So sorry that this blog has taken a backseat lately. I now have a blog that I am posting to and I actually get paid for it. I will continue writing here but for daily updates come and visit me at www.petsource.org , scroll down the page and click on “Scribbles n Bits”. This is where I will continue to talk about pet health and such.
Sphere ItAs I was flipping the channels last night I watched a bit of Wife Swap. What does this have to do with a pet blog? Well one of the families on the show ate a raw food diet, including meats, and I thought I would jot down a few things about the diet.
The most popular raw food diet for pets is called the BARF diet (biologically appropriate raw food). Now when I was first introduced to this diet as an animal health technologist I was against the diet. I mean why would anyone think that feeding a raw food diet would be appropriate. There are so many commercial diets available that are nutritionally complete and who would want the risk of salmonella or campylobacter problems. Then, working at a skin specialist veterinary clinic, I saw the benefits. We had a malamute that was allergic to almost anything under the sun (including the sun) and once the owners put him on a homemade raw diet the dogs coat improved immensley and his energy level tripled. So I think there is a place in the pet nutrition area for a raw diet.
I have included a list of sites that talk about this diet:
BARFWorld the official BARF diet site. It talks about the diet, some pros and cons (take it all in with a grain of salt please)
BARFpictorial Aunt Jeni talks about some of the recipes she uses to feed her dobermans.
Canismajor a post about raw food.
Seefido.com a summary of the BARF Diet.
Ability.org a site with links for recipes.
AVMA and their stance on the raw diet.
A word of caution:
Please ensure that you clean your prep area, food dishes and wash your hands!!!
Tags: dog, cat, raw diet, BARF diet
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Sphere ItAs a follow up to my previous post…..Winterize Your Pet….I thought I would talk specifically about our furry friend’s feet. Winter can be brutal on those little tootsies especially if you live in an area that uses salt and sand to get rid of ice. After each walk with your dog you should immediately remove any snow and salt. Flushing with a lot of warm water and then blow drying the hair on a low heat will help to prevent skin irritation from the salt or other chemicals. If you have a long haired dog another thing you may want to do is trim the hair around the toes and pads. Snow will tend to ball up the hair and can be irritating or will keep the feet moist for a long time. Moisture and dark areas can set up for some nasty skin infections. 
Another thing to watch out for is frostbite. Frostbitten skin is a red or gray color and the skin could actually slough off. Apply moist, warm towels to the paws to thaw out the skin slowly until the skin appears flush. Contact your veterinarian as soon as possible for any further care.
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Sphere ItAs a follow up to my earlier post, Pet Cloning Company Closes Its Doors, I found another article on pet cloning. A South Korean scientist has cloned 3 female afghans since June of last year. Lee Byeong-chun of Seoul National University was a former member of a research team that cloned the first male dog a year earlier. He and the rest of the team are on trial on charges of misappropriating research funds.
At a University in Texas a cloned cat had a litter of 3 kittens in September of 2006.
This leads to the question of how far are people willing to go? Would you consider cloning your pet?
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Sphere ItHave you ever watched your pet scoot across the floor on his rear end? Yes it looks a little odd but what your pet is really trying to do is to empty his anal glands. The anal glands are 2 little sacs located at 4 and 8 o’clock around the anus. These sacs normally are emptied when your pet has a bowel movement but they can get blocked or abscess. 
The reasons for the blockage could be as easy as having diarrhea for a few days, hence they are not expressed, to cancer. Now if you have ever smelled anal gland material you will remember that scent forever. When pets have a bowel movement this scent is placed on the feces and that is why "everyone" must smell each other when greeting and when they are in the park checking to see who has been where.
(Anal gland abcess)
If your pet is constantly scooting take him to the vet. They will examine the anal area, express the sacs if they are full or they will figure out what is causing the blockage.
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Sphere ItFor everyone that lives in the US mark February 27th as a day to get "Rover" the snip snip. Some vet clinics are offering discounts for the day or month to help promote "responsible pet owners" and to help as Bob Barker always says "control the pet population". You can visit the Humane Society of the United States or the Doris Day Animal Foundation websites for more information.
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Sphere ItCoprophagia, a pretty long word for what it really means. According to Wikipedia it is "consumption of feces, from the Greek copros (feces) and phagein (eat). Many animal species have evolved to practice coprophagia; other species do not normally consume feces but may do so under unusual conditions."
Why do some animals do it? Well some animals like rabbits and guinea pigs have a rather simple digestive system and sometimes the poop they have is not quite finished digesting so they will eat it almost immediately and have it digested again. Other animals like dogs will eat their poop for other reasons. Sometimes it is a learned behavior from watching their owners scoop, sometimes it is a boredom thing, sometimes it is done to get attention, sometimes it can be due to a medical condition and other times it is just their way of cleaning up.
Coprophagia is not a behavior that most humans would like their pets to have. Often it is a behavior that will reduce once a puppy matures but sometimes it has to be dealt with by a little bit of training on the part of the owner.
Tips to help prevent coprophagia:
1. Clean up immediately after your pet has defecated.
2. Make the feces unappealing. You can try feeding your dog a teaspoon of pineapple, spinach or there is a commercial product available called forbid. If you have more than one pet in the household it may be necessary to feed all of them one of these items as the "poop eater" may notice that his poop tastes awful but will eat the other’s feces.
3. If the dog is still fond of feces, try teaching your dog not to touch it using the command ‘Off.’ Put your dog on leash and walk him by some feces. If he shows any interest in it, tell him, ‘No, off.’ If he continues to go for it, then loudly scold him, ‘OFF!!!’ and pull him away from it with a short, sharp tug on the leash. When he stops, praise him. Continue walking and keep returning to different piles of feces over and over, repeating the off procedure until he gets the idea that you disapprove of his dietary interests. Whenever he shows no interest in the feces, be sure to tell him how happy you are through praise and reward.
Just remember when dealing with coprophagia it can sometimes be a normal thing for animals to do and just because we don’t like it and think its disgusting your pet may just be keeping the place clean for you. No amount of scolding will help deal with the behavior. Try the above tricks and if they don’t work talk to your veterinarian or staff to get a little more help.
Tags: pet, dog, caged pets, behavior
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Sphere ItTo neuter or not to neuter……..why must almost every guy be so attached to his canine’s testicles? It’s so funny when a female owner calls in to book the procedure for her boyfriend’s dog……"oh he just couldn’t do it to fido"………or the wife who calls saying "my husband thinks it will make the dog fat is this true?" There are so many good reasons to neuter your dog guys so get over it……….we’re not taking away your manhood.
Did you know?
Each day 10,000 humans are born in the U.S. - and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals. As a result, every year 4 to 6 million animals are euthanized because there are no homes for them.
What can you do to stop the suffering?
Neuter your pet! In addition to saving lives, neutering can also drastically improve your pet’s health and life expectancy. The idea that pets become fat or lazy when they are neutered is a myth. Sterilized pets lead healthier, longer lives. Neutering a male reduces the risk of both prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Neutering also will make your pet more affectionate and less likely to roam, get in fights, or become lost.
Good for You, Your Pet, and the Community
Prevent A Litter - It’s Good for You and Your Pet
Prevent A Litter - It’s Good for the Community
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Sphere It
