PULLMAN, Wash.—Cardiologists at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital are willing to say thank you with ice cream for the temporary use of up to 100 puppies.
“The goal of project ‘Puppies and Cream’ is to determine the normal cardiac values for puppies between the ages of 3 to 11 months when they wear a non-invasive Holter-type cardiac monitor for 24 hours,” said Pamela Lee, a WSU veterinary cardiologist. “There is currently no standard data for normal healthy puppies that age even though the Holter monitor is commonly used as a diagnostic tool for adult dogs.”
A Holter monitor is a battery-operated portable device that can measure and record the heart’s electrical activity (ECG) continuously for 24 hours or more. It has wires with small conductive pads that attach to the skin.
Puppy volunteers will receive a complete physical examination free of charge and will need to have five spots shaved to allow the conductive pads to make good contact.
“Owners who volunteer their dogs for ‘Puppies and Cream,’ will also receive a voucher for a single scoop of ice cream per puppy from to WSU’s world famous Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe,” explained Rebecca Tracey, a third-year veterinary student working with Dr. Lee to conduct the study.
Interested parties are encouraged to email Rebecca Tracey at rhtracey@vetmed.wsu.edu or call the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital at 509-335-0711 for complete information and to enroll their puppy.
Contact:
Charlie Powell, Public Information Officer, call or text (509) 595-2017 or cpowell@vetmed.wsu.edu