from the event:

SPCALA Puppies

VPI Package Poster