Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Noah's Wish - Tails from the Ark

If you aren't familiar with Noah's Wish, I'd like to introduce you today. I first came across this site during the Katrina Hurricane disaster. As many pet people, I was worried about what was happening to all the animals - who, I wondered, was gathering up lost dogs and cats, and what were they going to do with them?

Well, someone introduced ME to Noah's Wish and I immediately donated to the fund. As it says on their website, their mission is, "...to save animals during disasters with our rescue and recovering services and to mitigate the impact of disasters on animals through our educational outreach programs."

I really like the way Noah's Wish has grown.

The Skinny on BARF Diets

There has been a lot of interest in BARF diets over the last decade and lots of confusion too. BARF stands for Bones and Raw Food and the proponents of this type of feeding think it's a healthier alternative to ready made kibble type pet foods. Fresh meat like beef or chicken are often combined with uncooked bones and various vegetables in a BARF diet.

The thinking on uncooked bones is that these bones are less likely to splinter than cooked bones and are therefore safer for dogs. BARF proponents believe that fresh, unprocessed ingredients contain more enzymes and available nutrients than commercially prepared products. In short, they believe that it's a healthier, more natural way to feed. 

On the other hand there are several legitimate nutritional and food safety issues with BARF diets. Some nutritionists are concerned with potential nutritional deficiencies...

Puppy Poems: Of Malemutes and Heaven

It's been said that most pet people don't want to go to a Heaven without dogs, or cats. I'm one of them. I happened to find this great poem in an old, treasured book of mine, that tells it like it is.

A Malemute Dog

You can't tell me God would have Heaven
So a man couldn't mix with his friends --
That we are doomed to meet disappointment
When we come to the place the trail ends.

That would be a low-grade sort of Heaven,
And I'd never regret a damned sin
If I rush up to the gates white and pearly
And they don't let my malemute in.

For I know it would never be homelike,
No matter how golden the strand,
If I lose out that pal-loving feeling
Of a malemute's nose on my hand.

Pat O'Cotter (yes, I know the pic isn't a malemute - which is s'posed to be 'malamute', but it just looks so precious - how could anyone want to go to Heaven, if they couldn't take their dog - or cat?)

Another Old Canard about Pet Food

I'm off to French Canada in a few days and as you can see by the title of this post I'm already practicing my French. Canard means 'duck' in French, but it can also be used to describe an unfounded rumor, story or even a hoax. For instance, the notion that we can't do anything about global warming because it would have a negative effect on our economy, is a classic canard used by those who would preserve the status quo at any cost. 

Often a canard is repeated so often by seemingly credible sources that it is mistaken for fact. The existence of WMD's for instance or the notion that our current economic woes can be cured with more tax cuts. In short, a canard is a time honored device used to sell an agenda or a product when actual facts are in short supply. 

 

Pet food has its share of canards, too. ...

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Welcome to another Scratchings and Sniffings Out Loud with Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace. Today we're following up a previous S&S Out Loud that discussed obesity problems in your pet. Once you recognize a weight problem, there are ways to manage it, including creating a diet with the proper nutrition and exercise, and even weighing your dog at home, while following a veterinarian's diet advice. I remember back in the day - we would weigh ourselves, pick up the dog, weigh ourselves with the dog, and do the math. Today, vets have way kewl hydralic tables that help with those monster dogs, like Cedar. 

Another kewl thing that you'll learn in this podcast is how to handle begging and still give your dog (or cat - altho cats are a bit trickier) treats, even if he or she is "dieting." Remember: your pet's diet is a major part of their overall health - and good health is the best way to a long and happy life.

Dr. Grace is the expert in that area...listen to her advice now:

Darby the German Shepard: Finding Home

Imagine you're a puppy - ok, a grown dog, but even grown dogs are puppies, at times (much the same way our children, even though adults, are still 'kids' to us) - and your Mom or Dad, or both, goes away. Leaves you home with family...good folks who take good care of you.

Imagine that you're a bit used to this as Mom and/or Dad, your pack leaders, do this once in awhile. You don't like it. You don't understand it. But, the good folks who take care of you are okay... and you are pretty sure Mom and Dad will be back. Someday.

Because you're a dog, 'someday' means...a long, long time from now. Because you're a dog, and Mom and Dad are your pack leader(s)...every moment they are away, out of site, out of smell, is a lifetime. Because you're a dog, you measure time in milliseconds, in stretches of emptiness that leave you feeling abandoned and lonely, but you can't really express those feelings to the people who are taking care of you. You can eat the good food your care-giving folks offer you, and you can sleep, but you can't understand time, so you have no way of knowing that your pack leaders will be back...in a day or two, or a week or two. You only know you wake up every day expecting them to be back. And, they aren't.

Now, imagine...

Taking Your Business On The Virtual Road

Not everyone is online. Despite the noise the bloggers make (and sometimes I'm one of them), not everyone reads blogs. Not everyone is on Facebook or LinkedIn. And, not everyone Twitters.

However, everyone who reads this blog IS online. And, all of you are pet lovers as well as pet owners, I suspect. Today, I'm going to introduce you to two twitter friends of mine that might stir your interest - because you ARE online, and because, I suspect, some of you sell stuff online.

First, the Pet Web Designer. If you sell pet products online, you need a good website. Michael Ayalon created his Pet Web Designer site to help you be more successful at that. As he says, "This is a pet website design comlpany for retail and wholesale businesses, websites with shopping carts (e-commerce), websites with video, pet blogs, marketing campaigns, logo design and even catalog design." He also has some fab benefits listed - and his pricing is very user-friendly.

Hop over and see his list of sites already built. My favorite is Michael's own blog, Blog Eye: A Web designer's view of the world, with a focus on pets and humor. Gotta love it!

One of the sites Michael created is Romethecat. Wow! Romeo is already making a big name for himself across the country - because Romeo commands attention on Twitter! Why? Well, Caroline, his Mom, decided to have Romeo help raise funds for animal welfare and rescue. Over at the Carolina Newswire, there's a fab article on how Romeo (via Caroline) is doing this. Just so happens, Pet Web Designer is a sponsor. In my part of the world, that's called eating your own cooking!

Vaccine Associated Sarcomas in Cats

We've touched on this issue before in general discussions on feline vaccination protocol. There is no doubt that VAS is a significant issue in veterinary medicine and one reason the vaccine protocols have undergone scrutiny and revision over the years. The adoption of core versus non-core vaccines is in part due to the risk of VAS.

There is a statistical link between vaccination with certain types of Feline Leukemia and Rabies vaccination and the occurrence vaccine associated sarcoma. The estimated risk for developing VAS is between one and ten cats for every 10,000 cats vaccinated.

 

Although that makes this a fairly rare problem the sarcoma itself is a very serious issue for any cat that develops one. These sarcomas are very malignant and reach deep into surrounding tissues making them very difficult to treat once they are diagnosed.

The Soul of a Horse: Joe Camp Teaches Life Lessons Worth Learning

[UPDATED TO FIX TYPOS - FINGERS MUST HAVE BEEN TOO FAST THE DAY I WROTE THIS]

Everyone always wants to know what you're reading and at any given time I'm reading two or three books at once. No, no...not at once like I have each of them open on my bed and I switch from one to the other every fifteen minutes. Hmmm...I wonder if anyone does that?

What I mean is that one day I'll read book A, the neXt I'll read book B. And so on.

I know people, mostly business people, who profess to read a book a day. I find that a bit unrealistic. A book a day? Are they really short books? Do they just skim the beginning and end and consider the book 'read'? I don't know. It takes me longer than a day to read a book because I read it page by page, from beginning to end. And, with really good books, I stop now and then to think about what I just read. Contemplate it a bit.

Today, I want to talk about a book that has little to do with dogs or cats. It has to do with horses. However, it came about because of a dog. So, it counts.

Spot Speaks on Happy Healthy Living

Dr. Nancy Kay, veterinarian and author of Speaking for Spot, has a really good newsletter. This week's article is about a contest she had on her blog, Speaking for Spot (she's really good at branding, too!).

I liked it so much, I thought I'd share one of the winner's bits of advice, here.

Dr. Nancy asked readers to submit helpful tips for canines. She gave an autographed copy of her book to the winners. Because this particualr tip is so good, and unique, I wanted to share it here - with encouragement for all readers to visit Dr. Nancy's site, buy her award winning book, and stop over at her blog.

Tonya, a Speaking for Spot reader, wrote to Dr. Nancy and said, "With hot weather approaching and family dogs that want no part of swimming or the hose, we have found a pefect solution. We built our dogs a sand pit in a shady area. We moisten the sand," Tonya continues, "with water and the Boxers eenjoy lying in the coolness. In addition," (she is one smart cookie, I think!), "our Danish/Swedish Farmdog loves to dig and has learned that the sand pit is his special digging spot. At the end of the day, a quick squirt of the hose puts all the sand back in the pit, levels it and makes ready for the next day of warm weather. Any sand in the dogs' coats dries quickly and drops off before entering the house."

Now, that's what I call innovation. What do you do to help keep your dogs cool during those dog days of summer, which will be here before we know it? I always keep ice cubes in Carmie's dish. Well, I did, anyway. She loved ice cubes and they kept her water nice and cool.