Highlights of a Long Hike
Conference offers new diets, new theories

A move afoot in the fitness world - suitably promulgated by a pedometer manufacturer — advocates walking 10,000 steps a day for good health. On Day 2 of the North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Ha., I clocked that by noon.
More than 14,000 veterinarians, technicians and students attended 1,300 seminars at three hotels during the sprawling five-day NAVC in Orlando, Fla. Most were intent on improving their education and only a few their golf game. I saw one lone foursome on the Marriott golf course on a cloudless 80-degree day.
Highlights from my seminar notes and hikes around the 525-booth exhibition hall:
• Two manufacturers have introduced foods — available at veterinary clinics — for dogs with arthritis. Hill's Canine j/d includes an acid that "works to turn off the genes that cause cartilage damage." Among other components, Purina's JM brand offers "high levels of long chain omega-3 fatty acids" to help increase joint mobility.
• Coughing is one of the most frustrating conditions veterinarians encounter. It's a sign of many potential problems, including a bone stuck in the esophagus.
• Behaviorists are re-interpreting dogs' body language. That fast wagging tail? It can indicate happiness - but also anxiety. Doggie kisses? Puppies lick their mothers' lips to elicit regurgitation and its contents for a meal. Today, dogs' licking their owners is regarded as pacifying. Their jumping up on you? It's not to greet you at eye level but an appeasement.
We'll explore those last two subjects more fully in upcoming issues.

FROM: CUMMINGS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY