Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Pet Obesity: A Weight Loss Challenge

Shades of "Biggest Loser!" now we can get our pets involved in the whole "obesity" challenge issue. We talk about nutrition a lot, here and on the pet insurance blog (and I just did a post on nutrition for Shine), and I know pet parents have this on their minds. I know because they talk about it on Twitter.

But, many of us are guilty of feeding our dog from the table - and adding a lot of extra pounds to their girth. Not only is this bad for their bones and their overall health relevant to weight, it's bad because we're often giving them food that isn't right for them. Who knew that dogs could eat vegetables? Not me! We never talked about that during vet assistant training. Yes, we were taught to discourage folks from giving dogs treats from the table, but no one said, "If you must feed from the table, give your dog a carrot or some broccoli. At least it will be healthy food."

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; A Gift From Your Pet?

I've got to get out more. Apparently there is an epidemic going on in this country that I was unaware of until this morning. Even more interesting to us is that our pets may be involved in the transmission of this bug. Before you start running for the anti-bacterial hand gel let me put this in context for you.

According to an NY Times article on-line this morning pets are now involved in the transmission of methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This bug has been a problem for humans for decades. It's one of those nosocomial (you get it at the hospital) infections that plague health care workers and hospitalized civilians. 

Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years (HAPPY)

A good friend alerted me to this Bill in the House of Representatives that aims to help pet owners with a tax deduction. Further proof that pets are family, just like ... our other relatives. I won't say just like kids, although to many of us, they are just like kids.

The bill notes that: 63% of US households have a pet. That's pet - not just a four-legged creature living with us; a PET - a beloved member of the family. My explanation, not theirs.

It also goes on to say that "the human-animal bond has been shown to have positive effects upon people's emotional and physical well-being." We've discussed that here, from time to time. Therapy dogs and therapy cats are very common, these days.

Thinking Like a Mountain in Today's World

If Aldo Leopold taught us one thing it was to think of the natural world and all the plants and animals in it as being connected in some way.

As we discussed last time, he taught us to think like a mountain. As a society we have become so detached from the natural world that it is difficult for many of us to see these connections. Yet, the things we do every day have consequences for our shared environment. No one thing, with the possible exception of "the bomb," can do us in overnight, but when we put many actions together over time the cumulative effect can be devastating.

Why, as animal lovers, should we care? Because at some point, if we do nothing to change our ways, our own existence and our ability to care for our pets, ourselves and our children will be threatened. Maybe not in our lifetime or even that of our children, but do we want to leave a dry, dying planet as the legacy for our grandchildren? 

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show

Not a movie review, today's post is focused on the Hallmark Channel and its "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" and more four-legged fun during one day!

Now, Jack Hanna is one of my favorite people in the whole world. NO, I've never met him in person. I've only seen him on TV. But, when he's on TV he's the best animal ambassador I know. He bumbled and stumbles and makes everyone laugh (except Letterman, cause it's usually at Letterman's expense), and through it all, he teaches us about the animals of the world. I personally think his bumbling

routine is staged, and even if it is, you have to admit it works. It endears this gentle man to everyone.

Hallmark, so I discovered, is having a great time showcasing Jack Hanna on his Animal Adventures show, premiering October 3rd (a Saturday not far from today) and then every Saturday from 6-9 am and even Sundays from 8-10 am.

Can My Cat be a Vegetarian or even Vegan?

The short answer is maybe. The long answer follows. 

This came up last night as we entertained our vegan friend, Alicia. We cooked up some yummy tofu, green bean and carrot stir fry with brown rice. Chris made a cheesecake, too, and I was happy to hear that Alicia couldn't eat any of it because it had eggs and dairy product in it. More for me. In fact, I just had some for lunch.

 

Alicia is not opposed to eating animal tissue from a health perspective. Her problem is more about animal cruelty. As a former vet tech and animal lover she is not convinced that any animal can be raised and processed for food in a humane way. Slaughter is by definition cruel in her mind and I can't say that I disagree with her. I've been to a "meat processing" facility. I do eat meat myself, mostly ground chicken and turkey. I avoid cow because I think, in some instances, cows do more damage to mother earth than any other critter except us. 

 

As we've discussed, cats are obligate carnivores.

Benny Bix You Stole My Heart

Tom and I were in NYC Monday and Tuesday (making this feel like the end of a weekend)...not Wednesday. NYC isn't a favorite destination of mine. I'm not a "big city" kinda gal. Mind you, I'm not a country girl, either. I like my little suburbs. That way I get the best of both worlds...I can walk to shops, and I have parks nearby, and I don't have to deal with the overcrowding of a NYC or a Toronto.

Visiting NYC for business seldom leaves me time for pleasure but on this trip Tom and I took time to connect with a good friend we've known for several years, via the blogosphere. BL Ochman is one of the top blog consultants in the industry but better than that, she's a pet lover and a pet blogger. Her pet, the one she writes most about - is the delightful Labradoodle, Benny Bix. Now, there is a kitty, Noni, but...the kitty remained hidden when we went to visit BL, so...I can't really write about her.

This post is about the marvelous Benny Bix who stole my heart! Benny greeted Tom and I at the door, when we arrived at BL's apartment (near Central Park - lucky Benny gets to walk around Central Park early morning, without his leash - is that not great?). Benny was so friendly - without being obnoxious. You know, like those little dogs that won't leave you alone...which isn't always bad, I'm not dissing them. It's just that it's nice when a dog gives a first introduction time to grow. Time being 5 minutes, in dog-time. 

Aldo Leopold

When I was a freshman wildlife biology student at the University of Montana the first book on the reading list was A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Leopold is the father of the modern conservation movement and he has special ties to my part of the country going back 100 years.

Fresh out of the Yale school of Forestry at the age of 24, Leopold was dispatched to the newly created US Forest Service in New Mexico and Arizona. Here he began a career that would change land use principles and game management thinking for ever. 

 

As a young forester, Leopold practiced what he was taught. Trees were not much more than potential "board feet" to be managed to maximize harvest and predators like mountain lions, and wolves were to be exterminated to protect cows and so that elk and deer populations would thrive.

 

Through observation and experience, his thinking began to change. He saw first hand the effects of unregulated grazing on sensitive riparian areas. He saw how overgrazing could lead to severe erosion. He witnessed the effects of deer and elk population explosions in a predator free environment. His thinking changed.

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud: Dr. Grace and Dr. Larry Talk Renal Failure in Cats and Dogs, Part 2

As you might have noticed, last week's Out Loud podcast covered the symptoms of renal failure and explained a bit about how it's often seen in older cats, but stopped before getting to the treatments. If that seemed odd, it's because I forgot to label it as "Part 1" of the topic!

So here's "the rest of the story" from Dr. Grace and Dr. Larry with the generally good news about how you can manage kidney disease, with the help of your veterinarian, and your cat or dog can live for years longer:

Training and Adoption Rates

We've got some friends visiting from Alabama. One of them is trying to get a spay/ neuter program up and running in her county. She works in county government and one of her tasks is to try to get adoption rates up at the local animal shelter.

Sometimes she'll put out press releases stating that x number of dogs and cats will be euthanized by 5 PM tomorrow unless people come in and adopt them soon. She's had good success with this technique, but she can't use it too often. According to Nancy, people get what she calls "compassion fatigue" after a while.

I read an interesting article in a professional journal that might help the cause. We've discussed before how behavior problems are the number one reason pets get left for adoption at animal shelters. Well, according to this study the behavior of dogs waiting to be adopted is very crucial to adoption success. Potential adopters are more concerned with how these dogs behave than even what breed or mixture of breeds they are.