Transcription

• Donie Yamamoto

  Dr. Amber, I can really tell that my dogs really feel my emotions. They mirror me. Yeah, I can definitely see in my dog, like, when I'm, you know, more excited, then she's like, oh, what's going on? There's something exciting happening. And when I'm like, okay, calm down, then she just lays down like, all right. Welcome to Unleash Curiosity by Vital Pet Life. I'm Dr. Amber Da Silva. veterinarian and advocate for integrative pet care. And I'm Donnie Yamamoto, founder and CEO of Vital Pet Life. We're so glad you're here. This is a space where curiosity, compassion, and science converge, where we explore the powerful mind-body connection that supports your pet's health and your own. Each week, we'll dive deep into the world of pet wellness, breaking down myths, exploring ingredients, and learning from expert voices across the industry. From nutrition and sustainability to transparency and advocacy, we're here to help you feel more confident, connected, and informed in your care choices. Let's get into it, because when we know better, we do better. This is Unleash Curiosity. Welcome back to Unleash Curiosity, the show where we dig into the science, the stories, and the straight talk behind pet health. I'm Donnie Yamamoto, and with me is Dr. Amber. Hi, everyone. Today, we're talking about consciousness. specifically how researchers figure out which animals actually feel things. That sounds like a philosophy class, but stick with us because every pet parent has had this moment. Your dog does something and you wonder, does he really feel that or am I just projecting? Oh, Dr. Amber, the question that nobody could agree on. Can you, can you like discuss this with me? Yeah. So there's a new study out of Michigan State University. A researcher... built what he calls a decision tree for animal consciousness. So here's the idea. Scientists look for markers, things like brain structure or complex behavior, to guess whether an animal can feel things. Enough markers, and they'll say it's probably consciousness. The hard question is, what do you do when an animal shows few or none of those markers? Does that mean it doesn't feel anything or just that we haven't found the right test yet. This is a fish and the hook argument, basically. I mean, people love debating whether a fish feels pain. Yeah. So the study actually uses hermit crabs as an example. So crabs don't have much of a brain and they don't check a lot of the usual boxes, but they pick their own shells, which is really cool. In May's test, they'll actually swap shells to get around better. So do they fail the test or is the test just not built? to see them. Researchers split into two camps here. So camp one says no markers, no proof, probably not conscious. And camp two says missing markers don't prove anything either way. Maybe we just haven't found the evidence yet. This is exactly what pet parents wonder too. But to me, I feel like my dogs are very conscious. They're always like feeling, well, because I love my dogs, I guess what I feel like. They know, they are aware, like, the moment that, you know, other than just, like, routines or, like, you know, stuff that they remember that you do or stuff that they do every day with you. I feel like they're pretty aware, like, before the fireworks even blowed up or started, they're already, like, hovering around, walking around. And I can feel, like, I can see Martin's ears because, you know, I think they sense his way better than us. So, I mean. a feeling or it's just a habit he's learned i don't know to me i feel like they are yeah well when i was in vet school i got a dog his name was bootstraps and he was you know a really old like we have no idea how old he was little pickanies yeah and every time i went to feed him like he was on a special diet because he had gi issues so i and he was on a canned diet so i'd be dishing out his canned food. And he'd sit there and he'd sneeze at me. Achoo Achoo Achoo And he did it every single time, every single meal. And never, you know, he wasn't like, he didn't sneeze normally. So it was like, oh, that's when I was feeding him. Yeah.

• Dr. Amber Da Silva, DVM

  Yeah.

• Donie Yamamoto

  He would just, and he was so food motivated. He loved his food. And so I just, yeah, it was just so funny. So I really think. that he, you know, he was definitely like feeling something when I was dishing up his food. Honestly, you know, we can't say for certain, but here's what's telling. In the 1990s, people were still debating whether chimpanzees were conscious and to debate. And today, the debate has moved on to whether plants are conscious. I think that bar keeps climbing higher, not lower.

• Dr. Amber Da Silva, DVM

  Well, what does this mean for dogs and cats or maybe animals? Like, you know, can you bring this home for us? Like, nobody's asking about crabs,

• Donie Yamamoto

  but they're asking about their dog's face when the vacuum comes out, right? Like, they don't. Yeah. Yeah. Good news there. Dogs and cats aren't really in question the way crabs or insects are. They clear almost every marker. Complex brains, social behavior, real personality. The takeaway for pet parents is pretty simple. Trust what you're seeing. If your dog's behavior is telling you something's wrong, that's real information, even before science catches up to explain why. That's why we started paying closer attention to joint stiffness in older dogs in the first place.

• Dr. Amber Da Silva, DVM

  I mean, nobody needed a study to tell us or to tell me that my dog's tuxedo was uncomfortable when he stopped jumping on the couch. Like, I kind of knew that there was something wrong.

• Donie Yamamoto

  Right. The science is just catching up to what pet parents already notice. Good reminder today. Science is taking animals' experience more seriously, not less. So trust what you see in your own pet. You know them. better than any decision there is. That's it for the episode of Unleash Curiosity. Share it with a pet parent who needs to hear it and see you next time.