Zest came to us from the great state of Montana, along with Red Cloud, Gojo, Cooter, Tomcat, Comet, Muskrat, Buddy, Yale, Granite, Streak, and Quick. Along with his buddy Red Cloud, Zest was a huge goof ball and was always full of energy. Him and Red played constantly outside. Until his disease progressed, Zest was one of the most eager dogs on the treadmill, and no matter how fast the treadmill was going, Zest wanted to go faster!

 

Zest developed the aggressive form of osteosarcoma and we lost him at the end of 2020. We are sure that years spent with us were happy, since he adjusted to his new life and friends instantly upon arrival, and has been a big ole’ goof ball ever since. We miss his happiness and friendship.  

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Zest helped out to create a first of a kind Canine Brain Atlas. For that his brain was imaged by magnetic resonance while he was asleep. This type of imaging is commonly in humans and allows to identify such alterations as brain tissue volume and connectivity as well as to identify neuropathology at the early stages. However until recently this technique was not utilized for the same purposes in dogs. Participation of Zest and 9 other Vaika dogs allowed to build a comprehensive atlas of canine brain which from now on will serve as a reference standard for canine neurological research.