Scratchings-and-Sniffings

National Dog Show & Rufus the Colored Bull Terrier

So, who watches The National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day? Come on, fess up. You know you do. Okay, maybe some of you don't. Maybe some of you are stuck watching grown men throw a fat, brown ball around a messy field, and pretend that jumping all over each other isn't being overly aggressive, because it's all part of the game.

The rest of you should consider watching The National Dog Show, presented by our sponsor, Purina, of course. You know I'll be watching. (Tom will probably play remote control tag with me, but he'll be watching, too!) Here's some interesting news about the show: Rufus, the colored Bull Terrier, is appearing at the Ronald McDonald House of New York, on Tuesday, November 3rd... working as a therapy dog.

Petcentric Says Happy Howl-o-ween

Love this Facebook page celebration Purina's Petcentric site: Happy Howl-o-ween. Notice that the "o" is actually a pumpkin. And the dog and cat dressed up as a pirate and a diva
(I think) are adorable!

I'm sharing this because I suspect a whole bunch of you are going to dress your cat and dog up this Halloween and I'd love to know why. Why? Why?

Ok, I get it that Halloween is fun. Party-time. Sweet-tooth indulgence (as long as we're not sharing with the pets - remember, chocolate and dogs do not mix!), and crazy costumes. But, do you really think your dog and cat LIKE being dressed in those clothes? I mean, these are pets. They aren't dolls or toys or kids. They like their fur, I think...and, I have to wonder if they really like those human adornments?

I'm open to being proved wrong. Send me some stories or pics with happy, smiling dogs and cats all decked out for Halloween. And, on another note, I'd love to know if YOU make the costumes or buy them? If you buy them, do the costume stores stock pet costumes?

Can Hip Dysplasia be Prevented?

There is no short answer to this question. The longer answer is maybe and depends on a number of factors.

Hip dysplasia is an inherited polygenic condition that is complicated by environmental factors. That's vet speak meaning this is a hereditary condition involving multiple genes and that external factors like how the puppy is raised can influence the development and severity of the condition.

 

We've discussed before how feeding large breed puppies can have an impact on hip dysplasia. Improper feeding can increase the likelihood that your pup will develop hip dysplasia and obesity really complicates the situation in a dog that has hip dysplasia. Conversely, proper feeding, especially during growth, can result in a normal dog with healthy joints even in a genetically predisposed dog.

Barking News: Doing CPR on your pets

Welcome to our newest pet category: Barking News! Bringing you the stories we find that deserve a good bark. Read on...

I landed on PawPrint Post over at USA Today, about an AP poll on how far we pet parents will go for our dogs, and it intrigued me so I thought I'd share. The big question is: would you do CPR on your dog?

According to the poll (conducted by the Associated Press and Petside.com), "63% of dogs owners and 53% of cat owners would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pet." That's really pretty good, if you think about it. And, the poll also revealed that more women than men would do CPR. Ha! I always say women are more attached to our pets.

Video Volunteers

I'm so disappointed that I did not find out about this earlier, but it's well worth a mention now. Ben Stein, yes, THAT Ben Stein, is working with the Humane Society to help stomp out puppy mills, and he's asked for pet parent help. Unfortunately, the deadline to submit a video was Oct 22nd!

Still, knowing about this is well worth our time. And, maybe we can feature the winners. In fact, the YouTube site says voting on the 3 finalists was yesterday. Here are the details from Ben Stein, himself:

 

 

Cat Food From A to Z

I was surfing this morning looking for interesting pet news. I came across a scary incident with implications for none other than Yvonne! 

It appears that a pet food manufacturer is recalling a couple of brands of their cat food after reports of neurological problems in cats in the Rochester, New York area. These are NOT Purina brands by the way.

The Manufacturer is Diamond Pet Foods and the brands involved are Premium Edge Finicky Adult cat food and Premium Edge Hairball Cat food. Here is their recall notice.

Twitter a Critter

You're on twitter, right? I know you are. If you are, please follow me on my twitter page: @mypetblog - and I'll be sure to follow back.

Last week someone twittered about this Purina sponsored page: Twitter a Critter. You can hardly tell Purina sponsors it, their logo is very small - and that's because the page isn't about them, it's about helping dogs and cats who need homes. Forever homes.

I love the design of the page (site)... with lots of dogs and cats and the Adoptapet.com logo at the top.

Flu Season for Pets and People

Swine flu, bird flu, canine flu, feline flu and regular old seasonal flu. Are you a little confused? I am and I'm going in for my annual PE this afternoon. I'll be getting a flu vaccination, but probably only for the seasonal variety which won't protect me from swine flu for which I have no natural immunity. Yikes!

Let me try to shed some light on this subject.

 

The big news this year is swine flu or the H1N1 influenza virus. It's called swine flu because it was originally thought to be related to strains of swine flu first isolated in the 1930's. This new swine flu actually has genes from swine flu, bird flu and human flu and is very different from the original swine flu.

The Book of the Year: SAVED - stories of rescued animals

I just finished what I am calling The Book of the Year. Not the "petbook of the year" - not "the business book of the year" - not "the non-fiction book of the year" - but, THE BOOK of the YEAR!

SAVED- Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform is a book that will change how you look at and think about rescuing dogs, cats, birds, horses, and any other abused animal. I say this because the true stories in this book are so touching, they reach out from the page and gently embrace your heart, as if to say, "We are safe now, the world cannot harm us any longer. Will you share us with everyone you know?" And, the answer has to be, "Yes!"

This book sat on my nightstand for many months. I was afraid to read it. I looked at it, at the wonderful picture on the cover, and I sighed over and over, knowing that to pick it up and read it meant tears would flow.

More on Degenerative Myelopathy from Chai's Human

Pam, Chai's way cool human pal, wrote me a nice note on the post we did last week on degenerative myelopathy. I also got a comment from another reader that has a really nice blog on how she and her Great Dane are dealing with this issue.

Pam's note had a word of caution about the use of myelography as a diagnostic tool. Her issue is that myelography may result in complications for some dogs with DM. She has heard of dogs getting worse after the procedure. I've been looking into this and I have come across a few cautionary notes.

 

First of all, myelography is done primarily to rule out other disease that may look like DM. Inter-vertebral disc disease, where spinal disc material is impinging on the spinal cord can cause many of the same symptoms seen with DM.