• Question: Is it possible for dogs to have the exact diseases that we have in our cells and body ?

    Asked by meggahippo to Jasmine on 14 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Jasmine Penny

      Jasmine Penny answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      That is a great question! In terms of the disease I research, which is osteoarthritis, it is really similar to osteoarthritis in humans. This disease is also similar in horses! This is because the tissue affected (cartilage) is almost the same in the three species – the scientific name for this is that it is ‘conserved’. The only real difference in this tissue between the three species is the size and thickness of the tissue. So in that sense dogs can have the same diseases as us!

      However, there are many diseases that only dogs get and that is because their cells and tissues are different to ours.

Comments

  • Photo: Dr D

    Dr D commented on :

    It’s not just dogs….. when we look at biology, there are lots of animals and other organisms that work in a similar way to humans and this lets us use them in research to find out more about humans. You have to be careful though, they aren’t exactly the same.