AskScience AMA Series: Hello, Reddit! Three members of the veterinary team at the Dog Aging Project are here to answer your questions about dogs and COVID-19. Ask us anything! | AskScience Blog

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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

AskScience AMA Series: Hello, Reddit! Three members of the veterinary team at the Dog Aging Project are here to answer your questions about dogs and COVID-19. Ask us anything!

AskScience AMA Series: Hello, Reddit! Three members of the veterinary team at the Dog Aging Project are here to answer your questions about dogs and COVID-19. Ask us anything!


AskScience AMA Series: Hello, Reddit! Three members of the veterinary team at the Dog Aging Project are here to answer your questions about dogs and COVID-19. Ask us anything!

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 04:01 AM PDT

The Dog Aging Project is a longitudinal, observational research study that brings together a community of dogs, owners, veterinarians, researchers, and volunteers to carry out the most ambitious canine science project in the world. This ten-year, citizen-science initiative will investigate the biological, lifestyle, and environmental factors that influence healthy aging in dogs, and by extension, humans. To learn more or to join our efforts visit dogagingproject.org.

We have been closely following the veterinary implications of COVID-19. Currently, two dogs in Hong Kong, a cat in Belgium, and at least one tiger in the US have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic. Neither of the dogs displayed symptoms of illness. Both cats did. For more details about our current understanding of COVID-19 in pets, please check out Dogs and COVID-19: What We Know and What We Don't and Human to Animal Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on the Dog Aging Project blog.

There are also excellent resources at World Organization for Animal Health, CDC Recommendations for Pet Owners, and Emerging Coronavirus Strains and Veterinary Patients.

We're here to answer questions about:

  • Coronaviruses and companion animals
  • Human-to-animal transmission
  • Staying safe during the pandemic
  • Interpreting signs of illness in animals
  • What to do if your dog gets sick
  • What we know about veterinary testing for COVID-19 +Anything else related to dog health and longevity

We can't diagnose or provide specific medical advice in this forum. If you have concerns about your own health or the health of your companion animals, please contact your own medical or veterinary providers.

ABOUT US:

Dr. Kate E. Creevy, DVM, MS, DACVIM, is the Chief Veterinary Officer for the Dog Aging Project, an Associate Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and a practicing small animal internist. She has been working on population-level investigations into morbidity and mortality in companion dogs since 2007. She is the cofounder of the Canine Longevity Consortium.

Dr. Audrey Ruple, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVPM, MRCVS, is the Assistant Professor of One Health Epidemiology in the Department of Public Health at Purdue University. She is a licensed, clinical veterinarian and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She is a co-investigator for multiple research programs at the Dog Aging Project.

Dr. Katherine Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in Small Animal Clinical Science at the Texas A&M University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Her clinical research program is focused on small animal gastroenterology with a specific interest in the investigation of the efficacy of gastroprotectants and the rationale for their use in the treatment of acid-related disorders, organ failure, neoplasia, and inflammatory diseases in dogs and cats. Katie serves as the Veterinary Practice Logistics Liaison for the Dog Aging Project.

Join the Dog Aging Project at dogagingproject.com.

Dr. Creevy, Dr. Ruple, and Dr. Tolbert will take your questions on Wednesday, April 15th from 11am-noon PDT (2pm EDT, 6pm UTC). We're excited to join you, ask us anything!

Usernames: dogagingproject, kcreevy

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Seasonal flu has a basic reproduction number (R0) of 1.3 and COVID-19 has a 2-2.5. What factors dictate the difference between these diseases in terms of spread?

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 03:53 AM PDT

For example, does that mean that a smaller amount of COVID-19 viruses are needed to infect a person and gain a foothold in the body than seasonal flu? Also would the shape of the spike proteins protruding from the capsid affect the viruses' ability to attach to respiratory cells thereby increasing the R0 value?

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Will the vaccine help an infected organism to fight the disease?

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 07:03 AM PDT

The vaccine is used to prevent a healthy organism from being infected. But can it be helpful in other cases?

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What did our evolutionary ancestors do for hygiene, such as showers, brushing teeth, and cutting hair and nails?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 01:12 PM PDT

Since many of the COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, could it be possible that the virus existed before what we are actually being told i.e. Wuhan, through bats? Could it be that the virus was around months or years before the first case started showing actual symptoms and testing began?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 08:22 PM PDT

One more question, how do scientists determine the age and/or origin of a virus?

submitted by /u/crackguy
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Do bugs sleep? Plain and simple.

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 04:23 PM PDT

Do bugs sleep? (insects, spiders, moths,flies, the colloquial application of the word bugs is implied)

submitted by /u/kennethgibson
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What does *actually* affect our eyesight? Reading in the dark? Using screens at a high brightness? Something else entirely?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 02:26 PM PDT

This stems from a discussion I had with my father - he has his monitor permanently set to the highest brightness, and a desk lamp constantly on right next to it. On the other hand, I always set the brightness according to what I'm doing - so if I'm using a program with a white background, I take it down to nearly 0 (but I also tend to have my curtains halfway drawn due to sun reflecting of the next building, so on average my room is darker). I cannot understand his method - it's a terrible amount of light shining right into his face. However, he in turn says my contrast is too low and that damages my eyes.

I think I've read a headline somewhere stating that reading in the dark, while tiring, does not cause permanent damage. So my question is: which factors can affect eyesight in the long term - brightness, contrast, something else? How should I set my monitor? Article links would be appreciated, so I can easily win future discussion.

submitted by /u/cubelith
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How the water that we drink is distributed inside our body?

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 12:00 AM PDT

The process after we drink a glass what portion of is used for digestion and for accumulation of pee? How does it get seperated? What % of a glass of water is converted to pee and other purposes?

submitted by /u/Tjkalyan
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Are some viruses more difficult to develop vaccines for than others?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 05:56 PM PDT

So all along we've been told that things won't go "back to normal" until there's a vaccine.

We've also been told the vaccine is 1 to 1.5 years away.

My question is, if HIV was first discovered in 1983 and there's still no vaccine... Why will we have a Covid19 vaccine in a year or two?

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Why is it that we were able to produce a vaccine for H1N1 reltively quickly but it will take much longer for COVID-19?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 08:07 PM PDT

Why do we hear static/buzzing in our ear/headphones whenever we pause audio?

Posted: 15 Apr 2020 03:25 AM PDT

Why do some medicines or doctors tell you that the medicine needs to be taken at a certain moment of the day, like morning or night, what difference would it make if I took them at a different hour than the prescribed one?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 03:45 PM PDT

Why is CO toxic to humans but not CO2? How does an extra oxygen atom change the potency of the molocule?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 02:19 PM PDT

How do we know when cosmic inflation began?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 09:29 AM PDT

All the sources that I looked at claimed that the inflationary epoch began at about 10^-36 seconds after the big bang, but is this an arbitrary number that appears plausible as part of the theory, or is this substantiated by evidence of some kind? I am asking this because I couldn't find error ranges for this figure. I also understand that there are constraints on inflation in general to fit with measurements of the curvature of the universe as well as horizon causality, but this number appears to have come out of nowhere to just make the numbers fit nicely with e-folding.

submitted by /u/Yonboyage
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What is the diff. bet. DC and AC Conductivity for Metals Vs Dielectrics, and how do they change with frequency?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:23 AM PDT

I have a question about DC and AC Conductivity for Metals (conductors) Vs Dielectrics (insulators)? It may be easier to explain what I understand, and have people correct me.

For Conducting Metals, DC conductivity is usually very high. As the frequency increases the combined DC and AC conductivity starts to decrease (following Drude model), and it does so like a low pass filter so that the total conductivity of the metal is decreasing with frequency (Due to free charge mobility, and skin effect?)

For Dielectrics, the story is reversed. DC conductivity is usually very low, as they are insulators. As the frequency increases the AC conductivity increases, increasing the total system conductivity and lowering overall resistance following the universal dielectric response model. The physics here may have to do with molecular/ionic resonances, so the increase with frequency is not linear, and has peaks corresponding to resonances.

Please correct me if/where I am wrong. Please also tell me if I am right:)

Thank you very much in advance.

submitted by /u/EngScientist
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Why is the pH scale based on 7?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 06:47 AM PDT

I get that 7 is neutral, below is acidic and above a base and the sense of making it logarithmic.

But how did it happen that 7 is considered middle with +/- 7 steps to go?

Why not for example 0 for neutral, -10 for perfect acid and +10 for perfect base?

submitted by /u/lionon
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On the back of my cooking salt, "Sodium FerroCyanide" is listed as an ingredient. I've heard Ferrocyanides are safe except in the presence of acids when they give off Hydrogen Cyanide gas. If I cook with this salt and acidic foods or sauces, am I slowly poisoning myself?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 07:36 AM PDT

The proportion of the sodium ferrocyanide wasn't given on the back of the box (UK-market so EU food standards) so I assume it is minimal. However even if it is small, there isn't an amount of cyanide I would be happy consuming myself or serving to others. This is due to my lack of understanding of the processes involved - would like to understand more about the chemistry and if it is giving off hydrogen cyanide gas, is it at a level where the body can protect itself over time? How does that work?

submitted by /u/Selmingah
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Can i find Polaris by looking up at sky from India?

Posted: 14 Apr 2020 11:18 AM PDT

I have been learning what are constellations and how to locate north by locating Usra Major Constellation and finding Polaris by using them. But is Polaris visble for anyone from anywhere who look up at the sky? I didnt find it when i looked up or i might have not searched for it properly.

submitted by /u/ezra_wolf
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